Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “replication”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,063 records · Page 59Linked to original sources

DNA polymerase alpha from HeLa cells synthesizes DNA with high fidelity in a reconstituted replication system.

To determine the contribution that DNA polymerase alpha makes to the overall DNA replication fidelity in mammalian systems, we measured the fidelity of replication of the SV40-based shuttle vector, pZ189, in a reconstituted in vitro DNA replication system which contained purified HeLa DNA polymerase alpha (in addition to single-stranded DNA binding protein, topoisomerase II, DNA ligase, 5'----3' exonuclease, ribonuclease H, and SV40 T-antigen). We found that DNA polymerase alpha is highly accurate when carrying out bidirectional replication in this system. This high fidelity of replication by DNA polymerase alpha in the reconstituted replication system contrasts with a relatively low fidelity of gap-filling DNA synthesis on the same target gene by purified HeLa cell DNA polymerase alpha in the absence of other replication factors. The fidelity of DNA replication by DNA polymerase alpha, although relatively high in the reconstituted system, is about 4-fold lower than DNA replication in a crude HeLa cell extract which contains additional replication factors including DNA polymerase delta. These results demonstrate that DNA polymerase alpha has the capacity to replicate DNA with high fidelity when carrying out semiconservative DNA replication in a minimal reconstituted replication system, but additional cellular factors not present in the reconstituted system may contribute to the higher replication fidelity of the crude system.

Cell-Free System↗

Replication of each copy of the yeast 2 micron DNA plasmid occurs during the S phase.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains 50-100 copies per cell of a circular plasmid called 2 micron DNA. Replication of this DNA was studied in two ways. The distribution of replication events among 2 micron DNA molecules was examined by density transfer experiments with asynchronous cultures. The data show that 2 micron DNA replication is similar to chromosomal DNA replication: essentially all 2 micron duplexes were of hybrid density at one cell doubling after the density transfer, with the majority having one fully dense strand and one fully light strand. The results show that replication of 2 micron DNA occurs by a semiconservative mechanism where each of the plasmid molecules replicates once each cell cycle. 2 micron DNA is the only known example of a multiple-copy, extrachromosomal DNA in which every molecule replicates in each cell cycle. Quantitative analysis of the data indicates that 2 micron DNA replication is limited to a fraction of the cell cycle. The period in the cell cycle when 2 micron DNA replicates was examined directly with synchronous cell cultures. Synchronization was accomplished by sequentially arresting cells in G1 phase using the yeast pheromone alpha-factor and incubating at the restrictive temperature for a cell cycle (cdc 7) mutant. Replication was monitored by adding 3H-uracil to cells previously labeled with 14C-uracil, and determining the 3H/14C ratio for purified DNA species. 2 micron DNA replication did not occur during the G1 arrest periods. However, the population of 2 micron DNA doubled during the synchronous S phase at the permissive temperature, with most of the replication occurring in the first third of S phase. Our results indicate that a mechanism exists which insures that the origin of replication of each 2 micron DNA molecule is activated each S phase. As with chromosomal DNA, further activation is prevented until the next cell cycle. We propose that the mechanism which controls the replication initiation of each 2 micron DNA molecule is identical to that which controls the initiation of chromosomal DNA.

Cell Cycle↗

A tale of two HSV-1 helicases: roles of phage and animal virus helicases in DNA replication and recombination.

Helicases play essential roles in many important biological processes such as DNA replication, repair, recombination, transcription, splicing, and translation. Many bacteriophages and plant and animal viruses encode one or more helicases, and these enzymes have been shown to play many roles in their respective viral life cycles. In this review we concentrate primarily on the roles of helicases in DNA replication and recombination with special emphasis on the bacteriophages T4, T7, and A as model systems. We explore comparisons between these model systems and the herpesviruses--primarily herpes simplex virus. Bacteriophage utilize various pathways of recombination-dependent DNA replication during the replication of their genomes. In fact the study of recombination in the phage systems has greatly enhanced our understanding of the importance of recombination in the replication strategies of bacteria, yeast, and higher eukaryotes. The ability to "restart" the replication process after a replication fork has stalled or has become disrupted for other reasons is a critical feature in the replication of all organisms studied. Phage helicases and other recombination proteins play critical roles in the "restart" process. Parallels between DNA replication and recombination in phage and in the herpesviruses is explored. We and others have proposed that recombination plays an important role in the life cycle of the herpesviruses, and in this review, we discuss models for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) DNA replication. HSV-1 encodes two helicases. UL9 binds specifically to the origins of replication and is believed to initiate HSV DNA replication by unwinding at the origin; the heterotrimeric helicase-primase complex, encoded by UL5, UL8, and UL52 genes, is believed to unwind duplex viral DNA at replication forks. Structure-function analyses of UL9 and the helicase-primase are discussed with attention to the roles these proteins might play during HSV replication.

Animals↗

Replication of UV-irradiated DNA in human cell extracts: evidence for mutagenic bypass of pyrimidine dimers.

We have examined the efficiency and fidelity of simian virus 40-origin-dependent replication of UV-irradiated double-stranded DNA in extracts of human cells. Using as a mutational target the alpha-complementation domain of the Escherichia coli lacZ gene in bacteriophage M13mp2 DNA, replication of undamaged DNA in HeLa cell extracts was highly accurate, whereas replication of DNA irradiated with UV light (280-320 nm) was both less efficient and less accurate. Replication was inhibited by irradiation in a dose-dependent manner. Nonetheless, covalently closed, monomer-length circular products were generated that were resistant to digestion by Dpn I, showing that they resulted from semiconservative replication. These products were incised by T4 endonuclease V, whereas the undamaged replication products were not, suggesting that pyrimidine dimers were bypassed during replication. When replicated, UV-irradiated DNA was used to transfect an E. coli alpha-complementation host strain to score mutant M13mp2 plaques, the mutant plaque frequency was substantially higher than that obtained with either unirradiated, replicated DNA, or unreplicated, UV-irradiated DNA. Both the increased mutagenicity and the inhibition of replication associated with UV irradiation were reversed by treatment of the irradiated DNA with photolyase before replication. Sequence analysis of mutants resulting from replication of UV-irradiated DNA demonstrated that most mutants contained C-->T transition errors at dipyrimidine sites. A few mutants contained 1-nt frameshift errors or tandem double CC-->TT substitutions. The data are consistent with the interpretation that pyrimidine dimers are bypassed during replication by the multiprotein replication apparatus in human cell extracts and that this bypass is mutagenic primarily via misincorporation of dAMP opposite a cytosine (or uracil) in the dimer.

DNA↗

Recombination-dependent DNA replication stimulated by double-strand breaks in bacteriophage T4.

We analyzed the mechanism of recombination-dependent DNA replication in bacteriophage T4-infected Escherichia coli using plasmids that have sequence homology to the infecting phage chromosome. Consistent with prior studies, a pBR322 plasmid, initially resident in the infected host cell, does not replicate following infection by T4. However, the resident plasmid can be induced to replicate when an integrated copy of pBR322 vector is present in the phage chromosome. As expected for recombination-dependent DNA replication, the induced replication of pBR322 required the phage-encoded UvsY protein. Therefore, recombination-dependent plasmid replication requires homology between the plasmid and phage genomes but does not depend on the presence of any particular T4 DNA sequence on the test plasmid. We next asked whether T4 recombination-dependent DNA replication can be triggered by a double-strand break (dsb). For these experiments, we generated a novel phage strain that cleaves its own genome within the nonessential frd gene by means of the I-TevI endonuclease (encoded within the intron of the wild-type td gene). The dsb within the phage chromosome substantially increased the replication of plasmids that carry T4 inserts homologous to the region of the dsb (the plasmids are not themselves cleaved by the endonuclease). The dsb stimulated replication when the plasmid was homologous to either or both sides of the break but did not stimulate the replication of plasmids with homology to distant regions of the phage chromosome. As expected for recombination-dependent replication, plasmid replication triggered by dsbs was dependent on T4-encoded recombination proteins. These results confirm two important predictions of the model for T4-encoded recombination-dependent DNA replication proposed by Gisela Mosig (p. 120-130, in C. K. Mathews, E. M. Kutter, G. Mosig, and P. B. Berget (ed.), Bacteriophage T4, 1983). In addition, replication stimulated by dsbs provides a site-specific version of the process, which should be very useful for mechanistic studies.

Bacteriophage T4↗

Identification of a ribonucleoprotein intermediate of tomato mosaic virus RNA replication complex formation.

The replication of eukaryotic positive-strand RNA virus genomes occurs in the membrane-bound RNA replication complexes. Previously, we found that the extract of evacuolated tobacco BY-2 protoplasts (BYL) is capable of supporting the translation and subsequent replication of the genomic RNAs of plant positive-strand RNA viruses, including Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV). Here, to dissect the process that precedes the formation of ToMV RNA replication complexes, we prepared membrane-depleted BYL (mdBYL), in which the membranes were removed by centrifugation. In mdBYL, ToMV RNA was translated to produce the 130-kDa and 180-kDa replication proteins, but the synthesis of any ToMV-related RNAs did not occur. When BYL membranes were added back to the ToMV RNA-translated mdBYL after the termination of translation with puromycin, ToMV RNA was replicated. Using a replication-competent ToMV derivative that encodes the FLAG-tagged 180-kDa replication protein, it was shown by affinity purification that a complex that contained the 130-kDa and 180-kDa proteins and ToMV genomic RNA was formed after translation in mdBYL. When the complex was mixed with BYL membranes, ToMV RNA was replicated, which suggests that this ribonucleoprotein complex is an intermediate of ToMV RNA replication complex formation. We have named this ribonucleoprotein complex the "pre-membrane-targeting complex." Our data suggest that the formation of the pre-membrane-targeting complex is coupled with the translation of ToMV RNA, while posttranslationally added exogenous 180-kDa protein and replication templates can contribute to replication and can be replicated, respectively. Based on these results, we discuss the mechanisms of ToMV RNA replication complex formation.

Genome, Viral↗

Polyomavirus DNA replication in the pancreas and in a transformed pancreas cell line has distinct enhancer requirements.

The regulatory DNA (enhancer) of polyomavirus (Py) is a major determinant of tissue-specific DNA replication during acute infection of newborn mice. Previously, we reported that the combination of one of the two Py enhancers (A enhancer) and the repeated Moloney murine leukemia virus (Mo-MuLV) enhancer gave a chimeric Py genome (Py-MuLV) that replicates predominantly in the acinar cells of the pancreas, a tissue not permissive for wild-type PyA2 replication (R. Rochford, B. A. Campbell, and L. P. Villareal. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 84:449-453,1987). In this report, we further examine the combined enhancer requirements for acinar cell-specific Py replication. We also compare enhancer requirements for Py replication in the acinar cells of the pancreas with those of a transformed acinar cell line (266-6 cells). The deletion of sequences within the A enhancer of Py-MuLV (nucleotides 5098 to 5132) results in a virus with 10-fold-reduced levels of pancreas-specific replication. The deletion, however, of one of the 72-bp repeated Mo-MuLV enhancer sequences from Py-MuLV results in a complete loss of pancreas-specific DNA replication. Thus, the Py A enhancer is required for efficient replication of Py in the pancreas without otherwise altering organ specificity, but both of the repeated copies of the Mo-MuLV enhancer are essential for pancreas-specific Py replication. In contrast to the enhancer requirements for in vivo pancreas replication, in transformed acinar cells (266-6), PyA2 wild-type replicated efficiently and the Py-MuLV recombinant replicated inefficiently. These data suggest that the cell-specific control of DNA replication is different between normal pancreas cells and their transformed cell line counterparts and that this difference is apparent in the enhancer requirement of cell-specific Py DNA replication.

Animals↗

Transient replication of human papillomavirus DNAs.

Information on papillomavirus DNA replication has primarily derived from studies with bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1). Our knowledge of DNA replication of the human papillomaviruses (HPVs) is quite limited, in part because of the lack of a cell culture system capable of supporting the stable replication of HPV DNA. This study demonstrates that the full-length genomic DNAs of HPV types 11 and 18 (HPV-11 and HPV-18), but not HPV-16, are able to replicate transiently after transfection into several different human squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. This system was used to identify the viral cis and trans elements required for DNA replication. The viral origins of replication were localized to a region of the viral long control region. Like BPV-1, E1 and E2 were the only viral factors required in trans for the replication of plasmids containing the origin. Cotransfection of a plasmid expressing the E1 open reading frame (ORF) from HPV-11 with a plasmid that expresses the E2 ORF from HPV-6, HPV-11, HPV-16, or HPV-18 supported the replication of plasmid DNAs containing the origin regions of HPV-11, HPV-16, or HPV-18, indicating that there are functions shared among the corresponding E1 and E2 proteins and origins of these viruses. Although HPV-16 genomic DNA did not replicate by itself under experimental conditions that supported the replication of HPV-11 and HPV-18 genomic DNAs, expression of the HPV-16 early region functions from a strong heterologous promoter supported the replication of a cotransfected plasmid containing the HPV-16 origin of replication. This finding suggests that the inability of the HPV-16 genomic DNA to replicate transiently in the cell lines tested was most likely due to insufficient expression of the viral E1 and/or E2 genes required for DNA replication.

Base Sequence↗

In vitro replication of adeno-associated virus DNA: enhancement by extracts from adenovirus-infected HeLa cells.

Previously we have described an in vitro assay for the replication of adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) DNA. Addition of the AAV2 nonstructural protein Rep68 to an extract from uninfected cells supports the replication of linear duplex AAV DNA. In this report, we examine replication of linear duplex AAV DNA in extracts from either uninfected or adenovirus (Ad)-infected HeLa cells. The incorporation of radiolabeled nucleotides into full-length linear AAV DNA is 50-fold greater in extracts from Ad-infected cells than in extracts from uninfected cells. In addition, the majority of the labeled full-length AAV DNA molecules synthesized in the Ad-infected extract have two newly replicated strands, whereas the majority of labeled full-length AAV DNA molecules synthesized in the uninfected extract have only one newly replicated strand. The numbers of replication initiations on original templates in the two assays are approximately the same; however, replication in the case of the Ad-infected cell extract is much more likely to result in the synthesis of a full-length AAV DNA molecule. Most of the newly replicated molecules in the assay using uninfected cell extracts are in the form of stem-loop structures. We hypothesize that Ad infection provides a helper function related to elongation during replication by a single-strand displacement mechanism. In the assay using the uninfected HeLa cell extract, replication frequently stalls before reaching the end of the genome, causing the newly synthesized strand to be displaced from the template, with a consequent folding on itself and replication back through the inverted terminal repeat, using itself as a template. In support of this conjecture, replication in the uninfected cell extract of shorter substrate molecules is more efficient, as measured by incorporation of radiolabeled nucleotides into full-length substrate DNA. In addition, when shorter substrate molecules are used as the template in the uninfected HeLa cell assay, a greater proportion of the labeled full-length substrate molecules contain two newly replicated strands. Shorter substrate molecules have no replicative advantage over full-length substrate molecules in the assay using an extract from Ad-infected cells.

Cell Extracts↗

Focus-formation of replication protein A, activation of checkpoint system and DNA repair synthesis induced by DNA double-strand breaks in Xenopus egg extract.

The response to DNA damage was analyzed using a cell-free system consisting of Xenopus egg extract and demembranated sperm nuclei. In the absence of DNA-damaging agents, detergent-resistant accumulation of replication protein A appeared in nuclei after a 30 minute incubation, and a considerable portion of the replication protein A signals disappeared during a further 30 minute incubation. Similar replication protein A accumulation was observed in the nuclei after a 30 minute incubation in the extract containing camptothecin, whereas a further 30 minute incubation generated discrete replication protein A foci. The addition of camptothecin also induced formation of gamma-H2AX foci, which have been previously shown to localize at sites of DSBs. Analysis of the time course of DNA replication and results obtained using geminin, an inhibitor of licensing for DNA replication, suggest that the discrete replication protein A foci formed in response to camptothecin-induced DNA damage occur in a DNA-replication-dependent manner. When the nuclei were incubated in the extract containing EcoRI, discrete replication protein A foci were observed at 30 minutes as well as at 60 and 90 minutes after incubation, and the focus-formation of replication protein A was not sensitive to geminin. DNA replication was almost completely inhibited in the presence of EcoRI and the inhibition was sensitive to caffeine, an inhibitor of ataxia telangiectasia mutated protein (ATM) and ATM- and Rad3-related protein (ATR). However, the focus-formation of replication protein A in the presence of EcoRI was not influenced by caffeine treatment. EcoRI-induced incorporation of biotin-dUTP into chromatin was observed following geminin-mediated inhibition of DNA replication, suggesting that the incorporation was the result of DNA repair. The biotin-dUTP signal co-localized with replication protein A foci and was not significantly suppressed or stimulated by the addition of caffeine.

Animals↗

The strain-specific cis-acting element of beet curly top geminivirus DNA replication maps to the directly repeated motif of the ori.

Strains of beet curly top geminivirus (BCTV) possess distinct cis- and trans-acting replication specificity elements which are not separately interchangeable among strains. Analysis of the replication competency of chimeric BCTV genomes, in which portions of the origin of DNA replication (ori) were derived from heterologous BCTV strains, have permitted identification of an essential cis-acting element governing strain-specific replication in a subgroup II geminivirus. Our studies indicate that the cis-acting element responsible for strain-specific replication properties resides within the directly repeated motif of the BCTV ori. Transient replication assays conducted in leaf disks and complementation experiments conducted in whole plants indicated that the trans-acting replication specificity element, residing within the amino-terminal region of the C1 Rep protein, may recognize and replicate a chimeric BCTV genome containing a heterologous ori so long as all or portions of the core element of the directly repeated motif are derived from the same strain as the Rep protein. As Rep protein binding to the core element of the directly repeated motif has been demonstrated by others to be essential for replication of subgroup III geminiviruses, our results support the hypothesis that replication specificity of subgroup II viruses is governed by processes similar to that of subgroup III viruses. However, a second cis-acting element of the ori, which appears to contribute to subgroup III virus replication specificity, does not seem to be required for replication specificity among the subgroup II viruses examined. Nonetheless, a potential role for a second cis-acting element in the BCTV ori contributing to maximal replication cannot be excluded.

Chromosome Mapping↗

DNA replication specificity and functional E2 interaction of the E1 proteins of human papillomavirus types 1a and 18 are determined by their carboxyl-terminal halves.

Replication of most papillomaviruses (PVs) requires the viral-encoded E1 and E2 proteins that bind to the origin of replication (ori) containing the E1- and E2-binding sites and help recruit host replication factors during the initiation of DNA replication. We studied the ability of heterologous E1 and E2 proteins to interact in vivo and support replication, using the human papillomavirus (HPV) types 1a and 18 as model systems. The E1 protein of HPV-1a in combination with HPV-18 E2 supported high-level replication of various ori plasmids. In contrast, the HPV-18 E1 protein interacted weakly with HPV-1a E2 during the replication of ori plasmids. We have previously shown that the E1 protein of HPV-1a alone is sufficient for replication of HPV-1a ori plasmids, whereas HPV-18 replication requires both the E1 and E2 proteins. However, in the latter case, E2-binding sites alone in the absence of the E1-binding site can function as the minimal ori. Based on the above observations, we generated hybrids between HPV-1a and HPV-18 E1 proteins in an effort to identify their "replication specificity" domains using a transient replication assay. These hybrids were also used to localize the domains in the E1 proteins that are involved in their functional interaction with the E2 protein during replication. Our results suggest that the "replication specificity" and functional E2 interaction domains of the HPV-1a and HPV-18 E1 proteins are located in their carboxyl-terminal halves.

DNA Replication↗

Replication licensing of the EBV oriP minichromosome.

The latent EBV genome may persist in the integrated form as well as the circular episomal form. However, most of the latent viral DNA molecules are known to exist in the circular episomal form, which binds to host chromosomes during mitosis. The DS element of oriP in the circular episomal DNA functions as a replication origin. As it replicates once in a single S phase, it is possible that oriP is regulated by the cellular replication licensing mechanism including the MCM family of replication licensing factors. Transient replication analysis using the oriP plasmid and HeLa/EB1 cells revealed that the DS element requires early G1 phase for the next round of replication, the same cell-cycle window in which the replication licensing of cellular chromatin occurs. After this phase, the sedimentation velocity of the oriP minichromosome increases. MCM2 associates with the oriP minichromosome at late G1 but not at G2/M, and this association requires the DS element in the plasmid. The interaction of EBNA1 and the MCM proteins on the DS element was also suggested. These results suggested that the cellular licensing mechanism controls the replication from oriP. This also suggested a similarity in the replication machinery of the cellular chromatin and the latent EBV genome. In addition to DS-dependent replication, the EBV genome replicates in a manner independent of the DS element in several cultured cell lines. The DS-dependent replication is likely to be suppressed in these cell lines by the expression of other viral proteins. In contrast, EBV-positive Burkitt's lymphoma and circulating EBV-infected B cells express only EBNA1 or both EBNA1 and LMP2. DS-dependent replication may play a major role in these EBNA1-only cells, and the licensing regulation of oriP is important for maintenance of the EBV genome during this latent period of the viral life cycle. EBNA1 is required for efficient nuclear retention and partitioning of oriP-carrying plasmid by its binding to the FR element, thus providing stable persistence of the latent EBV genome during cell division. The copy number of latent EBV DNA molecules in B-cell lines remains fairly constant during multiple passage in culture. However, very little is known about the mechanism by which the viral DNA molecules are equally segregated into daughter cells. To understand the mechanisms responsible for stable nuclear retention and partitioning of the latent viral genome, it is essential to analyze the episomal and integrated viral DNAs at a single-cell level by FISH and other techniques.

Cell Cycle↗

A DNA structure is required for geminivirus replication origin function.

The genome of the geminivirus tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV) consists of two single-stranded circular DNAs, A and B, that replicate through a rolling-circle mechanism in nuclei of infected plant cells. The TGMV origin of replication is located in a conserved 5' intergenic region and includes at least two functional elements: the origin recognition site of the essential viral replication protein, AL1, and a sequence motif with the potential to form a hairpin or cruciform structure. To address the role of the hairpin motif during TGMV replication, we constructed a series of B-component mutants that resolved sequence changes from structural alterations of the motif. Only those mutant B DNAs that retained the capacity to form the hairpin structure replicated to wild-type levels in tobacco protoplasts when the viral replication proteins were provided in trans from a plant expression cassette. In contrast, the same B DNAs replicated to significantly lower levels in transient assays that included replicating, wild-type TGMV A DNA. These data established that the hairpin structure is essential for TGMV replication, whereas its sequence affects the efficiency of replication. We also showed that TGMV AL1 functions as a site-specific endonuclease in vitro and mapped the cleavage site to the loop of the hairpin. In vitro cleavage analysis of two TGMV B mutants with different replication phenotypes indicated that there is a correlation between the two assays for origin activity. These results suggest that the in vivo replication results may reflect structural and sequence requirements for DNA cleavage during initiation of rolling-circle replication.

Base Sequence↗

Mutational analysis of the replication signals in the 3'-nontranslated region of citrus tristeza virus.

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV), a member of the Closteroviridae, has a 19.3-kb messenger-sense RNA genome consisting of 12 open reading frames with nontranslated regions (NTR) at the 5' and 3' termini. The 273 nucleotide (nt) 3'-NTR is highly conserved ( approximately 95%) among the sequenced CTV isolates in contrast to the highly diverse 5'-NTR sequences. The 3' replication signals were mapped to the 3' 234 nts within the NTR. This region of CTV does not contain a poly-A tract nor does it appear to fold as a tRNA-mimic. Instead, a computer-predicted thermodynamically stable secondary structure comprised of 10 stem-and-loop (SL) structures, referred to as SL1 to SL10 (5' to 3'), was common to all CTV isolates. This putative structure was used as a guide to examine the 3' requirements for replication in vivo. The resulting data suggest that a complex 3' structure is required for those functions that provide for efficient replication of CTV in vivo such as minus-strand initiation, regulation of strand asymmetry, effective translation of the myriad of viral mRNAs, or stability of RNAs. Deletions into the 3'-NTR, up to 66 nts from the 5' direction and 11 nts from the 3' direction, deleting or disrupting putative SL1, SL2 and SL3, or SL10, resulted in continued replication, suggesting that these sequences are not essential for basal-level replication, but are required for efficient replication. Predicted stem loops 3 through 10 were examined by mutations designed to alter the primary structures while preserving the secondary structures. Mutations designed to disrupt the predicted stems of SL3, SL5, SL7, SL9, or SL10 resulted in substantially reduced levels of replication, while compensatory mutations resulted in partial restorations of replication, suggesting that these predicted secondary structures are involved in replication. Also, the putative loop sequences of SL5, SL6, SL7, and SL9 tolerated mutagenesis with continued but reduced levels of replication. In contrast, all mutations introduced into putative SL4, SL8, and the stem of SL6 prevented replication, suggesting that the primary structure of these regions make up the core of the 3' replication signal. The 3' triplet, CCA, was shown to be necessary for efficient replication, but deletion of eleven nts to expose an internal CCA resulted in continued replication.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

Replication in restenotic atherectomy tissue.

Previously, we demonstrated that replication in restenotic coronary atherectomy specimens was an infrequent and modest event. In general, this data was interpreted with caution, as immunocytochemistry for the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was used to subjectively assess proliferation and most of the tissue specimens were resected more than 3 months after the initial interventional procedure. The purpose of the present study was to use a more sensitive method of detecting replication, in situ hybridization for histone 3 (H3) mRNA, to determine the replication profile of human directional atherectomy specimens. Restenotic directional coronary atherectomy specimens from lesions that had undergone an interventional procedure within the preceding 3 months were studied. In addition, larger atherectomy specimens from peripheral arterial lesions were assessed to ensure that pockets of replication were not being overlooked in the smaller coronary specimens. We found evidence for replication in tissue resected from 2/17 coronary and 9/12 peripheral artery restenotic lesions. In contrast, 3/11 specimens resected from primary lesions of peripheral arteries also expressed H3 mRNA. We estimated that the maximum percentage of cells that were replicating in restenotic coronary, restenotic peripheral and primary peripheral artery tissue slides to be <0.5, < or =1.2 and <0.01%, respectively. Replication was found in tissue specimens resected both early and late after a previous interventional procedure. For specimens with >15 replicating cells per slide we found high levels of focal replication. Therefore, cell replication, as assessed by the expression of H3 mRNA, was infrequent in restenotic coronary artery specimens, whereas peripheral restenotic lesions had more frequent and higher levels of replication regardless of the interval from the previous interventional procedure. For all specimens the percentage of cells that were replicating was low, however focal areas with relatively high replication indices were presented. Although replication was more abundant in restenotic lesions it does not appear to be a dominant event in the pathophysiology of restenosis.

Adult↗

In vitro replication of plasmids containing human c-myc DNA.

A chromosomal replication initiation zone was previously mapped in cell cultures to the 5' flanking DNA of the human c-myc gene. We have used an in vitro system to examine the replication of a plasmid, pNeo.Myc-2.4, containing 2.4 kb of the c-myc initiation zone. In vitro, pNeo.Myc-2.4 generated high levels of DpnI-resistant DNA above background incorporation into control plasmids. pNeo.Myc-2.4 replicated semiconservatively to produce supercoiled and relaxed plasmid monomers, and replicative intermediates. [32P]dCMP incorporated into pNeo.Myc-2.4 appeared in Okazaki fragments and low molecular weight strands which matured to full length plasmid DNA, whereas [32P]dCMP incorporated into control plasmids appeared as continuous smears on denaturing gels. Other assays also distinguished the processive replication of pNeo.Myc-2.4 from the dispersive labeling of control plasmids. A pNeo.Myc-2.4 replication time course showed a clear preference for initiation within a restriction fragment containing the c-myc DNA. Two-dimensional electrophoresis revealed that a restriction fragment bearing the c-myc origin zone generated an arc characteristic of replicative intermediates containing a central replication bubble, while vector fragments in the plasmid generated arcs of forked intermediates. Replication bubbles visualized by electron microscopy were centered within the replication initiation zone, approximately 1.4 kb upstream of c-myc promoter P1. Okazaki fragments radiolabeled during in vitro replication showed a switch in the asymmetry of template preference within the initiation zone identified by electron microscopy, two-dimensional electrophoresis and early labeling. These data show that bidirectional, semiconservative replication can originate preferentially in vitro in the 5' flanking DNA of the c-myc gene, and that replicative intermediates present at low levels can be distinguished from molecules generated by competing, repair-type processes.

Cell-Free System↗

DNA elements modulating the KARS12 chromosomal replicator in Kluyveromyces lactis.

Eukaryotic chromosomal DNA replication is initiated by a highly conserved set of proteins that interact with cis-acting elements on chromosomes called replicators. Despite the conservation of replication initiation proteins, replicator sequences show little similarity from species to species in the small number of organisms that have been examined. Examination of replicators in other species is likely to reveal common features of replicators. We have examined a Kluyeromyces lactis replicator, KARS12, that functions as origin of DNA replication on plasmids and in the chromosome. It contains a 50-bp region with similarity to two other K. lactis replicators, KARS101 and the pKD1 replication origin. Replacement of the 50-bp sequence with an EcoRI site completely abrogated the ability of KARS12 to support plasmid and chromosomal DNA replication origin activity, demonstrating this sequence is a common feature of K. lactis replicators and is essential for function, possibly as the initiator protein binding site. Additional sequences up to 1 kb in length are required for efficient KARS12 function. Within these sequences are a binding site for a global regulator, Abf1p, and a region of bent DNA, both of which contribute to the activity of KARS12. These elements may facilitate protein binding, protein/protein interaction and/or nucleosome positioning as has been proposed for other eukaryotic origins of DNA replication.

Base Sequence↗