Sequencing Depth Has a Stronger Effect than DNA Extraction on Soil Bacterial Richness Discovery.

Although Next-Generation Sequencing techniques have increased our access to the soil microbiome, each step of soil metagenomics presents inherent biases that prevent the accurate definition of the soil microbiome and its ecosystem function. In this study, we compared the effects of DNA extraction and sequencing depth on bacterial richness discovery from two soil samples. Four DNA extraction methods were used, and sequencing duplicates were generated for each DNA sample.

Deciphering aromatic oligoamide foldamer-DNA interactions.

Finest selection: Side-chain selective, end-group selective, diastereoselective, and RNA- vs. DNA-selective interactions have been revealed between multiturn helical aromatic amide foldamers having cationic side chains and G-quadruplex aptamers.

Nucleic acids targeted to drugs: SELEX against a quadruplex ligand.

A number of small molecules demonstrate selective recognition of G-quadruplexes and are able to stabilize their formation. In this work, we performed the synthesis of two biotin-tagged G4 ligands and analyzed their interactions with DNA by two complementary techniques, FRET and FID. The compound that exhibited the best characteristics (a biotin pyridocarboxamide derivative with high stabilization of an intramolecular quadruplex and excellent duplex-quadruplex specificity) was used as bait for in vitro selection (SELEX).

DNA binding specificity and cleavage activity of Pacmmar transposase.

Mariner-like elements (MLEs) are members of the Tc1/mariner superfamily of transposable elements which transpose by a "cut and paste" mechanism. Most of the MLEs characterized to date are transpositionally inactive due to the accumulation of mutations in their transposase gene. Here, we report the biochemical study of two copies of the Pacmmar element (Pacmmar1.

Molecular characterization and phylogenetic position of a new mariner-like element in the coastal crab, Pachygrapsus marmoratus.

Mariner-like elements (MLEs) are class-II transposable elements that move within the genome of their hosts by means of a DNA-mediated "cut and paste" mechanism. MLEs have been identified in several organisms, from most of the phyla. Nevertheless, only a few of the sequences characterized contain an intact open reading frame.