Cover: DNA ligases discriminate against ligation of mispaired substrates by interrogating minor groove contacts. A deoxyuridine:
deoxyadenosine (dU:dA) base pair is positioned next to the crystal structure of Chlorella virus DNA ligase-adenylate complex [PDB code 1P8L, Odell et al. (2003) Nucleic Acids Res. 31, 5090-5100] using DS ViewerPro 5.0. The hydrogen
bonding atoms in the minor groove (indicated with pink arrows) of the dU:dA base pair are recognized by DNA ligases to ensure
fidelity. The AMP moiety covalently bound to the ligase active site is highlighted with pink. For further details see the paper by
Liu et al. in this issue [Nucleic Acids Res. (2004) 32, 4503-4511].
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