DNA strand breaks and gaps target retroviral intasome binding and integration.

Retrovirus integration into a host genome is essential for productive infections. The integration strand transfer reaction is catalyzed by a nucleoprotein complex (Intasome) containing the viral integrase (IN) and the reverse transcribed (RT) copy DNA (cDNA). Previous studies suggested that DNA target-site recognition limits intasome integration.

microRNAs in action: biogenesis, function and regulation.

Ever since microRNAs (miRNAs) were first recognized as an extensive gene family >20 years ago, a broad community of researchers was drawn to investigate the universe of small regulatory RNAs. Although core features of miRNA biogenesis and function were revealed early on, recent years continue to uncover fundamental information on the structural and molecular dynamics of core miRNA machinery, how miRNA substrates and targets are selected from the transcriptome, new avenues for multilevel regulation of miRNA biogenesis and mechanisms for miRNA turnover. Many of these latest insights were enabled by recent technological advances, including massively parallel assays, cryogenic electron microscopy, single-molecule imaging and CRISPR-Cas9 screening.

Retroviral prototype foamy virus intasome binding to a nucleosome target does not determine integration efficiency.

Retroviral integrases must navigate host DNA packaged as chromatin during integration of the viral genome. Prototype foamy virus (PFV) integrase (IN) forms a tetramer bound to two viral DNA (vDNA) ends in a complex termed an intasome. PFV IN consists of four domains: the amino terminal extension domain (NED), amino terminal domain (NTD), catalytic core domain (CCD), and carboxyl terminal domain (CTD).

Expression and Purification of Nuclease-Free Oxygen Scavenger Protocatechuate 3,4-Dioxygenase.

Single molecule (SM) microscopy is used in the study of dynamic molecular interactions of fluorophore labeled biomolecules in real time. However, fluorophores are prone to loss of signal via photobleaching by dissolved oxygen (O2). To prevent photobleaching and extend the fluorophore lifetime, oxygen scavenging systems (OSS) are employed to reduce O2.

Prototype foamy virus intasome aggregation is mediated by outer protein domains and prevented by protocatechuic acid.

The integrase (IN) enzyme of retrovirus prototype foamy virus (PFV) consists of four domains: amino terminal extension (NED), amino terminus (NTD), catalytic core (CCD), and carboxyl terminus domains (CTD). A tetramer of PFV IN with two viral DNA ends forms the functional intasome. Two inner monomers are catalytically active while the CCDs of the two outer monomers appear to play only structural roles.

Expression and purification of nuclease-free protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase for prolonged single-molecule fluorescence imaging.

Single-molecule (SM) microscopy is a powerful tool capable of visualizing individual molecules and events in real time. SM imaging may rely on proteins or nucleic acids labelled with a fluorophore. Unfortunately photobleaching of fluorophores leads to irreversible loss of signal, impacting the collection of data from SM experiments.

Dynamic unwrapping of nucleosomes by HsRAD51 that includes sliding and rotational motion of histone octamers.

Wrapping of genomic DNA into nucleosomes poses thermodynamic and kinetic barriers to biological processes such as replication, transcription, repair and recombination. Previous biochemical studies have demonstrated that in the presence of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) the human RAD51 (HsRAD51) recombinase can form a nucleoprotein filament (NPF) on double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) that is capable of unwrapping the nucleosomal DNA from the histone octamer (HO). Here, we have used single molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET) to examine the real time nucleosome dynamics in the presence of the HsRAD51 NPF.

Activation-induced deoxycytidine deaminase (AID) co-transcriptional scanning at single-molecule resolution.

Activation-induced deoxycytidine deaminase (AID) generates antibody diversity in B cells by initiating somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class-switch recombination (CSR) during transcription of immunoglobulin variable (IgV) and switch region (IgS) DNA. Using single-molecule FRET, we show that AID binds to transcribed dsDNA and translocates unidirectionally in concert with RNA polymerase (RNAP) on moving transcription bubbles, while increasing the fraction of stalled bubbles. AID scans randomly when constrained in an 8 nt model bubble.

Single-stranded DNA scanning and deamination by APOBEC3G cytidine deaminase at single molecule resolution.

APOBEC3G (Apo3G) is a single-stranded (ss)DNA cytosine deaminase that eliminates HIV-1 infectivity by converting C → U in numerous small target motifs on the minus viral cDNA. Apo3G deaminates linear ssDNA in vitro with pronounced spatial asymmetry favoring the 3' → 5' direction. A similar polarity observed in vivo is believed responsible for initiating localized C → T mutational gradients that inactivate the virus.