Studies on the Noncooperative Binding of the Escherichia coli DNA Unwinding Protein to Single-Stranded Nucleic Acids

The noncooperative binding of the Escherichia coli DNA unwinding protein to single-stranded DNA oligomers has been studied by means of equilibrium dialysis. Dialyses were performed under a number of solution and temperature conditions using oligomers of varying length and base composition. The results of these studies, which include a Scatchard analysis of the binding, have allowed us to propose a model for the cooperative binding of the protein to singlestranded DNA. The results of experiments dealing with the interaction of the protein with single-stranded RNA are also presented.