用透析膜从琼脂糖胶中回收DNA片段

分离与回收DNA片段是基因操作的重要环节之一。本文介绍了一个用透析膜从琼脂糖胶中回收 DNA 片段的改进方法。利用本法回收DNA片段洗脱容易、节约时间、回收率在80％ 左右。回收的 DNA片段可用于酶切反应、连接反应和用缺口位移反应制备32p标记DNA探针。     

水稻二化螟和三化螟基因组ddRADseq文库的构建

本文介绍了构建水稻二化螟和三化螟"双酶切限制性酶切位点关联DNA测序"(Double digest restrictionsite associated DNA sequencing,ddRADseq)文库的方法。利用安捷伦2100生物分析仪对4种单酶切及2种双酶切的酶切产物片段大小及分布范围进行分析,筛选出Mlu C I和Nla III两种限制性内切酶组合对螟虫基因组DNA进行酶切。酶切后的DNA片段两端连接上特定的P1、P2接头后,用Pippin Prep回收大小为285-435 bp的DNA片段。通过PCR扩增进行文库的富集并引入index序列。构建好的ddRADseq文库用琼脂糖凝胶电泳和生物分析仪进行质量检测。本方法所构建的文库DNA片段长度、分布和摩尔浓度能够达到Illumina平台测序的技术要求。本研究证实了利用Mlu C I和Nla III组合酶切构建水稻螟虫基因组ddRADseq文库的可行性,为在水稻螟虫中利用ddRADseq技术开展生物地理学、种群遗传学和系统发育重建等方面的研究奠定基础。     

纵纹腹小鸮DNA指纹谱探针的筛选和初步应用

以人工合成的微卫星序列 (GTG) 5,(GT) 8,(CAC) 5和人源小卫星 33 1 5作引物 ,扩增纵纹腹小的基因组DNA ,产生多态性DNA片段 ,回收了 8个表现个体特异性的片段。当用小的基因组总DNA探针与它们杂交时 ,其中 2个表现阳性 ,说明PCR方法扩增出的高变异产物含有重复序列。用含重复序列的个体特异性PCR产物作探针 ,与无关个体小基因组DNA的HaeⅢ酶切产物进行DNA印迹 ,获得了变异性较高的DNA指纹图谱。且通过对京白鸡家系分析表明 ,用小基因组DNA的PCR产物分离制备的探针所获得的DNA指纹图带能够稳定的遗传。因此 ,高变异的PCR产物可以有效地用作DNA指纹探针。     

碳酸钙沉淀法回收琼脂糖凝胶中DNA的探讨

采用碳酸钙沉淀法回收琼脂糖凝胶中的DNA,达到分离纯化目的,回收后的DNA可用于重组、PCR等研究。首先将含有目的DNA的琼脂糖凝胶用Nal溶液融解,然后加入cacl2,和NaHCO3,生成CaCO3,沉淀,DNA与cac03形成复合物,通过离心分离出沉淀复合物,利用稀酸溶解沉淀,再用无水乙醇沉降,即可回收目标DNA。利用该方法回收了质粒、毛白杨和转基因羊基因组DNA,同收率为20％～50％,0D260／OD280,为1．7～19,最大回收了21kb片段,最小回收250bp片段,回收后的DNA样品进行了PCR扩增和限制性内切酶反应,PCR可以扩增出目的片段,同时限制性内切酶可以将回收后的DNA切开,表明DNA质量良好。利用碳酸钙沉淀法可以回收琼脂糖凝胶中的DNA,此法简单、易行,较为有效。     

一种有效回收小分子DNA片段的方法

介绍了一种有效回收小于200bp DNA片段的方法。用改进的冻融-离心回收法对155bp的DNA片段进行回收,并且与常规冻融-离心回收、TaKaRa回收试剂盒的结果做对比,用琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测回收结果,紫外吸收法定量分析。结果证明:改进的方法是一种经济、方便、可靠的回收小分子DNA片段的方法。     

纵纹腹小HaoDNA指纹谱探针的筛选和初步应用

以人工合成的微卫星序列（GTG）5,（GT）8,（CAC）5和人源小卫星33.15作引物,扩增纵纹腹小Hao的基因组DNA,产生多态性DNA片段,回收了8个表现个体特异性的片段,当用小Hao的基因组总DNA探针与它们杂交时,其中2个表现阳性,说明PCR方法扩增出的高变异产物含有重复序列,用含重复序列的个体特异性PCR产物作探针,与无关个体小Hao基因组DNA的HaeⅢ酶切产物进行DNA印迹,获得了变性性较高的DNA指纹图谱,且通过对京白鸡家系分析表明,用小Hao基因组DNA 的PCR产物分离制备的探针所获得的DNA指纹图带能够稳定的遗传,因此,高变异的PCR产物可以有效地用作DNA指纹探针。     

平末端DNA随机连接构建重组质粒

目的:拼接DNA片段并克隆。方法:用T4DNA连接酶将DNA片段以平末端随机连接,随后用限制性内切酶切割,琼脂糖电泳分离酶切产物,挑选特定片段纯化回收,与线性化的载体质粒连接,转化大肠杆菌感受态细胞。结果:通过以上步骤,成功拼接了不同DNA片段,构建了含有目的拼接片段的重组质粒。结论:该方法简便、易行、可靠,可作为拼接、克隆DNA的备选方案,在分子生物学研究和基因工程中应用。     

PCR 扩增人型结核杆菌 DNA 及结核杆菌属 DNA 探针的制备

用多聚酶链反应(PCR)方法扩增人型、牛型结核杆菌基因组 DNA,获得特异的158 bpDNA 片段,而从另外十三种分枝杆菌未见到特异的扩增产物.回收158 bpDNA 片段作探针,它除与人型、牛型结核杆菌有特异的杂交信号外,与金黄色葡萄球菌、绿脓杆菌及一些分枝杆菌皆没有杂交反应.结果表明,PCR 可用于检测结核杆菌基因组 DNA,扩增产物158 bp DNA 片段可作为探针用于检测人型、牛型结核杆菌并鉴别结核杆菌与其它分枝杆菌.     

琼脂糖凝胶中DNA片段的挤压回收法

为了简化琼脂糖凝胶中DNA片段的回收,该文报道一种新的挤压回收法。将含有DNA片段的凝胶块放在折叠的封口膜之间,然后用一小塑料平板将凝胶块中的DNA溶液用力挤出,用移液枪把所有挤压出的DNA溶液放入effendorf管中,然后用常规的苯酚抽提法进行纯化。DNA回收率达到40-60%(w/w)。该方法简单而有效,且回收的DNA能够直接应用于酶切、连接及PCR等各种分子生物学操作。     

一种检测模拟沉积环境下植物叶片DNA降解的方法

采用模拟自然沉积环境的实验装置,以Brassica chinensis叶片作为实验材料,运用定量PCR技术对目标基因片段（28S rDNA片段,630bp)进行特异性扩增。通过统计分析,初步建立起以PCR产物含量变化来反应模拟实验过程中模板DNA含量变化的定量检测方法。另外,我们通过设计对照实验及分离叶片组织内微生物的方法证明所研究的DNA片段是来自于叶片组织内源的DNA片段。此定量检测方法的建立,使我们能够迅速有效地获取模拟自然条件下目标基因片段降解规律方面的信息。     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.