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Shepherd JW, Guilbaud S, Zhou Z, Howard JAL, Burman M, Schaefer C, Kerrigan A, Steele-King C, Noy A, Leake MC. Correlating fluorescence microscopy, optical and magnetic tweezers to study single chiral biopolymers such as DNA. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2748. [PMID: 38553446 PMCID: PMC10980717 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47126-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Biopolymer topology is critical for determining interactions inside cell environments, exemplified by DNA where its response to mechanical perturbation is as important as biochemical properties to its cellular roles. The dynamic structures of chiral biopolymers exhibit complex dependence with extension and torsion, however the physical mechanisms underpinning the emergence of structural motifs upon physiological twisting and stretching are poorly understood due to technological limitations in correlating force, torque and spatial localization information. We present COMBI-Tweez (Combined Optical and Magnetic BIomolecule TWEEZers), a transformative tool that overcomes these challenges by integrating optical trapping, time-resolved electromagnetic tweezers, and fluorescence microscopy, demonstrated on single DNA molecules, that can controllably form and visualise higher order structural motifs including plectonemes. This technology combined with cutting-edge MD simulations provides quantitative insight into complex dynamic structures relevant to DNA cellular processes and can be adapted to study a range of filamentous biopolymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack W Shepherd
- School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, England
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, England
| | - Sebastien Guilbaud
- School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, England
| | - Zhaokun Zhou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jamieson A L Howard
- School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, England
| | - Matthew Burman
- School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, England
| | - Charley Schaefer
- School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, England
| | - Adam Kerrigan
- The York-JEOL Nanocentre, University of York, York, YO10 5BR, England
| | - Clare Steele-King
- Bioscience Technology Facility, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, England
| | - Agnes Noy
- School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, England
| | - Mark C Leake
- School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, England.
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, England.
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2
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Johnson S, Paul T, Sanford S, Schnable BL, Detwiler A, Thosar S, Van Houten B, Myong S, Opresko P. BG4 antibody can recognize telomeric G-quadruplexes harboring destabilizing base modifications and lesions. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:1763-1778. [PMID: 38153143 PMCID: PMC10939409 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BG4 is a single-chain variable fragment antibody shown to bind various G-quadruplex (GQ) topologies with high affinity and specificity, and to detect GQ in cells, including GQ structures formed within telomeric TTAGGG repeats. Here, we used ELISA and single-molecule pull-down (SiMPull) detection to test how various lengths and GQ destabilizing base modifications in telomeric DNA constructs alter BG4 binding. We observed high-affinity BG4 binding to telomeric GQ independent of telomere length, although three telomeric repeat constructs that cannot form stable intramolecular GQ showed reduced affinity. A single guanine substitution with 8-aza-7-deaza-G, T, A, or C reduced affinity to varying degrees depending on the location and base type, whereas two G substitutions in the telomeric construct dramatically reduced or abolished binding. Substitution with damaged bases 8-oxoguanine and O6-methylguanine failed to prevent BG4 binding although affinity was reduced depending on lesion location. SiMPull combined with FRET revealed that BG4 binding promotes folding of telomeric GQ harboring a G to T substitution or 8-oxoguanine. Atomic force microscopy revealed that BG4 binds telomeric GQ with a 1:1 stoichiometry. Collectively, our data suggest that BG4 can recognize partially folded telomeric GQ structures and promote telomeric GQ stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Johnson
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Structural Biology Graduate Program, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Tapas Paul
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Samantha L Sanford
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Brittani L Schnable
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Structural Biology Graduate Program, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Ariana C Detwiler
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Sanjana A Thosar
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Bennett Van Houten
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Structural Biology Graduate Program, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15213, USA
| | - Sua Myong
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Patricia L Opresko
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Structural Biology Graduate Program, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15213, USA
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3
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Hwang J, Palmer B, Myong S. Single-molecule observation of G-quadruplex and R-loop formation induced by transcription. Methods Enzymol 2024; 695:71-88. [PMID: 38521591 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2024.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Potential G-quadruplex forming sequences (PQS) are enriched in cancer-related genes and immunoglobulin class-switch recombination. They are prevalent in the 5'UTR of transcriptionally active genes, thereby contributing to the regulation of gene expression. We and others previously demonstrated that the PQS located in the non-template strand leads to an R-loop formation followed by a G-quadruplex (G4) formation during transcription. These structural changes increase mRNA production. Here, we present how single-molecule technique was used to observe cotranscriptional G4 and R-loop formation and to examine the impact on transcription, particularly for the initiation and elongation stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihee Hwang
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Bradleigh Palmer
- Program in Cellular Molecular Developmental Biology and Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Sua Myong
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Program in Cellular Molecular Developmental Biology and Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.
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4
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Djaja N, Myong S. Protocol for single-molecule pull-down of fluorescently tagged oligomers from cell lysates. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102716. [PMID: 37967012 PMCID: PMC10684877 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in intrinsically disordered proteins drive the irreversible formation of pathological aggregates, a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we present a protocol to pull down fluorescently tagged proteins to characterize their basal oligomeric states. We describe steps for transfection and cell lysis, single-molecule slide preparation and pull-down, and oligomer dissolution. This protocol enables visualization of protein oligomers with single-molecule resolution. In addition, differences in oligomerization may provide insight on condensation or aggregation propensity in differing mutated or cell stress conditions. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Djaja et al.1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Djaja
- Program in Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218.
| | - Sua Myong
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218; Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218.
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5
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Mekonnen G, Djaja N, Yuan X, Myong S. Advanced imaging techniques for studying protein phase separation in living cells and at single-molecule level. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2023; 76:102371. [PMID: 37523989 PMCID: PMC10528199 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.102371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions are essential for cell function and survival. These interactions facilitate the formation of ribonucleoprotein complexes and biomolecular condensates via phase separation. Such assembly is involved in transcription, splicing, translation and stress response. When dysregulated, proteins and RNA can undergo irreversible aggregation which can be cytotoxic and pathogenic. Despite technical advances in investigating biomolecular condensates, achieving the necessary spatiotemporal resolution to deduce the parameters that govern their assembly and behavior has been challenging. Many laboratories have applied advanced microscopy methods for imaging condensates. For example, single molecule imaging methods have enabled the detection of RNA-protein interaction, protein-protein interaction, protein conformational dynamics, and diffusional motion of molecules that report on the intrinsic molecular interactions underlying liquid-liquid phase separation. This review will outline advances in both microscopy and spectroscopy techniques which allow single molecule detection and imaging, and how these techniques can be used to probe unique aspects of biomolecular condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemechu Mekonnen
- Program in Cellular Molecular Developmental Biology and Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Nathalie Djaja
- Program in Cellular Molecular Developmental Biology and Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Xincheng Yuan
- Program in Cellular Molecular Developmental Biology and Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Sua Myong
- Program in Cellular Molecular Developmental Biology and Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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6
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Lučić I, Héluin L, Jiang PL, Castro Scalise AG, Wang C, Franz A, Heyd F, Wahl MC, Liu F, Plested AJR. CaMKII autophosphorylation can occur between holoenzymes without subunit exchange. eLife 2023; 12:e86090. [PMID: 37566455 PMCID: PMC10468207 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The dodecameric protein kinase CaMKII is expressed throughout the body. The alpha isoform is responsible for synaptic plasticity and participates in memory through its phosphorylation of synaptic proteins. Its elaborate subunit organization and propensity for autophosphorylation allow it to preserve neuronal plasticity across space and time. The prevailing hypothesis for the spread of CaMKII activity, involving shuffling of subunits between activated and naive holoenzymes, is broadly termed subunit exchange. In contrast to the expectations of previous work, we found little evidence for subunit exchange upon activation, and no effect of restraining subunits to their parent holoenzymes. Rather, mass photometry, crosslinking mass spectrometry, single molecule TIRF microscopy and biochemical assays identify inter-holoenzyme phosphorylation (IHP) as the mechanism for spreading phosphorylation. The transient, activity-dependent formation of groups of holoenzymes is well suited to the speed of neuronal activity. Our results place fundamental limits on the activation mechanism of this kinase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iva Lučić
- Institute of Biology, Cellular Biophysics, Humboldt Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare PharmakologieBerlinGermany
| | - Léonie Héluin
- Institute of Biology, Cellular Biophysics, Humboldt Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare PharmakologieBerlinGermany
| | - Pin-Lian Jiang
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare PharmakologieBerlinGermany
| | - Alejandro G Castro Scalise
- Institute of Biology, Cellular Biophysics, Humboldt Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare PharmakologieBerlinGermany
| | - Cong Wang
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare PharmakologieBerlinGermany
| | - Andreas Franz
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Florian Heyd
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Markus C Wahl
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Macromolecular CrystallographyBerlinGermany
| | - Fan Liu
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare PharmakologieBerlinGermany
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Andrew JR Plested
- Institute of Biology, Cellular Biophysics, Humboldt Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare PharmakologieBerlinGermany
- NeuroCure, Charité UniversitätsmedizinBerlinGermany
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7
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Badiee M, Kenet AL, Ganser LR, Paul T, Myong S, Leung AKL. Switch-like compaction of poly(ADP-ribose) upon cation binding. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2215068120. [PMID: 37126687 PMCID: PMC10175808 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2215068120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) is a homopolymer of adenosine diphosphate ribose that is added to proteins as a posttranslational modification to regulate numerous cellular processes. PAR also serves as a scaffold for protein binding in macromolecular complexes, including biomolecular condensates. It remains unclear how PAR achieves specific molecular recognition. Here, we use single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) to evaluate PAR flexibility under different cation conditions. We demonstrate that, compared to RNA and DNA, PAR has a longer persistence length and undergoes a sharper transition from extended to compact states in physiologically relevant concentrations of various cations (Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and spermine4+). We show that the degree of PAR compaction depends on the concentration and valency of cations. Furthermore, the intrinsically disordered protein FUS also served as a macromolecular cation to compact PAR. Taken together, our study reveals the inherent stiffness of PAR molecules, which undergo switch-like compaction in response to cation binding. This study indicates that a cationic environment may drive recognition specificity of PAR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Badiee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Adam L. Kenet
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Laura R. Ganser
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - Tapas Paul
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - Sua Myong
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - Anthony K. L. Leung
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21205
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21205
- Department of Oncology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21205
- Department of Genetic Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21205
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8
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Badiee M, Kenet AL, Ganser LR, Paul T, Myong S, Leung AKL. Switch-like Compaction of Poly(ADP-ribose) Upon Cation Binding. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.11.531013. [PMID: 36993178 PMCID: PMC10055007 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.11.531013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) is a homopolymer of adenosine diphosphate ribose that is added to proteins as a post-translational modification to regulate numerous cellular processes. PAR also serves as a scaffold for protein binding in macromolecular complexes, including biomolecular condensates. It remains unclear how PAR achieves specific molecular recognition. Here, we use single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) to evaluate PAR flexibility under different cation conditions. We demonstrate that, compared to RNA and DNA, PAR has a longer persistence length and undergoes a sharper transition from extended to compact states in physiologically relevant concentrations of various cations (Na + , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , and spermine). We show that the degree of PAR compaction depends on the concentration and valency of cations. Furthermore, the intrinsically disordered protein FUS also served as a macromolecular cation to compact PAR. Taken together, our study reveals the inherent stiffness of PAR molecules, which undergo switch-like compaction in response to cation binding. This study indicates that a cationic environment may drive recognition specificity of PAR. Significance Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) is an RNA-like homopolymer that regulates DNA repair, RNA metabolism, and biomolecular condensate formation. Dysregulation of PAR results in cancer and neurodegeneration. Although discovered in 1963, fundamental properties of this therapeutically important polymer remain largely unknown. Biophysical and structural analyses of PAR have been exceptionally challenging due to the dynamic and repetitive nature. Here, we present the first single-molecule biophysical characterization of PAR. We show that PAR is stiffer than DNA and RNA per unit length. Unlike DNA and RNA which undergoes gradual compaction, PAR exhibits an abrupt switch-like bending as a function of salt concentration and by protein binding. Our findings points to unique physical properties of PAR that may drive recognition specificity for its function.
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Paul T, Opresko PL, Ha T, Myong S. Vectorial folding of telomere overhang promotes higher accessibility. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:6271-6283. [PMID: 35687089 PMCID: PMC9226509 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human telomere overhang composed of tandem repeats of TTAGGG folds into G-quadruplex (G4). Unlike in an experimental setting in the test tube in which the entire length is allowed to fold at once, inside the cell, the overhang is expected to fold as it is synthesized directionally (5' to 3') and released segmentally by a specialized enzyme, the telomerase. To mimic such vectorial G4 folding process, we employed a superhelicase, Rep-X which can unwind DNA to release the TTAGGG repeats in 5' to 3' direction. We demonstrate that the folded conformation achieved by the refolding of full sequence is significantly different from that of the vectorial folding for two to eight TTAGGG repeats. Strikingly, the vectorially folded state leads to a remarkably higher accessibility to complementary C-rich strand and the telomere binding protein POT1, reflecting a less stably folded state resulting from the vectorial folding. Importantly, our study points to an inherent difference between the co-polymerizing and post-polymerized folding of telomere overhang that can impact telomere architecture and downstream processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tapas Paul
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218, USA
| | - Patricia L Opresko
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA15213, USA
| | - Taekjip Ha
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218, USA.,Physics Frontier Center (Center for Physics of Living Cells), University of Illinois, 1110 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sua Myong
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218, USA.,Physics Frontier Center (Center for Physics of Living Cells), University of Illinois, 1110 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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Paul T, Myong S. Helicase mediated vectorial folding of telomere G-quadruplex. Methods Enzymol 2022; 672:283-297. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.03.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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