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Phage display selection of a peptide DNase II inhibitor that enhances gene delivery.

BACKGROUND: Nuclease activity is thought to be a significant barrier to effective gene delivery employing synthetic vectors. In particular, the lysosomal DNase, DNase II, has significant access to plasmid DNA, when the protective condensing agent has been shed. Here, we present the identification of a peptide DNase II inhibitor, enabling enhanced levels of gene delivery. METHODS: A DNase II inhibitor was identified by phage display from a cyclic, random 12-amino acid library. Activity was assayed by inhibition of DNase II degradation of DNA. Transfection enhancement levels were measured over a range of DNA doses with CV-1 and MDBK cell types using PEI and cationic lipoplexes as vectors. RESULTS: We postulated that a DNase II inhibitor would enhance transfection by enabling a larger fraction of plasmid DNA to traffic through the cell and enter the nucleus. Peptides based on the selected sequence (SLRLLQWFLWAC) [ID2] were shown to inhibit DNase II with an observed KI,app of 0.2-2 microM. Lipoplex-mediated transfection in vitro was found to be enhanced by ID2-3 across the entire range of plasmid DNA doses examined (0.10-3.0 microg/mL). Transfection with PEI/DNA complexes was found to be specifically enhanced in the presence of ID2 peptides, with a saturable DNA-dose curve as would be expected for a competitive inhibitor. Transfection enhancements as high as 270-fold were found in the presence of ID2-3. CONCLUSIONS: A novel peptide DNase II inhibitor has been used to increase transfection. The level of enhancement was found to be significant in multiple cell types with multiple synthetic vectors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Characterisation of a series of human immunodeficiency virus isolates derived sequentially from a single patient.

Five HIV-1 isolates were obtained sequentially from a single seropositive individual during the later stages of AIDS. Four of these isolates were adapted to grow in a continuous human T-lymphocytic cell line. Comparative biological and biochemical studies of the virus isolates were made using persistently infected cultures or virus derived from these systems respectively. The data obtained clearly shows that viruses with different biological properties can be isolated from the same individual at different times during the course of clinical AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

RT-RPA Assisted CRISPR/Cas12a Based One-Pot Rapid and Visual Detection of the Pan-Dengue Virus.

Globally ≤ 4 billion of the population are at potential risk of contracting dengue virus (DENV) infection. Seasonal outbreaks of dengue are frequently reported causing a high healthcare burden. Undiagnosed DENV can lead to severe morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis of DENV relies on molecular methods, which are impractical in resource-constrained settings (RCSs). Dengue can be caused by any of the four distinct DENV serotypes. Therefore, a simple method for rapid diagnosis of Pan-DENV serotypes is of utmost importance at RCSs. A fluorescence detection platform for Pan-DENV using RT-RPA and CRISPR/Cas12a was developed targeting nonstructural 1 (NS1) gene for DENV-1, 2, and 3, and envelope (E) gene for DENV-2. Further, crRNA specific to DENV serotypes were designed to facilitate CRISPR/Cas12a detection. Analytical sensitivity was determined using synthetic RNA and DENV serotypes genome. Clinical validation of the assay was performed using RNA extracted from AES/AFI clinical samples. The developed CRISPR/Cas12a-based detection platform can detect all four serotypes of DENV viz 1-4 in a single pot using fluorescence detection. This assay showed the limit of detection ≥ 781 zg reaction- 1, ≥ 1.81 ag reaction-1, ≥ 62.5 fg reaction-1, and ≥ 2.5 pg reaction-1 for synthetic DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4 template, respectively. Our assay demonstrated the analytic sensitivity of ≥ 10 ng reaction-1 for DENV-1 and DENV-4, and ≥ 0.5 ng reaction-1 for DENV-3 and DENV-4 genomes. This assay showed no cross-reactivity with other related etiologies tested causing AFI/AES. With 76 clinical samples (DENV PCR positive = 16, DENV PCR negative = 60), the assay demonstrated 93.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity with an overall accuracy of 98.7% for detection of the Pan-DENV serotypes. Our assay displayed comparable results to that of RT-PCR. The ease of interpretation and rapid detection of the Pan-DENV, represents the potential of the developed assay as an ideal point-of-care test. This assay upon field-deployment could help in reducing healthcare burden, provide differential diagnosis and support initiating early and prompt treatment to patients at RCS.

Dengue Virus↗

Integrating Enzyme-DNA Complex and CRISPR/Cas12a for Robust Norovirus Detection.

Human norovirus (NoV) is a primary cause of acute gastroenteritis in children, making accurate and rapid detection essential for effective disease prevention and control. In this study, we developed a sensitive and efficient platform for pathogen nucleic acid detection by integrating asymmetric nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (asymmetric NASBA), enzyme-DNA molecular complex, and the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system, namely an A-enDMC platform. The target recognition capability of the enzyme-DNA complex operates independently from the signal amplification function of the CRISPR system. By decoupling the CRISPR reaction from the dependence on specific target sequences, the platform's universality and modularity are enhanced. The assay is fast (<&#x2009;1.5 h), highly sensitive (<&#x2009;5&#x2009;copies/&#xb5;L), and demonstrates no cross-reactivity with other common viruses. Compared to the widely used RT-qPCR method, the platform demonstrates high consistency in detection results, with the detection coincidence rate of 96.77% and a kappa value of 0.87. This platform provides a versatile technological tool for highly sensitive and specific RNA detection, demonstrating its extensive potential in real sample analysis.

Norovirus↗

The repair of DNA damage: recent developments and new insights.

This brief review presents the salient features of new developments in the enzymatic repair of base damage to DNA. DNA glycosylases and apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonucleases are reviewed and evidence is presented that in at least two prokaryote systems incision of UV-irradiated DNA occurs by the sequential action of these two classes of enzymes. In contradistinction, the uvrA, uvrB, and uvrC gene products of E coli appear to function as a multi-protein complex that catalyzes hydrolysis of phosphodiester bonds in damaged DNA directly. The inducible rapid repair of O6-methylguanine in E coli is also reviewed.

DNA↗

Ets protein Elf-1 bidirectionally suppresses transcriptional activities of the tumor suppressor Tsc2 gene and the repair-related Nth1 gene.

Alterations in the rat tuberous sclerosis gene (Tsc2) cause renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) with complete penetrance. In this study, it was shown that the minimal core promoters of the rat Tsc2 and endonuclease III 1 (Nth1) genes, lying in a 5'-to-5' arrangement, were localized in a 0.11-kb region containing two Ets binding sites (EBSs). This region worked as a bidirectional promoter in a single reporter plasmid. Mutational inactivation of each of the two EBSs significantly reduced promoter activity. Moreover, gel shift assays revealed the presence of specific EBSs-protein complexes. These results demonstrate that some members of the Ets family positively regulate the promoter activities of the Tsc2/Nth1 genes by binding to the EBSs. We identified Elf-1 as a binding factor for EBSs through super-shift assays, and detected approximately 35 kDa bands with an EBSs-containing DNA probe by Southwestern blot analysis. Forced expression of Elf-1 in cells, however, bidirectionally suppressed the activities of the Tsc2/Nth1 promoters. Elf-1 may be a negative regulator of Tsc2/Nth1 gene expression and may compete against positive regulators for binding to the EBSs. Our observations suggest that mechanisms that inactivate Tsc2 gene expression, such as promoter suppression, may exist.

Animals↗

Quantitation of 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline and 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline DNA adducts in specific sequences using alkali or uvrABC excinuclease.

2-Amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) and 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MelQx) are carcinogens found in cooked meats that form DNA adducts upon metabolic activation. Purified DNA from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells was reacted in vitro with the active metabolites N-acetoxy-IQ or N-acetoxy-MelQx, and the adduct levels in the 5' dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene and downstream region were quantitated by Southern hybridization. Adducted and restricted DNA was treated with Escherichia coli uvrABC excinuclease or alkali (0.1 N NaOH, 37 degrees C, 60 min) to incise DNA at IQ and MelQx adduct sites. The DNA was then denatured with formamide, electrophoresed on a neutral agarose gel, transferred to a support membrane, and hybridized with sequence-specific DNA probes. Both uvrABC and alkali reduced the intensity of Southern hybridization in proportion to the number of IQ or MelQx adducts in DNA, indicating that these adducts are substrates for uvrABC and that they form alkali-labile lesions in DNA. IQ and MelQx adduct levels were the same in the 5' DHFR gene and in the downstream region. Southern hybridization analysis of pBR322 containing known levels of IQ or MelQx adducts showed that the efficiency of cutting IQ or MelQx adducts by uvrABC excinuclease and alkali was approximately 30% and 15%, respectively. 32P-postlabeling studies examining adduct level in bulk DNA further showed that the adduct profiles were identical in pBR322, CHO DNA, and cultured CHO cells exposed to the reactive metabolites of IQ or MelQx. The results indicate that IQ and MelQx adducts can be quantitated in specific genomic sequences and that this method should be directly applicable to studies of gene-specific repair of these adducts in cultured cells.

Alkalies↗

Preferential repair of ultraviolet light-induced DNA damage in the transcribed strand of the human p53 gene.

Mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene have been found in most human tumors. Analyses of the spectrum of p53 mutations in certain tumor types have shown a bias for mutations originating from lesions presumed to be in the untranscribed strand of the gene. This implies strand specificity for the formation or repair of DNA damage. We measured the induction and repair of ultraviolet light-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) in each strand of the human p53 gene in a normal human lung fibroblast cell line using quantitative Southern hybridization. We found that the removal of CPD from the transcribed strand was more rapid than that from the untranscribed strand of this gene, although the frequency of CPD induction was similar in both strands. Preferential repair of the transcribed strand of the p53 gene may account for the mutational spectra of this gene in human tumors.

Cells, Cultured↗

The curious case of protein splicing: mechanistic insights suggested by protein semisynthesis.

The gradual accumulation of examples of protein splicing, in which a nested intervening sequence is spliced out of the interior of a polyprotein precursor, suggests that this curious phenomenon might prove to have universal phylogenetic distribution and biological significance. The known examples are reviewed, with the aim of establishing underlying patterns, and a generalized mechanism of autocatalytic protein splicing is proposed. The testable consequences of such a proposal and the possible evolutionary origins of the phenomenon are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of the Serratia endonuclease dimer: structural basis and implications for catalysis.

The Serratia endonuclease is an extracellularly secreted enzyme capable of cleaving both single- and double-stranded forms of DNA and RNA. It is the first member of a large class of related and usually dimeric endonucleases for which a structure is known. Using X-ray crystallography, the structure of monomer of this enzyme was reported by us previously (Miller MD et al., 1994, Nature Struct Biol 1:461-468). We now confirm the dimeric nature of this enzyme through light-scattering experiments and identify the physiologic dimer interface through crystal packing analysis. This dimerization occurs through an isologous twofold interaction localized to the carboxy-terminal subdomain of the enzyme. The dimer is a prolate ellipsoid with dimensions 30 A x 35 A x 90 A. The dimer interface is flat and contains four salt links, several hydrogen bonds, and nonpolar interactions. Buried water is prominent in this interface and it includes an unusual "cubic" water cluster. The position of the two active sites in the dimer suggests that they can act independently in their cleavage of DNA, but have a geometrical advantage in attacking substrate relative to the monomer.

Biopolymers↗

A novel family of phospholipase D homologues that includes phospholipid synthases and putative endonucleases: identification of duplicated repeats and potential active site residues.

Phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase D (PLD) enzymes catalyze hydrolysis of phospholipid phosphodiester bonds, and also transphosphatidylation of phospholipids to acceptor alcohols. Bacterial and plant PLD enzymes have not been shown previously to be homologues or to be homologous to any other protein. Here we show, using sequence analysis methods, that bacterial and plant PLDs show significant sequence similarities both to each other, and to two other classes of phospholipid-specific enzymes, bacterial cardiolipin synthases, and eukaryotic and bacterial phosphatidylserine synthases, indicating that these enzymes form an homologous family. This family is suggested also to include two Poxviridae proteins of unknown function (p37K and protein K4), a bacterial endonuclease (nuc), an Escherichia coli putative protein (o338) containing an N-terminal domain showing similarities with helicase motifs V and VI, and a Synechocystis sp. putative protein with a C-terminal domain likely to possess a DNA-binding function. Surprisingly, four regions of sequence similarity that occur once in nuc and o338, appear twice in all other homologues, indicating that the latter molecules are bi-lobed, having evolved from an ancestor or ancestors that underwent a gene duplication and fusion event. It is suggested that, for each of these enzymes, conserved histidine, lysine, aspartic acid, and/or asparagine residues may be involved in a two-step ping pong mechanism involving an enzyme-substrate intermediate.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray studies of I-PpoI: a nuclear, intron-encoded homing endonuclease from Physarum polycephalum.

The homing endonuclease I-PpoI is encoded by an optional third intron, Pp LSU 3, found in nuclear, extrachromosomal copies of the Physarum polycephalum 26S rRNA gene. This endonuclease promotes the lateral transfer or "homing" of its encoding intron by recognizing and cleaving a partially symmetric, 15 bp homing site in 26S rDNA alleles that lack the Pp LSU 3 intron. The open reading frame encoding I-PpoI has been subcloned, and the endonuclease has been overproduced in E. coli. Purified recombinant I-PpoI has been co-crystallized with a 21 bp homing site DNA duplex. The crystals belong to space group P3(1)21, with unit cell dimensions a = b = 114 A, c = 89 A. The results of initial X-ray diffraction experiments indicate that the asymmetric unit contains an enzyme homodimer and one duplex DNA molecule, and that the unit cell has a specific volume of 3.4 A3/dalton. These experiments also provide strong evidence that I-PpoI contains several bound zinc ions as part of its structure.

Animals↗

What is the value added by human intervention in protein structure prediction?

This article presents results of blind predictions submitted to the CASP4 protein structure prediction experiment. We made two sets of predictions: one using the fully automated SAM-T99 server and one using the improved SAM-T2K method with human intervention. Both methods use iterative hidden Markov model-based methods for constructing protein family profiles, using only sequence information. Although the SAM-T99 method is purely sequence based, the SAM-T2K method uses the predicted secondary structure of the target sequence and the known secondary structure of the templates to improve fold recognition and alignment. In this article, we try to determine what aspects of the SAM-T2K method were responsible for its significantly better performance in the CASP4 experiment in the hopes of producing a better automatic prediction server. The use of secondary structure prediction seems to be the most valuable single improvement, though the combined total of various human interventions is probably at least as important.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

CASP2 knowledge-based approach to distant homology recognition and fold prediction in CASP4.

In 1996, in CASP2, we presented a semimanual approach to the prediction of protein structure that was aimed at the recognition of probable distant homology, where it existed, between a given target protein and a protein of known structure (Murzin and Bateman, Proteins 1997; Suppl 1:105-112). Central to our method was the knowledge of all known structural and probable evolutionary relationships among proteins of known structure classified in the SCOP database (Murzin et al., J Mol Biol 1995;247:536-540). It was demonstrated that a knowledge-based approach could compete successfully with the best computational methods of the time in the correct recognition of the target protein fold. Four years later, in CASP4, we have applied essentially the same knowledge-based approach to distant homology recognition, concentrating our effort on the improvement of the completeness and alignment accuracy of our models. The manifold increase of available sequence and structure data was to our advantage, as well as was the experience and expertise obtained through the classification of these data. In particular, we were able to model most of our predictions from several distantly related structures rather than from a single parent structure, and we could use more superfamily characteristic features for the refinement of our alignments. Our predictions for each of the attempted distant homology recognition targets ranked among the few top predictions for each of these targets, with the predictions for the hypothetical protein HI0065 (T0104) and the C-terminal domain of the ABC transporter MalK (T0121C) being particularly successful. We also have attempted the prediction of protein folds of some of the targets tentatively assigned to new superfamilies. The average quality of our fold predictions was far less than the quality of our distant homology recognition models, but for the two targets, chorismate lyase (T0086) and Appr>p cyclic phosphodiesterase (T0094), our predictions achieved the top ranking.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Solvent participation in Serratia marcescens endonuclease complexes.

The monomer and dimer of the bacterium Serratia marcescens endonuclease (SMnase) are each catalytically active and the two subunits of the dimer function independently of each other. Specific interfacial waters may play a role in stability, complex formation, and functionality. We performed molecular dynamics simulations of both a subunit of SMnase and its model built complex with DNA and analyzed the relation of the hydration sites to the catalytic mechanism. It was found that the binding of DNA has little influence on the global hydration properties of the protein, including occupancy and water residence time distributions. DNA and protein recognition in our model mainly involves direct contacts by hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interactions. Water-mediated contacts exist, but are less common. Three interior water clusters were identified for SMnase. One cluster around the active site in the monomer-DNA complex shows relatively strong interactions between hydration sites as well as between the sites and the biomolecules. The simulated cluster properties agreed well with experimental data. The magnesium ion shows ligand exchange. Although Mg2+ keeps six ligands during the entire simulation, upon the binding of DNA, Asn119 loses its coordination with Mg2+, while one nonbridging oxygen of the phosphate of a DNA residue and two oxygen atoms of the side chain of Glu127 become the ligands. Waters in a nearby cluster exchange and participate in the resolvation of groups in the presence of DNA. Water thus not only participates in the cleavage of DNA but also can stabilize the transition state and the leaving groups in our model.

Base Sequence↗

Secondary structural analysis of retrovirus integrase: characterization by circular dichroism and empirical prediction methods.

The retrovirus integrase (IN) protein is essential for integration of viral DNA into host DNA. The secondary structure of the purified IN protein from avian myeloblastosis virus was investigated by both circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and five empirical prediction methods. The secondary structures determined from the resolving of CD spectra through a least-squares curve fitting procedure were compared with those predicted from four statistical methods, e.g., the Chou-Fasman, Garnier-Osguthorpe-Robson, Nishikawa-Ooi, and a JOINT scheme which combined all three of these methods, plus a pure a priori one, the Ptitsyn-Finkelstein method. Among all of the methods used, the Nishikawa-Ooi prediction gave the closest match in the composition of secondary structure to the CD result, although the other methods each correctly predicted one or more secondary structural group. Most of the alpha-helix and beta-sheet states predicted by the Ptitsyn-Finkelstein method were in accord with the Nishikawa-Ooi method. Secondary structural predictions by the Nishikawa-Ooi method were extended further to include IN proteins from four phylogenetic distinct retroviruses. The structural relationships between the four most conserved amino acid blocks of these IN proteins were compared using sequence homology and secondary structure predictions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Site-directed mutagenesis of the T4 endonuclease V gene: mutations which enhance enzyme specific activity at low salt concentrations.

Previous structure/function analyses of the DNA repair enzyme, T4 endonuclease V, have suggested that the extreme carboxyl portion of the enzyme is associated with pyrimidine dimer-specific binding (Recinos and Lloyd, and Stump and Lloyd, Biochemistry 27:1832-1838 and 1839-1843, 1988, respectively). Within the final 11 amino acids there are 5 aromatic, 2 basic, and no acidic residues and it has been proposed that these residues stack with and electrostatically interact with the kinked DNA at the site of a pyrimidine dimer. The role of the tyrosine residue at position 129 has been investigated by oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis in which the codon for Tyr-129 has been altered to reflect conservative changes of Trp and Phe and more dramatic changes of Ser, a stop codon, deletion of the codon or introduction of a frameshift. Both changes to the aromatic amino acids resulted in proteins which accumulated well in E. coli and not only significantly enhanced the UV survival of repair-deficient cells but also complemented a defective denV gene within UV-irradiated T4 phage. Partially purified preparations of the Tyr-129----Trp and Tyr-129----Phe mutants were assayed for their ability to processively incise UV-irradiated plasmid DNA (a nicking reaction carried out at low 25 mM salt concentrations). The mutant enzymes Tyr-129----Phe and Tyr-129----Trp displayed a 1000% and 500% enhanced specific nicking activity, respectively. These reactions were also shown to be completely processive. Assays performed at higher (100 mM) salt concentrations reduced the specific activities of the mutant enzymes approximately to that of wild type for the Tyr-129----Phe mutant and to 20% that of wild type for the Tyr-129----Trp mutant.

Binding Sites↗