“… To evaluate the relative contributions of individual DNA elements to the enzyme affinity for long polymeric and oligomeric ligands, a new approach, stepwise increase in ligand complexity (SILC), was developed . Using the SILC, we have analyzed the mechanisms of recognition of DNA by number of DNA‐dependent enzymes: not specific for DNA sequence and structure such as Escherichia coli RecA, specific for DNA structure but not sequence‐dependent such as DNA polymerases of eukaryotes, prokaryotes, viruses, and archaea and human DNA ligase I; specific for DNA containing damages such as human uracil DNA glycosylase, E. coli Fpg and human 8‐oxoguanine DNA glycosylases (OGG1), human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (AP endonuclease), as well as specific for DNA sequence such as human HIV integrase, topoisomerase I (Topo I), Eco RI restriction endonuclease, and human lactoferrin (LF) . It was shown that complex formation including formation of contacts between specific sequences in all these enzymes cannot provide for either substrate specificity or high enzyme affinity for DNA.…”