Importance of DNA stiffness in protein-DNA binding specificity

From the first high-resolution structure of a repressor bound specifically to its DNA recognition sequence it has been shown that the phage 434 repressor protein binds as a dimer to the helix. Tight, local interactions are made at the ends of the binding site, causing the central four base pairs (bp) to become bent and overtwisted. The centre of the operator is not in contact with protein but repressor binding affinity can be reduced at least 50-fold in response to a sequence change there. This observation might be explained should the structure of the intervening DNA segment vary with its sequence, or if DNA at the centre of the operator resists the torsional and bending deformation necessary for complex formation in a sequence dependent fashion. We have considered the second hypothesis by demonstrating that DNA stiffness is sequence dependent. A method is formulated for calculating the stiffness of any particular DNA sequence, and we show that this predicted relationship between sequence and stiffness can explain the repressor binding data in a quantitative manner. We propose that the elastic properties of DNA may be of general importance to an understanding of protein-DNA binding specificity.     

Atomic structure of single-stranded DNA bacteriophage phi X174 and its functional implications.

The mechanism of DNA ejection, viral assembly and evolution are related to the structure of bacteriophage phi X174. The F protein forms a T = 1 capsid whose major folding motif is the eight-stranded antiparallel beta barrel found in many other icosahedral viruses. Groups of 5 G proteins form 12 dominating spikes that enclose a hydrophilic channel containing some diffuse electron density. Each G protein is a tight beta barrel with its strands running radially outwards and with a topology similar to that of the F protein. The 12 'pilot' H proteins per virion may be partially located in the putative ion channel. The small, basic J protein is associated with the DNA and is situated in an interior cleft of the F protein. Tentatively, there are three regions of partially ordered DNA structure,     

Integration of rolling circle amplification and cationic conjugated polymer for the homogeneous detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms

A novel, homogeneous and sensitive assay for the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by integration of rolling circle amplification (RCA) and cationic conjugated polymer (CCP) has been developed and tested. Mutant DNA serves as the template for specifically circularizing a padlock probe (PLP) with a sequence that is complementary to the mutant DNA. Afterwards, the mutant DNA directly acts as the primer to initiate the RCA reaction in the presence of phi29 DNA polymerase that generates a long, tandem single-strand DNA product. During the RCA reaction, fluorescein-labeled dUTPs are incorporated into the RCA products. When the CCP is introduced, efficient FRET from CCP to fluorescein occurs as a result of the strong electrostatic interactions between the CCP and the DNA produced by RCA. The wild-type DNA contains a single base mismatch with PLP with the result that the PLP is not circularized, RCA is not triggered and inefficient FRET results. By measuring the change of the emission intensities of CCP and fluorescein, it was possible to detect the SNP in a homogeneous manner. The method is sensitive and specific enough to detect 0.1 pmol/L mutant DNA and to determine a mutant allele frequency as low as 2.0%.     

Preferential relaxation of supercoiled DNA containing a hexadecameric recognition sequence for topoisomerase I

In prokaryotes, the degree of supercoiling of DNA can profoundly influence the use of specific promoters. In eukaryotes, a variety of indirect observations suggest that DNA topology has a similar importance in proper gene expression. Much attention has therefore been focused on the cellular proteins that control DNA supercoiling, among which are the enzymes topoisomerase I and II. A hexadecameric sequence functions as a strong attraction site for topoisomerase I. Here we report that the interaction of topoisomerase I with this sequence motif is highly specific, because a single base-pair substitution prevents strand cleavage and thereby catalytic activity at the sequence. Thus, supercoiled DNA containing the recognition sequence is relaxed preferentially by topoisomerase I compared to a control, but no difference in the relaxation rate is observed for supercoiled DNA carrying the mutated sequence. The preference for the recognition sequence seems to be an intrinsic property of all eukaryotic type I topoisomerases, suggesting that the interaction might be important in a fundamental biological process.     

Fidelity of DNA replication catalysed in vitro on a natural DNA template by the T4 bacteriophage multi-enzyme complex

More than 50 copies of a phi X174 DNA template can be made in 60 min in an in vitro DNA replication system consisting of seven purfied replication proteins isolated from T4 bacteriophage-infected cells. By transfecting with the DNA products and assaying for the reversion of specific amber mutants, the high degree of base-pairing fidelity in this system is revealed; the in vitro system is also shown to respond to the mutagenic effect of Mn2+ and to display strong base-pair context effects on fidelity, as expected from in vivo studies.     

Highly efficient endogenous human gene correction using designed zinc-finger nucleases

Permanent modification of the human genome in vivo is impractical owing to the low frequency of homologous recombination in human cells, a fact that hampers biomedical research and progress towards safe and effective gene therapy. Here we report a general solution using two fundamental biological processes: DNA recognition by C2H2 zinc-finger proteins and homology-directed repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Zinc-finger proteins engineered to recognize a unique chromosomal site can be fused to a nuclease domain, and a double-strand break induced by the resulting zinc-finger nuclease can create specific sequence alterations by stimulating homologous recombination between the chromosome and an extrachromosomal DNA donor. We show that zinc-finger nucleases designed against an X-linked severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mutation in the IL2Rgamma gene yielded more than 18% gene-modified human cells without selection. Remarkably, about 7% of the cells acquired the desired genetic modification on both X chromosomes, with cell genotype accurately reflected at the messenger RNA and protein levels. We observe comparably high frequencies in human T cells, raising the possibility of strategies based on zinc-finger nucleases for the treatment of disease.     

嗜麦芽黄单胞菌CG样受体跨膜域克隆与分析

根据已知生物LH/CG受体同源性较大的跨膜域序列设计引物，以嗜麦芽黄单胞菌基因组DNA为模板进行PCR扩增，将约600bp目的产物克隆到pUCm-T载体上，经酶切及PCR扩增筛选鉴定得到重组质粒pUCm-Rec，以DIG标记的PCR扩增片段作为探针进行DNA斑点杂交，确证目的PCR扩增片段与该菌染色体DNA有同源性，克隆到的593bpCG样受体跨膜域序列在GenBank中的注册号为AY355346，再以地高辛标记的593bp跨膜域序列为探针，从构建的该菌基因组文库中，筛选到可能与CG样受体属于同一跨膜受体家族的编码组氨酸激酶／效应调节杂合蛋白部分序列的685bp核酸片段(其在GenBank中的注册号为AY359445)。     

素环上非线性Lie中心化子

M是包含非平凡投影P的单位素环. 利用算子论方法证明了: 如果φ: M→M是非线性Lie中心化子, 则存在λ∈C及映射ξ: M→C满足ξ(［A,B］)=0(A,B∈M), 使得对任意的X∈M, 有φ(X)=λX+ξ(X)I.     

Filamentous phage integration requires the host recombinases XerC and XerD

Many bacteriophages and animal viruses integrate their genomes into the chromosomal DNA of their hosts as a method of promoting vertical transmission. Phages that integrate in a site-specific fashion encode an integrase enzyme that catalyses recombination between the phage and host genomes. CTX phi is a filamentous bacteriophage that contains the genes encoding cholera toxin, the principal virulence factor of the diarrhoea-causing Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae. CTX phi integrates into the V. cholerae genome in a site-specific manner; however, the approximately 6.9-kilobase (kb) CTX phi genome does not encode any protein with significant homology to known recombinases. Here we report that XerC and XerD, two chromosome-encoded recombinases that ordinarily function to resolve chromosome dimers at the dif recombination site, are essential for CTX phi integration into the V. cholerae genome. The CTX phi integration site was found to overlap with the dif site of the larger of the two V. cholerae chromosomes. Examination of sequences of the integration sites of other filamentous phages indicates that the XerCD recombinases also mediate the integration of these phage genomes at dif-like sites in various bacterial species.     

The locus of sequence-directed and protein-induced DNA bending

The bending locus of trypanosome kinetoplast DNA, identified by gel electrophoresis, has tracts of a simple repeat sequence (CA5-6 T) symmetrically distributed about it, with a repeat interval of 10 base pairs. The analogous bending induced when catabolite gene activating protein binds to its recognition sequence near the promoter of the Escherichia coli lac operon is centred on a site about 5-7 base pairs away from the centre of the protein binding site.     

Probing met repressor-operator recognition in solution.

The three-dimensional crystal structure of the Escherichia coli methionine repressor, MetJ, complexed with a DNA operator fragment is described in an accompanying article. The complex exhibits several novel features of DNA-protein interaction. DNA sequence recognition is achieved largely by hydrogen-bond contacts between the bases and amino-acid side chains located on a beta-ribbon, a mode of recognition previously hypothesized on the basis of modelling of idealized beta-strands and DNA, and mutagenesis of the Salmonella phage P22 repressors Arc and Mnt. The complex comprises a pair of MetJ repressor dimers which bind to adjacent met-box sites on the DNA, and contact each other by means of a pair of antiparallel alpha-helices. Here we assess the importance of these contacts, and also of contacts that would be made between the C-helices of the protein and DNA in a previous model of the complex, by studying mutations aimed at disrupting them. The role of the carboxy-terminal helix face in operator binding was unclear, but we demonstrate that recognition of operator sequences occurs through side chains in the beta-strand motif and that dimer-dimer interactions are required for effective repression.     

Closely related sequences on human X and Y chromosomes outside the pairing region

During meiosis the human X and Y chromosomes form a synaptonemal complex which covers most of Yp and the terminal 30% of Xp (ref. 1). By analogy with the autosomes, this is presumed to reflect DNA sequence homology. It has been suggested that these regions of the X and Y chromosomes contain either related or identical loci which are distal to a site of cross-over, and support for these ideas has come from the finding that an X-linked cell-surface antigen controlling gene MIC2 is related to a gene on the Y chromosome. A number of DNA sequences have been shown to occur either on the X and Y chromosomes or on the X, Y and autosomes. We have now isolated a sequence from the Y chromosome which is present on Xq and Yq. This region lies well outside the pairing segments, and sequence analysis reveals no base change in 1 kilobase pair (kb). This high degree of similarity between the X and Y chromosomes near the tips of the long arms is a strong indication that interchange can occur in this region.     

转录因子E2F—1的DNA结合结构域与GST的融合表达和纯化

通过聚合酶链式反应方法扩增转录因子Ｅ２Ｆ－１中ＤＮＡ结合结构域的基因片段,并将其克隆到ｐＧＥＸ－２Ｔ表达载体中,转化ＢＬ２１菌株．经ＩＰＴＧ诱导,目的蛋白在大肠杆菌中得到高效表达,其表达量达１５％．经ＧＳＴ－Ａｇａｒｏｓｅ亲合层析,目的蛋白得到了高度纯化．经胶迁移率改变实验（ｇｅｌｓｈｉｆｔｍｏｂｉｌｉｔｙａｓａｙ）证明目的蛋白具有与腺病毒Ｅ２启动子ＤＮＡ片段结合的能力．     

Nucleotide sequence of the origin of replication in bacteriophage phiX174 RF DNA

The gene A protein of bacteriophage phiX174 has been used in vitro to convert phiX RFI DNA into the relaxed RFII form by nicking the viral strand. The nucleotide sequence at the 3' end of the nick has been determined as -- T G C T C C C C C A A C T T Goh. This sequence gives the exact position of the origin of phiX RF DNA replication.     

ATP-dependent recognition of eukaryotic origins of DNA replication by a multiprotein complex.

A multiprotein complex that specifically recognizes cellular origins of DNA replication has been identified and purified from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We observe a strong correlation between origin function and origin recognition by this activity. Interestingly, specific DNA binding by the origin recognition complex is dependent upon the addition of ATP. We propose that the origin recognition complex acts as the initiator protein for S. cerevisiae origins of DNA replication.     

Cloning and sequencing of a novel class of rice homeobox

Rice genomic DNA was surveyed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect homeobox sequences. The PCR product (183 bp) was cloned and sequenced. The nucleotide sequence and the deduced amino acid sequence of a homeobox, which was isolated in this study, and designated OSIHI1, were obtained. Comparison of the encoded polypeptide sequence with other homeodomains reveals that OSIHI1 has 85% and 87% identity to that of Antp, and quail Quox1, respectively at the protein level. An alignment of the OSIHI1 amino acid sequence with homeodoma in sequences from varlous other eukaryotes shows that OSIHI1 homeodomain contains identical residues in the eight positions most conserved among homeodomains, and also contains the four invariant residues present in the putative recognition helix (helix3) Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Yi Qingming: born in Apr. 1938. Professor