Ion-DNA Interactions as a Key Determinant of Uracil DNA Glycosylase Activity.

ABSTRACT: Because of their ubiquitous presence, ions interact with numerous macromolecules in the cell and affect critical biological processes. Here, we discuss how cations including Mg²⁺ alter the enzymatic activity of a DNA glycosylase by tuning its affinity for DNA. The response of uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG2) to Mg²⁺ ions in solution is biphasic and paradoxical, where low concentrations of the ion stimulate the enzyme, but high concentrations inhibit the enzyme. We analyzed this phenomenon by modeling experimental data with a statistical framework that we empirically derived to understand molecular systems that display biphasic behaviors. Parameters from our statistical model indicate that DNA substrates are nearly saturated with cations under ideal conditions for UNG2 ac

SUBMITTER: Greenwood SN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12096439 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature