The kinetics of association between the quinoxaline antitumor antibiotic echinomycin and DNA have been studied by stopped-flow methods. With natural DNAs, the reaction profile is completely described by a single exponential, the time constant for which varies linearly with the DNA concentration. This bimolecular rate constant is similar for both calf thymus and Micrococcus lysodeikticus DNA (k = 6 X 10(4) M-1 s-1 at 25 degrees C, I = 0.01) and is probably dominated by interaction with relatively weak but abundant binding sites from which the antibiotic dissociates fairly quickly. The observed single exponential suggests a molecular mechanism of binding in which both chromophores of the antibiotic become intercalated simultaneously rather than sequentially; no transition from a mono-intercalated state to a bis-intercalated state could be detected. The reaction is slowed by a factor of about 3 on raising the salt concentration from I = 0.01 to I = 0.5. Binding to poly(dA-dT) is also described by a single exponential, the time constant for which is about 3 times faster than that seen with natural DNAs. By contrast, the interaction with poly-(dG-dC) requires two exponentials for a proper description, the faster of which is similar to that seen with natural DNAs. This may reflect the initial interaction of the antibiotic with two types of sequences, tentatively identified as GpC and CpG, from which it dissociates at very different rates. The differences in kinetic behavior may be explicable on the basis of an alternating B structure for poly(dA-dT) and a more classical B form for poly(dG-dC).