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Millar DP. Conformational Dynamics of DNA Polymerases Revealed at the Single-Molecule Level. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:826593. [PMID: 35281261 PMCID: PMC8913937 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.826593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA polymerases are intrinsically dynamic macromolecular machines. The purpose of this review is to describe the single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) methods that are used to probe the conformational dynamics of DNA polymerases, focusing on E. coli DNA polymerase I. The studies reviewed here reveal the conformational dynamics underpinning the nucleotide selection, proofreading and 5′ nuclease activities of Pol I. Moreover, the mechanisms revealed for Pol I are likely employed across the DNA polymerase family. smFRET methods have also been used to examine other aspects of DNA polymerase activity.
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2
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Murphy P, Xu Y, Rouse SL, Jaffray EG, Plechanovová A, Matthews SJ, Carlos Penedo J, Hay RT. Functional 3D architecture in an intrinsically disordered E3 ligase domain facilitates ubiquitin transfer. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3807. [PMID: 32733036 PMCID: PMC7393505 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17647-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The human genome contains an estimated 600 ubiquitin E3 ligases, many of which are single-subunit E3s (ssE3s) that can bind to both substrate and ubiquitin-loaded E2 (E2~Ub). Within ssE3s structural disorder tends to be located in substrate binding and domain linking regions. RNF4 is a ssE3 ligase with a C-terminal RING domain and disordered N-terminal region containing SUMO Interactions Motifs (SIMs) required to bind SUMO modified substrates. Here we show that, although the N-terminal region of RNF4 bears no secondary structure, it maintains a compact global architecture primed for SUMO interaction. Segregated charged regions within the RNF4 N-terminus promote compaction, juxtaposing RING domain and SIMs to facilitate substrate ubiquitination. Mutations that induce a more extended shape reduce ubiquitination activity. Our result offer insight into a key step in substrate ubiquitination by a member of the largest ubiquitin ligase subtype and reveal how a defined architecture within a disordered region contributes to E3 ligase function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Murphy
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 5EH, Dundee, UK
| | - Yingqi Xu
- Centre for Structural Biology, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, London, UK
| | - Sarah L Rouse
- Centre for Structural Biology, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, London, UK
| | - Ellis G Jaffray
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 5EH, Dundee, UK
| | - Anna Plechanovová
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 5EH, Dundee, UK
| | - Steve J Matthews
- Centre for Structural Biology, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, London, UK
| | - J Carlos Penedo
- Centre of Biophotonics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, KY16 9SS, St. Andrews, UK
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, St. Andrews, UK
| | - Ronald T Hay
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 5EH, Dundee, UK.
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3
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Branigan E, Carlos Penedo J, Hay RT. Ubiquitin transfer by a RING E3 ligase occurs from a closed E2~ubiquitin conformation. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2846. [PMID: 32503993 PMCID: PMC7275055 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16666-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Based on extensive structural analysis it was proposed that RING E3 ligases prime the E2~ubiquitin conjugate (E2~Ub) for catalysis by locking it into a closed conformation, where ubiquitin is folded back onto the E2 exposing the restrained thioester bond to attack by substrate nucleophile. However the proposal that the RING dependent closed conformation of E2~Ub represents the active form that mediates ubiquitin transfer has yet to be experimentally tested. To test this hypothesis we use single molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET) to measure the conformation of a FRET labelled E2~Ub conjugate, which distinguishes between closed and alternative conformations. We describe a real-time FRET assay with a thioester linked E2~Ub conjugate to monitor single ubiquitination events and demonstrate that ubiquitin is transferred to substrate from the closed conformation. These findings are likely to be relevant to all RING E3 catalysed reactions ligating ubiquitin and other ubiquitin-like proteins (Ubls) to substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Branigan
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - J Carlos Penedo
- Centre of Biophotonics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK.
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK.
| | - Ronald T Hay
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK.
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4
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McCluskey K, Boudreault J, St-Pierre P, Perez-Gonzalez C, Chauvier A, Rizzi A, Beauregard PB, Lafontaine DA, Penedo JC. Unprecedented tunability of riboswitch structure and regulatory function by sub-millimolar variations in physiological Mg2. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 47:6478-6487. [PMID: 31045204 PMCID: PMC6614840 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Riboswitches are cis-acting regulatory RNA biosensors that rival the efficiency of those found in proteins. At the heart of their regulatory function is the formation of a highly specific aptamer–ligand complex. Understanding how these RNAs recognize the ligand to regulate gene expression at physiological concentrations of Mg2+ ions and ligand is critical given their broad impact on bacterial gene expression and their potential as antibiotic targets. In this work, we used single-molecule FRET and biochemical techniques to demonstrate that Mg2+ ions act as fine-tuning elements of the amino acid-sensing lysC aptamer's ligand-free structure in the mesophile Bacillus subtilis. Mg2+ interactions with the aptamer produce encounter complexes with strikingly different sensitivities to the ligand in different, yet equally accessible, physiological ionic conditions. Our results demonstrate that the aptamer adapts its structure and folding landscape on a Mg2+-tunable scale to efficiently respond to changes in intracellular lysine of more than two orders of magnitude. The remarkable tunability of the lysC aptamer by sub-millimolar variations in the physiological concentration of Mg2+ ions suggests that some single-aptamer riboswitches have exploited the coupling of cellular levels of ligand and divalent metal ions to tightly control gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaley McCluskey
- SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, Scotland KY16 9SS, UK
| | - Julien Boudreault
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1
| | - Patrick St-Pierre
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1
| | - Cibran Perez-Gonzalez
- SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, Scotland KY16 9SS, UK.,Centre SÈVE, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
| | - Adrien Chauvier
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1
| | - Adrien Rizzi
- Département de Chimie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
| | - Pascale B Beauregard
- Centre SÈVE, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
| | | | - J Carlos Penedo
- SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, Scotland KY16 9SS, UK.,Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, Scotland KY16 9ST, UK
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5
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Vandenberk N, Barth A, Borrenberghs D, Hofkens J, Hendrix J. Evaluation of Blue and Far-Red Dye Pairs in Single-Molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Experiments. J Phys Chem B 2018. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b00108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Niels Vandenberk
- Laboratory for Photochemistry and Spectroscopy, Division for Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anders Barth
- Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science, Nanosystems Initiative Munich and Centre for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Doortje Borrenberghs
- Laboratory for Photochemistry and Spectroscopy, Division for Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Johan Hofkens
- Laboratory for Photochemistry and Spectroscopy, Division for Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jelle Hendrix
- Laboratory for Photochemistry and Spectroscopy, Division for Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
- Dynamic Bioimaging Lab, Advanced Optical Microscopy Centre and Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan C (BIOMED), Diepenbeek, B-3590, Belgium
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6
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Morten MJ, Gamsjaeger R, Cubeddu L, Kariawasam R, Peregrina J, Penedo JC, White MF. High-affinity RNA binding by a hyperthermophilic single-stranded DNA-binding protein. Extremophiles 2017; 21:369-379. [PMID: 28074284 PMCID: PMC5346138 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-016-0910-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Single-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SSBs), including replication protein A (RPA) in eukaryotes, play a central role in DNA replication, recombination, and repair. SSBs utilise an oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB) fold domain to bind DNA, and typically oligomerise in solution to bring multiple OB fold domains together in the functional SSB. SSBs from hyperthermophilic crenarchaea, such as Sulfolobus solfataricus, have an unusual structure with a single OB fold coupled to a flexible C-terminal tail. The OB fold resembles those in RPA, whilst the tail is reminiscent of bacterial SSBs and mediates interaction with other proteins. One paradigm in the field is that SSBs bind specifically to ssDNA and much less strongly to RNA, ensuring that their functions are restricted to DNA metabolism. Here, we use a combination of biochemical and biophysical approaches to demonstrate that the binding properties of S. solfataricus SSB are essentially identical for ssDNA and ssRNA. These features may represent an adaptation to a hyperthermophilic lifestyle, where DNA and RNA damage is a more frequent event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Morten
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Roland Gamsjaeger
- School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- School of Molecular Bioscience, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Liza Cubeddu
- School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- School of Molecular Bioscience, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Ruvini Kariawasam
- School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- School of Molecular Bioscience, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Jose Peregrina
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK
| | - J Carlos Penedo
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Malcolm F White
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK.
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7
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Perez-Gonzalez C, Lafontaine DA, Penedo JC. Fluorescence-Based Strategies to Investigate the Structure and Dynamics of Aptamer-Ligand Complexes. Front Chem 2016; 4:33. [PMID: 27536656 PMCID: PMC4971091 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2016.00033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In addition to the helical nature of double-stranded DNA and RNA, single-stranded oligonucleotides can arrange themselves into tridimensional structures containing loops, bulges, internal hairpins and many other motifs. This ability has been used for more than two decades to generate oligonucleotide sequences, so-called aptamers, that can recognize certain metabolites with high affinity and specificity. More recently, this library of artificially-generated nucleic acid aptamers has been expanded by the discovery that naturally occurring RNA sequences control bacterial gene expression in response to cellular concentration of a given metabolite. The application of fluorescence methods has been pivotal to characterize in detail the structure and dynamics of these aptamer-ligand complexes in solution. This is mostly due to the intrinsic high sensitivity of fluorescence methods and also to significant improvements in solid-phase synthesis, post-synthetic labeling strategies and optical instrumentation that took place during the last decade. In this work, we provide an overview of the most widely employed fluorescence methods to investigate aptamer structure and function by describing the use of aptamers labeled with a single dye in fluorescence quenching and anisotropy assays. The use of 2-aminopurine as a fluorescent analog of adenine to monitor local changes in structure and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to follow long-range conformational changes is also covered in detail. The last part of the review is dedicated to the application of fluorescence techniques based on single-molecule microscopy, a technique that has revolutionized our understanding of nucleic acid structure and dynamics. We finally describe the advantages of monitoring ligand-binding and conformational changes, one molecule at a time, to decipher the complexity of regulatory aptamers and summarize the emerging folding and ligand-binding models arising from the application of these single-molecule FRET microscopy techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cibran Perez-Gonzalez
- Laboratory for Biophysics and Biomolecular Dynamics, SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. AndrewsSt Andrews, UK
| | - Daniel A. Lafontaine
- RNA Group, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Université de SherbrookeSherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - J. Carlos Penedo
- Laboratory for Biophysics and Biomolecular Dynamics, SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. AndrewsSt Andrews, UK
- Laboratory for Biophysics and Biomolecular Dynamics, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Biology, University of St. AndrewsSt. Andrews, UK
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8
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Perez-Gonzalez C, Grondin JP, Lafontaine DA, Carlos Penedo J. Biophysical Approaches to Bacterial Gene Regulation by Riboswitches. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 915:157-91. [PMID: 27193543 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-32189-9_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The last decade has witnessed the discovery of a variety of non-coding RNA sequences that perform a broad range of crucial biological functions. Among these, the ability of certain RNA sequences, so-called riboswitches, has attracted considerable interest. Riboswitches control gene expression in response to the concentration of particular metabolites to which they bind without the need for any protein. These RNA switches not only need to adopt a very specific tridimensional structure to perform their function, but also their sequence has been evolutionary optimized to recognize a particular metabolite with high affinity and selectivity. Thus, riboswitches offer a unique opportunity to get fundamental insights into RNA plasticity and how folding dynamics and ligand recognition mechanisms have been efficiently merged to control gene regulation. Because riboswitch sequences have been mostly found in bacterial organisms controlling the expression of genes associated to the synthesis, degradation or transport of crucial metabolites for bacterial survival, they offer exciting new routes for antibiotic development in an era where bacterial resistance is more than ever challenging conventional drug discovery strategies. Here, we give an overview of the architecture, diversity and regulatory mechanisms employed by riboswitches with particular emphasis on the biophysical methods currently available to characterise their structure and functional dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cibran Perez-Gonzalez
- SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9SS, UK
| | - Jonathan P Grondin
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, RNA Group, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Daniel A Lafontaine
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, RNA Group, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada.
| | - J Carlos Penedo
- SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9SS, UK. .,Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9ST, UK.
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9
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Morten MJ, Peregrina JR, Figueira-Gonzalez M, Ackermann K, Bode BE, White MF, Penedo JC. Binding dynamics of a monomeric SSB protein to DNA: a single-molecule multi-process approach. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:10907-24. [PMID: 26578575 PMCID: PMC4678828 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv1225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-stranded DNA binding proteins (SSBs) are ubiquitous across all organisms and are characterized by the presence of an OB (oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide/oligopeptide) binding motif to recognize single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). Despite their critical role in genome maintenance, our knowledge about SSB function is limited to proteins containing multiple OB-domains and little is known about single OB-folds interacting with ssDNA. Sulfolobus solfataricus SSB (SsoSSB) contains a single OB-fold and being the simplest representative of the SSB-family may serve as a model to understand fundamental aspects of SSB:DNA interactions. Here, we introduce a novel approach based on the competition between Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), protein-induced fluorescence enhancement (PIFE) and quenching to dissect SsoSSB binding dynamics at single-monomer resolution. We demonstrate that SsoSSB follows a monomer-by-monomer binding mechanism that involves a positive-cooperativity component between adjacent monomers. We found that SsoSSB dynamic behaviour is closer to that of Replication Protein A than to Escherichia coli SSB; a feature that might be inherited from the structural analogies of their DNA-binding domains. We hypothesize that SsoSSB has developed a balance between high-density binding and a highly dynamic interaction with ssDNA to ensure efficient protection of the genome but still allow access to ssDNA during vital cellular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Morten
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Jose R Peregrina
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Maria Figueira-Gonzalez
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Katrin Ackermann
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, UK EaStCHEM School of Chemistry and Centre of Magnetic Resonance, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Bela E Bode
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, UK EaStCHEM School of Chemistry and Centre of Magnetic Resonance, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Malcolm F White
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, UK
| | - J Carlos Penedo
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, UK SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS, UK
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10
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Perez-Gonzalez DC, Penedo JC. Single-Molecule Strategies for DNA and RNA Diagnostics. RNA TECHNOLOGIES 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-17305-4_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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