竹红菌甲素敏化DNA的光氧化——甲素与DNA的结合及DNA某些理化性质变化

本文研究了光敏氧化前后甲素与DNA的结合以及这种结合对DNA-EB复合物荧光强度、DNA融解温度和圆二色谱的影响。利用Sephadex G-150凝胶过滤和同位素技术分离甲素-DNA复合物,测得光照前后甲素与DNA的结合率分别为15.2％和27.8％。荧光测定和琼脂糖凝胶电泳结果显示:甲素可阻碍DNA-EB复合物的形成、使DNA-EB复合物的荧光强度减弱,光照甲素对DNA-EB复合物的荧光淬灭作用较未光照者为强。甲素敏化DNA光氧化后的荧光淬灭、DNA融解温度降低和CD谱变化提示:甲素敏化DNA光氧化涉及碱基破坏及DNA双螺旋结构改变。     

pBR322 DNA的超螺旋波动

开环状pBR322 DNA在不同溴乙啶浓度下通过DNA联接酶转变为闭环状分子。除去溴乙啶后,每种样品中都含有一组超螺旋数即拧数(W_r)不同的闭环状分子。这些样品和天然pBR322DNA的W_r都直接用琼脂糖凝胶电泳加以分析和测定。作者观察到用同样的培养剂在37℃培养同一菌株所获得的不同pBR322DNA样品,其超螺旋数值可以在相当大的范围内波动。为了便于比较不同的超螺旋DNA,作者采用了一种新的单位——超螺旋跨距,它可能有助于进一步研究环状双链DNA的本质。     

pBR322 DNA的超螺旋波动

开环状pBR322 DNA在不同溴乙啶浓度下通过DNA联接酶转变为闭环状分子。除去溴乙啶后,每种样品中都含有一组超螺旋数即拧数(W_r)不同的闭环状分子。这些样品和天然pBR322 DNA的W_r都直接用琼脂糖凝胶电泳加以分析和测定。作者观察到用同样的培养剂在37℃培养同一菌株所获得的不同pBR322 DNA样品,其超螺旋数值可以在相当大的范围内波动。为了便于比较不同的超螺旋DNA,作者采用了一种新的单位——超螺旋跨距,它可能有助于进一步研究环状双链DNA的本质。     

大肠杆菌cosmid质粒的分离和DNA构型

Bolivar等u]于1977年用人工重组技术从ColEl质粒构建出声pBR322质粒,由于pBR322质粒带有两个抗药性标记,有多拷贝以及多种限制性内切酶单一切点等特性,近年来已被广泛用作重组DNA实验的载体。Collins等^[2]用pBR3222质粒与λ charon 4A的带有Cos位点的EcoRI酶切片段重组,进一步得到cosmid质粒,cosmid质拉除了具有pBR322质粒原来的优点外,它能够携带更大的外源DNA片段(40Kb),能够像λ charon 4A一样在体外进行包装,从而提高转化率。     

用凝胶电泳纯化具有生物学活性的质粒DNA

采用一般柱电泳装置,在琼脂糖凝胶上将质粒ColEl、pBR322、pSC101、pCRI的DNA与染色体DNA及小分子核酸杂质分开,切出含有质粒的凝胶薄片,电洗脱回收质粒DNA,产物可被限制酶Eco RI酶解;将pBR 322、PSC 101、pCRI DNA转化大肠杆菌C_(600),每微克DNA可产生10~4个转化子;从pSC 101、pCRI转化子细胞中再抽提出相应质粒,它们同样具有亲本质粒的遗传特性和分子特性。     

竹红菌甲素敏化嘌呤和嘧啶碱的光氧化作用及其影响因素

本工作利用光吸收和高效液相色谱(HPLC)技术研究了甲素对DNA分子中四种碱基A、G、C和T光氧化的敏化作用,发现在反应体系的pH为9.0、甲素浓度为3×10~(-5)mol/L、光照40分钟时,G和T紫外吸收明显降低;HPLC分析发现甲素敏化的G光氧化体系比对照体系多出现一组分峰(滞留时间0.927分钟),该峰用475nm波长检测比260nm波长检测灵敏。根据反应机制推测是G环破裂产物。在反应条件固定时,甲素敏化G的光氧化作用受pH、光照时间及甲素浓度影响极大。单线态氧淬灭剂——叠氮钠浓度在40—110mmol/L可部分抑制甲素敏化G的光氧化作用,>110mmol/L时反应完全被阻断,提示甲素对G光氧化的敏化作用主要通过单线态氧(~1O_2)即Ⅱ型机制起作用。本文还讨论了G光氧化的可能途径。     

用人造微小染色体技术研究着丝粒和端粒的DNA结构与功能

为了在细胞世代中保持其稳定性,染色体起码应具备3个结构要素,那就是有一个DNA复制起点;一个着丝粒(ccntromere)使细胞分裂时两个姊妹染色单体能平均分配到子细胞里;最后,在染色体的两个末端必须有端粒(telomere),使DNA能完成复制。近年来人们采用分子克隆技术把真核细咆染色体的复制起点、着丝粒和端粒的DNA片段分别克隆成功。并且把它们互相搭配或改造而构成所谓“人造微小染色体”(aftificial minichromosomes),以研究这3种成分的结构与功能。 一、染色体复制起点 大肠杆菌质粒pBR322不能转化酵母细胞,因为pBR322上的DNA复制起点不能被酵母系统所识别,DNA不能复制。1979年Stinchcomb和Carbon实验室分别把带有遗传标记,例如Trp~+的酵母DNA的EcoRI片段插入pBR322,用来转化trp~-酵母,获得了带有质粒并能传代的Trp~+细胞。它们所含的质     

质粒pBR322在recA基因缺陷的大肠杆菌细胞内的遗传重组

使用琼脂糖凝胶电泳、DNA限制性内切酶水解以及电子显微镜等分析手段,证明在两株recA~-的大肠杆菌质粒pBR322转化子中,pBR 322 DNA的多倍周长环形寡聚物被大量合成。这个事实说明质粒pBR322 DNA在大肠杆菌细胞中的遗传重组似有独立于rec A基因的途径。本文介绍一个改进的大肠杆菌“清亮裂解液”制备法。按照这个方法制备的细菌清亮裂解液可排除染色体DNA的污染。     

DNA启动子的计算机识别

本文介绍了两种预测DNA顺序上的启动子位置的计算机识别方法,方法1是基于启动子部位单核苷酸的分布不均一性,方法2是基于启动子部位二核苷酸的分布不均一性。分别用这两种方法推测了质粒pBR322DNA上启动子的位置,从而验证了化学实验的结果。     

一种简易的抽提共价闭合环状DNA的方法

纯净的、具有生物学活性的共价闭合环状DNA是DNA体外重组技术的一个重要基础。 本文报道的是我们实验室经常使用的抽提质粒pBR 322 DNA的方法。在Zasloff等酸酚法的基础上省略了蛋白酶K和RNA酶,代之     

Effect of 2-chloroethylnitrosoureas on plasmid DNA including formation of strand breaks and interstrand cross-links

Plasmid [3H]pBR 322 was incubated with various alkylating agents including chlorozotocin, N,N'-bis(2-chloroethyl)-N'-nitrosourea (BCNU), N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (Enu) and dimethylsulfate (DMS). Formation of DNA strand breaks was followed by separation of the various forms of DNA on agarose gels and liquid scintillation counting of the bands. All alkylating agents examined were capable of rapidly producing strand breaks in time and concentration dependent fashion. Bands migrating as relaxed circular and supercoiled forms of the plasmid disappeared, and extensive alkylation resulted in formation of a band that migrated faster than the linear form of DNA. Electron microscopy of this band showed that it consisted of relaxed circles. Prolonged storage of alkylated plasmid resulted in fragmentation of the DNA, possibly due to strand scission at apurinic sites. A new neutral denaturation technique was developed, which allowed for the detection of DNA interstrand cross-links with minimal effects on other potentially labile sites of the alkylated DNA. The level of alkylation was quantitated by incubating [3H]pBR 322 with [2-chloroethyl-U-14C]chlorozotocin and was shown to be independent of DNA concentration but have a linear relationship with drug concentration. Linear and relaxed circular forms of the plasmid were alkylated to a somewhat higher extent than supercoiled DNA. Alkylation of pBR 322 with defined superhelical densities showed no preferential loss in DNA with a specific superhelical density, indicating that alkylation-induced unwinding is independent of superhelicity under the experimental conditions used.     

Ozonolysis of supercoiled pBR322 DNA resulting in strand scission to open circular DNA.

Treatment of supercoiled pBR322 DNA with ozone resulted in the conversion of closed circular DNA to open circular DNA. Restriction analysis of the resulting open circular DNA showed that ozonolysis in the absence of salt caused single strand cleavage at specific sites.     

DNA cleavage specificity of a group of cationic metalloporphyrins

The ability of a group of water-soluble metalloporphyrins to cleave DNA has been investigated. Incubation of Mn3+, Fe3+, or Co3+ complexes of meso-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridiniumyl)porphine (H2T4MPyP) with DNA in the presence of ascorbate, superoxide ion, or iodosobenzene results in DNA breakage. Comparisons between the rates of porphyrin autodestruction with the rates of strand scission of covalently closed circular PM2 DNA indicate that the porphyrins remain intact during the cleavage process. Analysis of the porphyrin-mediated strand scissions on a 139-base-pair restriction fragment of pBR322 DNA using gel electrophoresis/autoradiography/microdensitometry reveals that the minimum porphyrin cleavage site is (A X T)3. The cleavage pattern within a given site was found to be asymmetric, indicating that porphyrin binding and the strand scission process are highly directional in nature. In addition to an analysis of the mechanism of porphyrin-mediated strand breakage in terms of the DNA cleavage mechanism of methidium-propyl-iron-EDTA and Fe-bleomycin, the potential of the cationic metalloporphyrins as footprinting probes and as new "reporter ligands" for DNA is presented and discussed.     

Strand cleavage of supercoiled DNA by water-soluble peroxyl radicals. The overlooked importance of peroxyl radical charge

It is well established that the peroxyl radicals formed during the thermal decomposition of 2,2'-azobis(amidinopropane), ABAP, in oxygenated water can cleave double-stranded DNA, from which fact it has been concluded that peroxyl radicals, as a general class, can induce DNA strand scission. However, the ABAP-derived radicals are positively charged, and DNA is a negatively charged polyanion. Moreover, the relatively small and, therefore, free to diffuse peroxyl radicals likely to be formed in vivo will generally be negatively charged or neutral. Plasmid supercoiled DNA [pBR 322, 4361 base pairs (bp)] was reacted with known, equal fluxes of two positively charged peroxyl radicals, a negatively charged peroxyl radical, and a neutral peroxyl radical. The two positively charged peroxyl radicals degraded >/=80% of the supercoiled pBR 322 at a flux of 4 radicals/bp, but the negatively charged and neutral peroxyl radicals had no significant effect even at a flux as high as 24 radicals/bp. The same lack of effect on the DNA was also observed with high fluxes of superoxide/hydroperoxyl radicals. Similar results were obtained with another supercoiled DNA, pUC 19, except that pUC 19 is somewhat more sensitive to strand scission by positively charged peroxyl radicals than pBR 322. We conclude that most of the peroxyl radicals likely to be formed in vivo have little or no ability to induce DNA strand scission and that the potential role of electrostatics in radical/DNA reactions should always be considered.     

Phenolic acid amides: a new type of DNA strand scission agent from Piper caninum

In a survey of the active components of crude plant extracts for their ability to cleave DNA, a crude extract prepared from Piper caninum was found to induce the relaxation of supercoiled pBR322 plasmid DNA in the presence of Cu(2+). Bioassay-guided fractionation was carried out on this extract, guided by an in vitro DNA strand scission assay. Three active principles were isolated and identified as N-cis-feruloyl tyramine (1),N-trans-feruloyl tyramine (2), and 1-cinnamoylpyrrolidine (3). Compounds 1-3 represent a structurally new type of DNA strand scission agent.     

A novel endonuclease specified by bacteriophage lambda. Purification and properties of the enzyme

A DNA endonuclease whose expression is under the control of the b region of bacteriophage lambda has been partially purified from an induced lambda lysogen. In a reaction that requires single-stranded DNA, ATP, and Mg2+, the lambda-induced endonuclease makes one double strand break in pBR322 and other covalently closed circular DNA molecules, converting these substrates into unit-length linear forms. The double strand break in pBR322 DNA occurs at one of several preferred sites. Linear DNA appears not to be a good substrate for the enzyme.     

Are single-stranded circles intermediates in plasmid DNA replication?

Plasmid pC194 exists as circular double-stranded and single-stranded DNA in Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. We report here that the plasmid pHV33, composed of pBR322 and pC194, exists as double- and single-stranded DNA in Escherichia coli, provided that the replication functions of pC194 are intact. Single-stranded pHV33 DNA is converted to double-stranded DNA by complementary strand synthesis probably initiated at rriB, a primosome assembly site present on pBR322. The efficiency of complementary strand synthesis affects the double-stranded copy number, which suggests that single-stranded DNA is a plasmid replication intermediate.     

Interaction of bleomycin A2 with deoxyribonucleic acid: DNA unwinding and inhibition of bleomycin-induced DNA breakage by cationic thiazole amides related to bleomycin A2

The association of the antitumor antibiotic bleomycin A2 with DNA has been investigated by employing several 2-substituted thiazole-4-carboxamides, structurally related to the cationic terminus of the drug. With a 5'-32P-labeled DNA restriction fragment from plasmid pBR322 as substrate, these compounds have been shown to inhibit bleomycin-induced DNA breakage. Analogues possessing 2'-aromatic substituents on the bithiazole ring were more potent inhibitors than those carrying 2'-aliphatic groups, e.g., the acetyl dipeptide A2. The degree of inhibition was similar at all scission sites on DNA, and inclusion of the analogues did not induce bleomycin cleavage at new sites. DNA binding of bithiazole derivatives has also been studied by two complementary topological methods. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis using a population of DNA topoisomers and DNA relaxation experiments involving calf thymus DNA topoisomerase I and pBR322 DNA reveal that bleomycin bithiazole analogues unwind closed circular duplex DNA. The inhibition and unwinding studies together support recent NMR studies suggesting that both bleomycin A2 and synthetic bithiazole derivatives bind to DNA by an intercalative mechanism. The results are discussed in relation to the DNA breakage properties of bleomycin A2.     

n' Protein activator sites of plasmid pBR322 are not essential for its DNA replication

The lagging strand DNA synthesis of the Escherichia coli bacterial chromosome and plasmids is thought to be initiated by the mobile promotor, the primosome. This primosome is assembled at a specific site on single-stranded DNA. This process is initiated by the interaction of one of the at least seven components, the n' protein, with this site. Indeed n' protein activator sites are found in the plasmids Col E1 and pBR322. To investigate the in vivo function of these n' protein sites, deletion derivates of pBR322 were constructed in which the n' protein sites are removed. The deletion plasmids show no change in stability and only threefold reduction in copy number compared to pBR322. Using a transduction system for single-stranded plasmid DNA it was shown that no other specific initiation signals for lagging strand DNA synthesis were present in the deletion plasmids. It was concluded that the n' protein activator sites in pBR322 are not essential for its DNA replication in vivo.