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PubMed1976

Fast neutron and x-ray induced single strand DNA breaks in cultured mammalian cells.

The relative biologic effectiveness (RBE) of fast neutrons in the production of single strand DNA breaks is 1.6 as compared to that of 250 kVp x rays. Monolayers of L-929 cells were treated with dinitrophenol during irradiation to prevent the DNA strands from rejoining; the extent of DNA damage was measured by the alkaline sucrose sedimentation method. The RBE for DNA damage is essentially the same as the RBE measured by cell survival methods.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease activity of exonuclease A5.

A comparative study was made of the specificity and some properties of the RNase and DNase activities of exonuclease A5. The results obtained indicate that RNA and denatured DNA are hydrolyzed in the same active center of the enzyme and, consequently, exonuclease A5 is an enzyme which is not specific for the sugar of nucleic acids. The data reported are important when exonuclease A5 is used as a specific reagent in investigations of nucleic acids.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed1976

An endonuclease from Escherichia coli that introduces single polynucleotide chain scissions in ultraviolet-irradiated DNA.

An endonuclease that makes single polynucleotide chain scissions in ultraviolet-irradiated DNA has been purified from Escherichia coli. The activity has the following properties: (a) unirradiated DNA is attacked very little if at all; (b) single strand DNA is not attacked, whether irradiated or not; (c) there is no requirement for divalent cations and the activity is not affected by the addition of EDTA; (d) the pH optimum is approximately 7; (e) the activity is inhibited by 1 M NaCl, single strand DNA, transfer RNA and double strand DNA; (f) the sedimentation coefficient, S20,w, is approximately 2.6; (g) it is a basic protein. The enzyme is tentatively named E. coli endonuclease III. The physiological function of the endonuclease has not yet been established.

Coliphages↗

PubMed2026

R-loops and D-loops: a delicate balance in genomic stability and instability.

R-loops and D-loops are three-stranded nucleic acid structures that have emerged as central regulators of genome stability, gene expression, and DNA metabolism. R-loops form co-transcriptionally or post-transcriptionally when nascent RNA re-anneals with the template DNA strand, generating an RNA: DNA hybrid that displaces the non-template strand into a single-stranded state. These structures are enriched at CpG island promoters, transcription termination sites, and immunoglobulin class-switch regions, where they coordinate transcription regulation, chromatin remodeling, and DNA damage signaling. D-loops are formed when a single-stranded DNA segment pairs with one strand of a duplex and displaces the other, arising through context-dependent mechanisms that include RAD51- or DMC1-mediated strand invasion in homologous recombination, shelterin-assisted invasion at telomeres, and replication-coupled strand displacement at the mitochondrial DNA origin. They serve as indispensable intermediates in double-strand break repair, telomere maintenance, and mitochondrial DNA replication. Recent cryo-electron microscopy studies have resolved the stepwise RAD51-mediated strand exchange mechanism at near-atomic resolution, substantially advancing structural understanding of D-loop biogenesis. Despite their differences in molecular composition, both structures remodel Watson-Crick base pairing and, when dysregulated, are associated with replication fork stalling, transcription-replication conflicts, and aberrant recombination. This review systematically compares the structural features, formation mechanisms, regulatory networks, and biological functions of R-loops and D-loops, with emphasis on their convergent roles in safeguarding genome integrity. We further discuss rapidly evolving detection technologies and emerging therapeutic strategies targeting these structures in cancer and neurodegeneration, identifying key unresolved questions for future investigation.

Genomic Instability↗

PubMed2026

pH Tunes the DNA Repair Efficiency and Strand Preference of the AlkB Family Enzymes.

AlkB-family Fe(II)/2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases repair alkylated nucleic acid lesions through oxidative dealkylation and play important roles in genome maintenance. 1-Methyl-2'-deoxyadenosine (1mA) and 3-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine (3mC) are well-established substrates of AlkB, ALKBH2, and ALKBH3. Although these enzymes have been extensively studied, the influence of proton concentration (pH) on their catalytic behavior and strand preference remains poorly defined. Here, we systematically examined how pH modulates the activity of the prototypical bacterial AlkB and the human homologues ALKBH2 and ALKBH3 using defined DNA substrates in both single-stranded (ssDNA) and double-stranded (dsDNA) contexts containing 1mA and 3mC lesions. Across a broad pH range, all three enzymes mainly exhibit bell-shaped activity profiles with distinct optima. The prevailing view in the field is that AlkB preferentially repairs these lesions in ssDNA, ALKBH2 favors dsDNA, and ALKBH3 prefers ssDNA. However, our results demonstrate that pH influences the catalytic efficiency and strand utilization in a substrate- and enzyme-dependent manner. AlkB maintains a consistent ssDNA preference for 3mC but exhibits variable strand preference for 1mA at different pH values. ALKBH2 retains a strong dsDNA preference for 1mA across all conditions but shows a clear pH-dependent strand switch for 3mC, favoring ssDNA under acidic conditions and preferring dsDNA at neutral to alkaline pH conditions. In contrast, ALKBH3 consistently favors ssDNA for 3mC but exhibits pH-dependent strand preference for 1mA. Our results show that the reported strand preferences largely hold at pH 7.0-8.0 but are not complete, as strand utilization and pH optima vary by enzyme and substrate. The observations demonstrate that proton availability strongly influences AlkB-family catalysis and is an important factor in how these enzymes process damaged DNA. These findings may also aid the optimization of AlkB-based protein engineering and sequencing technologies.

Hydrogen-Ion Concentration↗

PubMed1976

Conformation of Escherichia coli glutamic acid tRNA II as studied by hydrogen-tritium exchange catalyzed by cysteine methyl ester.

Incubation of CMP in 2H2O with 0.5M cysteine methyl ester at p2H 5 and 37 degrees C for 24 h resulted in 43% exchange of 5-H to 5-2H. No deamination of the cytosine nucleus was noted during this treatment. Native and denatured DNA samples from calf thymus were treated in 3H2O with cysteine methyl ester at pH 5 and 37 degrees C for 24 h and incorporation of tritium into each DNA base was determined by enzymic digestion of the treated DNA. The order of the specific radioactivity found was cytosine greater than guanine greater than adenine greater than thymine for denatured DNA and guanine greater than adenine approximately cytosine greater than thymine for native DNA. The ratio of radioactivity for denatured/native was 11.6 for cytosine, 1.5 for guanine, 1.8 for adenine and 1.1 for thymine. Hence the incorporation in cytosine under the reaction conditions is preferential for single-stranded, nonhelical regions of DNA. Escherichia coli glutamic acid tRNA II was treated in 3H2O with 1.24 M cysteine methyl ester at pH 5 and 37 degrees C. The 24-h-treated tRNA was digested with ribonuclease T1 and the fragments were fractionated. Each fragment was then digested with ribonuclease T2 into mononucleotides and the radioactivity distribution among the bases was determined. The average radioactivity found for each of the bases of the four major nucleotides was cytosine greater than guanine approximately adenine greater than uracil. The radioactivity in cytosine varied greatly among the RNase T1 fragments, the ratio of the highest to the lowest radioactivity being 18.7. The corresponding value for guanine was 11.1, for adenine 4.73 and for uracil 3.64. Based on the data obtained, it was deduced that in this tRNA the anticodon loop, the dihydrouridine loop and the extra loop were "exposed" under the conditions employed for the labeling. The 5'-terminal cytosine of the anticodon loop was in a "non-exposed" state, a situation similar to that previously reported for E. coli tyrosine tRNA [Cashmore, A. R., Brown, D. M. & Smith, J. D. (1971) J. Mol. Biol. 59, 359-373] and for E. coli formylmethionine tRNA [Goddard J. P.+Schulman L. H. (1972) J. Biol. Chem. 247, 3864-3867]. Both cytosine 48, located at the 3'-terminal of the extra loop, and guanine 15 in the dihydrouridine loop were in an "emposed" state. This finding does not agree with a tRNA model in which this pair of cytosine and guanine, commonly found in tRNA sequences, forms hydrogen bondings. Positions 30--32, 61--64 and 71, which are located in the stems, were found to be strongly "buried".

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1976

Size and transforming activity of deoxyribonucleic acid in Diplococcus pneumoniae during thymidine starvation.

The transforming activity and the molecular structure of DNA from cells of Diplococcus pneumoniae during thymidine starvation have been analyzed and the effects of thymidine starvation have been compared with the effects of single-strand breaks produced by deoxyribonucleases in DNA of unstarved cells. The decrease in transforming activity of lysates from starved cells as a function of the size of DNA particles, measured by centrifugation in neutral and alkaline sucrose gradients, does not follow the kinetics observed after enzymatic degradation of DNA of unstarved cells. Moreover, a strain lacking exo- and endonuclease activities is not protected from thymineless death. These results suggest that the basic lethal mechanism of thymidine starvation might have an origin other than the activation of nucleases.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient↗

PubMed2026

Mechanistic diversity of clamp loading at small DNA gaps.

DNA sliding clamps, including PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) and the 9-1-1 (RAD9-RAD1-HUS1 in humans) complex, are ring-shaped protein complexes that encircle DNA and serve as central interaction platforms in DNA replication, repair, and checkpoint signaling. While clamp loading at canonical primer-template junctions by AAA+ (ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities) clamp loaders is well established, how clamps are loaded onto physiologically relevant but geometrically constrained DNA intermediates, such as nicks and single-stranded gaps, has remained unclear. Recent cryo-electron microscopy studies reveal that clamp loaders have evolved distinct strategies to overcome these constraints and to specialize for different genomic contexts. At gapped DNA, the eukaryotic clamp loader RFC (replication factor C) engages both 3'- and 5'-recessed DNA ends and can locally unwind DNA, enabling PCNA loading across a wide range of gap sizes. In contrast, the bacterial DnaX clamp loader lacks a 5'-DNA-binding site and does not unwind DNA, instead loading the β-clamp at small gaps (<6 nt) by sharply bending DNA. The checkpoint clamp loader Rad24-RFC (RAD17-RFC in humans) similarly lacks DNA unwinding activity, restricting loading of 9-1-1 clamp to larger gaps (≥6 nt). In a distinct specialization, Ctf18-RFC interacts with the leading-strand DNA polymerase ε, positioning it as a dedicated loader for leading-strand synthesis, whereas Elg1-RFC (ATAD5-RFC in humans) excludes DNA from its chamber and functions as a PCNA unloader. Together, these mechanisms illustrate how clamp loaders are diversified to accommodate DNA structure and replisome context, ensuring coordinated control of genome replication and maintenance.

9-1-1 clamp↗

PubMed1976

Reaction of cytidine with semicarbazide in the presence of bisulfite. A rapid modification specific for single-stranded polynucleotide.

Semicarbazide reacted rapidly with 5,6-dihydrocytidine-6-sulfonate, which was formed from cytidine by addition of bisulfite across the 5,6-double bond. The transaminated product, 5,6-dihydro-4-semicarbazido-2-ketotopyrimidine-6-sulfonate ribofuranoside, was identified by comparison with that formed by treatment of 4-semicarbazido-2-ketopyrimidine ribofuranoside with bisulfite. The progress of the transamination was monitored spectrophotometrically by use of a strong absorbance of the product in alkali. The reaction between cytidine and the semicarbazide-bisulfite mixture was optimal at pH 4.5. Complete transformation of cytidine into the product required only 5 min with the use of 3M semicarbazide-1M sodium bisulfite, pH 5.0, at the reaction temperature 37 degrees C. The product was stable in unbuffered solution but in phosphate buffers it underwent elimination of bisulfite to give 4-semicarbazido-2-ketopyrimidine ribofuranoside. The rate of the elimination at pH 7.0 and 37 degrees C increased proportionally with the increase of the phosphate concentration. Complete elimination was obtained by treatment with 1 M sodium phosphate for 2 h. When heat-denatured calf-thymus DNA was treated with 3 M semicarbazide-1 M bisulfite at 37 degrees C and pH 5.0 the transamination of reactive cytosine residues was completed by 10 min of incubation. At 20 degrees C, it required 85 min of incubation. Cytosine residues in native DNA did not react at all even by prolonged incubations. The modified DNA samples were further treated with a phosphate buffer at pH 7, producing 4-semicarbazido-2-ketopyrimidine residues in the DNA. Analysis of the base compositions of these samples by perchloric acid hydrolysis showed that the modification was selective to cytosine, which had been expected from studies with monomers. It also showed that the reactive cytosine residues in the denatured DNA, constitute about 80% of the total cytosine, which was consistent with the view that heat-denatured DNA still contains a considerable amount of secondary structure. The semicarbazide-bisulfite modification is expected to be a sensitive method to locate cytosine residues in single-stranded regions of polynucleotides.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed2026

Quercetin, a flavonoid, suppresses viral proliferation by interfering with the ubiquitin transfer from E1 to E2 enzymes.

Quercetin is recognized for diverse pharmacological activities. However, the mechanism underlying its broad-antiviral effects has not been elucidated. Herein, we identified quercetin as a potent inhibitor of both double-stranded DNA virus Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) and single-stranded RNA virus porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) revealed that quercetin targets host ubiquitin-activating enzyme 1 (Uba1) homologs. Uba1 knockdown reduced viral proliferation and enhanced the antiviral effect of quercetin, whereas Uba1 overexpression functioned oppositely. Quercetin bound Uba1 homologs with high affinity. Notably, mutation of two binding residues, Q977 and G978, significantly disrupted the binding between BmUba1 and quercetin, and abolished quercetin's antiviral activity. Quercetin obstructed the transfer of ubiquitin from Uba1 to the E2 enzyme Ubc6, impairing the ubiquitination process. Similarly, quercetin inhibited PRRSV proliferation via targeting Uba1 in mammals. These findings elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the pharmacological effects of quercetin, providing a theoretical basis for the development of novel antiviral agents against both DNA and RNA viruses.

Quercetin↗

PubMed2025

Targeting RAD52 overcomes PARP inhibitor resistance in preclinical Brca2-deficient ovarian cancer model.

BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer commonly develops resistance to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Here, we investigated the DNA repair protein RAD52 as a potential target to overcome resistance. In analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas datasets and immunohistochemistry of tissue microarrays, elevated RAD52 expression correlated with poor overall survival in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancers. We tested two PARP inhibitor-resistant Brca2-deficient mouse ovarian cancer models, ID8-OR and HGS2-OR. HGS2-OR cells had higher RAD52 expression than parental lines. Rad52 knockout or knockdown restored PARP inhibitor sensitivity in both models. In syngeneic mice, ID8-OR cells in which Rad52 was knocked out yielded lower tumor burden and longer overall survival than control cells. Rad52 depletion impaired single-strand annealing and homologous recombination and led to accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks after PARP inhibitor treatment. RNA sequencing demonstrated that PARP inhibitor treatment induced Polq expression in Brca2- and Rad52-deficient cells, suggesting a switch to microhomology-mediated end joining. Finally, the RAD52 inhibitor D-I03 synergized with a PARP inhibitor to reduce cell viability and tumor burden and prolong survival. Collectively, our findings establish RAD52 as a promising therapeutic target to overcome PARP inhibitor resistance in BRCA2-mutated ovarian cancer and offer mechanistic insights to inform future clinical strategies.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1976

Deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase from the extreme thermophile Thermus aquaticus.

A stable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase (EC 2.7.7.7) with a temperature optimum of 80 degrees C has been purified from the extreme thermophile Thermus aquaticus. The enzyme is free from phosphomonoesterase, phosphodiesterase and single-stranded exonuclease activities. Maximal activity of the enzyme requires all four deoxyribonucleotides and activated calf thymus DNA. An absolute requirement for divalent cation cofactor was satisfied by Mg2+ or to a lesser extent by Mn2+. Monovalent cations at concentrations as high as 0.1 M did not show a significant inhibitory effect. The pH optimum was 8.0 in tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane-hydrochloride buffer. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated by sucrose gradient centrifugation and gel filtrations on Sephadex G-100 to be approximately 63,000 to 68,000. The elevated temperature requirement, small size, and lack of nuclease activity distinguish this polymerase from the DNA polymerase of Escherichia coli.

Bacteria↗

PubMed2026

Recurrent patterns of TOP1-mediated neuronal genomic damage shared by major neurodegenerative disorders.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) represent two major categories of neurodegenerative disorders-TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) and tau proteinopathies-for which the mechanisms driving neuronal death remain unclear. Single-cell whole-genome sequencing of 469 neurons from C9ORF72 ALS, C9ORF72 FTD, AD, and control brains revealed increased somatic single-nucleotide variants (sSNVs) and insertions/deletions (sIndels) in all three diseases. Mutational signature analysis identified a disease-associated sSNV signature consistent with oxidative damage and an sIndel process affecting 22% of ALS, 76% of FTD, and 61% of AD neurons-but only 2% of control neurons-resembling signature ID4, previously linked to topoisomerase 1 (TOP1)-mediated mutagenesis. Rapid approach to DNA adduct recovery (RADAR) assays confirmed increased TOP1-DNA covalent complexes, and duplex sequencing confirmed the increased sIndels and identified single-strand events as likely precursor lesions. TOP1-associated sIndel mutagenesis and genome instability thus represent a mechanism shared by both TDP-43 and tau neurodegeneration.

Humans↗

PubMed1976

Mung bean nuclease I. Terminally directed hydrolysis of native DNA.

Under conditions which favor the duplex structure of DNA, mung bean nuclease catalyzes a limited number of double-strand cleavages (probably less than 50) in the interior of native T7 DNA. However, under conditions which are not as favorable to a tight helical structure, the large duplex polymers previously produced are completely degraded from their termini with a continuous accumulation of mono-, di-, and trinucleotides. The terminally directed activity is an intrinsic property of the enzyme molecule because (1) it is inactivated and reactivated in parallel with the single-strand activity and (2) the two activities coelectrophorese on analytical gels. Kinetic measurements indicate that the apparent Km for the terminally directed hydrolysis of native DNA is relatively high. The pH optimum for both the hydrolysis of denatured DNA and the terminally directed hydrolysis of native DNA becomes more acidic with increasing salt concentration. The relative preference for single-stranded structures increases as the pH becomes more basic.

DNA↗

PubMed1977

Characterization of the pH 4.0 endonuclease from adenovirus-type-2-infected KB cells.

The properties of the pH 4.0 endonuclease from adenovirus-type-2-infected KB cells were determined. The enzyme has a molecular weight of approximately 40000. Its pH optimum is at pH 4.0, it is not inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), and it is active at temperatures up to 60 degree C. The enzyme cleaves adenovirus DNA in a stepwise manner. The limit digestion product has a molecular weight of 120000-200000. There is evidence that the cleavage reaction proceeds via an initial single-strand nick. Under the conditions tested the endonuclease did not seem to reveal a high degree of specificity as to the recognition of cleavage sites, or else the sites recognized occurred very frequently.

Adenoviruses, Human↗

PubMed1976

Naturally occurring cross-links in yeast chromosomal DNA.

Chromosome-size yeast DNA molecules with a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 3-4 X 10(8) were isolated from sucrose gradients after sedimentation of lysed yeast spheroplasts. Resedimentation showed that the molecules were isolated without introducing appreciable single-strand or double-strand breaks. The presence of cross-links in these molecules was suggested by the observation that the apparent Mn in alkali was greater than expected for separated single strands. Since cross-linked molecules would have strands which fail to separate upon denaturation, this was tested more directly. Neutralization of alkaline denaturing conditions resulted in up to 70% of the intact molecules rapidly reforming duplex structures, as shown by equilibrium banding in CsCI. Experiments with larger E. coli DNA molecules (Mn = 5.2 X 10(8)) indicated that the conditions used were sufficient to denature completely molecules of this size. Results of enzyme treatments suggest that the cross-links are not RNA or protein. Experiments with density-labeled yeast DNA molecules showed that the rapid reformation of duplex DNA is not the consequence either of a bimolecular reaction between separated DNA strands or of intrastrand renaturation. The data indicate that when the yeast DNA molecules are completely denatured, the strands fail to separate. Hence they must be cross-linked. Experiments with sheared DNA show that there are small number of cross-links, one to four, permolecule.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient↗

PubMed2024

Strategic targeting of Cas9 nickase induces large segmental duplications.

Gene/segmental duplications play crucial roles in genome evolution and variation. Here, we introduce paired nicking-induced amplification (PNAmp) for their experimental induction. PNAmp strategically places two Cas9 nickases upstream and downstream of a replication origin on opposite strands. This configuration directs the sister replication forks initiated from the origin to break at the nicks, generating a pair of one-ended double-strand breaks. If homologous sequences flank the two break sites, then end resection converts them to single-stranded DNAs that readily anneal to drive duplication of the region bounded by the homologous sequences. PNAmp induces duplication of segments as large as ∼1 Mb with efficiencies exceeding 10% in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Furthermore, appropriate splint DNAs allow PNAmp to duplicate/multiplicate even segments not bounded by homologous sequences. We also provide evidence for PNAmp in mammalian cells. Therefore, PNAmp provides a prototype method to induce structural variations by manipulating replication fork progression.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae↗

PubMed2027

Production of Viral Particles from a Chikungunya Virus Infectious Clone.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus, which poses challenges for its study and genetic manipulation. Because direct mutagenesis of viral RNA genomes is technically impractical, reverse genetics systems are essential tools for investigating viral biology. To enable such approaches, infectious clones containing a full-length cDNA copy of the viral genome are constructed. The cDNA is positioned under the control of a bacteriophage RNA polymerase promoter, allowing commercial RNA polymerases to use the linearized plasmid as a template for the in vitro transcription of full-length viral genomic RNA (gRNA). Importantly, positive-sense viral genomes serve as mRNAs for the translation of viral proteins in a cellular environment, meaning that these transcripts contain all the information required to initiate viral replication. Following transfection into permissive cultured cells, viral proteins are expressed, enabling genome replication and, ultimately, the recovery of infectious particles from the cell supernatant. Here, we describe a detailed procedure for generating CHIKV particles through plasmid linearization, in vitro transcription, and subsequent RNA transfection.

Chikungunya virus↗