COVALENT BINDING OF DNA DUPLEXES CONTAINING ACYLPHOSPHATE OR SUBSTITUTED PYROPHOSPHATE WITH TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR NF-KAPPA-B

A study was made of DNA duplexes containing the transcription factor N F-kappa B recognition site in which a phosphodiester group is replaced by a reactive trisubstituted pyrophosphate or acylphosphate. It is sh own that such duplexes not only form specific complexes with the NF-ka ppa B p50 subunit but also covalently bind to it, The oligonucleotides with internucleotide acylphosphate act as acylating reagents, which f or the first time was used for covalent binding to a protein, whereas trisubstituted pyrophosphates carry out phosphorylation. These reagent s display specificity in the reaction with human p50. Their selective interaction with NF-kappa B in the cell makes them promising as inhibi tors of transcription processes involving this factor.