Prominent mitochondrial DNA recombination intermediates in human heart muscle.
Authors Kajander O A; Karhunen P J; Holt I J; Jacobs H T;
JournalEMBO Rep
PubMed ID11713192
'Recombination intermediates containing four-way (Holliday) junctions are generated during DNA repair and replication in many systems, including yeast mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). In contrast, convincing evidence for recombination in mammalian mtDNA is lacking. We have used two-dimensional agarose-gel electrophoresis to analyse non-linear forms of mtDNA in human heart muscle. Replication intermediates ... More
FtsK Is a DNA motor protein that activates chromosome dimer resolution by switching the catalytic state of the XerC and XerD recombinases.
'FtsK acts at the bacterial division septum to couple chromosome segregation with cell division. We demonstrate that a truncated FtsK derivative, FtsK(50C), uses ATP hydrolysis to translocate along duplex DNA as a multimer in vitro, consistent with FtsK having an in vivo role in pumping DNA through the closing division ... More
Sequence-specific trapping of topoisomerase I by DNA binding polyamide-camptothecin conjugates.
Authors Wang C C; Dervan P B;
JournalJ Am Chem Soc
PubMed ID11535069
Hairpin pyrrole-imidazole polyamides are synthetic ligands that bind in the minor groove of DNA with affinities and specificities comparable to those of DNA binding proteins. Three polyamide-camptothecin conjugates 1-3 with linkers varying in length between 7, 13, and 18 atoms were synthesized to trap the enzyme Topoisomerase I and induce ... More
Biological characterization of MLN944: a potent DNA binding agent.
MLN944 (XR5944) is a novel bis-phenazine that has demonstrated exceptional efficacy against a number of murine and human tumor models. The drug was reported originally as a dual topoisomerase I/II poison, but a precise mechanism of action for this compound remains to be determined. Several lines of evidence, including the ... More
Sticky DNA, a long GAA.GAA.TTC triplex that is formed intramolecularly, in the sequence of intron 1 of the frataxin gene.
Authors Vetcher Alexandre A; Napierala Marek; Iyer Ravi R; Chastain Paul D; Griffith Jack D; Wells Robert D;
JournalJ Biol Chem
PubMed ID12161437
Friedreich's ataxia is caused by the massive expansion of GAA.TTC repeats in intron 1 of the frataxin (X25) gene. Our prior investigations showed that long GAA.TTC repeats formed very stable triplex structures which caused two repeat tracts to adhere to each other (sticky DNA). This process was dependent on negative ... More