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Nucleus (Austin, Tex.) Apr 2016The eukaryotic replisome is α multiprotein machine that contains DNA polymerases, sliding clamps, helicase, and primase along with several factors that participate in... (Review)
Review
The eukaryotic replisome is α multiprotein machine that contains DNA polymerases, sliding clamps, helicase, and primase along with several factors that participate in cell cycle and checkpoint control. The detailed structure of the 11-subunit CMG helicase (Cdc45/Mcm2-7/GINS) has been solved recently by cryoEM single-particle 3D reconstruction and reveals pumpjack motions that imply an unexpected mechanism of DNA translocation. CMG is also the organizing center of the replisome. Recent in vitro reconstitution of leading and lagging strand DNA synthesis has enabled structural analysis of the replisome. By building the replisome in stages from pure proteins, single-particle EM studies have identified the overall architecture of the eukaryotic replisome. Suprisingly leading and lagging strand polymerases bind to opposite faces of the CMG helicase, unlike the long-held view that DNA polymerases are located in back of the helicase to act on the unwound strands.
Topics: Animals; DNA; DNA Helicases; DNA Replication; Eukaryota; Humans
PubMed: 27310307
DOI: 10.1080/19491034.2016.1174800 -
Ageing Research Reviews Dec 2022Cellular changes that are linked to aging in humans include genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular... (Review)
Review
Cellular changes that are linked to aging in humans include genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, and altered intercellular communications. The extent of the changes in these aging hallmarks and their interactions with each other are part of the human aging. However, the molecular mechanisms through which the aging hallmarks interact with each other remain unclear. Studies have indicated a potential role for the type I interferon (IFN) and p53-inducible IFI16 proteins in interactions with the aging hallmarks. The IFI16 proteins are members of the PYHIN protein family. Proteins in the family share a DNA-binding domain (the HIN domain) and a protein-protein interaction pyrin domain (PYD). IFI16 proteins are needed for cytosolic DNA-induced activation of the cGAS-STING pathway for type I IFN (IFN-β) expression. The pathway plays an important role in aging-related inflammation (inflammaging). Further, increased levels of the IFI16 proteins potentiate the cell growth inhibitory functions of the p53 and pRb tumor suppressors proteins. Moreover, IFI16 proteins are needed for most aging hallmarks. Therefore, here we discuss how an improved understanding of the role of the IFI16 proteins in integration of the aging hallmarks has potential to improve the human health and lifespan.
Topics: Humans; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; Phosphoproteins; Cellular Senescence; Aging; DNA; Nuclear Proteins
PubMed: 36270606
DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2022.101765 -
Viruses Jan 2021Human hepatitis B virus (HBV) can cause chronic, lifelong infection of the liver that may lead to persistent or episodic immune-mediated inflammation against... (Review)
Review
Human hepatitis B virus (HBV) can cause chronic, lifelong infection of the liver that may lead to persistent or episodic immune-mediated inflammation against virus-infected hepatocytes. This immune response results in elevated rates of killing of virus-infected hepatocytes, which may extend over many years or decades, lead to fibrosis and cirrhosis, and play a role in the high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in HBV carriers. Immune-mediated inflammation appears to cause oxidative DNA damage to hepatocytes, which may also play a major role in hepatocarcinogenesis. An additional DNA damaging feature of chronic infections is random integration of HBV DNA into the chromosomal DNA of hepatocytes. While HBV DNA integration does not have a role in virus replication it may alter gene expression of the host cell. Indeed, most HCCs that arise in HBV carriers contain integrated HBV DNA and, in many, the integrant appears to have played a role in hepatocarcinogenesis. Clonal expansion of hepatocytes, which is a natural feature of liver biology, occurs because the hepatocyte population is self-renewing and therefore loses complexity due to random hepatocyte death and replacement by proliferation of surviving hepatocytes. This process may also represent a risk factor for the development of HCC. Interestingly, during chronic HBV infection, hepatocyte clones detected using integrated HBV DNA as lineage-specific markers, emerge that are larger than those expected to occur by random death and proliferation of hepatocytes. The emergence of these larger hepatocyte clones may reflect a survival advantage that could be explained by an ability to avoid the host immune response. While most of these larger hepatocyte clones are probably not preneoplastic, some may have already acquired preneoplastic changes. Thus, chronic inflammation in the HBV-infected liver may be responsible, at least in part, for both initiation of HCC via oxidative DNA damage and promotion of HCC via stimulation of hepatocyte proliferation through immune-mediated killing and compensatory division.
Topics: Animals; DNA, Viral; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis B, Chronic; Hepatocytes; Humans; Liver; Virus Integration
PubMed: 33573130
DOI: 10.3390/v13020210 -
ACS Nano Jul 2021DNA origami has emerged as a powerful molecular breadboard with nanometer resolution that can integrate the world of bottom-up (bio)chemistry with large-scale,... (Review)
Review
DNA origami has emerged as a powerful molecular breadboard with nanometer resolution that can integrate the world of bottom-up (bio)chemistry with large-scale, macroscopic devices created by top-down lithography. Substituting the top-down patterning with self-assembled colloidal nanoparticles now takes the manufacturing complexity of top-down lithography out of the equation. As a result, the deterministic positioning of single molecules or nanoscale objects on macroscopic arrays is benchtop ready and easily accessible.
Topics: DNA; Nanotechnology; Printing
PubMed: 34255962
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c04297 -
Biophysical Journal Apr 2016Over the last decade, functionally designed DNA nanostructures applied to lipid membranes prompted important achievements in the fields of biophysics and synthetic... (Review)
Review
Over the last decade, functionally designed DNA nanostructures applied to lipid membranes prompted important achievements in the fields of biophysics and synthetic biology. Taking advantage of the universal rules for self-assembly of complementary oligonucleotides, DNA has proven to be an extremely versatile biocompatible building material on the nanoscale. The possibility to chemically integrate functional groups into oligonucleotides, most notably with lipophilic anchors, enabled a widespread usage of DNA as a viable alternative to proteins with respect to functional activity on membranes. As described throughout this review, hybrid DNA-lipid nanostructures can mediate events such as vesicle docking and fusion, or selective partitioning of molecules into phase-separated membranes. Moreover, the major benefit of DNA structural constructs, such as DNA tiles and DNA origami, is the reproducibility and simplicity of their design. DNA nanotechnology can produce functional structures with subnanometer precision and allow for a tight control over their biochemical functionality, e.g., interaction partners. DNA-based membrane nanopores and origami structures able to assemble into two-dimensional networks on top of lipid bilayers are recent examples of the manifold of complex devices that can be achieved. In this review, we will shortly present some of the potentially most relevant avenues and accomplishments of membrane-anchored DNA nanostructures for investigating, engineering, and mimicking lipid membrane-related biophysical processes.
Topics: Cell Membrane; DNA; Membrane Lipids; Nanostructures; Synthetic Biology
PubMed: 27119630
DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.03.015 -
DNA Repair Aug 2017DNA double strand breaks need to be repaired in an organized fashion to preserve genomic integrity. In the organization of faithful repair, histone ubiquitination plays... (Review)
Review
DNA double strand breaks need to be repaired in an organized fashion to preserve genomic integrity. In the organization of faithful repair, histone ubiquitination plays a crucial role. Recent findings suggest an integrated model for DNA repair regulation through site-specific histone ubiquitination and crosstalk to other posttranslational modifications. Here we discuss how site-specific histone ubiquitination is achieved on a molecular level and how different multi-protein complexes work together to integrate different histone ubiquitination states. We propose a model where site-specific H2A ubiquitination organizes the spatio-temporal recruitment of DNA repair factors which will ultimately contribute to DNA repair pathway choice between homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining.
Topics: Animals; DNA; DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; DNA End-Joining Repair; Histones; Humans; Recombinational DNA Repair; Signal Transduction; Ubiquitination
PubMed: 28624371
DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2017.06.011 -
Nano Letters Dec 2023Sophisticated dynamic molecular systems with diverse functions have been fabricated by using the fundamental tool of toehold-mediated strand displacement (TMSD) in the...
Sophisticated dynamic molecular systems with diverse functions have been fabricated by using the fundamental tool of toehold-mediated strand displacement (TMSD) in the field of dynamic DNA nanotechnology. However, simple approaches to reset these TMSD-based dynamic systems are lacking due to the difficulty in creating kinetically favored pathways to implement the backward resetting reactions. Here, we develop a facile proton-driven strategy to achieve complete resetting of a modular DNA circuit by integrating a pH-responsive intermolecular CG-C triplex DNA and an i-motif DNA into the conventional DNA substrate. The pH-programmed strategy allows modular DNA components to specifically associate/dissociate to promote the forward/backward TMSD reactions, thereby enabling the modular DNA circuit to be repeatedly operated at a constant temperature without generating any DNA waste products. Leveraging this tractable approach, we further constructed two resettable DNA logic gates used for logical computation and two resettable catalytic DNA systems with good performance in signal transduction and amplification.
Topics: DNA; DNA, Catalytic; Nanotechnology; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
PubMed: 38085915
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c03265 -
International Journal of Molecular... Feb 2023The integration of a DNA copy of an HIV-1 RNA genome into the host genome, carried out by the viral enzyme integrase, results in the formation of single-stranded gaps in...
The integration of a DNA copy of an HIV-1 RNA genome into the host genome, carried out by the viral enzyme integrase, results in the formation of single-stranded gaps in cellular DNA that must be repaired. Here, we have analyzed the involvement of the PI3K kinases, ATM, ATR, and DNA-PKcs, which are important players in the DNA damage response (DDR) in HIV-1 post-integrational DNA repair (PIR). The participation of the DNA-PK complex in HIV-1 PIR has been previously shown, and the formation of a complex between the viral integrase and the DNA-PK subunit, Ku70, has been found to be crucial for efficient PIR. Now, we have shown that the inhibition of both DNA-PKcs and ATM, but not ATR, significantly reduces PIR efficiency. The activation of both kinases is a sequential process, where one kinase, being activated, activates the other, and it occurs simultaneously with the integration of viral DNA. This fact suggests that the activation of both kinases triggers PIR. Most interestingly, the activation of not only DNA-PKcs, but also ATM depends on the complex formation between integrase and Ku70. The elucidation of the interactions between viruses and DDR is important both for understanding the modulation of host cell functions by these pathogens and for developing new approaches to combat viral infections.
Topics: HIV-1; Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins; DNA-Activated Protein Kinase; DNA Repair; DNA Damage; DNA, Viral; Integrases
PubMed: 36769109
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032797 -
Nature Protocols Aug 2022Molecular simulation has become an integral part of the DNA/RNA nanotechnology research pipeline. In particular, understanding the dynamics of structures and... (Review)
Review
Molecular simulation has become an integral part of the DNA/RNA nanotechnology research pipeline. In particular, understanding the dynamics of structures and single-molecule events has improved the precision of nanoscaffolds and diagnostic tools. Here we present oxView, a design tool for visualization, design, editing and analysis of simulations of DNA, RNA and nucleic acid-protein nanostructures. oxView provides an accessible software platform for designing novel structures, tweaking existing designs, preparing them for simulation in the oxDNA/RNA molecular simulation engine and creating visualizations of simulation results. In several examples, we present procedures for using the tool, including its advanced features that couple the design capabilities with a coarse-grained simulation engine and scripting interface that can programmatically edit structures and facilitate design of complex structures from multiple substructures. These procedures provide a practical basis from which researchers, including experimentalists with limited computational experience, can integrate simulation and 3D visualization into their existing research programs.
Topics: DNA; Nanostructures; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Nucleic Acids; RNA; Software
PubMed: 35668321
DOI: 10.1038/s41596-022-00688-5 -
International Journal of Molecular... Oct 2023Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a dominant cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, it was shown that HBV and woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) integrate into... (Review)
Review
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a dominant cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, it was shown that HBV and woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) integrate into the hepatocyte genome minutes after invasion. Retrotransposons and transposable sequences were frequent sites of the initial insertions, suggesting a mechanism for spontaneous HBV DNA dispersal throughout the hepatocyte genome. Several somatic genes were also identified as early insertional targets in infected hepatocytes and woodchuck livers. Head-to-tail joints (HTJs) dominated amongst fusions, indicating their creation by non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ). Their formation coincided with the robust oxidative damage of hepatocyte DNA. This was associated with the activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1)-mediated dsDNA repair, as reflected by the augmented transcription of PARP1 and XRCC1; the PARP1 binding partner OGG1, a responder to oxidative DNA damage; and increased activity of NAD, a marker of PARP1 activation, and HO1, an indicator of cell oxidative stress. The engagement of the PARP1-mediated NHEJ repair pathway explains the HTJ format of the initial merges. The findings show that HBV and WHV are immediate inducers of oxidative DNA damage and hijack dsDNA repair to integrate into the hepatocyte genome, and through this mechanism, they may initiate pro-oncogenic processes. Tracking initial integrations may uncover early markers of HCC and help to explain HBV-associated oncogenesis.
Topics: Humans; Hepatitis B virus; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Liver Neoplasms; Hepatocytes; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Carcinogenesis; Genomics; DNA, Viral; Hepatitis B; X-ray Repair Cross Complementing Protein 1
PubMed: 37834296
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914849