Quantitative methods of analysis of footprinting diagrams for the complexes formed by a ligand with a DNA fragment of known sequence.

The regulation of gene expression is based on the interaction of DNA with different ligands. A model of adsorption was considered that can be applied to the quantitative analysis of footprinting diagrams for the complexes formed by a ligand with a DNA fragment of known structure. This model allows the probabilities of ligand binding to DNA sites with a known sequence to be calculated and the variance of probabilities of ligand binding with a specified binding site to be estimated. The model was used for quantitative analysis of diagrams of DNAse footprinting for the complexes of the dimeric analogue of the antitumor antibiotic netropsin. Experimental and theoretically calculated profiles of distribution of netropsin bound on DNA are in good agreement with one another.