scholarly journals Reversibly locked thionucleobase pairs in DNA to study base flipping enzymes

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 2293-2306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Beuck ◽  
Elmar Weinhold

Covalently interstrand cross-linked DNA is an interesting tool to study DNA binding proteins that locally open up the DNA duplex by flipping single bases out of the DNA helix or melting whole stretches of base pairs to perform their function. The ideal DNA cross-link to study protein–DNA interactions should be specific and easy to synthesize, be stable during protein binding experiments, have a short covalent linker to avoid steric hindrance of protein binding, and should be available as a mimic for both A/T and G/C base pairs to cover all possible binding specificities. Several covalent interstrand cross-links have been described in the literature, but most of them fall short of at least one of the above criteria. We developed an efficient method to site-specifically and reversibly cross-link thionucleoside base pairs in synthetic duplex oligodeoxynucleotides by bisalkylation with 1,2-diiodoethane resulting in an ethylene-bridged base pair. Both linked A/T and G/C base pair analogs can conveniently be prepared which allows studying any base pair-opening enzyme regardless of its sequence specificity. The cross-link is stable in the absence of reducing agents but the linker can be quickly and tracelessly removed by the addition of thiol reagents like dithiothreitol. This property makes the cross-linking reaction fully reversible and allows for a switching of the linked base pair from locked to unlocked during biochemical experiments. Using the DNA methyltransferase from Thermus aquaticus (M.TaqI) as example, we demonstrate that the presented cross-linked DNA with an ethylene-linked A/T base pair analog at the target position is a useful tool to determine the base-flipping equilibrium constant of a base-flipping enzyme which lies mostly on the extrahelical side for M.TaqI.

1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1663-1670 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Deb ◽  
A L DeLucia ◽  
C P Baur ◽  
A Koff ◽  
P Tegtmeyer

The simian virus 40 core origin of replication consists of nucleotides 5211 through 31. These 64 base pairs contain three functional domains with strict sequence requirements and two spacer regions with relaxed sequence specificity but precise positional constraints. The early domain extends for 10 contiguous base pairs between nucleotides 5211 and 5220. A 9-base pair spacer from sequences 5221 through 5229 separates the early domain from the 23-base pair central palindrome that directs the binding of T antigen. The late end of the core between nucleotides 12 and 31 also contains spacer and sequence-specific functions that are not yet completely mapped. We propose that the sequence-specific domains are interaction sites for viral and cellular proteins, determinants of DNA conformation, or both. The spacers would position these signals at required distances and rotations relative to one another.


1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1663-1670 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Deb ◽  
A L DeLucia ◽  
C P Baur ◽  
A Koff ◽  
P Tegtmeyer

The simian virus 40 core origin of replication consists of nucleotides 5211 through 31. These 64 base pairs contain three functional domains with strict sequence requirements and two spacer regions with relaxed sequence specificity but precise positional constraints. The early domain extends for 10 contiguous base pairs between nucleotides 5211 and 5220. A 9-base pair spacer from sequences 5221 through 5229 separates the early domain from the 23-base pair central palindrome that directs the binding of T antigen. The late end of the core between nucleotides 12 and 31 also contains spacer and sequence-specific functions that are not yet completely mapped. We propose that the sequence-specific domains are interaction sites for viral and cellular proteins, determinants of DNA conformation, or both. The spacers would position these signals at required distances and rotations relative to one another.


1991 ◽  
Vol 66 (04) ◽  
pp. 500-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Peretz ◽  
U Seligsohn ◽  
E Zwang ◽  
B S Coller ◽  
P J Newman

SummarySevere Glanzmann's thrombasthenia is relatively frequent in Iraqi-Jews and Arabs residing in Israel. We have recently described the mutations responsible for the disease in Iraqi-Jews – an 11 base pair deletion in exon 12 of the glycoprotein IIIa gene, and in Arabs – a 13 base pair deletion at the AG acceptor splice site of exon 4 on the glycoprotein IIb gene. In this communication we show that the Iraqi-Jewish mutation can be identified directly by polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis. With specially designed oligonucleotide primers encompassing the mutation site, an 80 base pair segment amplified in healthy controls was clearly distinguished from the 69 base pair segment produced in patients. Patients from 11 unrelated Iraqi-Jewish families had the same mutation. The Arab mutation was identified by first amplifying a DNA segment consisting of 312 base pairs in controls and of 299 base pairs in patients, and then digestion by a restriction enzyme Stu-1, which recognizes a site that is absent in the mutant gene. In controls the 312 bp segment was digested into 235 and 77 bp fragments, while in patients there was no change in the size of the amplified 299 bp segment. The mutation was found in patients from 3 out of 5 unrelated Arab families. Both Iraqi-Jewish and Arab mutations were detectable in DNA extracted from blood and urine samples. The described simple methods of identifying the mutations should be useful for detection of the numerous potential carriers among the affected kindreds and for prenatal diagnosis using DNA extracted from chorionic villi samples.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yogeeshwar Ajjugal ◽  
Kripi Tomar ◽  
D. Krishna Rao ◽  
Thenmalarchelvi Rathinavelan

AbstractBase pair mismatches in DNA can erroneously be incorporated during replication, recombination, etc. Here, the influence of A…A mismatch in the context of 5′CAA·5′TAG sequence is explored using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, umbrella sampling MD, circular dichroism (CD), microscale thermophoresis (MST) and NMR techniques. MD simulations reveal that the A…A mismatch experiences several transient events such as base flipping, base extrusion, etc. facilitating B–Z junction formation. A…A mismatch may assume such conformational transitions to circumvent the effect of nonisostericity with the flanking canonical base pairs so as to get accommodated in the DNA. CD and 1D proton NMR experiments further reveal that the extent of B–Z junction increases when the number of A…A mismatch in d(CAA)·d(T(A/T)G) increases (1–5). CD titration studies of d(CAA)·d(TAG)n=5 with the hZαADAR1 show the passive binding between the two, wherein, the binding of protein commences with B–Z junction recognition. Umbrella sampling simulation indicates that the mismatch samples anti…+ syn/+ syn…anti, anti…anti & + syn…+ syn glycosyl conformations. The concomitant spontaneous transitions are: a variety of hydrogen bonding patterns, stacking and minor or major groove extrahelical movements (with and without the engagement of hydrogen bonds) involving the mismatch adenines. These transitions frequently happen in anti…anti conformational region compared with the other three regions as revealed from the lifetime of these states. Further, 2D-NOESY experiments indicate that the number of cross-peaks diminishes with the increasing number of A…A mismatches implicating its dynamic nature. The spontaneous extrahelical movement seen in A…A mismatch may be a key pre-trapping event in the mismatch repair due to the accessibility of the base(s) to the sophisticated mismatch repair machinery.


1986 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
E J Aamodt ◽  
J G Culotti

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans should be an excellent model system in which to study the role of microtubules in mitosis, embryogenesis, morphogenesis, and nerve function. It may be studied by the use of biochemical, genetic, molecular biological, and cell biological approaches. We have purified microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) from C. elegans by the use of the anti-tumor drug taxol (Vallee, R. B., 1982, J. Cell Biol., 92:435-44). Approximately 0.2 mg of microtubules and 0.03 mg of MAPs were isolated from each gram of C. elegans. The C. elegans microtubules were smaller in diameter than bovine microtubules assembled in vitro in the same buffer. They contained primarily 9-11 protofilaments, while the bovine microtubules contained 13 protofilaments. The principal MAP had an apparent molecular weight of 32,000 and the minor MAPs were 30,000, 45,000, 47,000, 50,000, 57,000, and 100,000-110,000 mol wt as determined by SDS-gel electrophoresis. The microtubules were observed, by electron microscopy of negatively stained preparations, to be connected by stretches of highly periodic cross-links. The cross-links connected the adjacent protofilaments of aligned microtubules, and occurred at a frequency of one cross-link every 7.7 +/- 0.9 nm, or one cross-link per tubulin dimer along the protofilament. The cross-links were removed when the MAPs were extracted from the microtubules with 0.4 M NaCl. The cross-links then re-formed when the microtubules and the MAPs were recombined in a low salt buffer. These results strongly suggest that the cross-links are composed of MAPs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 671-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. L. Verbruggen ◽  
L. van der Does ◽  
W. K. Dierkes ◽  
J. W. M. Noordermeer

ABSTRACT The theoretical model developed by Charlesby to quantify the balance between cross-links creation of polymers and chain scission during radiation cross-linking and further modifications by Horikx to describe network breakdown from aging were merged to characterize the balance of both types of scission on the development of the sol content during de-vulcanization of rubber networks. There are, however, disturbing factors in these theoretical considerations vis-à-vis practical reality. Sulfur- and peroxide-cured NR and EPDM vulcanizates were de-vulcanized under conditions of selective cross-link and random main-chain scissions. Cross-link scission was obtained using thiol-amine reagents for selective cleavage of sulfur cross-links. Random main-chain scission was achieved by heating peroxide vulcanizates of NR with diphenyldisulfide, a method commonly employed for NR reclaiming. An important factor in the analyses of these experiments is the cross-linking index. Its value must be calculated using the sol fraction of the cross-linked network before de-vulcanization to obtain reliable results. The values for the cross-linking index calculated with sol-gel data before de-vulcanization appear to fit the experimentally determined modes of network scission during de-vulcanization very well. This study confirms that the treatment of de-vulcanization data with the merged Charlesby and Horikx models can be used satisfactorily to characterize the de-vulcanization of NR and EPDM vulcanizates.


Tetrahedron ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 53 (35) ◽  
pp. 12041-12056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Erlanson ◽  
Scot A. Wolfe ◽  
Lin Chen ◽  
Gregory L. Verdine

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