Current work in tuning DNA kinetics has focused on changing toehold lengths and DNA concentrations. However, kinetics can also be improved by enhancing the completion probability of the strand displacement process. Here, we execute this strategy by creating a toehold DNA motor device with the inclusion of a synthetic nucleotide, inosine, at selected sites. Furthermore, we found that the energet...

The human RAD52 protein plays an important role in the earliest stages of chromosomal double-strand break repair via the homologous recombination pathway. Individual subunits of RAD52 self-associate into rings that can then form higher order complexes. RAD52 binds to double-strand DNA ends, and recent studies suggest that the higher order self-association of the rings promotes DNA end-joining. ...

Bloom syndrome, characterized by a predisposition to cancer, is caused by mutation of the RecQ DNA helicase gene BLM. The precise function of BLM remains unclear. Previous research suggested that Drosophila BLM functions in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Most double-strand breaks in flies are repaired by homologous recombination through the synthesis-dependent strand-annealing pathway....

A semimicroscopic model of the binding of the two nucleotide strands in a double-stranded DNA is used to describe the effects of applied tension on strand unpairing. We show that the model describes strand separation by elevated temperature, applied torque, and applied force. In particular, we show how the interactions responsible for stabilizing the double helix against thermal denaturation de...

The presence of a quinone group in the structure of a series of model compounds was shown to produce cell kill by a mech anism involving free radicals and active oxygen species. Fur thermore, the ability of the compound to bind to DNA appeared to enhance its cytocidal activity. The same model compounds were used to investigate the effect of the quinone group on cellular DNA. DNA single-strand b...

Phleomycin induced DNA breakage was investigated with superhelical Col. E1 DNA and linear T2 DNA as well. In both DNA-forms besides single-strand breaks direct double-strand breaks were produced by the drug. The double-strand breakage rate obtained after treatment with phleomycin, however, was considerably smaller than that found after bleomycin treatment. Whereas the single- and double-strand ...

DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE 1 ASSOCIATED PROTEIN (DMAP1) IS A COREPRESSOR THAT STIMULATES DNA METHYLATION GLOBALLY AND LOCALLY AT SITES OF DOUBLE STRAND BREAK REPAIR Gun E. Lee, Joo Hee Kim, Michael Taylor and Mark T. Muller Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, College of Medicine University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32826 Running head: DMAP1 in Repair Induced Silencing Addres...

In mammalian cells, chromosomal double-strand breaks are efficiently repaired, yet little is known about the relative contributions of homologous recombination and illegitimate recombination in the repair process. In this study, we used a loss-of-function assay to assess the repair of double-strand breaks by homologous and illegitimate recombination. We have used a hamster cell line engineered ...