We have adapted the thermal shift assay to measure the ligand binding properties of the herpes simplex virus-I single-strand DNA binding protein, ICP8. By measuring SYPRO Orange fluorescence in microtiter plates using a fluorescence-enabled thermal cycler, we have quantified the effects of oligonucleotide ligands on the melting temperature of ICP8. We found that single-stranded oligomers raise the melting temperature of ICP8 in a length- and concentration-dependent manner, ranging from I C for (dT)(5) to a maximum of 9 C with oligomers >= 10 nucleotides, with an apparent K-d of <1 mu M for (dT)(20). Specifically, the results indicate that ICP8 is capable of interacting with oligomers as short as 5 nucleotides. Moreover, the observed increases in melting temperature of up to 9 degrees C, indicates that single-strand DNA binding significantly stabilizes the structure of ICP8. This assay may be applied to investigate the ligand binding proteins of other single-strand DNA binding proteins and used as a high-throughput screen to identify compounds with therapeutic potential that inhibit single-strand DNA binding. As proof of concept, the single-strand DNA binding agent ciprofloxacin reduces the ligand induced stabilization of the melting temperature of ICP8 in a dose-dependent manner. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.