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D M Crothers

Publications and source records attributed to D M Crothers.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Identification and characterization of genomic nucleosome-positioning sequences.

Positioned nucleosomes are believed to play important roles in transcriptional regulation and for the organization of chromatin in cell nuclei. Here, we have isolated the DNA segments in the mouse genome that form the most stable nucleosomes yet characterized. In separate molecules we find phased runs of three to four adenine nucleotides, extensive CA repeats, and in a few cases phased TATA tetranucleotides. The latter forms the most stable nucleosome yet characterized. One sequence with CAG repeats was also found. By fluorescence in situ hydridization the selected sequences are shown to be localized at the centromeric regions of mouse metaphase chromosomes.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Measurement of diffusion constants for nucleic acids by NMR.

Pulsed field-gradient NMR experiments can be used to measure the diffusion constants of nucleic acids. The diffusion constants measured in this way for double-helical DNAs of defined length agree well both with theory and with measurements done using other techniques. When applied to RNAs, this experiment easily distinguishes duplex RNAs from RNA hairpins and thus it can solve one of the perennial problems faced by RNA spectroscopists, i.e. assessing whether their samples are monomeric or not.

DNA↗
PubMed1996

Kinetic discrimination in the folding of intramolecular triple helices.

We report a study of the physical properties of oligonucleotide intramolecular Pyr.Pur.Pyr triplexes modeled after H-form DNA. The experiments utilized a set of palindromic pyrimidine strands which form triplexes when combined with complementary purine strands. Triplexes of this nature have two possible isomers, one where the 3' half of the pyrimidine strand acts as the third strand (Y3) or one where the 5' end does (Y5). Kinetic studies of these triplexes revealed that the Y3 isomer folded 10 to 50 times faster than the corresponding Y5 isomer. Despite these kinetic differences, the complexes display relatively similar equilibrium stabilities, with seven of eight falling within a 1.1 kcal range. Addition of non-pairing sequence to the ends of the purine strand both reverses the kinetic bias (slowing Y3 formation > 200 fold) and destabilizes the Y3 isomer 1.4 kcal/mol relative to Y5. Three features appear to lie at the source of both the kinetic and thermodynamic variability seen: (1) the prenucleation geometry of the triplexes prior to formation; (2) the accessibility of the major groove to the third strand; and (3) the nature of the triplex loop formed. Based on the data we propose a model for formation of H-form DNA that explains the biases observed for one isomer over the other in different situations. The conclusions have general implications for the tertiary folding of nucleic acids.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Prediction of the stability of DNA triplexes.

We present rules that allow one to predict the stability of DNA pyrimidine.purine.pyrimidine (Y.R.Y) triple helices on the basis of the sequence. The rules were derived from van't Hoff analysis of 23 oligonucleotide triplexes tested at a variety of pH values. To predict the enthalpy of triplex formation (delta H degrees), a simple nearest-neighbor model was found to be sufficient. However, to accurately predict the free energy of the triplex (delta G degrees), a combination model consisting of five parameters was needed. These parameters were (i) the delta G degrees for helix initiation, (ii) the delta G degrees for adding a T-A.T triple, (iii) the delta G degrees for adding a C(+)-G.C triple, (iv) the penalty for adjacent C bases, and (v) the pH dependence of the C(+)-G.C triple's stability. The fitted parameters are highly consistent with thermodynamic data from the basis set, generally predicting both delta H degrees and delta G degrees to within the experimental error. Examination of the parameters points out several interesting features. The combination model predicts that C(+) -G.C. triples are much more stabilizing than T-A.T triples below pH 7.0 and that the stability of the former increases approximately equal to 1 kcal/mol per pH unit as the pH is decreased. Surprisingly though, the most stable sequence is predicted to be a CT repeat, as adjacent C bases partially cancel the stability of one another. The parameters successfully predict tm values from other laboratories, with some interesting exceptions.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Fos and Jun do not bend the AP-1 recognition site.

We have used a solution-based DNA cyclization assay and a gel-phasing method to show that contrary to previous reports [Kerppola, T. K. & Curran, T. (1991) Cell 66, 317-326], basic region leucine zipper proteins Fos and Jun do not significantly bend their AP-1 recognition site. We have constructed two sets of DNA constructs that contain the 7-bp 5'-TGACTCA-3' AP-1 binding site, from either the yeast or the human collagenase gene, which is well separated from and phased by 3-4 helical turns against an A tract-directed bend. The cyclization probabilities of DNAs with altered phasings are not significantly affected by Fos-Jun binding. Similarly, Fos-Jun and Jun-Jun bound to differently phased DNA constructs show insignificant variations in gel mobilities. Both these methods independently indicate that Fos and Jun bend their AP-1 target site by <5 degrees, an observation that has important implications in understanding their mechanism of transcriptional regulation.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Determining RNA solution structure by segmental isotopic labeling and NMR: application to Caenorhabditis elegans spliced leader RNA 1.

Recent developments in multidimensional heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy and large-scale synthesis of uniformly 13C- and 15N-labeled oligonucleotides have greatly improved the prospects for determination of the solution structure of RNA. However, there are circumstances in which it may be advantageous to label only a segment of the entire RNA chain. For example, in a larger RNA molecule the structural question of interest may reside in a localized domain. Labeling only the corresponding nucleotides simplifies the spectrum and resonance assignments because one can filter proton spectra for coupling to 13C and 15N. Another example is in resolving alternative secondary structure models that are indistinguishable in imino proton connectivities. Here we report a general method for enzymatic synthesis of quantities of segmentally labeled RNA molecules required for NMR spectroscopy. We use the method to distinguish definitively two competing secondary structure models for the 5' half of Caenorhabditis elegans spliced leader RNA by comparison of the two-dimensional [15N] 1H heteronuclear multiple quantum correlation spectrum of the uniformly labeled sample with that of a segmentally labeled sample. The method requires relatively small samples; solutions in the 200-300 microM concentration range, with a total of 30 nmol or approximately 40 micrograms of RNA in approximately 150 microliters, give strong NMR signals in a short accumulation time. The method can be adapted to label an internal segment of a larger RNA chain for study of localized structural problems. This definitive approach provides an alternative to the more common enzymatic and chemical footprinting methods for determination of RNA secondary structure.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

RNase H cleavage for processing of in vitro transcribed RNA for NMR studies and RNA ligation.

Large quantities of RNA for study by NMR and X-ray crystallography can be produced by transcription reactions in vitro using T7 bacteriophage RNA polymerase. A limitation on producing RNA with this polymerase has been the strong dependence of the yield of the transcription reaction on the sequence at the 5' end of the RNA produced. We report a procedure for obtaining large quantities of enzymatically synthesized RNA from T7 RNA polymerase that has no dependence on the 5' end sequence of the target RNA. Ribonuclease H has been shown previously (Inoue H, Hayase Y, Iwai S, Ohtsuka E, 1987, FEBS Lett 215:327-330) to cleave RNA site specifically using 2'-O-methyl RNA/DNA chimeras to direct the cleavage site. We show that 2'-O-methyl RNA nucleotides on the 5'-side of the DNA nucleotides in the chimera are not essential for site-specific cleavage. This allowed us to design the method such that the same 2'-O-methyl chimera may be used to process any RNA sequence. We have adapted this reaction to the cleavage of NMR-scale quantities of RNA at high yield. RNA is synthesized using T7 RNA polymerase with a 15-nt high-yielding leader sequence at the 5' end, and then this sequence is cleaved off with the RNase H cleavage reaction. The cleaved RNA has 3'-hydroxyl and 5'-phosphate ends, so that the products can be used directly as substrates for ligation by T4 DNA ligase. We show that the cleavage reaction occurs efficiently in solution and on a solid streptavidin/agarose matrix. We report an example in which we are able to improve transcription yield by more than five-fold using this technique in the synthesis of a 15N isotopically labeled hairpin found in the Crithidia fasciculata spliced leader RNA. We are able to obtain a 0.5-mM NMR sample from this inherently poorly transcribing sequence, while minimizing the amount of isotopically labeled rNTPs used to produce it. The NMR spectroscopic results are consistent with the predicted RNA secondary structure.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Interaction of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Tat-derived peptides with TAR RNA.

Basic peptides from the carboxy terminus of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Tat protein bind to the stem-loop region of TAR RNA, spanning a trinucleotide bulge, with high affinity and moderate specificity. Previous studies have demonstrated that TAR RNA contains a specific arginine binding pocket. A series of 24 amino acid Tat-derived peptides with one or two arginines has been evaluated as possible structural models of the wild-type peptide in its interaction with TAR RNA, using gel electrophoretic methods and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Dissociation rate measurements indicate that these peptides form complexes with TAR RNA that are significantly less stable kinetically than the wild-type complex. Through a combination of dissociation and association rate measurements, we estimate that wild-type Tat peptide and TAR RNA interact with a Kd of about 16 pM. Together with competition experiments, these results confirm that band shift gel titration methods significantly underestimate absolute peptide-RNA binding affinities in the subnanomolar range. Through competition experiments with bulge mutants of TAR RNA, we demonstrate that peptides that form longer lived complexes with wild-type TAR RNA also show greater discrimination over TAR RNA bulge mutants. Difference CD spectra show that the Tat-derived peptides do not induce the same changes in TAR RNA as the wild-type peptide. The difference CD spectrum of argininamide bound to TAR RNA is most similar to that of the wild-type peptide-TAR RNA complex, implying that the differences in CD spectra upon complex formation are mostly due to changes in TAR RNA conformation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Bent helix formation between RNA hairpins with complementary loops.

The initial interaction between the ColE1 plasmid specific transcripts RNA I and RNA II, which function as antisense regulators of plasmid replication, comprises a transient complex between complementary loops found within the RNA secondary structures. Multidimensional heteronuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to characterize complexes formed between model RNA hairpins having seven nucleotide complementary loops. Seven base pairs are formed in the loop-loop helix, with continuous helical stacking of the loop residues on the 3' side of their helical stems. A sharp bend in the loop-loop helix, documented by gel electrophoresis, narrows the major groove and allows bridging of the phosphodiester backbones across the major groove in order to close the hairpin loops at their 5'-ends. The bend is further enhanced by the binding of Rom, a ColE1 encoded protein that regulates replication.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1995

Determinants of RNA hairpin loop-loop complex stability.

Complexes formed by RNA hairpin loops with complementary loop sequences derived from Escherichia coli RNA I and RNA II, which are involved in the control of DNA replication of plasmid ColE1, have been analyzed to determine the sequence and structural elements required to achieve full affinity. Of particular interest is the origin of the enhanced stability of the complex formed by hairpin loops whose loop sequences have been inverted 5' to 3' with respect to wild-type sequences. Full complementarity of the two interacting loops is required to achieve full or enhanced affinity, while the stems of the two hairpins can differ. The major determinant of enhanced affinity lies in the base-pairs formed at positions 1 and 7 of the loops, together with the two base-pairs of each stem which are closest to the loop. Sequence variation in the middle of the loops, or further down the stem away from the loops, exerts only a modest influence on complex stability. We incorporate these results into a model for the loop-loop interaction which accounts for the importance of positions one and seven and the first two nucleotides of the stem, while providing potentially unique structures for recognition by the RNA one modulator protein.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

NMR of enzymatically synthesized uniformly 13C15N-labeled DNA oligonucleotides.

A procedure for the enzymatic synthesis of uniformly 13C15N-labeled DNA oligonucleotides in milligram quantities for NMR studies is described. Deoxynucleotides obtained from microorganisms grown on 13C and 15N nutrient sources are enzymatically phosphorylated to dNTPs, and the dNTPs are incorporated into oligonucleotides using a 3'-5' exonuclease-deficient mutant of Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I and an oligonucleotide template primer designed for efficient separation of labeled product DNA from unlabeled template. The labeling strategy has been used to uniformly label one or the other oligonucleotide strand in the DNA duplex dGGCAAAACGG.dCCGTTTTGCC in order to facilitate assignment and structure determination by NMR. Application of 15N and 13C heteronuclear NMR experiments to isotopically labeled DNA is presented.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Sequential correlation of anomeric ribose protons and intervening phosphorus in RNA oligonucleotides by a 1H, 13C, 31P triple resonance experiment: HCP-CCH-TOCSY.

A three-dimensional 1H, 13C, 31P triple resonance experiment, HCP-CCH-TOCSY, is presented which provides unambiguous through-bond correlation of all 1H ribose protons on the 5' and 3' sides of the intervening phosphorus along the backbone bonding network in 13C-labeled RNA oligonucleotides. The correlation of the complete ribose spin system to the intervening phosphorus is obtained by adding a C,C-TOCSY coherence transfer step to the triple resonance HCP experiment. The C,C-TOCSY transfer step, which utilizes the large and relatively uniform 1J(C,C) coupling constant (approximately 40 Hz for ribose carbons), efficiently correlates the phosphorus-coupled carbons observed in the HCP correlation experiment (i.e., C4' and C5' in the 5' direction and C4' and C3' in the 3' direction) to all other carbons in the ribose spin system. Of the additional correlations observed in the HCP-CCH-TOCSY, that to the relatively well-resolved anomeric H1',C1' resonance pairs provides the greatest gain in terms of facilitating assignment. The gain in spectral resolution afforded by chemical shift labeling with the anomeric resonances should provide a more robust pathway for sequential assignment over the intervening phosphorus in larger RNA oligonucleotides. The HCP-CCH-TOCSY experiment is demonstrated on a uniformly 13C, 15N-labeled 19-nucleotide RNA stem-loop, derived from the antisense RNA I molecule found in the ColE1 plasmid replication control system.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

In vivo structural analysis of spliced leader RNAs in Trypanosoma brucei and Leptomonas collosoma: a flexible structure that is independent of cap4 methylations.

The formation of the mRNA 5' end in trypanosomatid protozoa is carried out by trans-splicing, which transfers a spliced leader (SL) sequence and its hypermethylated cap (cap4) from the SL RNA to the pre-mRNA. Previous in vitro studies with synthetic uncapped RNAs have shown that the SL sequence of Leptomonas collosoma can assume two alternate conformations, Form 1 and Form 2, with Form 1 being the dominant one. To gain information about the structure of the SL RNA in vivo, in its protein-rich environment, we have used permeable Trypanosoma brucei and L. collosoma cells for chemical modification experiments. We introduce the use in vivo of the water-soluble reagents CMCT and kethoxal. In contrast to the in vitro results, the Form 2 secondary structure predominates. However, there are chemically accessible regions that suggest conformational flexibility in SL RNPs and a chemically inaccessible region suggestive of protection by protein or involvement in tertiary interactions. Using complementary 2'-O-methyl RNA oligonucleotides, we show that T. brucei SL RNA can be induced to switch conformation in vivo. SL RNA stripped of proteins and probed in vitro does not display the same Form 2 bias, indicating that SL RNA structure is determined, at least in part, by its RNP context. Finally, the methyl groups of the cap4 do not seem to affect the secondary structure of T. brucei SL RNA, as shown by chemical modification of undermethylated SL RNA probed in vivo.

Aldehydes↗
PubMed1994

Sequence elements responsible for DNA curvature.

Intrinsic DNA bending or curvature is a phenomenon that has been shown to play an important role in a variety of DNA transactions. Large curvature occurs when short homopolymeric (dA.dT)4-6 runs (A-tracts) are repeated in phase with the helical screw. We have used electrophoretic mobility modulation to examine how bending depends on the nature of the 5 bp DNA sequence between the A tracts in molecules of the form (A5-6N5)n. We show that A-tract-induced DNA curvature can indeed be affected by other sequence elements, although by only about +/- 10%. The small observed curvature modulation implies that the overall helix axis deflection contributed by 5-bp B-DNA segments between A-tracts varies little from one sequence to another. This result validates, to first order, the assumption that DNA curvature results from inserting A-tracts at integral turn phasing into generic B-DNA. Therefore, if, as has been proposed, A-tracts have zero roll between the base-pairs and all curvature results from positive roll in the B-DNA segments, then this must be a general property of approximately 5 bp B-DNA sequences, not just special cases. This interpretation would require that the canonical structure of B-DNA be revised to include systematic roll between the base-pairs of about 6 degrees. Alternatively, the data are also consistent with zero average roll in the B-DNA sequences, and wedge angles dominated by negative roll in the A-tracts, or with an appropriate mixture of the two models. It is not possible to resolve this ambiguity using comparative electrophoresis or existing structural data. We show that published wedge angle parameters successfully predict the measured direction and, with appropriate rescaling, the magnitude of curvature due to a non-A-tract sequence containing the protein-free lac operator CAP protein binding site.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Inhibition of topoisomerase I by anthracycline antibiotics: evidence for general inhibition of topoisomerase I by DNA-binding agents.

Inhibition of eukaryotic topoisomerase I by daunomycin and structurally modified daunomycin analogues is demonstrated. These studies suggest that binding of the drug to DNA, at low ratios of drug to base pairs of DNA, is sufficient for inhibition that is nonspecific, i.e., inhibition that does not involve the trapping of covalent DNA-topoisomerase I cleavable complexes. Inhibition of numerous DNA-processing enzymes by DNA-binding agents is also implicated.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic↗