Length dependence in reassociation kinetics of radioactive tracer DNA.

The reassociation kinetics have been measured for radioactive Escherichia coli DNAs (tracers) of various average single-strand lengths reassociated alone and in the presence of excess unlabeled DNA (driver) of two different average lengths. Hydroxylapatite binding was used to follow the reaction time course. The length-dependence of the rate constant determined in the tracer self-reassociation reactions is in agreement with the square-root dependence previously determined (Wetmur, J. G., & Davisond, N. (1968) J. Mol. Biol. 31, 349-370) using optical methods to follow the time course. However, for the driver-tracer reactions, where the radioactive DNA reassociates largely with DNA of a different average length, the dependence of the rate constant upon average tracer length is increased and approaches an L to the first power dependence. In 0.18 M Na+, the variation of the rate constant for tracer reassociation with the lengths of the reassociating strands has been shown to fit the simple equation k = (9.0077).(L T 0.55 + 1/L D 0.55), where k is the observed rate constant in L mol-1 s-1 and L(T)and L(D) are the weight average tracer and driver lengths, respectively, in nucleotides. This dependence suggests that the rate of nucleation of two free strands is proportional to the sum of the reciprocals of the hydrodynamic radii of the two strands.