Cloned, sequenced mouse satellite DNA exhibits properties characteristic of molecules that possess a stable curvature. Circularly permuted fragments containing the region predicted to bend were used to map the curvature relative to DNA sequence. The altered mobility of these fragments in polyacrylamide gels is reversed when gels are run in the presence of distamycin A, a drug that binds preferentially to AT-rich DNA. Treatment of living mouse cells with this drug dramatically reduces the condensation of centromeric heterochromatin, the exclusive location of satellite sequences. In situ hybridization of satellite probes to extended chromosomes at the electron microscope level shows that satellite does not comprise a single block but is distributed throughout the centromere region. Based on these experiments, we hypothesize that the structure of mouse satellite DNA is an important feature of centromeric heterochromatin condensation.