Thermal denaturation of DNA from bromodeoxyuridine substituted cells.

The thermal denaturation of DNA from cell lines extensively substituted with bromodeoxyuridine has been examined spectrophotometrically over a wide range in ionic strength and by thermal elution from hydroxyapatite columns. BrdU substitution stabliizes DNA at all ionic strengths between 7.5 mM and 1350 mM potassium ion concentration, although a plot of log ionic strength vs Tm deviates from linearity above 150 mM. This nonlinearity is most pronounced with BrdU-substituted DNAs, resulting in a lowered delta Tm between unsubstituted and substituted DNA with increasing ionic strength. DMSO is shown to decrease the Tm of both unsubstituted and BrdU-substituted DNA equally, at a rate of .5 degrees C per 1% DMSO.