A sensitive and rapid gel retention assay for nuclear factor I and other DNA-binding proteins in crude nuclear extracts.

The paper describes a rapid and sensitive assay for DNA binding proteins which interact with specific and defined binding sites. It exploits the observation that complexes of proteins and small synthetic DNA fragments (40 bp) containing the protein/DNA binding site can enter native polyacrylamide gels and remain stably associated during electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions. The assay was applied to nuclear factor I, to its identification and purification from porcine liver, to an analysis of its binding site on adenovirus type 5 DNA and to an exploration of other potential binding sites for DNA binding proteins within the inverted terminal repetition of adenovirus DNA. The extreme sensitivity of the assay which surpasses that of conventional footprint assays by at least two orders of magnitude permitted the identification of nuclear factor I-like activities in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.