Complexes of DNA with polypeptides composed of Lys, Ala, and Gly in both a sequential order, poly(L-lysine-L-alanine-glycine), and a statistical distribution, poly(L-lysine36-L-alanine28-glycine), were prepared using gradient dialysis. These polypeptide-DNA complexes were studied using ultraviolet absorption (UV) and circular dichroism (CD) to probe the conformation, binding, and melting behavior of DNA in the complex. Complexes with the sequential polypeptide showed no structural change in the DNA; however, the complexes with the random polypeptide yield CD spectra similar to phi DNA [Maniatis, T., Venable, Jr., J.S., and Lerman, L.S. (1974), J. Mol. Biol. 84, 37]. A second sequential polypeptide, poly(L-Lys-L-Ala-L-Pro)n, -DNA complex was also studied. It was found to exhibit pronounced structural changes as a function of ionic strength and poly-peptide-DNA ratio, more similar to the random sequence that the ordered sequence of the Lys, Ala, Gly polymer. Thus the importance of the composition and amino acid sequence in polypeptides which bind to DNA, even in such simple systems, is demonstrated. Evidence from thermal denaturation, employing simultaneous monitoring of CD and UV changes, supports a model in which specific polypeptides cause condensation of the DNA in the complex into an asymmetric tertiary structure. The relevance of these model systems to chromatin is discussed.