scholarly journals The FLP recombinase of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae 2 microns plasmid attaches covalently to DNA via a phosphotyrosyl linkage.

1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 3274-3279 ◽  
Author(s):  
R M Gronostajski ◽  
P D Sadowski

The FLP recombinase, encoded by the 2 micron plasmid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, promotes efficient recombination in vivo and in vitro between its specific target sites (FLP sites). It was previously determined that FLP interacts with DNA sequences within its target site (B. J. Andrews, G. A. Proteau, L. G. Beatty, and P. D. Sadowski. Cell 40:795-803, 1985), generates a single-stranded break on both DNA strands within the FLP site, and remains covalently attached to the 3' end of each break. We now show that the FLP protein is bound to the 3' side of each break by an O-phosphotyrosyl residue and that it appears that the same tyrosyl residue(s) is used to attach to either DNA strand within the FLP site.

1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 3274-3279
Author(s):  
R M Gronostajski ◽  
P D Sadowski

The FLP recombinase, encoded by the 2 micron plasmid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, promotes efficient recombination in vivo and in vitro between its specific target sites (FLP sites). It was previously determined that FLP interacts with DNA sequences within its target site (B. J. Andrews, G. A. Proteau, L. G. Beatty, and P. D. Sadowski. Cell 40:795-803, 1985), generates a single-stranded break on both DNA strands within the FLP site, and remains covalently attached to the 3' end of each break. We now show that the FLP protein is bound to the 3' side of each break by an O-phosphotyrosyl residue and that it appears that the same tyrosyl residue(s) is used to attach to either DNA strand within the FLP site.


1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 2482-2489 ◽  
Author(s):  
B J Andrews ◽  
M McLeod ◽  
J Broach ◽  
P D Sadowski

The 2 micron plasmid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae codes for a site-specific recombinase, the FLP protein, that catalyzes efficient recombination across two 599-base-pair (bp) inverted repeats of the plasmid DNA both in vivo and in vitro. We analyzed the interaction of the purified FLP protein with the target sequences of two point mutants that exhibit impaired FLP-mediated recombination in vivo. One mutation lies in one of the 13-bp repeat elements that had been previously shown to be protected from DNase digestion by the FLP protein. This mutation dramatically reduces FLP-mediated recombination in vitro and appears to act by reducing the binding of FLP protein to its target sequence. The second mutation lies within the 8-bp core region of the FLP target sequence. The FLP protein introduces staggered nicks surrounding this 8-bp region, and these nicks are thought to define the sites of strand exchange. The mutation in the core region abolishes recombination with a wild-type site. However, recombination between two mutated sites is very efficient. This result suggests that proper base pairing between the two recombining sites is an important feature of FLP-mediated recombination.


1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 2482-2489
Author(s):  
B J Andrews ◽  
M McLeod ◽  
J Broach ◽  
P D Sadowski

The 2 micron plasmid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae codes for a site-specific recombinase, the FLP protein, that catalyzes efficient recombination across two 599-base-pair (bp) inverted repeats of the plasmid DNA both in vivo and in vitro. We analyzed the interaction of the purified FLP protein with the target sequences of two point mutants that exhibit impaired FLP-mediated recombination in vivo. One mutation lies in one of the 13-bp repeat elements that had been previously shown to be protected from DNase digestion by the FLP protein. This mutation dramatically reduces FLP-mediated recombination in vitro and appears to act by reducing the binding of FLP protein to its target sequence. The second mutation lies within the 8-bp core region of the FLP target sequence. The FLP protein introduces staggered nicks surrounding this 8-bp region, and these nicks are thought to define the sites of strand exchange. The mutation in the core region abolishes recombination with a wild-type site. However, recombination between two mutated sites is very efficient. This result suggests that proper base pairing between the two recombining sites is an important feature of FLP-mediated recombination.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6866-6875 ◽  
Author(s):  
D C Hagen ◽  
L Bruhn ◽  
C A Westby ◽  
G F Sprague

Transcription activation of alpha-specific genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated by two proteins, MCM1 and alpha 1, which bind to DNA sequences, called P'Q elements, found upstream of alpha-specific genes. Neither MCM1 nor alpha 1 alone binds efficiently to P'Q elements. Together, however, they bind cooperatively in a manner that requires both the P' sequence, which is a weak binding site for MCM1, and the Q sequence, which has been postulated to be the binding site for alpha 1. We analyzed a collection of point mutations in the P'Q element of the STE3 gene to determine the importance of individual base pairs for alpha-specific gene transcription. Within the 10-bp conserved Q sequence, mutations at only three positions strongly affected transcription activation in vivo. These same mutations did not affect the weak binding to P'Q displayed by MCM1 alone. In vitro DNA binding assays showed a direct correlation between the ability of the mutant sequences to form ternary P'Q-MCM1-alpha 1 complexes and the degree to which transcription was activated in vivo. Thus, the ability of alpha 1 and MCM1 to bind cooperatively to P'Q elements is critical for activation of alpha-specific genes. In all natural alpha-specific genes the Q sequence is adjacent to the degenerate side of P'. To test the significance of this geometry, we created several novel juxtapositions of P, P', and Q sequences. When the Q sequence was opposite the degenerate side, the composite QP' element was inactive as a promoter element in vivo and unable to form stable ternary QP'-MCM1-alpha 1 complexes in vitro. We also found that addition of a Q sequence to a strong MCM1 binding site allows the addition of alpha 1 to the complex. This finding, together with the observation that Q-element point mutations affected ternary complex formation but not the weak binding of MCM1 alone, supports the idea that the Q sequence serves as a binding site for alpha 1.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astrid Lancrey ◽  
Alexandra Joubert ◽  
Evelyne Duvernois-Berthet ◽  
Etienne Routhier ◽  
Saurabh Raj ◽  
...  

The so-called 601 DNA sequence is often used to constrain the position of nucleosomes on a DNA molecule in vitro. Although the ability of the 147 base pair sequence to precisely position a nucleosome in vitro is well documented, in vivo application of this property has been explored only in a few studies and yielded contradictory conclusions. Our goal in the present study was to test the ability of the 601 sequence to dictate nucleosome positioning in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the context of a long tandem repeat array inserted in a yeast chromosome. We engineered such arrays with three different repeat size, namely 167, 197 and 237 base pairs. Although our arrays are able to position nucleosomes in vitro as expected, analysis of nucleosome occupancy on these arrays in vivo revealed that nucleosomes are not preferentially positioned as expected on the 601-core sequence along the repeats and that the measured nucleosome repeat length does not correspond to the one expected by design. Altogether our results demonstrate that the rules defining nucleosome positions on this DNA sequence in vitro are not valid in vivo, at least in this chromosomal context, questioning the relevance of using the 601 sequence in vivo to achieve precise nucleosome positioning on designer synthetic DNA sequences.


Genetics ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 631-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
S T Lovett ◽  
P T Drapkin ◽  
V A Sutera ◽  
T J Gluckman-Peskind

Abstract In the genomes of many organisms, deletions arise between tandemly repeated DNA sequences of lengths ranging from several kilobases to only a few nucleotides. Using a plasmid-based assay for deletion of a 787-bp tandem repeat, we have found that a recA-independent mechanism contributes substantially to the deletion process of even this large region of homology. No Escherichia coli recombination gene tested, including recA, had greater than a fivefold effect on deletion rates. The recA-independence of deletion formation is also observed with constructions present on the chromosome. RecA promotes synapsis and transfer of homologous DNA strands in vitro and is indispensable for intermolecular recombination events in vivo measured after conjugation. Because deletion formation in E. coli shows little or no dependence on recA, it has been assumed that homologous recombination contributes little to the deletion process. However, we have found recA-independent deletion products suggestive of reciprocal crossovers when branch migration in the cell is inhibited by a ruvA mutation. We propose a model for recA-independent crossovers between replicating sister strands, which can also explain deletion or amplification of repeated sequences. We suggest that this process may be initiated as post-replicational DNA repair; subsequent strand misalignment at repeated sequences leads to genetic rearrangements.


2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepankar Roy ◽  
Zheng Zhang ◽  
Zhengfei Lu ◽  
Chih-Lin Hsieh ◽  
Michael R. Lieber

ABSTRACT Upon transcription of some sequences by RNA polymerases in vitro or in vivo, the RNA transcript can thread back onto the template DNA strand, resulting in an R loop. Previously, we showed that initiation of R-loop formation at an R-loop initiation zone (RIZ) is favored by G clusters. Here, using a purified in vitro system with T7 RNA polymerase, we show that increased distance between the promoter and the R-loop-supporting G-rich region reduces R-loop formation. When the G-rich portion of the RNA transcript is downstream from the 5′ end of the transcript, the ability of this portion of the transcript to anneal to the template DNA strand is reduced. When we nucleolytically resect the beginning of the transcript, R-loop formation increases because the G-rich portion of the RNA is now closer to the 5′ end of the transcript. Short G-clustered regions can act as RIZs and reduce the distance-induced suppression of R-loop formation. Supercoiled DNA is known to favor transient separation of the two DNA strands, and we find that this favors R-loop formation even in non-G-rich regions. Most strikingly, a nick can serve as a strong RIZ, even in regions with no G richness. This has important implications for class switch recombination and somatic hypermutation and possibly for other biological processes in transcribed regions.


1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 5685-5695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Malott ◽  
Michael Leffak

ABSTRACT DNA replication starts at multiple discrete sites across the human chromosomal c-myc region, including two or more sites within 2.4 kb upstream of the c-myc gene. The corresponding 2.4-kb c-myc origin fragment confers autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) activity on plasmids, which specifically initiate replication in the origin fragment in vitro and in vivo. To test whether the region that displays plasmid replicator activity also acts as a chromosomal replicator, HeLa cell sublines that each contain a single copy of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae FLP recombinase target (FRT) sequence flanked by selectable markers were constructed. A clonal line containing a single unrearranged copy of the transduced c-myc origin was produced by cotransfecting a donor plasmid containing the 2.4-kb c-myc origin fragment and FRT, along with a plasmid expressing the yeast FLP recombinase, into cells containing a chromosomal FRT acceptor site. The amount of short nascent DNA strands at the chromosomal acceptor site was quantitated before and after targeted integration of the origin fragment. Competitive PCR quantitation showed that the c-myc origin construct substantially increased the amount of nascent DNA relative to that at the unoccupied acceptor site and to that after the insertion of non-myc DNA. The abundance of nascent strands was greatest close to the c-myc insert of the integrated donor plasmid, and significant increases in nascent strand abundance were observed at sites flanking the insertion. These results provide biochemical and genetic evidence for the existence of chromosomal replicators in metazoan cells and are consistent with the presence of chromosomal replicator activity in the 2.4-kb region of c-myc origin DNA.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6866-6875
Author(s):  
D C Hagen ◽  
L Bruhn ◽  
C A Westby ◽  
G F Sprague

Transcription activation of alpha-specific genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated by two proteins, MCM1 and alpha 1, which bind to DNA sequences, called P'Q elements, found upstream of alpha-specific genes. Neither MCM1 nor alpha 1 alone binds efficiently to P'Q elements. Together, however, they bind cooperatively in a manner that requires both the P' sequence, which is a weak binding site for MCM1, and the Q sequence, which has been postulated to be the binding site for alpha 1. We analyzed a collection of point mutations in the P'Q element of the STE3 gene to determine the importance of individual base pairs for alpha-specific gene transcription. Within the 10-bp conserved Q sequence, mutations at only three positions strongly affected transcription activation in vivo. These same mutations did not affect the weak binding to P'Q displayed by MCM1 alone. In vitro DNA binding assays showed a direct correlation between the ability of the mutant sequences to form ternary P'Q-MCM1-alpha 1 complexes and the degree to which transcription was activated in vivo. Thus, the ability of alpha 1 and MCM1 to bind cooperatively to P'Q elements is critical for activation of alpha-specific genes. In all natural alpha-specific genes the Q sequence is adjacent to the degenerate side of P'. To test the significance of this geometry, we created several novel juxtapositions of P, P', and Q sequences. When the Q sequence was opposite the degenerate side, the composite QP' element was inactive as a promoter element in vivo and unable to form stable ternary QP'-MCM1-alpha 1 complexes in vitro. We also found that addition of a Q sequence to a strong MCM1 binding site allows the addition of alpha 1 to the complex. This finding, together with the observation that Q-element point mutations affected ternary complex formation but not the weak binding of MCM1 alone, supports the idea that the Q sequence serves as a binding site for alpha 1.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (24) ◽  
pp. 10815-10821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Ming Shen ◽  
Sarayu Ratnam ◽  
Ursula Storb

ABSTRACT Activation-induced deaminase (AID) initiates immunoglobulin somatic hypermutation (SHM). Since in vitro AID was shown to deaminate cytosines on single-stranded DNA or the nontranscribed strand, it remained a puzzle how in vivo AID targets both DNA strands equally. Here we investigate the roles of transcription and DNA sequence in cytosine deamination. Strikingly different results are found with different substrates. Depending on the target sequence, the transcribed DNA strand is targeted as well as or better than the nontranscribed strand. The preferential targeting is not related to the frequency of AID hot spots. Comparison of cytosine deamination by AID and bisulfite shows different targeting patterns suggesting that AID may locally unwind the DNA. We conclude that somatic hypermutation on both DNA strands is the natural outcome of AID action on a transcribed gene; furthermore, the DNA sequence or structure and topology play major roles in targeting AID in vitro and in vivo. On the other hand, the lack of mutations in the first ∼100 nucleotides and beyond about 1 to 2 kb from the promoter of immunoglobulin genes during SHM must be due to special conditions of transcription and chromatin in vivo.


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