线粒体DNA聚合酶的起源与演化

随着新的DNA聚合酶A家族成员的加入,家族内部的系统发育关系需要重新检查,来自大肠杆菌DNA聚合酶I(DNA Pol I)和它的细菌、噬菌体和真核细胞同源物被用来重建这个家族的系统发育史.分析显示:在真核生物演化的不同阶段,线粒体DNA聚合酶基因可能通过水平基因转移方式起源于不同类群的生物.原始真核生物线粒体DNA聚合酶基因可能来源于细菌,植物线粒体DNA聚合酶基因可能从质粒获得,而真菌和动物线粒体DNA聚合酶基因可能起源于T3/T7相关噬菌体.     

DNA聚合酶X家族系统发育树的重建

随着DNA聚合酶X家族成员数量的增加,特别是两个昆虫痘病毒(entomopoxvirus,EPV)成员的加入,家族内部的系统发育关系需要重新检查。总共37个来自不同物种的DNA聚合酶x家族成员的核心结构域序列被分析。结果显示：系统发育树呈现的家族内部系统发育关系基本上与家族成员的物种分布状态相吻合,其中,病毒成员与真核生物DNA聚合酶beta(polβ)亚群构成姐妹群,提示病毒成员可能起源于真核细胞的相应基因。亚群的歧异时间、基因结构比较和同线基因保守性分析显示,哺乳动物DNA聚合酶基因(Pol M)可能起源于脱氧核苷酸末端转移酶基因(TdT)最近发生的基因重复。     

DNA聚合酶x家族的系统发育分析

随着DNA聚合酶x家族成员数量的增加,家族内部的系统发育需要重新检查,来自病毒和细胞的DNA聚合酶x家族成员顺序第一次被汇编在一起,进行系统发育分析。分析显示：真核生物DNA聚合酶beta(polβ)可能起源于病毒基因的水平转移;DNA聚合酶mu(polμ)基因仅存在于哺乳动物基因中,是脱氧核苷酸末端转移酶（TdT）的重复基因;DNA聚合酶lambda(polλ)可能是polμ和TdT的祖先基因,但在某些物种的进化过程中发生了基因丢失。     

DNA聚合酶X家族的起源与进化分析

随着DNA聚合酶X家族成员数量的增加,家族内部的系统发育需要重新检查。来自病毒和细胞的DNA聚合酶X家族成员序列第一次被汇编在一起,进行系统发育分析。分析显示：真核生物DNA聚合酶bcta(polβ)是这个家族的祖先基因,可能与昆虫痘病毒(EPv)之间发生过基因的水平转移;DNA聚合酶mu(polμ)基因仅存在于哺乳动物基因组中,是脱氧核苦酸末端转移酶(TdT)的重复基因;这个家族在低等真核生物的种系进化过程中发生了基因丢失。     

高等植物线粒体DNA的制备方法

自从六十年代发现线粒体DNA(mtDNA)以来,mtDNA在遗传上的功能引起了广泛的重视。由于线粒体具有自已的基因组,能够自我复制,又能编码一些酶,比如生物氧化链上的一部分酶的亚基就是由线粒体基因编码的,可以推测生物的某些性状的表达可能与mt-DNA有关;另外由于实现线粒体基因组的复制与表达所需的许多酶又是由核基因编码的(如DNA聚合酶,RNA聚合酶、DNA连接酶等),可以推测     

绿色植物分子生物学研究进展

七十年代以来由于重组DNA技术的建立,使真核生物特定基因的分离有了可能。随着基因结构分析技术的飞速发展,分子生物学的研究出现了崭新的局面,同时绿色植物基因结构和基因工程的研究也有了很大的发展。近年来对植物核基因——贮藏蛋白基因、细胞器——叶绿体,线粒体基因,以及有希望成为植物系统载体的Ti质粒DNA和花椰菜花叶病毒DNA的研究,都取得了显著的进展。     

T7启动子-11碱基突变对转录影响的研究

T7噬菌体启动子能被T7RNA聚合酶和真核生物RNA聚合酶Ⅱ系统启动转录 ,为研究两个系统转录的关键碱基 ,将合成的T7噬菌体启动子 1 1变异体与报道基因CAT基因连在一起。体内CAT和体外狭缝RNA杂交实验显示 : 1 1碱基是T7RNA聚合酶和真核生物RNA聚合酶Ⅱ系统启动T7启动子的关键碱基之一。     

哺乳动物DNA聚合酶及其功能研究的进展

本文介绍了哺乳动物的三个主要的DNA聚合酶及其生物功能的研究进展,特别是1975年以后的研究进展。简要地比较了DNA聚合酶α、β、γ的物理化学性质和生物化学性质,并选择有说服力的材料阐明了DNA聚合酶α是负责DNA复制的主要聚合酶;DNA聚合酶β在DNA修复中发挥作用;而DNA聚合酶γ通过单链置换合成(single strand displacment synthesis)在线粒体中起复制作用,在细胞核中则可能起基因放大等作用。     

动物线粒体DNA的分子生物学研究进展

动物线粒体ＤＮＡ的分子生物学研究进展张方米志勇（中国科学院发育生物学研究所北京１０００８０）绝大多数的真核生物中都含有线粒体（ｍｉ－ｔｏｃｈｒｏｄｒｉａ,ｍｔ）这种细胞器,它自身携带ＤＮＡ,可自我复制、表达,并有核基因编码的蛋白质和酶从细胞质输入线粒体,共同完成生物氧化的生理功能。通过多年来对各种生物线粒体基因组结构和功能的研究,人们推测线粒体起源于紫色光合细菌,这种细菌入侵真核生物,与真核...     

Human HEL308 localizes to damaged replication forks and unwinds lagging strand structures

HEL308 is a superfamily II DNA helicase, conserved from archaea through to humans. HEL308 family members were originally isolated by their similarity to the Drosophila melanogaster Mus308 protein, which contributes to the repair of replication-blocking lesions such as DNA interstrand cross-links. Biochemical studies have established that human HEL308 is an ATP-dependent enzyme that unwinds DNA with a 3' to 5' polarity, but little else is know about its mechanism. Here, we show that GFP-tagged HEL308 localizes to replication forks following camptothecin treatment. Moreover, HEL308 colocalizes with two factors involved in the repair of damaged forks by homologous recombination, Rad51 and FANCD2. Purified HEL308 requires a 3' single-stranded DNA region to load and unwind duplex DNA structures. When incubated with substrates that model stalled replication forks, HEL308 preferentially unwinds the parental strands of a structure that models a fork with a nascent lagging strand, and the unwinding action of HEL308 is specifically stimulated by human replication protein A. Finally, we show that HEL308 appears to target and unwind from the junction between single-stranded to double-stranded DNA on model fork structures. Together, our results suggest that one role for HEL308 at sites of blocked replication might be to open up the parental strands to facilitate the loading of subsequent factors required for replication restart.     

Distributions of Topological States in Circular DNA

A distinctive feature of closed circular DNA molecules is their particular topological state, which cannot be altered by any conformational rearrangement short of breaking at least one strand. This topological constraint opens unique possibilities for experimental studies of the distributions of topological states created in different ways. Primarily, the equilibrium distributions of topological properties are considered in the review. It is described how such distributions can be obtained and measured experimentally, and how they can be computed. Comparison of the calculated and measured equilibrium distributions over the linking number of complementary strands, equilibrium fractions of knots and links formed by circular molecules has provided much valuable information about the properties of the double helix. Study of the steady-state fraction of knots and links created by type II DNA topoisomerases has revealed a surprising property of the enzymes: their ability to reduce these fractions considerably below the equilibrium level.     

Topoisomerase II Regulates the Maintenance of DNA Methylation

The maintenance of DNA methylation in nascent DNA is a critical event for numerous biological processes. Following DNA replication, DNMT1 is the key enzyme that strictly copies the methylation pattern from the parental strand to the nascent DNA. However, the mechanism underlying this highly specific event is not thoroughly understood. In this study, we identified topoisomerase IIα (TopoIIα) as a novel regulator of the maintenance DNA methylation. UHRF1, a protein important for global DNA methylation, interacts with TopoIIα and regulates its localization to hemimethylated DNA. TopoIIα decatenates the hemimethylated DNA following replication, which might facilitate the methylation of the nascent strand by DNMT1. Inhibiting this activity impairs DNA methylation at multiple genomic loci. We have uncovered a novel mechanism during the maintenance of DNA methylation.     

FBH1 Helicase Disrupts RAD51 Filaments in Vitro and Modulates Homologous Recombination in Mammalian Cells

Efficient repair of DNA double strand breaks and interstrand cross-links requires the homologous recombination (HR) pathway, a potentially error-free process that utilizes a homologous sequence as a repair template. A key player in HR is RAD51, the eukaryotic ortholog of bacterial RecA protein. RAD51 can polymerize on DNA to form a nucleoprotein filament that facilitates both the search for the homologous DNA sequences and the subsequent DNA strand invasion required to initiate HR. Because of its pivotal role in HR, RAD51 is subject to numerous positive and negative regulatory influences. Using a combination of molecular genetic, biochemical, and single-molecule biophysical techniques, we provide mechanistic insight into the mode of action of the FBH1 helicase as a regulator of RAD51-dependent HR in mammalian cells. We show that FBH1 binds directly to RAD51 and is able to disrupt RAD51 filaments on DNA through its ssDNA translocase function. Consistent with this, a mutant mouse embryonic stem cell line with a deletion in the FBH1 helicase domain fails to limit RAD51 chromatin association and shows hyper-recombination. Our data are consistent with FBH1 restraining RAD51 DNA binding under unperturbed growth conditions to prevent unwanted or unscheduled DNA recombination.     

Studies on human DNA polymerase epsilon and GINS complex and their role in DNA replication

In eukaryotic cells, DNA replication is carried out by the coordinated action of three DNA polymerases (Pols), Pol α, δ, and ε. In this report, we describe the reconstitution of the human four-subunit Pol ε and characterization of its catalytic properties in comparison with Pol α and Pol δ. Human Pol ε holoenzyme is a monomeric complex containing stoichiometric subunit levels of p261/Pol 2, p59, p17, and p12. We show that the Pol ε p261 N-terminal catalytic domain is solely responsible for its ability to catalyze DNA synthesis. Importantly, human Pol (hPol) ε was found more processive than hPol δ in supporting proliferating cell nuclear antigen-dependent elongation of DNA chains, which is in keeping with proposed roles for hPol ε and hPol δ in the replication of leading and lagging strands, respectively. Furthermore, GINS, a component of the replicative helicase complex that is composed of Sld5, Psf1, Psf2, and Psf3, was shown to interact weakly with all three replicative DNA Pols (α, δ, and ε) and to markedly stimulate the activities of Pol α and Pol ε. In vivo studies indicated that siRNA-targeted depletion of hPol δ and/or hPol ε reduced cell cycle progression and the rate of fork progression. Under the conditions used, we noted that depletion of Pol ε had a more pronounced inhibitory effect on cellular DNA replication than depletion of Pol δ. We suggest that reduction in the level of Pol δ may be less deleterious because of its collision-and-release role in lagging strand synthesis.     

The DDN Catalytic Motif Is Required for Metnase Functions in Non-homologous End Joining (NHEJ) Repair and Replication Restart

Metnase (or SETMAR) arose from a chimeric fusion of the Hsmar1 transposase downstream of a protein methylase in anthropoid primates. Although the Metnase transposase domain has been largely conserved, its catalytic motif (DDN) differs from the DDD motif of related transposases, which may be important for its role as a DNA repair factor and its enzymatic activities. Here, we show that substitution of DDN⁶¹⁰ with either DDD⁶¹⁰ or DDE⁶¹⁰ significantly reduced in vivo functions of Metnase in NHEJ repair and accelerated restart of replication forks. We next tested whether the DDD or DDE mutants cleave single-strand extensions and flaps in partial duplex DNA and pseudo-Tyr structures that mimic stalled replication forks. Neither substrate is cleaved by the DDD or DDE mutant, under the conditions where wild-type Metnase effectively cleaves ssDNA overhangs. We then characterized the ssDNA-binding activity of the Metnase transposase domain and found that the catalytic domain binds ssDNA but not dsDNA, whereas dsDNA binding activity resides in the helix-turn-helix DNA binding domain. Substitution of Asn-610 with either Asp or Glu within the transposase domain significantly reduces ssDNA binding activity. Collectively, our results suggest that a single mutation DDN⁶¹⁰ → DDD⁶¹⁰, which restores the ancestral catalytic site, results in loss of function in Metnase.     

Contribution of the intrinsic curvature to measured DNA persistence length

The persistence length of DNA, a, depends both on the intrinsic curvature of the double helix and on the thermal fluctuations of the angles between adjacent base-pairs. We have evaluated two contributions to the value of a by comparing measured values of a for DNA containing a generic sequence and for an "intrinsically straight" DNA. In each 10 bp segment of the intrinsically straight DNA an initial sequence of five bases is repeated in the sequence of the second five bases, so any bends in the first half of the segment are compensated by bends in the opposite direction in the second half. The value of a for the latter DNA depends, to a good approximation, on thermal fluctuations only; there is no intrinsic curvature. The values of a were obtained from measurements of the cyclization efficiency for short DNA fragments, about 200 bp in length. This method determines the persistence length of DNA with exceptional accuracy, due to the very strong dependence of the cyclization efficiency of short fragments on the value of a. We find that the values of a for the two types of DNA fragment are very close and conclude that the contribution of the intrinsic curvature to a is at least 20 times smaller than the contribution of thermal fluctuations. The relationship between this result and the angles between adjacent base-pairs, which specify the intrinsic curvature, is analyzed.     

A procedure for large-scale isolation of RNA-free plasmid and phage DNA without the use of RNase

A preparative procedure for the large-scale isolation of plasmid DNA without the use of RNAse is described. Crude plasmid DNA is prepared using a standard boiling method. High-molecular-weight RNA is removed by precipitation with LiCl, and low-molecular-weight RNA is removed by sedimentation through high-salt solution. The procedure is inexpensive, rapid, simple, and particularly suitable for processing several large-scale preparations simultaneously. A similar procedure has been developed for preparation of lambda-phage DNA.     

Formation of a stable RuvA protein double tetramer is required for efficient branch migration in vitro and for replication fork reversal in vivo

In bacteria, RuvABC is required for the resolution of Holliday junctions (HJ) made during homologous recombination. The RuvAB complex catalyzes HJ branch migration and replication fork reversal (RFR). During RFR, a stalled fork is reversed to form a HJ adjacent to a DNA double strand end, a reaction that requires RuvAB in certain Escherichia coli replication mutants. The exact structure of active RuvAB complexes remains elusive as it is still unknown whether one or two tetramers of RuvA support RuvB during branch migration and during RFR. We designed an E. coli RuvA mutant, RuvA2(KaP), specifically impaired for RuvA tetramer-tetramer interactions. As expected, the mutant protein is impaired for complex II (two tetramers) formation on HJs, although the binding efficiency of complex I (a single tetramer) is as wild type. We show that although RuvA complex II formation is required for efficient HJ branch migration in vitro, RuvA2(KaP) is fully active for homologous recombination in vivo. RuvA2(KaP) is also deficient at forming complex II on synthetic replication forks, and the binding affinity of RuvA2(KaP) for forks is decreased compared with wild type. Accordingly, RuvA2(KaP) is inefficient at processing forks in vitro and in vivo. These data indicate that RuvA2(KaP) is a separation-of-function mutant, capable of homologous recombination but impaired for RFR. RuvA2(KaP) is defective for stimulation of RuvB activity and stability of HJ·RuvA·RuvB tripartite complexes. This work demonstrates that the need for RuvA tetramer-tetramer interactions for full RuvAB activity in vitro causes specifically an RFR defect in vivo.