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Benham CJ. DNA superhelicity. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:22-48. [PMID: 37994702 PMCID: PMC10783518 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1092] [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: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Closing each strand of a DNA duplex upon itself fixes its linking number L. This topological condition couples together the secondary and tertiary structures of the resulting ccDNA topoisomer, a constraint that is not present in otherwise identical nicked or linear DNAs. Fixing L has a range of structural, energetic and functional consequences. Here we consider how L having different integer values (that is, different superhelicities) affects ccDNA molecules. The approaches used are primarily theoretical, and are developed from a historical perspective. In brief, processes that either relax or increase superhelicity, or repartition what is there, may either release or require free energy. The energies involved can be substantial, sufficient to influence many events, directly or indirectly. Here two examples are developed. The changes of unconstrained superhelicity that occur during nucleosome attachment and release are examined. And a simple theoretical model of superhelically driven DNA structural transitions is described that calculates equilibrium distributions for populations of identical topoisomers. This model is used to examine how these distributions change with superhelicity and other factors, and applied to analyze several situations of biological interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig J Benham
- UC Davis Genome Center, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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2
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Junier I, Ghobadpour E, Espeli O, Everaers R. DNA supercoiling in bacteria: state of play and challenges from a viewpoint of physics based modeling. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1192831. [PMID: 37965550 PMCID: PMC10642903 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1192831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA supercoiling is central to many fundamental processes of living organisms. Its average level along the chromosome and over time reflects the dynamic equilibrium of opposite activities of topoisomerases, which are required to relax mechanical stresses that are inevitably produced during DNA replication and gene transcription. Supercoiling affects all scales of the spatio-temporal organization of bacterial DNA, from the base pair to the large scale chromosome conformation. Highlighted in vitro and in vivo in the 1960s and 1970s, respectively, the first physical models were proposed concomitantly in order to predict the deformation properties of the double helix. About fifteen years later, polymer physics models demonstrated on larger scales the plectonemic nature and the tree-like organization of supercoiled DNA. Since then, many works have tried to establish a better understanding of the multiple structuring and physiological properties of bacterial DNA in thermodynamic equilibrium and far from equilibrium. The purpose of this essay is to address upcoming challenges by thoroughly exploring the relevance, predictive capacity, and limitations of current physical models, with a specific focus on structural properties beyond the scale of the double helix. We discuss more particularly the problem of DNA conformations, the interplay between DNA supercoiling with gene transcription and DNA replication, its role on nucleoid formation and, finally, the problem of scaling up models. Our primary objective is to foster increased collaboration between physicists and biologists. To achieve this, we have reduced the respective jargon to a minimum and we provide some explanatory background material for the two communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Junier
- CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMC, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Elham Ghobadpour
- CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMC, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
- École Normale Supérieure (ENS) de Lyon, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique and Centre Blaise Pascal de l'ENS de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Olivier Espeli
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), Collège de France, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Ralf Everaers
- École Normale Supérieure (ENS) de Lyon, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique and Centre Blaise Pascal de l'ENS de Lyon, Lyon, France
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3
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Herbert A, Pavlov F, Konovalov D, Poptsova M. Conserved microRNAs and Flipons Shape Gene Expression during Development by Altering Promoter Conformations. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054884. [PMID: 36902315 PMCID: PMC10003719 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054884] [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: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The classical view of gene regulation draws from prokaryotic models, where responses to environmental changes involve operons regulated by sequence-specific protein interactions with DNA, although it is now known that operons are also modulated by small RNAs. In eukaryotes, pathways based on microRNAs (miR) regulate the readout of genomic information from transcripts, while alternative nucleic acid structures encoded by flipons influence the readout of genetic programs from DNA. Here, we provide evidence that miR- and flipon-based mechanisms are deeply connected. We analyze the connection between flipon conformation and the 211 highly conserved human miR that are shared with other placental and other bilateral species. The direct interaction between conserved miR (c-miR) and flipons is supported by sequence alignments and the engagement of argonaute proteins by experimentally validated flipons as well as their enrichment in promoters of coding transcripts important in multicellular development, cell surface glycosylation and glutamatergic synapse specification with significant enrichments at false discovery rates as low as 10-116. We also identify a second subset of c-miR that targets flipons essential for retrotransposon replication, exploiting that vulnerability to limit their spread. We propose that miR can act in a combinatorial manner to regulate the readout of genetic information by specifying when and where flipons form non-B DNA (NoB) conformations, providing the interactions of the conserved hsa-miR-324-3p with RELA and the conserved hsa-miR-744 with ARHGAP5 genes as examples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Herbert
- InsideOutBio, 42 8th Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Fedor Pavlov
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Faculty of Computer Science, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 11 Pokrovsky Bulvar, 101000 Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitrii Konovalov
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Faculty of Computer Science, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 11 Pokrovsky Bulvar, 101000 Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria Poptsova
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Faculty of Computer Science, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 11 Pokrovsky Bulvar, 101000 Moscow, Russia
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4
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Rajendren S, Karijolich J. The Impact of RNA modifications on the Biology of DNA Virus Infection. Eur J Cell Biol 2022; 101:151239. [PMID: 35623231 PMCID: PMC9549750 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2022.151239] [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: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately 170 RNA modifications have been identified and these are critical for determining the fate and function of cellular RNAs. Similar to human transcripts, viral RNAs possess an extensive RNA modification landscape. While initial efforts largely focused on investigating the RNA modification landscape in the context of RNA virus infection, a growing body of work has explored the impact of RNA modifications on DNA virus biology. These studies have revealed roles for RNA modifications in DNA virus infection, including gene regulation and viral pathogenesis. In this review, we will discuss the current knowledge on how RNA modifications impact DNA virus biology.
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5
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Woodcock CB, Horton JR, Zhou J, Bedford MT, Blumenthal RM, Zhang X, Cheng X. Biochemical and structural basis for YTH domain of human YTHDC1 binding to methylated adenine in DNA. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:10329-10341. [PMID: 32663306 PMCID: PMC7544203 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The recently characterized mammalian writer (methyltransferase) and eraser (demethylase) of the DNA N6-methyladenine (N6mA) methyl mark act on single-stranded (ss) and transiently-unpaired DNA. As YTH domain-containing proteins bind N6mA-containing RNA in mammalian cells, we investigated whether mammalian YTH domains are also methyl mark readers of N6mA DNA. Here, we show that the YTH domain of YTHDC1 (known to localize in the nucleus) binds ssDNA containing N6mA, with a 10 nM dissociation constant. This binding is stronger by a factor of 5 than in an RNA context, tested under the same conditions. However, the YTH domains of YTHDF2 and YTHDF1 (predominantly cytoplasmic) exhibited the opposite effect with ∼1.5-2× stronger binding to ssRNA containing N6mA than to the corresponding DNA. We determined two structures of the YTH domain of YTHDC1 in complex with N6mA-containing ssDNA, which illustrated that YTHDC1 binds the methylated adenine in a single-stranded region flanked by duplexed DNA. We discuss the hypothesis that the writer-reader-eraser of N6mA-containining ssDNA is associated with maintaining genome stability. Structural comparison of YTH and SRA domains (the latter a DNA 5-methylcytosine reader) revealed them to be diverse members of a larger family of DNA/RNA modification readers, apparently having originated from bacterial modification-dependent restriction enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clayton B Woodcock
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - John R Horton
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jujun Zhou
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Mark T Bedford
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Robert M Blumenthal
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, and Program in Bioinformatics, The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Xing Zhang
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Xiaodong Cheng
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Liebl K, Zacharias M. How global DNA unwinding causes non-uniform stress distribution and melting of DNA. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232976. [PMID: 32413048 PMCID: PMC7228070 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA unwinding is an important process that controls binding of proteins, gene expression and melting of double-stranded DNA. In a series of all-atom MD simulations on two DNA molecules containing a transcription start TATA-box sequence we demonstrate that application of a global restraint on the DNA twisting dramatically changes the coupling between helical parameters and the distribution of deformation energy along the sequence. Whereas only short range nearest-neighbor coupling is observed in the relaxed case, long-range coupling is induced in the globally restrained case. With increased overall unwinding the elastic deformation energy is strongly non-uniformly distributed resulting ultimately in a local melting transition of only the TATA box segment during the simulations. The deformation energy tends to be stored more in cytidine/guanine rich regions associated with a change in conformational substate distribution. Upon TATA box melting the deformation energy is largely absorbed by the melting bubble with the rest of the sequences relaxing back to near B-form. The simulations allow us to characterize the structural changes and the propagation of the elastic energy but also to calculate the associated free energy change upon DNA unwinding up to DNA melting. Finally, we design an Ising model for predicting the local melting transition based on empirical parameters. The direct comparison with the atomistic MD simulations indicates a remarkably good agreement for the predicted necessary torsional stress to induce a melting transition, for the position and length of the melted region and for the calculated associated free energy change between both approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Korbinian Liebl
- Physics Department T38, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Martin Zacharias
- Physics Department T38, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
- * E-mail:
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7
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Human MettL3-MettL14 complex is a sequence-specific DNA adenine methyltransferase active on single-strand and unpaired DNA in vitro. Cell Discov 2019; 5:63. [PMID: 31885874 PMCID: PMC6928010 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-019-0136-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
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8
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Musa H, Kasim FH, Gunny AAN, Gopinath SCB, Chinni SV, Ahmad MA. Whole genome sequence of moderate halophilic marine bacterium Marinobacter litoralis SW-45: Abundance of non-coding RNAs. Int J Biol Macromol 2019; 133:1288-1298. [PMID: 31055112 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
A report on the de novo Whole Genome Sequence (WGS) of Marinobacter litoralis SW-45, a moderately salt-tolerant bacterium isolated from the seawater in Malaysia is presented. The strain has a genome size of 3.45 Mb and is capable of producing halophilic lipase, protease and esterase enzymes. Computational prediction of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) genes in M. litoralis SW-45 was performed using standalone software known as the non-coding RNA characterization (nocoRNAc). In addition, a phylogenetic tree showing the evolutionary relationship between the strain and other members of the genus Marinobacter was constructed using 16SrRNA sequence information. A total of 385 ncRNA transcripts, 1124 terminator region, and 2350 Stress Induced Duplex Destabilization sites were predicted. The current WGS shotgun project has provided the relevant genetic information that may be useful for the strain's improvement studies. This manuscript gives the first description of M. litoralis with a complete genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haliru Musa
- School of Bioprocess Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis UNIMAP, Kompleks Pusat Pengajian Jejawi 3, Arau, Perlis, 02600, Malaysia; Centre of Excellence for Biomass Utilization, School of Bioprocess Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Kompleks Pusat Pengajian Jejawi 3, Arau, Perlis, 02600 Malaysia.
| | - Farizul Hafiz Kasim
- School of Bioprocess Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis UNIMAP, Kompleks Pusat Pengajian Jejawi 3, Arau, Perlis, 02600, Malaysia; Centre of Excellence for Biomass Utilization, School of Bioprocess Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Kompleks Pusat Pengajian Jejawi 3, Arau, Perlis, 02600 Malaysia.
| | - Ahmad Anas Nagoor Gunny
- Centre of Excellence for Biomass Utilization, School of Bioprocess Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Kompleks Pusat Pengajian Jejawi 3, Arau, Perlis, 02600 Malaysia; Department of Chemical Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Kampus UniCITI Alam, Sungai Chuchuh, Padang Besar 02100, Perlis, Malaysia.
| | - Subash C B Gopinath
- School of Bioprocess Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis UNIMAP, Kompleks Pusat Pengajian Jejawi 3, Arau, Perlis, 02600, Malaysia.
| | - Suresh V Chinni
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, AIMST University, Bedong, 08100, Malaysia.
| | - Mohd Azmier Ahmad
- School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, Seri Ampangan, Nibong Tebai, Penang, 14300, Malaysia.
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9
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Silva-Santos AR, Alves CP, Monteiro G, Azevedo AM, Prazeres DMF. Multimodal chromatography of supercoiled minicircles: A closer look into DNA-ligand interactions. Sep Purif Technol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2018.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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10
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Intensive targeting of regulatory competence genes by transposable elements in streptococci. Mol Genet Genomics 2018; 294:531-548. [DOI: 10.1007/s00438-018-1507-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/21/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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11
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Orlov MA, Ryasik AA, Sorokin AA. Destabilization of the DNA Duplex of Actively Replicating Promoters of T7-Like Bacteriophages. Mol Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893318050114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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12
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Humayun MZ, Zhang Z, Butcher AM, Moshayedi A, Saier MH. Hopping into a hot seat: Role of DNA structural features on IS5-mediated gene activation and inactivation under stress. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0180156. [PMID: 28666002 PMCID: PMC5493358 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Insertion sequence elements (IS elements) are proposed to play major roles in shaping the genetic and phenotypic landscapes of prokaryotic cells. Recent evidence has raised the possibility that environmental stress conditions increase IS hopping into new sites, and often such hopping has the phenotypic effect of relieving the stress. Although stress-induced targeted mutations have been reported for a number of E. coli genes, the glpFK (glycerol utilization) and the cryptic bglGFB (β-glucoside utilization) systems are among the best characterized where the effects of IS insertion-mediated gene activation are well-characterized at the molecular level. In the glpFK system, starvation of cells incapable of utilizing glycerol leads to an IS5 insertion event that activates the glpFK operon, and enables glycerol utilization. In the case of the cryptic bglGFB operon, insertion of IS5 (and other IS elements) into a specific region in the bglG upstream sequence has the effect of activating the operon in both growing cells, and in starving cells. However, a major unanswered question in the glpFK system, the bgl system, as well as other examples, has been why the insertion events are promoted at specific locations, and how the specific stress condition (glycerol starvation for example) can be mechanistically linked to enhanced insertion at a specific locus. In this paper, we show that a specific DNA structural feature (superhelical stress-induced duplex destabilization, SIDD) is associated with "stress-induced" IS5 insertion in the glpFK, bglGFB, flhDC, fucAO and nfsB systems. We propose a speculative mechanistic model that links specific environmental conditions to the unmasking of an insertional hotspot in the glpFK system. We demonstrate that experimentally altering the predicted stability of a SIDD element in the nfsB gene significantly impacts IS5 insertion at its hotspot.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Zafri Humayun
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, Rutgers—New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States of America
| | - Zhongge Zhang
- Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - Anna M. Butcher
- Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - Aref Moshayedi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - Milton H. Saier
- Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
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Zhang Z, Kukita C, Humayun MZ, Saier MH. Environment-directed activation of the Escherichia coliflhDC operon by transposons. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2017; 163:554-569. [PMID: 28100305 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The flagellar system in Escherichia coli K12 is expressed under the control of the flhDC-encoded master regulator FlhDC. Transposition of insertion sequence (IS) elements to the upstream flhDC promoter region up-regulates transcription of this operon, resulting in a more rapid motility. Wang and Wood (ISME J 2011;5:1517-1525) provided evidence that insertion of IS5 into upstream activating sites occurs at higher rates in semi-solid agar media in which swarming behaviour is allowed as compared with liquid or solid media where swarming cannot occur. We confirm this conclusion and show that three IS elements, IS1, IS3 and IS5, transpose to multiple upstream sites within a 370 bp region of the flhDC operon control region. Hot spots for IS insertion correlate with positions of stress-induced DNA duplex destabilization (SIDD). We show that IS insertion occurs at maximal rates in 0.24 % agar, with rates decreasing dramatically with increasing or decreasing agar concentrations. In mixed cultures, we show that these mutations preferentially arise from the wild-type parent at frequencies of up to 3×10-3 cell-1 day-1 when the inoculated parental and co-existing IS-activated mutant cells are entering the stationary growth phase. We rigorously show that the apparent increased mutation frequencies cannot be accounted for by increased swimming or by increased growth under the selective conditions used. Thus, our data are consistent with the possibility that appropriate environmental conditions, namely those that permit but hinder flagellar rotation, result in the activation of a mutational pathway that involves IS element insertion upstream of the flhDC operon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongge Zhang
- Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA
| | - Chika Kukita
- Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA
| | - M Zafri Humayun
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07101-1709, USA
| | - Milton H Saier
- Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA
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Permanganate/S1 Nuclease Footprinting Reveals Non-B DNA Structures with Regulatory Potential across a Mammalian Genome. Cell Syst 2017; 4:344-356.e7. [PMID: 28237796 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2017.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Revised: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
DNA in cells is predominantly B-form double helix. Though certain DNA sequences in vitro may fold into other structures, such as triplex, left-handed Z form, or quadruplex DNA, the stability and prevalence of these structures in vivo are not known. Here, using computational analysis of sequence motifs, RNA polymerase II binding data, and genome-wide potassium permanganate-dependent nuclease footprinting data, we map thousands of putative non-B DNA sites at high resolution in mouse B cells. Computational analysis associates these non-B DNAs with particular structures and indicates that they form at locations compatible with an involvement in gene regulation. Further analyses support the notion that non-B DNA structure formation influences the occupancy and positioning of nucleosomes in chromatin. These results suggest that non-B DNAs contribute to the control of a variety of critical cellular and organismal processes.
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Daga A, Ansari A, Pandya M, Shah K, Patel S, Rawal R, Umrania V. Significant Role of Segmental Duplications and SIDD Sites in Chromosomal Translocations of Hematological Malignancies: A Multi-parametric Bioinformatic Analysis. Interdiscip Sci 2016; 10:467-475. [PMID: 27896663 DOI: 10.1007/s12539-016-0203-6] [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: 05/27/2016] [Revised: 11/12/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Recurrent non-random chromosomal translocations are hallmark characteristics of leukemogenesis, and however, molecular mechanisms underlying these rearrangements are less explored. The fundamental question is, why and how chromosomes break and reunite so precisely in the genome. Meticulous understanding of mechanism leading to chromosomal rearrangement can be achieved by characterizing breakpoints. To address this hypothesis, a novel multi-parametric computational approach for characterization of major leukemic translocations within and around breakpoint region was performed. To best of our knowledge, this bioinformatic analysis is unique in finding the presence of segmental duplications (SDs) flanking breakpoints of all major leukemic translocation. Breakpoint islands (BpIs) were analyzed for stress-induced duplex destabilization (SIDD) sites along with other complex genomic architecture and physicochemical properties. Our study distinctly emphasizes on the probable correlative role of SDs, SIDD sites and various genomic features in the occurrence of breakpoints. Further, it also highlights potential features which may be playing a crucial role in causing double-strand breaks, leading to translocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Daga
- Department of Microbiology, MVM Science College, Saurashtra University, Near Under Bridge, Kalawad Road, Rajkot, Gujarat, 360007, India
| | - Afzal Ansari
- BIT Virtual Institute of Bioinformatics (GCRI Node), GSBTM, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
- BIT Virtual Institute of Bioinformatics (GCRI Node), Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacogenomics, The Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, NCH Campus, Asarwa, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 380016, India
| | - Medha Pandya
- Department of Bioinformatics, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364022, India
- Department of Physics, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364022, India
| | - Krupa Shah
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacogenomics, Department of Cancer Biology, The Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, NCH Campus, Asarwa, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 380016, India
| | - Shanaya Patel
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacogenomics, Department of Cancer Biology, The Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, NCH Campus, Asarwa, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 380016, India
| | - Rakesh Rawal
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacogenomics, Department of Cancer Biology, The Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, NCH Campus, Asarwa, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 380016, India.
| | - Valentina Umrania
- Department of Microbiology, MVM Science College, Saurashtra University, Near Under Bridge, Kalawad Road, Rajkot, Gujarat, 360007, India
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16
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Sutthibutpong T, Matek C, Benham C, Slade GG, Noy A, Laughton C, K Doye JP, Louis AA, Harris SA. Long-range correlations in the mechanics of small DNA circles under topological stress revealed by multi-scale simulation. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 44:9121-9130. [PMID: 27664220 PMCID: PMC5100592 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 09/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well established that gene regulation can be achieved through activator and repressor proteins that bind to DNA and switch particular genes on or off, and that complex metabolic networks determine the levels of transcription of a given gene at a given time. Using three complementary computational techniques to study the sequence-dependence of DNA denaturation within DNA minicircles, we have observed that whenever the ends of the DNA are constrained, information can be transferred over long distances directly by the transmission of mechanical stress through the DNA itself, without any requirement for external signalling factors. Our models combine atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) with coarse-grained simulations and statistical mechanical calculations to span three distinct spatial resolutions and timescale regimes. While they give a consensus view of the non-locality of sequence-dependent denaturation in highly bent and supercoiled DNA loops, each also reveals a unique aspect of long-range informational transfer that occurs as a result of restraining the DNA within the closed loop of the minicircles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thana Sutthibutpong
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.,Theoretical and Computational Science Center (TaCS), Science Laboratory Building, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), 126 Pracha-Uthit Road, Bang Mod, Thrung Khru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
| | - Christian Matek
- Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK
| | - Craig Benham
- UC Davis Genome Centre, Health Sciences Drive, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Gabriel G Slade
- Department of Physics, São Paulo State University, Rua Cristovão, São José do Rio Preto, SP 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Agnes Noy
- Department of Physics, Biological Physical Sciences Institute, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Charles Laughton
- School of Pharmacy and Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Jonathan P K Doye
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
| | - Ard A Louis
- Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK
| | - Sarah A Harris
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK .,Astbury Centre for Structural and Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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17
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Kumar A, Manivelan V, Bansal M. Structural features of DNA are conserved in the promoter region of orthologous genes across different strains ofHelicobacter pylori. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2016; 363:fnw207. [DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnw207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
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18
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Daga A, Ansari A, Rawal R, Umrania V. Characterization of chromosomal translocation breakpoint sequences in solid tumours: "an in silico analysis". Open Med Inform J 2015; 9:1-8. [PMID: 25972994 PMCID: PMC4421838 DOI: 10.2174/1874431101509010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2014] [Revised: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromosomal translocations that results in formation and activation of fusion oncogenes are observed in numerous solid malignancies since years back. Expression of fusion kinases in these cancers drives the initiation & progression that ultimately leads to tumour development and thus comes out to be clinically imperative in terms of diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Nonetheless, molecular mechanisms beneath these translocations remained unexplored consequently limiting our knowledge of carcinogenesis and hence is the current field where further research is required. The issue of prime focus is the precision with which the chromosomes breaks and reunites within genome. Characterization of Genomic sequences located at Breakpoint region may direct us towards the thorough understanding of mechanism leading to chromosomal rearrangement. A unique computational multi-parametric analysis was performed for characterization of genomic sequence within and around breakpoint region. This study turns out to be novel as it reveals the occurrence of Segmental Duplications flanking the breakpoints of all translocation. Breakpoint Islands were also investigated for the presence of other intricate genomic architecture and various physico-chemical parameters. Our study particularly highlights the probable role of SDs and specific genomic features in precise chromosomal breakage. Additionally, it pinpoints the potential features that may be significant for double-strand breaks leading to chromosomal rearrangements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Daga
- Department of Microbiology, MVM Science College, Saurashtra University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
| | - Afzal Ansari
- BIT Virtual Institute of Bioinformatics (GCRI Node), GSBTM, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
| | - Rakesh Rawal
- Department of Cancer Biology, The Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Valentina Umrania
- Department of Microbiology, MVM Science College, Saurashtra University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
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19
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Lloréns-Rico V, Lluch-Senar M, Serrano L. Distinguishing between productive and abortive promoters using a random forest classifier in Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:3442-53. [PMID: 25779052 PMCID: PMC4402517 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2014] [Accepted: 02/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Distinguishing between promoter-like sequences in bacteria that belong to true or abortive promoters, or to those that do not initiate transcription at all, is one of the important challenges in transcriptomics. To address this problem, we have studied the genome-reduced bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae, for which the RNAs associated with transcriptional start sites have been recently experimentally identified. We determined the contribution to transcription events of different genomic features: the –10, extended –10 and –35 boxes, the UP element, the bases surrounding the –10 box and the nearest-neighbor free energy of the promoter region. Using a random forest classifier and the aforementioned features transformed into scores, we could distinguish between true, abortive promoters and non-promoters with good –10 box sequences. The methods used in this characterization of promoters can be extended to other bacteria and have important applications for promoter design in bacterial genome engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Lloréns-Rico
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Lluch-Senar
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis Serrano
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Pg. Lluis Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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20
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21
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Du X, Gertz EM, Wojtowicz D, Zhabinskaya D, Levens D, Benham CJ, Schäffer AA, Przytycka TM. Potential non-B DNA regions in the human genome are associated with higher rates of nucleotide mutation and expression variation. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 42:12367-79. [PMID: 25336616 PMCID: PMC4227770 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
While individual non-B DNA structures have been shown to impact gene expression, their broad regulatory role remains elusive. We utilized genomic variants and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data to analyze genome-wide variation propensities of potential non-B DNA regions and their relation to gene expression. Independent of genomic location, these regions were enriched in nucleotide variants. Our results are consistent with previously observed mutagenic properties of these regions and counter a previous study concluding that G-quadruplex regions have a reduced frequency of variants. While such mutagenicity might undermine functionality of these elements, we identified in potential non-B DNA regions a signature of negative selection. Yet, we found a depletion of eQTL-associated variants in potential non-B DNA regions, opposite to what might be expected from their proposed regulatory role. However, we also observed that genes downstream of potential non-B DNA regions showed higher expression variation between individuals. This coupling between mutagenicity and tolerance for expression variability of downstream genes may be a result of evolutionary adaptation, which allows reconciling mutagenicity of non-B DNA structures with their location in functionally important regions and their potential regulatory role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangjun Du
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - E Michael Gertz
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Damian Wojtowicz
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Dina Zhabinskaya
- Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - David Levens
- UC Davis Genome Center, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Craig J Benham
- Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Alejandro A Schäffer
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Teresa M Przytycka
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
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22
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Meyer S, Beslon G. Torsion-mediated interaction between adjacent genes. PLoS Comput Biol 2014; 10:e1003785. [PMID: 25188032 PMCID: PMC4154641 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2014] [Accepted: 06/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA torsional stress is generated by virtually all biomolecular processes involving the double helix, in particular transcription where a significant level of stress propagates over several kilobases. If another promoter is located in this range, this stress may strongly modify its opening properties, and hence facilitate or hinder its transcription. This mechanism implies that transcribed genes distant of a few kilobases are not independent, but coupled by torsional stress, an effect for which we propose the first quantitative and systematic model. In contrast to previously proposed mechanisms of transcriptional interference, the suggested coupling is not mediated by the transcription machineries, but results from the universal mechanical features of the double-helix. The model shows that the effect likely affects prokaryotes as well as eukaryotes, but with different consequences owing to their different basal levels of torsion. It also depends crucially on the relative orientation of the genes, enhancing the expression of eukaryotic divergent pairs while reducing that of prokaryotic convergent ones. To test the in vivo influence of the torsional coupling, we analyze the expression of isolated gene pairs in the Drosophila melanogaster genome. Their orientation and distance dependence is fully consistent with the model, suggesting that torsional gene coupling may constitute a widespread mechanism of (co)regulation in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Meyer
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRIA, LIRIS, CNRS UMR5205, Lyon, France
| | - Guillaume Beslon
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRIA, LIRIS, CNRS UMR5205, Lyon, France
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23
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Bansal M, Kumar A, Yella VR. Role of DNA sequence based structural features of promoters in transcription initiation and gene expression. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2014; 25:77-85. [PMID: 24503515 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2014.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Accepted: 01/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Regulatory information for transcription initiation is present in a stretch of genomic DNA, called the promoter region that is located upstream of the transcription start site (TSS) of the gene. The promoter region interacts with different transcription factors and RNA polymerase to initiate transcription and contains short stretches of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs), as well as structurally unique elements. Recent experimental and computational analyses of promoter sequences show that they often have non-B-DNA structural motifs, as well as some conserved structural properties, such as stability, bendability, nucleosome positioning preference and curvature, across a class of organisms. Here, we briefly describe these structural features, the differences observed in various organisms and their possible role in regulation of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manju Bansal
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
| | - Aditya Kumar
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
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24
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Cameron ADS, Kröger C, Quinn HJ, Scally IK, Daly AJ, Kary SC, Dorman CJ. Transmission of an oxygen availability signal at the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium fis promoter. PLoS One 2013; 8:e84382. [PMID: 24358360 PMCID: PMC3865300 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2013] [Accepted: 11/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleoid-associated protein FIS is a global regulator of gene expression and chromosome structure in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. Despite the importance of FIS for infection and intracellular invasion, very little is known about the regulation of S. enterica fis expression. Under standard laboratory growth conditions, fis is highly expressed during rapid growth but is then silenced as growth slows. However, if cells are cultured in non-aerated conditions, fis expression is sustained during stationary phase. This led us to test whether the redox-sensing transcription factors ArcA and FNR regulate S. enterica fis. Deletion of FNR had no detectable effect, whereas deletion of ArcA had the unexpected effect of further elevating fis expression in stationary phase. ArcA required RpoS for induction of fis expression, suggesting that ArcA indirectly affects fis expression. Other putative regulators were found to play diverse roles: FIS acted directly as an auto-repressor (as expected), whereas CRP had little direct effect on fis expression. Deleting regions of the fis promoter led to the discovery of a novel anaerobically-induced transcription start site (Pfis-2) upstream of the primary transcription start site (Pfis-1). Promoter truncation also revealed that the shortest functional fis promoter was incapable of sustained expression. Moreover, fis expression was observed to correlate directly with DNA supercoiling in non-aerated conditions. Thus, the full-length S. enterica fis promoter region may act as a topological switch that is sensitive to stress-induced duplex destabilisation and up-regulates expression in non-aerated conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D. S. Cameron
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada
| | - Carsten Kröger
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Heather J. Quinn
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Isobel K. Scally
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Anne J. Daly
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Stefani C. Kary
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada
| | - Charles J. Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- * E-mail:
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25
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Jost D. Twist-DNA: computing base-pair and bubble opening probabilities in genomic superhelical DNA. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 29:2479-81. [PMID: 23864732 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btt415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY Local opening of the DNA double helix is required in many fundamental biological processes and is, in part, controlled by the degree of superhelicity imposed in vivo by the protein machinery. In particular, positions of superhelically destabilized regions correlate with regulatory sites along the genome. Based on a self-consistent linearization of a thermodynamic model of superhelical DNA introduced by Benham, we have developed a program that predicts the locations of these regions by efficiently computing base-pair and bubble opening probabilities in genomic DNA. The program allows visualization of results in standard genome browsers to compare DNA opening properties with other available datasets. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION Source codes freely available for download at http://www.cbp.ens-lyon.fr/doku.php?id=developpement:productions:logiciels:twistdna, implemented in Fortran90 and supported on any Unix-based operating system (Linux, Mac OS X).
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Jost
- Laboratoire de Physique, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5672, 69007 Lyon, France
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26
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Du X, Wojtowicz D, Bowers AA, Levens D, Benham CJ, Przytycka TM. The genome-wide distribution of non-B DNA motifs is shaped by operon structure and suggests the transcriptional importance of non-B DNA structures in Escherichia coli. Nucleic Acids Res 2013; 41:5965-77. [PMID: 23620297 PMCID: PMC3695496 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the right-handed double helical B-form DNA is most common under physiological conditions, DNA is dynamic and can adopt a number of alternative structures, such as the four-stranded G-quadruplex, left-handed Z-DNA, cruciform and others. Active transcription necessitates strand separation and can induce such non-canonical forms at susceptible genomic sequences. Therefore, it has been speculated that these non-B DNA motifs can play regulatory roles in gene transcription. Such conjecture has been supported in higher eukaryotes by direct studies of several individual genes, as well as a number of large-scale analyses. However, the role of non-B DNA structures in many lower organisms, in particular proteobacteria, remains poorly understood and incompletely documented. In this study, we performed the first comprehensive study of the occurrence of B DNA-non-B DNA transition-susceptible sites (non-B DNA motifs) within the context of the operon structure of the Escherichia coli genome. We compared the distributions of non-B DNA motifs in the regulatory regions of operons with those from internal regions. We found an enrichment of some non-B DNA motifs in regulatory regions, and we show that this enrichment cannot be simply explained by base composition bias in these regions. We also showed that the distribution of several non-B DNA motifs within intergenic regions separating divergently oriented operons differs from the distribution found between convergent ones. In particular, we found a strong enrichment of cruciforms in the termination region of operons; this enrichment was observed for operons with Rho-dependent, as well as Rho-independent terminators. Finally, a preference for some non-B DNA motifs was observed near transcription factor-binding sites. Overall, the conspicuous enrichment of transition-susceptible sites in these specific regulatory regions suggests that non-B DNA structures may have roles in the transcriptional regulation of specific operons within the E. coli genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangjun Du
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
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27
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Zhabinskaya D, Benham CJ. Theoretical analysis of competing conformational transitions in superhelical DNA. PLoS Comput Biol 2012; 8:e1002484. [PMID: 22570598 PMCID: PMC3343103 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2011] [Accepted: 03/05/2012] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
We develop a statistical mechanical model to analyze the competitive behavior of transitions to multiple alternate conformations in a negatively supercoiled DNA molecule of kilobase length and specified base sequence. Since DNA superhelicity topologically couples together the transition behaviors of all base pairs, a unified model is required to analyze all the transitions to which the DNA sequence is susceptible. Here we present a first model of this type. Our numerical approach generalizes the strategy of previously developed algorithms, which studied superhelical transitions to a single alternate conformation. We apply our multi-state model to study the competition between strand separation and B-Z transitions in superhelical DNA. We show this competition to be highly sensitive to temperature and to the imposed level of supercoiling. Comparison of our results with experimental data shows that, when the energetics appropriate to the experimental conditions are used, the competition between these two transitions is accurately captured by our algorithm. We analyze the superhelical competition between B-Z transitions and denaturation around the c-myc oncogene, where both transitions are known to occur when this gene is transcribing. We apply our model to explore the correlation between stress-induced transitions and transcriptional activity in various organisms. In higher eukaryotes we find a strong enhancement of Z-forming regions immediately 5′ to their transcription start sites (TSS), and a depletion of strand separating sites in a broad region around the TSS. The opposite patterns occur around transcript end locations. We also show that susceptibility to each type of transition is different in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. By analyzing a set of untranscribed pseudogenes we show that the Z-susceptibility just downstream of the TSS is not preserved, suggesting it may be under selection pressure. The stresses imposed on DNA within organisms can drive the molecule from its standard B-form double-helical structure into other conformations at susceptible sites within the sequence. We present a theoretical method to calculate this transition behavior due to stresses induced by supercoiling. We also develop a numerical algorithm that calculates the transformation probability of each base pair in a user-specified DNA sequence under stress. We apply this method to analyze the competition between transitions to strand separated and left-handed Z-form structures. We find that these two conformations are both competitive under physiological environmental conditions, and that this competition is especially sensitive to temperature. By comparing its results to experimental data we also show that the algorithm properly describes the competition between melting and Z-DNA formation. Analysis of large gene sets from various organisms shows a correlation between sites of stress-induced transitions and locations that are involved in regulating gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dina Zhabinskaya
- UC Davis Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America.
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28
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A fundamental regulatory mechanism operating through OmpR and DNA topology controls expression of Salmonella pathogenicity islands SPI-1 and SPI-2. PLoS Genet 2012; 8:e1002615. [PMID: 22457642 PMCID: PMC3310775 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2011] [Accepted: 02/07/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA topology has fundamental control over the ability of transcription factors to access their target DNA sites at gene promoters. However, the influence of DNA topology on protein–DNA and protein–protein interactions is poorly understood. For example, relaxation of DNA supercoiling strongly induces the well-studied pathogenicity gene ssrA (also called spiR) in Salmonella enterica, but neither the mechanism nor the proteins involved are known. We have found that relaxation of DNA supercoiling induces expression of the Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-2 regulator ssrA as well as the SPI-1 regulator hilC through a mechanism that requires the two-component regulator OmpR-EnvZ. Additionally, the ompR promoter is autoregulated in the same fashion. Conversely, the SPI-1 regulator hilD is induced by DNA relaxation but is repressed by OmpR. Relaxation of DNA supercoiling caused an increase in OmpR binding to DNA and a concomitant decrease in binding by the nucleoid-associated protein FIS. The reciprocal occupancy of DNA by OmpR and FIS was not due to antagonism between these transcription factors, but was instead a more intrinsic response to altered DNA topology. Surprisingly, DNA relaxation had no detectable effect on the binding of the global repressor H-NS. These results reveal the underlying molecular mechanism that primes SPI genes for rapid induction at the onset of host invasion. Additionally, our results reveal novel features of the archetypal two-component regulator OmpR. OmpR binding to relaxed DNA appears to generate a locally supercoiled state, which may assist promoter activation by relocating supercoiling stress-induced destabilization of DNA strands. Much has been made of the mechanisms that have evolved to regulate horizontally-acquired genes such as SPIs, but parallels among the ssrA, hilC, and ompR promoters illustrate that a fundamental form of regulation based on DNA topology coordinates the expression of these genes regardless of their origins. DNA is often considered to be a passive carrier of genetic information, but in fact DNA is an active participant in coordinating the expression of the genes it carries. This is because DNA is a dynamic molecule that can assume a wide range of topologies, and this has a direct impact on the formation of the protein–DNA complexes that drive gene expression. In a bacterium, the chromosome is supercoiled to variable levels according to environmental conditions, and supercoiling in turn governs the topology of gene promoters. Thus DNA supercoiling is able to transduce environmental signals to regulate promoter output. A previous study found that the intestinal pathogen Salmonella enterica may use changes in DNA supercoiling to detect when it has entered host immune cells, allowing the bacterium to induce the pathogenicity genes it requires to evade killing by macrophage. In dissecting the underlying molecular mechanisms, we have found that changes in DNA supercoiling also upregulate other key pathogenicity genes, and we have identified the proteins involved in this gene regulatory process. These findings indicate that a fundamental level of gene control arising from the interplay between protein transcription factors and DNA topology regulates Salmonella pathogenicity.
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29
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Schneider B, Nagel S, Ehrentraut S, Kaufmann M, Meyer C, Geffers R, Drexler HG, MacLeod RAF. Neoplastic MiR-17∼92 deregulation at a dna fragility motif (SIDD). Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2011; 51:219-28. [DOI: 10.1002/gcc.20946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2011] [Revised: 09/29/2011] [Accepted: 09/30/2011] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
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30
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Jost D, Zubair A, Everaers R. Bubble statistics and positioning in superhelically stressed DNA. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2011; 84:031912. [PMID: 22060408 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.84.031912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2011] [Revised: 08/02/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We present a general framework to study the thermodynamic denaturation of double-stranded DNA under superhelical stress. We report calculations of position- and size-dependent opening probabilities for bubbles along the sequence. Our results are obtained from transfer-matrix solutions of the Zimm-Bragg model for unconstrained DNA and of a self-consistent linearization of the Benham model for superhelical DNA. The numerical efficiency of our method allows for the analysis of entire genomes and of random sequences of corresponding length (10(6)-10(9) base pairs). We show that, at physiological conditions, opening in superhelical DNA is strongly cooperative with average bubble sizes of 10(2)-10(3) base pairs (bp), and orders of magnitude higher than in unconstrained DNA. In heterogeneous sequences, the mean degree of base-pair opening is self-averaging, while bubble localization and statistics are dominated by sequence disorder. Compared to random sequences with identical GC-content, genomic DNA has a significantly increased probability to open large bubbles under superhelical stress. These bubbles are frequently located directly upstream of transcription start sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Jost
- Laboratoire de Physique and Centre Blaise Pascal of the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5672, Lyon, France
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31
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Karpinets T, Greenwood D, Pogribny I, Samatova N. Bacterial stationary-state mutagenesis and Mammalian tumorigenesis as stress-induced cellular adaptations and the role of epigenetics. Curr Genomics 2011; 7:481-96. [PMID: 18369407 DOI: 10.2174/138920206779315764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2006] [Revised: 11/11/2006] [Accepted: 11/23/2006] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms of cellular adaptation may have some commonalities across different organisms. Revealing these common mechanisms may provide insight in the organismal level of adaptation and suggest solutions to important problems related to the adaptation. An increased rate of mutations, referred as the mutator phenotype, and beneficial nature of these mutations are common features of the bacterial stationary-state mutagenesis and of the tumorigenic transformations in mammalian cells. We argue that these commonalities of mammalian and bacterial cells result from their stress-induced adaptation that may be described in terms of a common model. Specifically, in both organisms the mutator phenotype is activated in a subpopulation of proliferating stressed cells as a strategy to survival. This strategy is an alternative to other survival strategies, such as senescence and programmed cell death, which are also activated in the stressed cells by different subpopulations. Sustained stress-related proliferative signalling and epigenetic mechanisms play a decisive role in the choice of the mutator phenotype survival strategy in the cells. They reprogram cellular functions by epigenetic silencing of cell-cycle inhibitors, DNA repair, programmed cell death, and by activation of repetitive DNA elements. This reprogramming leads to the mutator phenotype that is implemented by error-prone cell divisions with the involvement of Y family polymerases. Studies supporting the proposed model of stress-induced cellular adaptation are discussed. Cellular mechanisms involved in the bacterial stress-induced adaptation are considered in more detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tv Karpinets
- Computational Biology Institute, Computer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, MS6164, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
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Herbig A, Nieselt K. nocoRNAc: characterization of non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes. BMC Bioinformatics 2011; 12:40. [PMID: 21281482 PMCID: PMC3230914 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-12-40] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2010] [Accepted: 01/31/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The interest in non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) constantly rose during the past few years because of the wide spectrum of biological processes in which they are involved. This led to the discovery of numerous ncRNA genes across many species. However, for most organisms the non-coding transcriptome still remains unexplored to a great extent. Various experimental techniques for the identification of ncRNA transcripts are available, but as these methods are costly and time-consuming, there is a need for computational methods that allow the detection of functional RNAs in complete genomes in order to suggest elements for further experiments. Several programs for the genome-wide prediction of functional RNAs have been developed but most of them predict a genomic locus with no indication whether the element is transcribed or not. Results We present NOCORNAc, a program for the genome-wide prediction of ncRNA transcripts in bacteria. NOCORNAc incorporates various procedures for the detection of transcriptional features which are then integrated with functional ncRNA loci to determine the transcript coordinates. We applied RNAz and NOCORNAc to the genome of Streptomyces coelicolor and detected more than 800 putative ncRNA transcripts most of them located antisense to protein-coding regions. Using a custom design microarray we profiled the expression of about 400 of these elements and found more than 300 to be transcribed, 38 of them are predicted novel ncRNA genes in intergenic regions. The expression patterns of many ncRNAs are similarly complex as those of the protein-coding genes, in particular many antisense ncRNAs show a high expression correlation with their protein-coding partner. Conclusions We have developed NOCORNAc, a framework that facilitates the automated characterization of functional ncRNAs. NOCORNAc increases the confidence of predicted ncRNA loci, especially if they contain transcribed ncRNAs. NOCORNAc is not restricted to intergenic regions, but it is applicable to the prediction of ncRNA transcripts in whole microbial genomes. The software as well as a user guide and example data is available at http://www.zbit.uni-tuebingen.de/pas/nocornac.htm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Herbig
- Center for Bioinformatics Tübingen, University of Tübingen, Sand 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Apostolaki A, Kalosakas G. Targets of DNA-binding proteins in bacterial promoter regions present enhanced probabilities for spontaneous thermal openings. Phys Biol 2011; 8:026006. [DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/8/2/026006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Zhabinskaya D, Benham CJ. Theoretical analysis of the stress induced B-Z transition in superhelical DNA. PLoS Comput Biol 2011; 7:e1001051. [PMID: 21283778 PMCID: PMC3024258 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1001051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2010] [Accepted: 12/06/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a method to calculate the propensities of regions within a DNA molecule to transition from B-form to Z-form under negative superhelical stresses. We use statistical mechanics to analyze the competition that occurs among all susceptible Z-forming regions at thermodynamic equilibrium in a superhelically stressed DNA of specified sequence. This method, which we call SIBZ, is similar to the SIDD algorithm that was previously developed to analyze superhelical duplex destabilization. A state of the system is determined by assigning to each base pair either the B- or the Z-conformation, accounting for the dinucleotide repeat unit of Z-DNA. The free energy of a state is comprised of the nucleation energy, the sequence-dependent B-Z transition energy, and the energy associated with the residual superhelicity remaining after the change of twist due to transition. Using this information, SIBZ calculates the equilibrium B-Z transition probability of each base pair in the sequence. This can be done at any physiologically reasonable level of negative superhelicity. We use SIBZ to analyze a variety of representative genomic DNA sequences. We show that the dominant Z-DNA forming regions in a sequence can compete in highly complex ways as the superhelicity level changes. Despite having no tunable parameters, the predictions of SIBZ agree precisely with experimental results, both for the onset of transition in plasmids containing introduced Z-forming sequences and for the locations of Z-forming regions in genomic sequences. We calculate the transition profiles of 5 kb regions taken from each of 12,841 mouse genes and centered on the transcription start site (TSS). We find a substantial increase in the frequency of Z-forming regions immediately upstream from the TSS. The approach developed here has the potential to illuminate the occurrence of Z-form regions in vivo, and the possible roles this transition may play in biological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dina Zhabinskaya
- UC Davis Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis California, United States of America.
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Bland C, Newsome AS, Markovets AA. Promoter prediction in E. coli based on SIDD profiles and Artificial Neural Networks. BMC Bioinformatics 2010; 11 Suppl 6:S17. [PMID: 20946600 PMCID: PMC3026364 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-11-s6-s17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND One of the major challenges in biology is the correct identification of promoter regions. Computational methods based on motif searching have been the traditional approach taken. Recent studies have shown that DNA structural properties, such as curvature, stacking energy, and stress-induced duplex destabilization (SIDD) are useful in promoter prediction, as well. In this paper, the currently used SIDD energy threshold method is compared to the proposed artificial neural network (ANN) approach for finding promoters based on SIDD profile data. RESULTS When compared to the SIDD threshold prediction method, artificial neural networks showed noticeable improvements for precision, recall, and F-score over a range of values. The maximal F-score for the ANN classifier was 62.3 and 56.8 for the threshold-based classifier. CONCLUSIONS Artificial neural networks were used to predict promoters based on SIDD profile data. Results using this technique were an improvement over the previous SIDD threshold approach. Over a wide range of precision-recall values, artificial neural networks were more capable of identifying distinctive characteristics of promoter regions than threshold based methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Bland
- Department Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, Mississippi Valley State University, 14000 Hwy 82 West, Itta Bena, Mississippi 38941, USA
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Hallin PF, Stærfeldt HH, Rotenberg E, Binnewies TT, Benham CJ, Ussery DW. GeneWiz browser: An Interactive Tool for Visualizing Sequenced Chromosomes. Stand Genomic Sci 2009; 1:204-15. [PMID: 21304658 PMCID: PMC3035224 DOI: 10.4056/sigs.28177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We present an interactive web application for visualizing genomic data of prokaryotic chromosomes. The tool (GeneWiz browser) allows users to carry out various analyses such as mapping alignments of homologous genes to other genomes, mapping of short sequencing reads to a reference chromosome, and calculating DNA properties such as curvature or stacking energy along the chromosome. The GeneWiz browser produces an interactive graphic that enables zooming from a global scale down to single nucleotides, without changing the size of the plot. Its ability to disproportionally zoom provides optimal readability and increased functionality compared to other browsers. The tool allows the user to select the display of various genomic features, color setting and data ranges. Custom numerical data can be added to the plot allowing, for example, visualization of gene expression and regulation data. Further, standard atlases are pre-generated for all prokaryotic genomes available in GenBank, providing a fast overview of all available genomes, including recently deposited genome sequences. The tool is available online from http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/gwBrowser. Supplemental material including interactive atlases is available online at http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/gwBrowser/suppl/.
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Hallin PF, Stærfeldt HH, Rotenberg E, Binnewies TT, Benham CJ, Ussery DW. GeneWiz browser: An Interactive Tool for Visualizing Sequenced Chromosomes. Stand Genomic Sci 2009. [DOI: 10.4056/sigs.28608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Peter F. Hallin
- 1Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Department of Systems Biology, The Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Hans-Henrik Stærfeldt
- 1Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Department of Systems Biology, The Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | | | - Craig J. Benham
- 4UC Davis Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California, U.S.A
| | - David W. Ussery
- 1Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Department of Systems Biology, The Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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Giannakopoulos A, Stavrou EF, Zarkadis I, Zoumbos N, Thrasher AJ, Athanassiadou A. The functional role of S/MARs in episomal vectors as defined by the stress-induced destabilization profile of the vector sequences. J Mol Biol 2009; 387:1239-49. [PMID: 19248788 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.02.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2008] [Revised: 02/06/2009] [Accepted: 02/12/2009] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The scaffold/matrix attachment regions (S/MARs) are chromosomal elements that participate in the formation of chromatin domains and have origin of replication support functions. Because of all these functions, in recent years, they have been used as part of episomal vectors for gene transfer. The S/MAR of the human beta-interferon gene has been shown to support efficient episome retention and transgene expression in various mammalian cells. In Jurkat and other cells, DNA plasmid vectors containing Epstein-Barr virus origin of replication (EBV OriP) and the EBV nuclear antigen-1 gene mediate prolonged episome retention in the host cell nucleus, which, however, diminishes over time. In order to enhance retention, we combined this system with an S/MAR element. Unexpectedly, this completely eliminated the capacity of episomes to replicate. Calculation of the stress-induced DNA duplex destabilization profile of the vectors suggested that the S/MAR element had created an increase in molecular stability at the OriP site that may have disturbed replicative potential. In contrast, introduction of an alternative initiation of replication region from the beta-globin gene locus, instead of EBV OriP and the EBV nuclear antigen-1 gene, restored replicative capacity and enhanced episome retention mediated by the S/MAR. These effects were associated with a destabilization profile at the initiation of replication region. These data demonstrate a correlation between S/MAR-mediated vector retention and the presence of an unstable duplex at a replication origin, in this particular setting. We consider that the calculation of stress-induced duplex destabilization may be an informative first step in the design of units that replicate extrachromosomally, particularly as the latter present a safer and, therefore, attractive alternative to integrating viral vectors for gene therapy applications.
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Askary A, Masoudi-Nejad A, Sharafi R, Mizbani A, Parizi SN, Purmasjedi M. N4: A precise and highly sensitive promoter predictor using neural network fed by nearest neighbors. Genes Genet Syst 2009; 84:425-30. [DOI: 10.1266/ggs.84.425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Amjad Askary
- Laboratory of Systems Biology and Bioinformatics (LBB), Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics and COE in Biomathematics, University of Tehran
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Tehran
| | - Ali Masoudi-Nejad
- Laboratory of Systems Biology and Bioinformatics (LBB), Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics and COE in Biomathematics, University of Tehran
| | - Roozbeh Sharafi
- Laboratory of Systems Biology and Bioinformatics (LBB), Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics and COE in Biomathematics, University of Tehran
| | - Amir Mizbani
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Tehran
| | | | - Malihe Purmasjedi
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Tehran
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Rangannan V, Bansal M. Relative stability of DNA as a generic criterion for promoter prediction: whole genome annotation of microbial genomes with varying nucleotide base composition. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2009; 5:1758-69. [DOI: 10.1039/b906535k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Tøstesen E. A stitch in time: efficient computation of genomic DNA melting bubbles. Algorithms Mol Biol 2008; 3:10. [PMID: 18637171 PMCID: PMC2553405 DOI: 10.1186/1748-7188-3-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2008] [Accepted: 07/17/2008] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It is of biological interest to make genome-wide predictions of the locations of DNA melting bubbles using statistical mechanics models. Computationally, this poses the challenge that a generic search through all combinations of bubble starts and ends is quadratic. Results An efficient algorithm is described, which shows that the time complexity of the task is O(NlogN) rather than quadratic. The algorithm exploits that bubble lengths may be limited, but without a prior assumption of a maximal bubble length. No approximations, such as windowing, have been introduced to reduce the time complexity. More than just finding the bubbles, the algorithm produces a stitch profile, which is a probabilistic graphical model of bubbles and helical regions. The algorithm applies a probability peak finding method based on a hierarchical analysis of the energy barriers in the Poland-Scheraga model. Conclusion Exact and fast computation of genomic stitch profiles is thus feasible. Sequences of several megabases have been computed, only limited by computer memory. Possible applications are the genome-wide comparisons of bubbles with promotors, TSS, viral integration sites, and other melting-related regions.
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Wang H, Benham CJ. Superhelical destabilization in regulatory regions of stress response genes. PLoS Comput Biol 2008; 4:e17. [PMID: 18208321 PMCID: PMC2211533 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0040017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2007] [Accepted: 12/03/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress-induced DNA duplex destabilization (SIDD) analysis exploits the known structural and energetic properties of DNA to predict sites that are susceptible to strand separation under negative superhelical stress. When this approach was used to calculate the SIDD profile of the entire Escherichia coli K12 genome, it was found that strongly destabilized sites occur preferentially in intergenic regions that are either known or inferred to contain promoters, but rarely occur in coding regions. Here, we investigate whether the genes grouped in different functional categories have characteristic SIDD properties in their upstream flanks. We report that strong SIDD sites in the E. coli K12 genome are statistically significantly overrepresented in the upstream regions of genes encoding transcriptional regulators. In particular, the upstream regions of genes that directly respond to physiological and environmental stimuli are more destabilized than are those regions of genes that are not involved in these responses. Moreover, if a pathway is controlled by a transcriptional regulator whose gene has a destabilized 5′ flank, then the genes (operons) in that pathway also usually contain strongly destabilized SIDD sites in their 5′ flanks. We observe this statistically significant association of SIDD sites with upstream regions of genes functioning in transcription in 38 of 43 genomes of free-living bacteria, but in only four of 18 genomes of endosymbionts or obligate parasitic bacteria. These results suggest that strong SIDD sites 5′ to participating genes may be involved in transcriptional responses to environmental changes, which are known to transiently alter superhelicity. We propose that these SIDD sites are active and necessary participants in superhelically mediated regulatory mechanisms governing changes in the global pattern of gene expression in prokaryotes in response to physiological or environmental changes. DNA in vivo experiences regulated amounts of untwisting stress. If sufficiently large, these stresses can destabilize the double helix at specific locations. These sites then become favored locations for strand separations. Gene expression and DNA replication, the two major jobs of DNA, both require the strands of the duplex to be separated. Thus, events that affect the ease of strand separation can regulate the initiation of these processes. Stress-induced DNA duplex destabilization (SIDD) has been implicated in mechanisms regulating several biological processes, including the initiation of gene expression and replication. We have developed computational methods that accurately predict the locations and extents of destabilization within genomic DNA sequences that occur in response to specified stress levels. Here, we report that the easily destabilized sites we find in the Escherichia coli K12 genome are statistically significantly overrepresented in the upstream regions of genes encoding proteins that regulate transcription. In particular, the regions upstream of genes that directly respond to physiological and environmental stimuli are more destabilized than are those regions of genes that are not involved in these responses. These results suggest that strong SIDD sites upstream of participating genes may be involved in transcriptional responses to environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiquan Wang
- UC Davis Genome Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Craig J Benham
- UC Davis Genome Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
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Abstract
Over the last two decades, a large amount of data on initiation of transcription by bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) has been obtained. However, a question of how the open complex is formed still remains open, and several qualitative hypotheses for opening of DNA by RNAP have been proposed. To provide a theoretical framework needed to analyze the assembled experimental data, we here develop the first quantitative model of the open complex formation by bacterial RNAP. We first show that a simple hypothesis (which might follow from recent bioinformatic and experimental results), by which promoter DNA is melted in one step through thermal fluctuations, is inconsistent with experimental data. We next consider a more complex two-step view of the open complex formation. According to this hypothesis, the transcription bubble is formed in the -10 region, and consequently extends to the transcription start site. We derive how the open complex formation rate depends on DNA duplex melting energy and on interaction energies of RNAP with promoter DNA in the closed and open complex. This relationship provides an explicit connection between transcription initiation rate and physical properties of the promoter sequence and promoter-RNAP interactions. We compare our model with both biochemical measurements and genomics data and report a very good agreement with the experiments, with no free parameters used in model testing. This agreement therefore strongly supports both the quantitative model that we propose and the qualitative hypothesis on which the model is based. From a practical point, our results allow efficient estimation of promoter kinetic parameters, as well as engineering of promoter sequences with the desired kinetic properties.
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Reva ON, Hallin PF, Willenbrock H, Sicheritz-Ponten T, Tümmler B, Ussery DW. Global features of the Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2 genome. Environ Microbiol 2007; 10:614-25. [PMID: 18081853 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2007.01483.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The global feature of the completely sequenced Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2 type strain chromosome is its symmetry and homogeneity. The origin and terminus of replication are located opposite to each other in the chromosome and are discerned with high signal to noise ratios by maximal oligonucleotide usage biases on the leading and lagging strand. Genomic DNA structure is rather uniform throughout the chromosome with respect to intrinsic curvature, position preference or base stacking energy. The orthologs and paralogs of A. borkumensis genes with the highest sequence homology were found in most cases among gamma-Proteobacteria, with Acinetobacter and P. aeruginosa as closest relatives. A. borkumensis shares a similar oligonucleotide usage and promoter structure with the Pseudomonadales. A comparatively low number of only 18 genome islands with atypical oligonucleotide usage was detected in the A. borkumensis chromosome. The gene clusters that confer the assimilation of aliphatic hydrocarbons, are localized in two genome islands which were probably acquired from an ancestor of the Yersinia lineage, whereas the alk genes of Pseudomonas putida still exhibit the typical Alcanivorax oligonucleotide signature indicating a complex evolution of this major hydrocarbonoclastic trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleg N Reva
- Klinische Forschergruppe, OE6711, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, D-30625 Hannover, Germany
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Sohanpal BK, Friar S, Roobol J, Plumbridge JA, Blomfield IC. Multiple co-regulatory elements and IHF are necessary for the control of fimB expression in response to sialic acid and N-acetylglucosamine in Escherichia coli K-12. Mol Microbiol 2007; 63:1223-36. [PMID: 17238917 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2006.05583.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Expression of the FimB recombinase, and hence the OFF-to-ON switching of type 1 fimbriation in Escherichia coli, is inhibited by sialic acid (Neu(5)Ac) and by GlcNAc. NanR (Neu(5)Ac-responsive) and NagC (GlcNAc-6P-responsive) activate fimB expression by binding to operators (O(NR) and O(NC1) respectively) located more than 600 bp upstream of the fimB promoter within the large (1.4 kb) nanC-fimB intergenic region. Here it is demonstrated that NagC binding to a second site (O(NC2)), located 212 bp closer to fimB, also controls fimB expression, and that integration host factor (IHF), which binds midway between O(NC1) and O(NC2), facilitates NagC binding to its two operator sites. In contrast, IHF does not enhance the ability of NanR to activate fimB expression in the wild-type background. Neither sequences up to 820 bp upstream of O(NR), nor those 270 bp downstream of O(NC2), are required for activation by NanR and NagC. However, placing the NanR, IHF and NagC binding sites closer to the fimB promoter enhances the ability of the regulators to activate fimB expression. These results support a refined model for how two potentially key indicators of host inflammation, Neu(5)Ac and GlcNAc, regulate type 1 fimbriation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baljinder K Sohanpal
- Biomedical Research Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Kent, Kent, UK
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Li QZ, Lin H. The recognition and prediction of σ70 promoters in Escherichia coli K-12. J Theor Biol 2006; 242:135-41. [PMID: 16603195 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2006.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2005] [Revised: 02/05/2006] [Accepted: 02/10/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Based on the conservation analysis of the 683 latest experimentally verified sigma(70)-promoter sequences of Escherichia coli K-12, it is found that the conservative hexamers segments in different sites play a key role of promoter regions, a novel position-correlation scoring matrix (PCSM) algorithm for predicting sigma(70) promoter is presented. The predictive capacity of the algorithm is tested by 10-cross validation test. The results show that the overall prediction accuracies (sensitivity) and specificity are 91% and 81%, respectively. By selecting the 683 experimentally verified sigma(70) promoters as training set and searching for the complete sequence in E. coli K-12 with 4639221bp. Results show that the 100% of the 683 experimentally verified sigma(70) promoters have been identified and some possible promoters are predicted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian-Zhong Li
- Department of Physics, Laboratory of Theoretical Biophysics, College of Sciences and Technology, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China.
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Benham CJ, Singh RRP. Comment on "Can one predict DNA transcription start sites by studying bubbles?". PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2006; 97:059801; discussion 059802. [PMID: 17026148 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.97.059801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2005] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Craig J Benham
- Genome Center and Department of Mathematics, University of California-Davis, CA 95616, USA
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Guglierame P, Pasca MR, De Rossi E, Buroni S, Arrigo P, Manina G, Riccardi G. Efflux pump genes of the resistance-nodulation-division family in Burkholderia cenocepacia genome. BMC Microbiol 2006; 6:66. [PMID: 16857052 PMCID: PMC1557404 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-6-66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2006] [Accepted: 07/20/2006] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Burkholderia cenocepacia is recognized as opportunistic pathogen that can cause lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients. A hallmark of B. cenocepacia infections is the inability to eradicate the organism because of multiple intrinsic antibiotic resistance. As Resistance-Nodulation-Division (RND) efflux systems are responsible for much of the intrinsic multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria, this study aims to identify RND genes in the B. cenocepacia genome and start to investigate their involvement into antimicrobial resistance. Results Genome analysis and homology searches revealed 14 open reading frames encoding putative drug efflux pumps belonging to RND family in B. cenocepacia J2315 strain. By reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analysis, it was found that orf3, orf9, orf11, and orf13 were expressed at detectable levels, while orf10 appeared to be weakly expressed in B. cenocepacia. Futhermore, orf3 was strongly induced by chloramphenicol. The orf2 conferred resistance to fluoroquinolones, tetraphenylphosphonium, streptomycin, and ethidium bromide when cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli KAM3, a strain lacking the multidrug efflux pump AcrAB. The orf2-overexpressing E. coli also accumulate low concentrations of ethidium bromide, which was restored to wild type level in the presence of CCCP, an energy uncoupler altering the energy of the drug efflux pump. Conclusion The 14 RND pumps gene we have identified in the genome of B. cenocepacia suggest that active efflux could be a major mechanism underlying antimicrobial resistance in this microorganism. We have characterized the ORF2 pump, one of these 14 potential RND efflux systems. Its overexpression in E. coli conferred resistance to several antibiotics and to ethidium bromide but it remains to be determined if this pump play a significant role in the antimicrobial intrinsic resistance of B. cenocepacia. The characterization of antibiotic efflux pumps in B. cenocepacia is an obligatory step prior to the design of specific, potent bacterial inhibitors for the improved control of infectious diseases. Consequently, the topic deserves to be further investigated and future studies will involve systematic investigation on the function and expression of each of the RND efflux pump homologs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Guglierame
- Dipartimento di Genetica e Microbiologia, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Maria Rosalia Pasca
- Dipartimento di Genetica e Microbiologia, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Edda De Rossi
- Dipartimento di Genetica e Microbiologia, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Silvia Buroni
- Dipartimento di Genetica e Microbiologia, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Patrizio Arrigo
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per lo Studio delle Macromolecole, Via De Marini 6, 16149 Genova, Italy
| | - Giulia Manina
- Dipartimento di Genetica e Microbiologia, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Giovanna Riccardi
- Dipartimento di Genetica e Microbiologia, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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Rawal P, Kummarasetti VBR, Ravindran J, Kumar N, Halder K, Sharma R, Mukerji M, Das SK, Chowdhury S. Genome-wide prediction of G4 DNA as regulatory motifs: role in Escherichia coli global regulation. Genome Res 2006; 16:644-55. [PMID: 16651665 PMCID: PMC1457047 DOI: 10.1101/gr.4508806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 247] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The role of nonlinear DNA in replication, recombination, and transcription has become evident in recent years. Although several studies have predicted and characterized regulatory elements at the sequence level, very few have investigated DNA structure as regulatory motifs. Here, using G-quadruplex or G4 DNA motifs as a model, we have researched the role of DNA structure in transcription on a genome-wide scale. Analyses of >61,000 open reading frames (ORFs) across 18 prokaryotes show enrichment of G4 motifs in regulatory regions and indicate its predominance within promoters of genes pertaining to transcription, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and signal transduction. Based on this, we predict that G4 DNA may present regulatory signals. This is supported by conserved G4 motifs in promoters of orthologous genes across phylogenetically distant organisms. We hypothesized a regulatory role of G4 DNA during supercoiling stress, when duplex destabilization may result in G4 formation. This is in line with our observations from target site analysis for 55 DNA-binding proteins in Escherichia coli, which reveals significant (P<0.001) association of G4 motifs with target sites of global regulators FIS and Lrp and the sigma factor RpoD (sigma70). These factors together control >1000 genes in the early growth phase and are believed to be induced by supercoiled DNA. We also predict G4 motif-induced supercoiling sensitivity for >30 operons in E. coli, and our findings implicate G4 DNA in DNA-topology-mediated global gene regulation in E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Rawal
- G.N. Ramachandran Knowledge Centre for Genome Informatics
| | | | | | - Nirmal Kumar
- G.N. Ramachandran Knowledge Centre for Genome Informatics
| | | | - Rakesh Sharma
- G.N. Ramachandran Knowledge Centre for Genome Informatics
- Environmental Biotechnology Unit, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, CSIR, Delhi 110 007, India
| | - Mitali Mukerji
- G.N. Ramachandran Knowledge Centre for Genome Informatics
- Functional Genomics Unit
| | | | - Shantanu Chowdhury
- G.N. Ramachandran Knowledge Centre for Genome Informatics
- Proteomics and Structural Biology Unit
- Corresponding author.E-mail ; fax 91-11-2766-7471
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Wang H, Benham CJ. Promoter prediction and annotation of microbial genomes based on DNA sequence and structural responses to superhelical stress. BMC Bioinformatics 2006; 7:248. [PMID: 16677393 PMCID: PMC1468432 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-7-248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2006] [Accepted: 05/05/2006] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In our previous studies, we found that the sites in prokaryotic genomes which are most susceptible to duplex destabilization under the negative superhelical stresses that occur in vivo are statistically highly significantly associated with intergenic regions that are known or inferred to contain promoters. In this report we investigate how this structural property, either alone or together with other structural and sequence attributes, may be used to search prokaryotic genomes for promoters. RESULTS We show that the propensity for stress-induced DNA duplex destabilization (SIDD) is closely associated with specific promoter regions. The extent of destabilization in promoter-containing regions is found to be bimodally distributed. When compared with DNA curvature, deformability, thermostability or sequence motif scores within the -10 region, SIDD is found to be the most informative DNA property regarding promoter locations in the E. coli K12 genome. SIDD properties alone perform better at detecting promoter regions than other programs trained on this genome. Because this approach has a very low false positive rate, it can be used to predict with high confidence the subset of promoters that are strongly destabilized. When SIDD properties are combined with -10 motif scores in a linear classification function, they predict promoter regions with better than 80% accuracy. When these methods were tested with promoter and non-promoter sequences from Bacillus subtilis, they achieved similar or higher accuracies. We also present a strictly SIDD-based predictor for annotating promoter sequences in complete microbial genomes. CONCLUSION In this report we show that the propensity to undergo stress-induced duplex destabilization (SIDD) is a distinctive structural attribute of many prokaryotic promoter sequences. We have developed methods to identify promoter sequences in prokaryotic genomes that use SIDD either as a sole predictor or in combination with other DNA structural and sequence properties. Although these methods cannot predict all the promoter-containing regions in a genome, they do find large sets of potential regions that have high probabilities of being true positives. This approach could be especially valuable for annotating those genomes about which there is limited experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiquan Wang
- UC Davis Genome Center, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Craig J Benham
- UC Davis Genome Center, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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