1
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Carminati M, Vecchia L, Stoos L, Thomä NH. Pioneer factors: Emerging rules of engagement for transcription factors on chromatinized DNA. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 88:102875. [PMID: 38991237 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2024.102875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Pioneering transcription factors (TFs) can drive cell fate changes by binding their DNA motifs in a repressive chromatin environment. Recent structures illustrate emerging rules for nucleosome engagement: TFs distort the nucleosomal DNA to gain access or employ alternative DNA-binding modes with smaller footprints, they preferentially access solvent-exposed motifs near the entry/exit sites, and frequently interact with histones. The extent of TF-histone interactions, in turn, depends on the motif location on the nucleosome, the type of DNA-binding fold, and adjacent domains present. TF-histone interactions can phase TF motifs relative to nucleosomes, and we discuss how these complex and surprisingly diverse interactions between nucleosomes and TFs contribute to function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Carminati
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), EPFL, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Luca Vecchia
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel 4058, Switzerland
| | - Lisa Stoos
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel 4058, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas H Thomä
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), EPFL, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland; Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel 4058, Switzerland.
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2
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Qin Y, Meng FL. Taming AID mutator activity in somatic hypermutation. Trends Biochem Sci 2024; 49:622-632. [PMID: 38614818 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2024.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) initiates somatic hypermutation (SHM) by introducing base substitutions into antibody genes, a process enabling antibody affinity maturation in immune response. How a mutator is tamed to precisely and safely generate programmed DNA lesions in a physiological process remains unsettled, as its dysregulation drives lymphomagenesis. Recent research has revealed several hidden features of AID-initiated mutagenesis: preferential activity on flexible DNA substrates, restrained activity within chromatin loop domains, unique DNA repair factors to differentially decode AID-caused lesions, and diverse consequences of aberrant deamination. Here, we depict the multifaceted regulation of AID activity with a focus on emerging concepts/factors and discuss their implications for the design of base editors (BEs) that install somatic mutations to correct deleterious genomic variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yining Qin
- Key Laboratory of RNA Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences; Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Fei-Long Meng
- Key Laboratory of RNA Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences; Shanghai 200031, China.
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3
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P P, Riyaz A, Choudhury A, Choudhury PR, Pradhan N, Singh A, Nakul M, Dudeja C, Yadav A, Nath SK, Khanna V, Sharma T, Pradhan G, Takkar S, Rawal K. DNASCANNER v2: A Web-Based Tool to Analyze the Characteristic Properties of Nucleotide Sequences. J Comput Biol 2024; 31:651-669. [PMID: 38662479 DOI: 10.1089/cmb.2023.0227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Throughout the process of evolution, DNA undergoes the accumulation of distinct mutations, which can often result in highly organized patterns that serve various essential biological functions. These patterns encompass various genomic elements and provide valuable insights into the regulatory and functional aspects of DNA. The physicochemical, mechanical, thermodynamic, and structural properties of DNA sequences play a crucial role in the formation of specific patterns. These properties contribute to the three-dimensional structure of DNA and influence their interactions with proteins, regulatory elements, and other molecules. In this study, we introduce DNASCANNER v2, an advanced version of our previously published algorithm DNASCANNER for analyzing DNA properties. The current tool is built using the FLASK framework in Python language. Featuring a user-friendly interface tailored for nonspecialized researchers, it offers an extensive analysis of 158 DNA properties, including mono/di/trinucleotide frequencies, structural, physicochemical, thermodynamics, and mechanical properties of DNA sequences. The tool provides downloadable results and offers interactive plots for easy interpretation and comparison between different features. We also demonstrate the utility of DNASCANNER v2 in analyzing splice-site junctions, casposon insertion sequences, and transposon insertion sites (TIS) within the bacterial and human genomes, respectively. We also developed a deep learning module for the prediction of potential TIS in a given nucleotide sequence. In the future, we aim to optimize the performance of this prediction model through extensive training on larger data sets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preeti P
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Azeen Riyaz
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Alakto Choudhury
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Priyanka Ray Choudhury
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Nischal Pradhan
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Abhishek Singh
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Mihir Nakul
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Chhavi Dudeja
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Abhijeet Yadav
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Swarsat Kaushik Nath
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Vrinda Khanna
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Trapti Sharma
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Gayatri Pradhan
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Simran Takkar
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Kamal Rawal
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
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4
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Rudnizky S, Murray PJ, Wolfe CH, Ha T. Single-Macromolecule Studies of Eukaryotic Genomic Maintenance. Annu Rev Phys Chem 2024; 75:209-230. [PMID: 38382570 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physchem-090722-010601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Genomes are self-organized and self-maintained as long, complex macromolecules of chromatin. The inherent heterogeneity, stochasticity, phase separation, and chromatin dynamics of genome operation make it challenging to study genomes using ensemble methods. Various single-molecule force-, fluorescent-, and sequencing-based techniques rooted in different disciplines have been developed to fill critical gaps in the capabilities of bulk measurements, each providing unique, otherwise inaccessible, insights into the structure and maintenance of the genome. Capable of capturing molecular-level details about the organization, conformational changes, and packaging of genetic material, as well as processive and stochastic movements of maintenance factors, a single-molecule toolbox provides an excellent opportunity for collaborative research to understand how genetic material functions in health and malfunctions in disease. In this review, we discuss novel insights brought to genomic sciences by single-molecule techniques and their potential to continue to revolutionize the field-one molecule at a time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei Rudnizky
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Peter J Murray
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Clara H Wolfe
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Taekjip Ha
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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5
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Wang X, Huang T, Li L, Xu Y. Effect of temperature on anisotropic bending elasticity of dsRNA: an all-atom molecular dynamics simulation. RSC Adv 2024; 14:17170-17177. [PMID: 38808231 PMCID: PMC11130765 DOI: 10.1039/d4ra02354d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Employing all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we examined the temperature-dependent behavior of bending elasticity in double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Specifically, we focused on the bending persistence length and its constituent components, namely, the tilt and roll stiffness. Our results revealed a near-linear decrease in these stiffness components as a function of temperature, thereby highlighting the increased flexibility of dsRNA at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, our data revealed a significant anisotropy in dsRNA bending elasticity, which diminished with increasing temperature, attributable to marked disparities in tilt and roll stiffness components. We delineated the underlying biophysical mechanisms and corroborated our findings with extant literature. These observations offer salient implications for advancing our understanding of nucleic acid elasticity, and are pertinent to potential medical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianghong Wang
- School of Sino-German Engineering, Shanghai Technical Institute of Electronics and Information Shanghai 201411 China
| | - Tingting Huang
- School of Sino-German Engineering, Shanghai Technical Institute of Electronics and Information Shanghai 201411 China
| | - Liyun Li
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University Wenzhou 325035 China
| | - Yanliang Xu
- School of Sino-German Engineering, Shanghai Technical Institute of Electronics and Information Shanghai 201411 China
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6
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Li X, Li G, Pan Q, Xue F, Wang Z, Peng C. Rapid and ultra-sensitive lateral flow assay for pathogens based on multivalent aptamer and magnetic nanozyme. Biosens Bioelectron 2024; 250:116044. [PMID: 38271888 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.116044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Ultra-sensitive LFA methods for pathogen detection commonly depended on tedious and time-consuming nucleic acid amplification. Here, a high affinity multivalent aptamer (multi-Apt) for S. aureus was obtained through exquisite engineering design. The scaffold and conformation of the multi-Apt were found to be key factors in the detection signal of aptsensors. After optimization, the binding affinity of the multi-Apt to S. aureus was improved by more than 8-fold from 135.9 nM to 16.77 nM. By the joint use of the multi-Apt and a multifunctional nanozyme Fe3O4@MOF@PtPd, a fast and ultra-sensitive LFA for S. aureus was developed (termed MA-MN LFA). In this method, a Fe3O4@MOF@PtPd nanozyme was modified with vancomycin and could efficiently capture and separate S. aureus. Moreover, the multi-Apt worked together with the nanozyme to bind with S. aureus to form a ternary complex at the same time, which simply the fabrication of LFA strip. The developed MA-MN LFA could detect S. aureus as low as 2 CFU/mL within 30 min and a wide linear range of 10-1 × 108 CFU/mL was obtained. The detection is easily operated, fast (can be completed within 30 min) and versatile for Gram-positive pathogens, thus has great potential as a powerful tool in pathogen detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Lihu Road 1800, Wuxi 214122, PR China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Lihu Road 1800, Wuxi 214122, PR China
| | - Guowen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Lihu Road 1800, Wuxi 214122, PR China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Lihu Road 1800, Wuxi 214122, PR China
| | - Qiuli Pan
- Shandong Institute for Food and Drug Control, Jinan 250101, PR China
| | - Feng Xue
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Zhouping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Lihu Road 1800, Wuxi 214122, PR China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Lihu Road 1800, Wuxi 214122, PR China; International Joint Laboratory on Food Safety, Jiangnan University, Lihu Road 1800, Wuxi 214122, PR China
| | - Chifang Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Lihu Road 1800, Wuxi 214122, PR China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Lihu Road 1800, Wuxi 214122, PR China; International Joint Laboratory on Food Safety, Jiangnan University, Lihu Road 1800, Wuxi 214122, PR China.
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7
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Yang M, Zhang S, Zheng Z, Zhang P, Liang Y, Tang S. Employing bimodal representations to predict DNA bendability within a self-supervised pre-trained framework. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:e33. [PMID: 38375921 PMCID: PMC11014357 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The bendability of genomic DNA, which measures the DNA looping rate, is crucial for numerous biological processes of DNA. Recently, an advanced high-throughput technique known as 'loop-seq' has made it possible to measure the inherent cyclizability of DNA fragments. However, quantifying the bendability of large-scale DNA is costly, laborious, and time-consuming. To close the gap between rapidly evolving large language models and expanding genomic sequence information, and to elucidate the DNA bendability's impact on critical regulatory sequence motifs such as super-enhancers in the human genome, we introduce an innovative computational model, named MIXBend, to forecast the DNA bendability utilizing both nucleotide sequences and physicochemical properties. In MIXBend, a pre-trained language model DNABERT and convolutional neural network with attention mechanism are utilized to construct both sequence- and physicochemical-based extractors for the sophisticated refinement of DNA sequence representations. These bimodal DNA representations are then fed to a k-mer sequence-physicochemistry matching module to minimize the semantic gap between each modality. Lastly, a self-attention fusion layer is employed for the prediction of DNA bendability. In conclusion, the experimental results validate MIXBend's superior performance relative to other state-of-the-art methods. Additionally, MIXBend reveals both novel and known motifs from the yeast. Moreover, MIXBend discovers significant bendability fluctuations within super-enhancer regions and transcription factors binding sites in the human genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghao Yang
- Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering Thrust, System Hub, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511466, China
| | - Shichen Zhang
- Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering Thrust, System Hub, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511466, China
| | - Zhihang Zheng
- Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering Thrust, System Hub, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511466, China
| | - Pengfei Zhang
- Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering Thrust, System Hub, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511466, China
| | - Yan Liang
- School of Artificial Intelligence, South China Normal University, Foshan 528225, China
| | - Shaojun Tang
- Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering Thrust, System Hub, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511466, China
- Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
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8
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Zhang Z, Mou X, Zhang Y, He L, Li S. Influence of temperature on bend, twist and twist-bend coupling of dsDNA. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:8077-8088. [PMID: 38224130 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp04932a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
The temperature-dependent bend and twist elasticities of dsDNA, as well as their couplings, were explored through all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Three rotational parameters, tilt, roll, and twist, were employed to assess the bend and twist elasticities through their stiffness matrix. Our analysis indicates that the bend and twist stiffnesses decrease as the temperature rises, primarily owing to entropic influences stemming from thermodynamic fluctuations. Furthermore, the couplings between these rotational parameters also exhibit a decline with increasing temperature, although the roll-twist coupling displays greater strength than the tilt-roll and tilt-twist couplings, attributed to its more robust correction component. We elucidated the influence of temperature on bend and twist elasticities based on the comparisons between various models and existing data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihao Zhang
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.
| | - Xuankang Mou
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.
| | - Yahong Zhang
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.
| | - Linli He
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.
| | - Shiben Li
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.
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9
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Chandrasekhar S, Swope TP, Fadaei F, Hollis DR, Bricker R, Houser D, Portman J, Schmidt TL. Bending Unwinds DNA. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.14.579968. [PMID: 38405957 PMCID: PMC10888926 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.14.579968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
In biology, DNA is often tightly bent to small radii. Solely based on the groove asymmetry, a 30-year-old theoretical paper predicted that such bending should unwind DNA, but this effect has not been directly experimentally quantified so far. We developed a ligation-based assay with nicked DNA circles of variable length, thereby decoupling the twist-dependent ligation efficiency from the large bending strain which dominates conventional circularization assays. We demonstrate that tightly bent DNA indeed unwinds to over 11 base pairs/turn, exactly as predicted. Our discovery requires reassessing the molecular mechanisms and energetics of all processes where DNA is tightly bent or relaxed again, including DNA packaging, gene regulation and expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumya Chandrasekhar
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
- Contributed equally
| | - Thomas P. Swope
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
- Contributed equally
| | - Fatemeh Fadaei
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Daniel R. Hollis
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Rachel Bricker
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Draven Houser
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - John Portman
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
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10
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Silva EC, Quinde CA, Cieza B, Basu A, Vila MMDC, Balcão VM. Molecular Characterization and Genome Mechanical Features of Two Newly Isolated Polyvalent Bacteriophages Infecting Pseudomonas syringae pv. garcae. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:113. [PMID: 38255005 PMCID: PMC10815195 DOI: 10.3390/genes15010113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2023] [Revised: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Coffee plants have been targeted by a devastating bacterial disease, a condition known as bacterial blight, caused by the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. garcae (Psg). Conventional treatments of coffee plantations affected by the disease involve frequent spraying with copper- and kasugamycin-derived compounds, but they are both highly toxic to the environment and stimulate the appearance of bacterial resistance. Herein, we report the molecular characterization and mechanical features of the genome of two newly isolated (putative polyvalent) lytic phages for Psg. The isolated phages belong to class Caudoviricetes and present a myovirus-like morphotype belonging to the genuses Tequatrovirus (PsgM02F) and Phapecoctavirus (PsgM04F) of the subfamilies Straboviridae (PsgM02F) and Stephanstirmvirinae (PsgM04F), according to recent bacterial viruses' taxonomy, based on their complete genome sequences. The 165,282 bp (PsgM02F) and 151,205 bp (PsgM04F) genomes do not feature any lysogenic-related (integrase) genes and, hence, can safely be assumed to follow a lytic lifestyle. While phage PsgM02F produced a morphogenesis yield of 124 virions per host cell, phage PsgM04F produced only 12 virions per host cell, indicating that they replicate well in Psg with a 50 min latency period. Genome mechanical analyses established a relationship between genome bendability and virion morphogenesis yield within infected host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica C. Silva
- VBlab—Laboratory of Bacterial Viruses, University of Sorocaba, Sorocaba 18023-000, SP, Brazil; (E.C.S.); (M.M.D.C.V.)
| | - Carlos A. Quinde
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA;
| | - Basilio Cieza
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA;
| | - Aakash Basu
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK;
| | - Marta M. D. C. Vila
- VBlab—Laboratory of Bacterial Viruses, University of Sorocaba, Sorocaba 18023-000, SP, Brazil; (E.C.S.); (M.M.D.C.V.)
| | - Victor M. Balcão
- VBlab—Laboratory of Bacterial Viruses, University of Sorocaba, Sorocaba 18023-000, SP, Brazil; (E.C.S.); (M.M.D.C.V.)
- Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, P-3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
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11
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Biswas A, Basu A. The impact of the sequence-dependent physical properties of DNA on chromatin dynamics. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2023; 83:102698. [PMID: 37696706 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
The local mechanical properties of DNA depend on local sequence. Here we review recent genomic, structural, and computational efforts at deciphering the "mechanical code", i.e., the mapping between sequence and mechanics. We then discuss works that suggest how evolution has exploited the mechanical code to control the energetics of DNA-deforming biological processes such as nucleosome organization, transcription factor binding, DNA supercoiling, gene regulation, and 3D chromatin organization. As a whole, these recent works suggest that DNA sequence in diverse organisms can encode regulatory information governing diverse processes via the mechanical code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Biswas
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Aakash Basu
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK.
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12
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Back G, Walther D. Predictions of DNA mechanical properties at a genomic scale reveal potentially new functional roles of DNA flexibility. NAR Genom Bioinform 2023; 5:lqad097. [PMID: 37954573 PMCID: PMC10632188 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqad097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Mechanical properties of DNA have been implied to influence many of its biological functions. Recently, a new high-throughput method, called loop-seq, which allows measuring the intrinsic bendability of DNA fragments, has been developed. Using loop-seq data, we created a deep learning model to explore the biological significance of local DNA flexibility in a range of different species from different kingdoms. Consistently, we observed a characteristic and largely dinucleotide-composition-driven change of local flexibility near transcription start sites. In the presence of a TATA-box, a pronounced peak of high flexibility can be observed. Furthermore, depending on the transcription factor investigated, flanking-sequence-dependent DNA flexibility was identified as a potential factor influencing DNA binding. Compared to randomized genomic sequences, depending on species and taxa, actual genomic sequences were observed both with increased and lowered flexibility. Furthermore, in Arabidopsis thaliana, mutation rates, both de novo and fixed, were found to be associated with relatively rigid sequence regions. Our study presents a range of significant correlations between characteristic DNA mechanical properties and genomic features, the significance of which with regard to detailed molecular relevance awaits further theoretical and experimental exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Back
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam-Golm 14476, Germany
| | - Dirk Walther
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam-Golm 14476, Germany
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13
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Cirakli E, Basu A. A method for assaying DNA flexibility. Methods 2023; 219:68-72. [PMID: 37769928 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2023.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The transcription, replication, packaging, and repair of genetic information ubiquitously involves DNA:protein interactions and other biological processes that require local mechanical distortions of DNA. The energetics of such DNA-deforming processes are thus dependent on the local mechanical properties of DNA such as bendability or torsional rigidity. Such properties, in turn, depend on sequence, making it possible for sequence to regulate diverse biological processes by controlling the local mechanical properties of DNA. A deeper understanding of how such a "mechanical code" can encode broad regulatory information has historically been hampered by the absence of technology to measure in high throughput how local DNA mechanics varies with sequence along large regions of the genome. This was overcome in a recently developed technique called loop-seq. Here we describe a variant of the loop-seq protocol, that permits making rapid flexibility measurements in low-throughput, without the need for next-generation sequencing. We use our method to validate a previous prediction about how the binding site for the bacterial transcription factor Integration Host Factor (IHF) might serve as a rigid roadblock, preventing efficient enhancer-promoter contacts in IHF site containing promoters in E. coli, which can be relieved by IHF binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliz Cirakli
- Department of Chemistry, Durham University, Durham, UK; Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Aakash Basu
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK.
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14
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Yu J. On the common pathways of deformation: RNA vs DNA under interrogation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2306453120. [PMID: 37224189 PMCID: PMC10266000 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306453120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jin Yu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA92697
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA92697
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15
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Zhang Y, He L, Li S. Temperature dependence of DNA elasticity: An all-atom molecular dynamics simulation study. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:094902. [PMID: 36889965 DOI: 10.1063/5.0138940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
We used all-atom molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the elastic properties of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). We focused on the influences of temperature on the stretch, bend, and twist elasticities, as well as the twist-stretch coupling, of the dsDNA over a wide range of temperature. The results showed that the bending and twist persistence lengths, together with the stretch and twist moduli, decrease linearly with temperature. However, the twist-stretch coupling behaves in a positive correction and enhances as the temperature increases. The potential mechanisms of how temperature affects dsDNA elasticity and coupling were investigated by using the trajectories from atomistic simulation, in which thermal fluctuations in structural parameters were analyzed in detail. We analyzed the simulation results by comparing them with previous simulation and experimental data, which are in good agreement. The prediction about the temperature dependence of dsDNA elastic properties provides a deeper understanding of DNA elasticities in biological environments and potentially helps in the further development of DNA nanotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahong Zhang
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China
| | - Linli He
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China
| | - Shiben Li
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China
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16
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Morzy D, Tekin C, Caroprese V, Rubio-Sánchez R, Di Michele L, Bastings MMC. Interplay of the mechanical and structural properties of DNA nanostructures determines their electrostatic interactions with lipid membranes. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:2849-2859. [PMID: 36688792 PMCID: PMC9909679 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr05368c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acids and lipids function in close proximity in biological processes, as well as in nanoengineered constructs for therapeutic applications. As both molecules carry a rich charge profile, and frequently coexist in complex ionic solutions, the electrostatics surely play a pivotal role in interactions between them. Here we discuss how each component of a DNA/ion/lipid system determines its electrostatic attachment. We examine membrane binding of a library of DNA molecules varying from nanoengineered DNA origami through plasmids to short DNA domains, demonstrating the interplay between the molecular structure of the nucleic acid and the phase of lipid bilayers. Furthermore, the magnitude of DNA/lipid interactions is tuned by varying the concentration of magnesium ions in the physiologically relevant range. Notably, we observe that the structural and mechanical properties of DNA are critical in determining its attachment to lipid bilayers and demonstrate that binding is correlated positively with the size, and negatively with the flexibility of the nucleic acid. The findings are utilized in a proof-of-concept comparison of membrane interactions of two DNA origami designs - potential nanotherapeutic platforms - showing how the results can have a direct impact on the choice of DNA geometry for biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Morzy
- Programmable Biomaterials Laboratory, Institute of Materials, School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.
| | - Cem Tekin
- Programmable Biomaterials Laboratory, Institute of Materials, School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.
| | - Vincenzo Caroprese
- Programmable Biomaterials Laboratory, Institute of Materials, School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.
| | - Roger Rubio-Sánchez
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK
- fabriCELL, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Lorenzo Di Michele
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK
- fabriCELL, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Maartje M C Bastings
- Programmable Biomaterials Laboratory, Institute of Materials, School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.
- Interfaculty Bioengineering Institute, School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
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17
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DNA mechanical flexibility controls DNA potential to activate cGAS-mediated immune surveillance. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7107. [PMID: 36402783 PMCID: PMC9675814 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34858-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA is well-documented to stimulate immune response. However, the nature of the DNA to activate immune surveillance is less understood. Here, we show that the activation of cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) depends on DNA mechanical flexibility, which is controlled by DNA-sequence, -damage and -length. Consistently, DNA-sequence was shown to control cGAS activation. Structural analyses revealed that a conserved cGAS residue (mouse R222 or human R236) contributed to the DNA-flexibility detection. And the residue substitution neutralised the flexibility-controlled DNA-potential to activate cGAS, and relaxed the DNA-length specificity of cGAS. Moreover, low dose radiation was shown to mount cGAS-mediated acute immune surveillance (AIS) via repairable (reusable) DNAs in hrs. Loss of cGAS-mediated AIS decreased the regression of local and abscopal tumours in the context of focal radiation and immune checkpoint blockade. Our results build a direct link between immunosurveillance and DNA mechanical feature.
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18
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Łysik D, Deptuła P, Chmielewska S, Skłodowski K, Pogoda K, Chin L, Song D, Mystkowska J, Janmey PA, Bucki R. Modulation of Biofilm Mechanics by DNA Structure and Cell Type. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2022; 8:4921-4929. [PMID: 36301743 PMCID: PMC9667457 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c00777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) evolved as a tool for storing and transmitting
genetic information within cells, but outside the cell, DNA can also
serve as “construction material” present in microbial
biofilms or various body fluids, such as cystic fibrosis, sputum,
and pus. In the present work, we investigate the mechanics of biofilms
formed from Pseudomonas aeruginosa Xen
5, Staphylococcus aureus Xen 30, and Candida albicans 1408 using oscillatory shear rheometry
at different levels of compression and recreate these mechanics in
systems of entangled DNA and cells. The results show that the compression-stiffening
and shear-softening effects observed in biofilms can be reproduced
in DNA networks with the addition of an appropriate number of microbial
cells. Additionally, we observe that these effects are cell-type dependent.
We also identify other mechanisms that may significantly impact the
viscoelastic behavior of biofilms, such as the compression-stiffening
effect of DNA cross-linking by bivalent cations (Mg2+,
Ca2+, and Cu2+) and the stiffness-increasing
interactions of P. aeruginosa Xen 5
biofilm with Pf1 bacteriophage produced by P. aeruginosa. This work extends the knowledge of biofilm mechanobiology and demonstrates
the possibility of modifying biopolymers toward obtaining the desired
biophysical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawid Łysik
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Bialystok University of Technology, 15-351 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Piotr Deptuła
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Nanobiomedical Engineering, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Sylwia Chmielewska
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Nanobiomedical Engineering, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Karol Skłodowski
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Nanobiomedical Engineering, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Pogoda
- Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-342 Krakow, Poland
| | - LiKang Chin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Widener University, Chester, Pennsylvania 19087, United States
| | - Dawei Song
- Institute for Medicine and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Joanna Mystkowska
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Bialystok University of Technology, 15-351 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Paul A. Janmey
- Institute for Medicine and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Robert Bucki
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Nanobiomedical Engineering, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
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19
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Lawrimore J, de Larminat SC, Cook D, Friedman B, Doshi A, Yeh E, Bloom K. Polymer models reveal how chromatin modification can modulate force at the kinetochore. Mol Biol Cell 2022; 33:ar97. [PMID: 35704466 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e22-02-0041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A key feature of chromosome segregation is the ability to sense tension between sister kinetochores. DNA between sister kinetochores must be packaged in a way that sustains tension propagation from one kinetochore to its sister, approximately 1 micron away. A molecular bottlebrush consisting of a primary axis populated with a crowded array of side chains provides a means to build tension over length scales considerably larger than the stiffness of the individual elements, that is, DNA polymer. Evidence for the bottlebrush organization of chromatin between sister kinetochores comes from genetic, cell biological, and polymer modeling of the budding yeast centromere. In this study, we have used polymer dynamic simulations of the bottlebrush to recapitulate experimental observations of kinetochore structure. Several aspects of the spatial distribution of kinetochore proteins and their response to perturbation lack a mechanistic understanding. Changes in physical parameters of bottlebrush, DNA stiffness, and DNA loops directly impact the architecture of the inner kinetochore. This study reveals that the bottlebrush is an active participant in building tension between sister kinetochores and proposes a mechanism for chromatin feedback to the kinetochore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh Lawrimore
- Biology Department, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Solenn C de Larminat
- Biology Department, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Diana Cook
- Biology Department, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Brandon Friedman
- Biology Department, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Ayush Doshi
- Biology Department, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Elaine Yeh
- Biology Department, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Kerry Bloom
- Biology Department, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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20
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Balcão VM, Basu A, Cieza B, Rossi FN, Pereira C, Vila MM, Setubal JC, Ha T, da Silva AM. Pseudomonas-tailed lytic phages: genome mechanical analysis and putative correlation with virion morphogenesis yield. Future Microbiol 2022; 17:1009-1026. [PMID: 35880493 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2021-0293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: To unveil a putative correlation between phage genome flexibility and virion morphogenesis yield. Materials & methods: A deeper analysis of the mechanical properties of three Pseudomonas aeruginosa lytic phage genomes was undertaken, together with full genome cyclizability calculations. Results & conclusion: A putative correlation was established among phage genome flexibility, eclipse timeframe and virion particle morphogenesis yield, with a more flexible phage genome leading to a higher burst size and a more rigid phage genome leading to lower burst sizes. The results obtained are highly relevant to understand the influence of the phage genome plasticity on the virion morphogenesis yield inside the infected bacterial host cells and assumes particular relevance in the actual context of bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor M Balcão
- PhageLab - Laboratory of Biofilms & Bacteriophages, University of Sorocaba, Sorocaba/SP, 18023-000, Brazil.,Department of Biology & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, P-3810-193, Portugal
| | - Aakash Basu
- Department of Biophysics & Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Basilio Cieza
- Department of Biophysics & Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Fernando N Rossi
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Carla Pereira
- Department of Biology & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, P-3810-193, Portugal
| | - Marta Mdc Vila
- PhageLab - Laboratory of Biofilms & Bacteriophages, University of Sorocaba, Sorocaba/SP, 18023-000, Brazil
| | - João C Setubal
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Taekjip Ha
- Department of Biophysics & Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Aline M da Silva
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-000, Brazil
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21
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Yi J, Yeou S, Lee NK. DNA Bending Force Facilitates Z-DNA Formation under Physiological Salt Conditions. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:13137-13145. [PMID: 35839423 PMCID: PMC9335521 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c02466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Z-DNA, a noncanonical helical structure of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), plays pivotal roles in various biological processes, including transcription regulation. Mechanical stresses on dsDNA, such as twisting and stretching, help to form Z-DNA. However, the effect of DNA bending, one of the most common dsDNA deformations, on Z-DNA formation is utterly unknown. Here, we show that DNA bending induces the formation of Z-DNA, that is, more Z-DNA is formed as the bending force becomes stronger. We regulated the bending force on dsDNA by using D-shaped DNA nanostructures. The B-Z transition was observed by single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer. We found that as the bending force became stronger, Z-DNA was formed at lower Mg2+ concentrations. When dsDNA contained cytosine methylations, the B-Z transition occurred at 78 mM Mg2+ (midpoint) in the absence of the bending force. However, the B-Z transition occurred at a 28-fold lower Mg2+ concentration (2.8 mM) in the presence of the bending force. Monte Carlo simulation suggested that the B-Z transition stabilizes the bent form via the formation of the B-Z junction with base extrusion, which effectively releases the bending stress on DNA. Our results clearly show that the bending force facilitates the B-Z transition under physiological salt conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaehun Yi
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Sanghun Yeou
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Nam Ki Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
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22
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Yeou S, Hwang J, Yi J, Kim C, Kim SK, Lee NK. Cytosine methylation regulates DNA bendability depending on the curvature. Chem Sci 2022; 13:7516-7525. [PMID: 35872822 PMCID: PMC9242020 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc07115g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytosine methylation plays an essential role in many biological processes, such as nucleosome inactivation and regulation of gene expression. The modulation of DNA mechanics may be one of the regulatory mechanisms influenced by cytosine methylation. However, it remains unclear how methylation influences DNA mechanics. Here, we show that methylation has contrasting effects on the bending property of dsDNA depending on DNA curvature. We directly applied bending force on 30 base pairs of dsDNA using a D-shaped DNA nanostructure and measured the degree of bending using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer without surface immobilization. When dsDNA is weakly bent, methylation increases the stiffness of dsDNA. The stiffness of dsDNA increased by approximately 8% with a single methylation site for 30 bp dsDNA. When dsDNA is highly bent by a strong force, it forms a kink, i.e., a sharp bending of dsDNA. Under strong bending, methylation destabilizes the non-kink form compared with the kink form, which makes dsDNA near the kink region apparently more bendable. However, if the kink region is methylated, the kink form is destabilized, and dsDNA becomes stiffer. As a result, methylation increases the stiffness of weakly bent dsDNA and concurrently can promote kink formation, which may stabilize the nucleosome structure. Our results provide new insight into the effect of methylation, showing that cytosine methylation has opposite effects on DNA mechanics depending on its curvature and methylation location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanghun Yeou
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University 08832 Seoul Republic of Korea
| | - Jihee Hwang
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University 08832 Seoul Republic of Korea
| | - Jaehun Yi
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University 08832 Seoul Republic of Korea
| | - Cheolhee Kim
- National Science Museum Daejeon 34143 Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Keun Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University 08832 Seoul Republic of Korea
| | - Nam Ki Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University 08832 Seoul Republic of Korea
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23
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Afanasyev AY, Onufriev AV. Stretching of Long Double-Stranded DNA and RNA Described by the Same Approach. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:3911-3920. [PMID: 35544776 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c01221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We propose an approach to help interpret polymer force-extension curves that exhibit plateau regimes. When coupled to a bead-spring dynamic model, the approach accurately reproduces a variety of experimental force-extension curves of long double-stranded DNA and RNA, including torsionally constrained and unconstrained DNA and negatively supercoiled DNA. A key feature of the model is a specific nonconvex energy function of the spring. We provide an algorithm to obtain the five required parameters of the model from experimental force-extension curves. The applicability of the approach to the force-extension curves of double-stranded (ds) DNA of variable GC content as well as to a DNA/RNA hybrid structure is explored and confirmed. We use the approach to explain counterintuitive sequence-dependent trends and make predictions. In the plateau region of the force-extension curves, our molecular dynamics simulations show that the polymer separates into a mix of weakly and strongly stretched states without forming macroscopically distinct phases. The distribution of these states is predicted to depend on the sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Y Afanasyev
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Alexey V Onufriev
- Departments of Computer Science and Physics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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24
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Dzhimak S, Svidlov A, Elkina A, Gerasimenko E, Baryshev M, Drobotenko M. Genesis of Open States Zones in a DNA Molecule Depends on the Localization and Value of the Torque. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23084428. [PMID: 35457247 PMCID: PMC9025193 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23084428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation and dynamics of the open states in a double-stranded DNA molecule are largely determined by its mechanical parameters. The main one is the torque. However, the experimental study of DNA dynamics and the occurrence of open states is limited by the spatial resolution of available biophysical instruments. Therefore, in this work, on the basis of a mechanical mathematical model of DNA, calculations of the torque effect on the process of occurrence and dynamics of open states were carried out for the interferon alpha 17 gene. It was shown that torsion action leads to the occurrence of rotational movements of nitrogenous bases. This influence is nonlinear, and an increase in the amplitude of the torsion action does not lead to an automatic increase in the amplitude of rotational movements and an increase in the zones’ open states. Calculations with a constant torsion moment demonstrate that open states zones are more often formed at the boundaries of the gen and in regions with a predominance of A–T pairs. It is shown, that for the occurrence of open states in the part of the gene that contains a small number of A–T pairs, a large amount of torque is required. When the torque is applied to a certain region of the gene, the probability of the formation of the open state depends on the content of A–T pairs in this region, the size of this region, and on the exposure time. For this mathematical model, open states zones can be closed when the torsion action stops. The simulation results showed that the values of the torsion moment required for the appearance of open states zones, in some cases, are close to experimentally measured (13–15 pN·nm).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stepan Dzhimak
- Department of Radiophysics and Nanothechnology, Physics Faculty, Kuban State University, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia; (A.S.); (A.E.); (M.B.); (M.D.)
- Laboratory of Problems of Stable Isotope Spreading in Living Systems, Federal Research Center the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 344006 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +7-905-408-36-12
| | - Alexandr Svidlov
- Department of Radiophysics and Nanothechnology, Physics Faculty, Kuban State University, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia; (A.S.); (A.E.); (M.B.); (M.D.)
- Laboratory of Problems of Stable Isotope Spreading in Living Systems, Federal Research Center the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 344006 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
| | - Anna Elkina
- Department of Radiophysics and Nanothechnology, Physics Faculty, Kuban State University, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia; (A.S.); (A.E.); (M.B.); (M.D.)
- Laboratory of Problems of Stable Isotope Spreading in Living Systems, Federal Research Center the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 344006 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
| | - Eugeny Gerasimenko
- Department of Technology of Fats, Cosmetics, Commodity Science, Processes and Devices, Kuban State Technological University, 350072 Krasnodar, Russia;
| | - Mikhail Baryshev
- Department of Radiophysics and Nanothechnology, Physics Faculty, Kuban State University, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia; (A.S.); (A.E.); (M.B.); (M.D.)
- Laboratory of Problems of Stable Isotope Spreading in Living Systems, Federal Research Center the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 344006 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
- Department of Technology of Fats, Cosmetics, Commodity Science, Processes and Devices, Kuban State Technological University, 350072 Krasnodar, Russia;
| | - Mikhail Drobotenko
- Department of Radiophysics and Nanothechnology, Physics Faculty, Kuban State University, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia; (A.S.); (A.E.); (M.B.); (M.D.)
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25
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Yeou S, Lee NK. Single-Molecule Methods for Investigating the Double-Stranded DNA Bendability. Mol Cells 2022; 45:33-40. [PMID: 34470919 PMCID: PMC8819492 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2021.0182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The various DNA-protein interactions associated with the expression of genetic information involve double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) bending. Due to the importance of the formation of the dsDNA bending structure, dsDNA bending properties have long been investigated in the biophysics field. Conventionally, DNA bendability is characterized by innate averaging data from bulk experiments. The advent of single-molecule methods, such as atomic force microscopy, optical and magnetic tweezers, tethered particle motion, and single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurement, has provided valuable tools to investigate not only the static structures but also the dynamic properties of bent dsDNA. Here, we reviewed the single-molecule methods that have been used for investigating dsDNA bendability and new findings related to dsDNA bending. Single-molecule approaches are promising tools for revealing the unknown properties of dsDNA related to its bending, particularly in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanghun Yeou
- Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Korea
| | - Nam Ki Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
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26
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Li K, Carroll M, Vafabakhsh R, Wang XA, Wang JP. OUP accepted manuscript. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:3142-3154. [PMID: 35288750 PMCID: PMC8989542 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA mechanical properties play a critical role in every aspect of DNA-dependent biological processes. Recently a high throughput assay named loop-seq has been developed to quantify the intrinsic bendability of a massive number of DNA fragments simultaneously. Using the loop-seq data, we develop a software tool, DNAcycP, based on a deep-learning approach for intrinsic DNA cyclizability prediction. We demonstrate DNAcycP predicts intrinsic DNA cyclizability with high fidelity compared to the experimental data. Using an independent dataset from in vitro selection for enrichment of loopable sequences, we further verified the predicted cyclizability score, termed C-score, can well distinguish DNA fragments with different loopability. We applied DNAcycP to multiple species and compared the C-scores with available high-resolution chemical nucleosome maps. Our analyses showed that both yeast and mouse genomes share a conserved feature of high DNA bendability spanning nucleosome dyads. Additionally, we extended our analysis to transcription factor binding sites and surprisingly found that the cyclizability is substantially elevated at CTCF binding sites in the mouse genome. We further demonstrate this distinct mechanical property is conserved across mammalian species and is inherent to CTCF binding DNA motif.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keren Li
- Department of Statistics, Northwestern University, 633 Clark Street, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Matthew Carroll
- Weinberg College IT Solutions (WITS), Northwestern University, 633 Clark Street, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Reza Vafabakhsh
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Xiaozhong A Wang
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Xiaozhong A. Wang. Tel: +1 847 467 4897;
| | - Ji-Ping Wang
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 847 467 6896;
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27
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Aicart-Ramos C, Hormeno S, Wilkinson OJ, Dillingham MS, Moreno-Herrero F. Long DNA constructs to study helicases and nucleic acid translocases using optical tweezers. Methods Enzymol 2022; 673:311-358. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Svidlov A, Drobotenko M, Basov A, Gerasimenko E, Elkina A, Baryshev M, Nechipurenko Y, Dzhimak S. Influence of Environmental Parameters on the Stability of the DNA Molecule. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 23:1446. [PMID: 34828144 PMCID: PMC8622188 DOI: 10.3390/e23111446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Fluctuations in viscosity within the cell nucleus have wide limits. When a DNA molecule passes from the region of high viscosity values to the region of low values, open states, denaturation bubbles, and unweaving of DNA strands can occur. Stabilization of the molecule is provided by energy dissipation-dissipation due to interaction with the environment. Separate sections of a DNA molecule in a twisted state can experience supercoiling stress, which, among other things, is due to complex entropic effects caused by interaction with a solvent. In this work, based on the numerical solution of a mechanical mathematical model for the interferon alpha 17 gene and a fragment of the Drosophila gene, an analysis of the external environment viscosity influence on the dynamics of the DNA molecule and its stability was carried out. It has been shown that an increase in viscosity leads to a rapid stabilization of the angular vibrations of nitrogenous bases, while a decrease in viscosity changes the dynamics of DNA: the rate of change in the angular deviations of nitrogenous bases increases and the angular deformations of the DNA strands increase at each moment of time. These processes lead to DNA instability, which increases with time. Thus, the paper considers the influence of the external environment viscosity on the dissipation of the DNA nitrogenous bases' vibrational motion energy. Additionally, the study on the basis of the described model of the molecular dynamics of physiological processes at different indicators of the rheological behavior of nucleoplasm will allow a deeper understanding of the processes of nonequilibrium physics of an active substance in a living cell to be obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Svidlov
- Department of Radiophysics and Nanothechnology, Kuban State University, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia; (A.S.); (M.D.); (A.B.); (A.E.); (M.B.)
- Federal Research Center the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 344006 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
| | - Mikhail Drobotenko
- Department of Radiophysics and Nanothechnology, Kuban State University, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia; (A.S.); (M.D.); (A.B.); (A.E.); (M.B.)
| | - Alexander Basov
- Department of Radiophysics and Nanothechnology, Kuban State University, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia; (A.S.); (M.D.); (A.B.); (A.E.); (M.B.)
- Department of Fundamental and Clinical Biochemistry, Kuban State Medical University, 350063 Krasnodar, Russia
| | - Eugeny Gerasimenko
- Department of Technology of Fats, Cosmetics, Commodity Science, Processes and Devices Kuban State Technological University, 350072 Krasnodar, Russia;
| | - Anna Elkina
- Department of Radiophysics and Nanothechnology, Kuban State University, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia; (A.S.); (M.D.); (A.B.); (A.E.); (M.B.)
- Federal Research Center the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 344006 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
- Department of Technology of Fats, Cosmetics, Commodity Science, Processes and Devices Kuban State Technological University, 350072 Krasnodar, Russia;
| | - Mikhail Baryshev
- Department of Radiophysics and Nanothechnology, Kuban State University, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia; (A.S.); (M.D.); (A.B.); (A.E.); (M.B.)
- Federal Research Center the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 344006 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
- Department of Technology of Fats, Cosmetics, Commodity Science, Processes and Devices Kuban State Technological University, 350072 Krasnodar, Russia;
| | - Yury Nechipurenko
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Stepan Dzhimak
- Department of Radiophysics and Nanothechnology, Kuban State University, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia; (A.S.); (M.D.); (A.B.); (A.E.); (M.B.)
- Federal Research Center the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 344006 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
- Department of Technology of Fats, Cosmetics, Commodity Science, Processes and Devices Kuban State Technological University, 350072 Krasnodar, Russia;
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Loop-seq: A high-throughput technique to measure the mesoscale mechanical properties of DNA. Methods Enzymol 2021; 661:305-326. [PMID: 34776217 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The local mechanical properties of the DNA polymer influence molecular processes in biology that require mechanical deformations of DNA. Lack of suitable high-throughput experimental techniques had precluded measuring how these properties might vary with sequence along the vast lengths of genomes. Here, we present a detailed protocol for a recently developed experimental technique called loop-seq, which measures at least one local mechanical property of DNA-its propensity to cyclize-in genome-scale throughput. Loop-seq has been used to obtain experimentally derived genome-wide maps of a physical property of DNA. Such measurements have revealed that diverse DNA-deforming processes involved in chromatin organization at various genomic loci are regulated by the genetically encoded, sequence-dependent variations in the mechanical properties of DNA.
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Deindl S, Elf J. More Than Just Letters and Chemistry: Genomics Goes Mechanics. Trends Biochem Sci 2021; 46:431-432. [PMID: 33858745 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2021.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Although ubiquitously thought of as a simple string of letters, DNA exhibits complex physicochemical properties. As a result, DNA can store information beyond the extensively studied explicit genetic message. The mechanical code of DNA has not been studied systematically in a genome-wide context until recent groundbreaking work by Basu et al.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Deindl
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Johan Elf
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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Dalal Y, Panchenko AR. Diving into Chromatin across Space and Time. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:166884. [PMID: 33621519 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.166884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yamini Dalal
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.
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