Dense packaging of genomic DNA is crucial for organismal survival, as DNA length always far exceeds the dimensions of the cells that contain it. Organisms, therefore, use sophisticated machineries to package their genomes. These systems range across kingdoms from a single ultra-powerful rotary motor that spools the DNA into a bacteriophage head, to hundreds of thousands of relatively weak molecular motors that coordinate the compaction of mitotic chromosomes in eukaryotic cells. Recent technological advances, such as DNA proximity-based sequencing approaches, polymer modelling and in vitro reconstitution of DNA loop extrusion, have shed light on the biological mechanisms driving DNA organization in different systems. Here, we discuss DNA packaging in bacteriophage, bacteria and eukaryotic cells, which, despite their extreme variation in size, structure and genomic content, all rely on the action of molecular motors to package their genomes.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41576-024-00740-y | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
December 2024
Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyoto University, Nishi-kyoku, Kyoto, 615-8510, Japan.
The actomyosin cytoskeleton, a protein assembly comprising actin fibers and the myosin molecular motor, drives various cellular dynamics through contractile force generation at high densities. However, the relationship between the density dependence of the actomyosin cytoskeleton and force-controlled ordered structure remains poorly understood. In this study, we measured contraction-driven flow generation by varying the concentration of cell extracts containing the actomyosin cytoskeleton and associated nucleation factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Ther
December 2024
Neurology Department, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, United Kingdom; Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Purpose: An increased prevalence of peripheral polyneuropathy (PN) in Parkinson's disease (PD) associated with greater functional impairment has previously been reported. A possible cause has been suggested as levodopa therapy. The aim of this real-world study was to assess the prevalence and the characteristics of PN in PD and to investigate the putative association between PN and oral levodopa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExp Neurol
December 2024
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkiye. Electronic address:
Growing evidence reveals that microglia activation and neuroinflammatory responses trigger cell loss in the brain. Histamine is a critical neurotransmitter and promotes inflammatory responses; thus, the histaminergic system is a potential target for treating neurodegenerative processes. JNJ-7777120, a histamine H4 receptor (HR) antagonist, has been shown to alleviate inflammation, brain damage, and behavioral deficits effectively, but there is no report on its role in brain trauma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Proteomics
December 2024
School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand; Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia; Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch 8014, New Zealand; Biomolecular Interaction Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand; Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Auckland 1010, New Zealand. Electronic address:
Extreme heterogeneity exists in the hypersensitive stress response exhibited by the dystrophin-deficient mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Because stress hypersensitivity can impact dystrophic phenotypes, this research aimed to understand the peripheral pathways driving this inter-individual variability. Male and female mdx mice were phenotypically stratified into "stress-resistant" or "stress-sensitive" groups based on their response to two laboratory stressors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Rep
December 2024
Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Program in Development, Disease, Models, and Therapeutics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Cancer Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Electronic address:
Astrocytes exhibit diverse cellular and molecular properties across the central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies identified region-specific transcription factors (TF) that oversee these diverse properties; how sex differences intersect with region-specific transcriptional programs to regulate astrocyte function is unknown. Here, we show that the TF Nkx6.
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