PARP-catalysed ADP-ribosylation (ADPr) is important in regulating various cellular pathways. Until recently, PARP-dependent mono-ADP-ribosylation has been poorly understood due to the lack of sensitive detection methods. Here, we utilised an improved antibody to detect mono-ADP-ribosylation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPARP14 is a mono-ADP-ribosyl transferase involved in the control of immunity, transcription, and DNA replication stress management. However, little is known about the ADP-ribosylation activity of PARP14, including its substrate specificity or how PARP14-dependent ADP-ribosylation is reversed. We show that PARP14 is a dual-function enzyme with both ADP-ribosyl transferase and hydrolase activity acting on both protein and nucleic acid substrates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe eukaryotic replisome, organized around the Cdc45-MCM-GINS (CMG) helicase, orchestrates chromosome replication. Multiple factors associate directly with CMG, including Ctf4 and the heterotrimeric fork protection complex (Csm3/Tof1 and Mrc1), which has important roles including aiding normal replication rates and stabilizing stalled forks. How these proteins interface with CMG to execute these functions is poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProg Biophys Mol Biol
October 2019
ATM, ATR and DNA-PKCs are key effectors of DNA Damage response and have been extensively linked to tumourigenesis and survival of cancer cells after radio/chemotherapy. Despite numerous efforts, the structures of these proteins remained elusive until very recently. The resolution revolution in Cryo-EM allowed for molecular details of these proteins to be seen for the first time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated) is a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related protein kinase (PIKK) best known for its role in DNA damage response. ATM also functions in oxidative stress response, insulin signaling, and neurogenesis. Our electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) suggests that human ATM is in a dynamic equilibrium between closed and open dimers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe target of rapamycin (Tor) is a Ser/Thr protein kinase that regulates a range of anabolic and catabolic processes. Tor is present in two complexes, TORC1 and TORC2, in which the Tor-Lst8 heterodimer forms a common sub-complex. We have determined the cryo-electron microscopy (EM) structure of Tor bound to Lst8.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe recent structure of a truncated mTOR in a complex with mLST8 has provided a basic framework for understanding all of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-related kinases (PIKKs): mTOR, ATM, ATR, SMG-1, TRRAP and DNA-PK. The PIKK kinase domain is encircled by the FAT domain, a helical solenoid that is present in all PIKKs. PIKKs also have an extensive helical solenoid N-terminal to the FAT domain for which there is limited structural information.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) related protein kinases (PIKKs) are a family of protein kinases with a diverse range of vital cellular functions. Recent high-resolution crystal structures of the protein kinase mTOR suggest general architectural principles that are likely to be common to all of the PIKKs. Furthermore, the structures make clear the close relationship of the PIKKs to the PI3Ks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeries of novel peptide-bridged phenanthridine-nucleobase conjugates were prepared by solid phase peptide synthesis, which allowed easy and fast tuning of structure properties. Compounds were fully characterized in aqueous medium, pointing out to intramolecularly stacked structures. The stacked phenanthridine-thymine-phenanthridine system revealed characteristic excimeric fluorescence band and very specific CD spectrum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTwo novel guanidiniocarbonyl pyrrole-pyrene conjugates 3 and 4 as spectroscopic probes for ds-polynucleotides were synthesized and their interaction with different ds-DNAs/RNAs studied. Compared to a previously reported first set of conjugates (1 and 2) the significant extension and increased rigidity of the central part of the structure resulted in a switch of DNA binding mode from intercalative (previously studied derivatives 1 and 2 with a nonbinding and flexible linker) to minor groove binding of the two novel guanidiniocarbonyl-pyrrole-pyrene conjugates 3 and 4. These two compounds interact strongly with ds-DNAs, but only weakly with ds-RNA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeries of novel peptide-bridged bis-phenanthridine derivatives as well as corresponding monomers were prepared by solid phase peptide synthesis, which allowed easy and fast tuning of compound properties. Interactions of new derivatives with double stranded DNA were strongly structure-dependent, among which the most interesting is bis-phenanthridine derivative forming intramolecular excimer, with specific fluorescence band sensitive to the pH as well as on the interactions with ds-DNA. Moreover, at variance to commonly high cytotoxic effects of phenanthridine derivatives, here studied monomeric as well as bis-phenanthridine derivatives exhibited negligible antiproliferative activity on a panel of human cell lines, which makes them promising lead compounds for development of new spectrophotometric markers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe present a systematic study of different guanidiniocarbonylpyrrole-aryl derivatives designed to interact with DNA or RNA both through intercalation of an aromatic moiety into the base stack of the nucleotide and through groove binding of a guanidiniocarbonylpyrrole cation. We varied 1) the size of the aromatic ring (benzene, naphthalene, pyrene and acridine), 2) the length and flexibility of the linker connecting the two binding groups, and 3) the total number of positive charges present at different pH values. The compounds and their interactions with DNA and RNA were studied by UV/Vis, fluorescence and CD spectroscopy.
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