Interaction between Chromosomal Protein HMGB1 and DNA Studied by DNA-Melting Analysis

Interaction of HMGB1 nonhistone chromosomal protein with DNA was studied using circular dichroism spectroscopy and thermal denaturation of DNA. Melting DNA in the complex was shown to be a biphasic process. The characteristic melting temperatures of unbound DNA and the DNA bound to HMGB1 in 0.25 mM EDTA solutions were found to beTmI=44.0±0.5°C andTmII=62.0±1°C, respectively. It was shown that the binding of the HMGB1 molecule affects the melting of the DNA region approximately 30 b.p. long.