Cytosine bases of the nuclear genome in higher plants are often extensively methylated.Cytosine methylation has been implicated in the silencing of both transposable elements （TEs） and endogenous genes,and loss of m...Cytosine bases of the nuclear genome in higher plants are often extensively methylated.Cytosine methylation has been implicated in the silencing of both transposable elements （TEs） and endogenous genes,and loss of methylation may have severe functional consequences.The recent methylation profiling of the entire Arabidopsis genome has provided novel insights into the extent and pattern of cytosine methylation and its relationships with gene activity.In addition,the fresh studies also revealed the more dynamic nature of this epigenetic modification across plant development than previously believed.Cytosine methylation of gene promoter regions usually inhibits transcription,but methylation in coding regions （gene-body methylation） does not generally affect gene expression.Active demethylation （though probably act synergistically with passive loss of methylation） of promoters by the 5-methyl cytosine DNA glycosylase or DEMETER （DME） is required for the uni-parental expression of imprinting genes in endosperm,which is essential for seed viability.The opinion that cytosine methylation is indispensible for normal plant development has been reinforced by using single or combinations of diverse loss-of-function mutants for DNA methyltransferases,DNA glycosylases,components involved in siRNA biogenesis and chromatin remodeling factors.Patterns of cytosine methylation in plants are usually faithfully maintained across organismal generations by the concerted action of epigenetic inheritance and progressive correction of strayed patterns.However,some variant methylation patterns may escape from being corrected and hence produce novel epialleles in the affected somatic cells.This,coupled with the unique property of plants to produce germline cells late during development,may enable the newly acquired epialleles to be inherited to future generations,which if visible to selection may contribute to adaptation and evolution.展开更多
Background： Ginsenoside Rd （GSRd）, one of the main active ingredients in traditional Chinese herbal Panax ginseng, has been found to have therapeutic effects on ischemic stroke. However, the molecular mechanisms of...Background： Ginsenoside Rd （GSRd）, one of the main active ingredients in traditional Chinese herbal Panax ginseng, has been found to have therapeutic effects on ischemic stroke. However, the molecular mechanisms of GSRd＇s neuroprotective function remain unclear. Ischemic stroke-induced oxidative stress results in DNA damage, which triggers cell death and contributes to poor prognosis. Oxidative DNA damage is primarily processed by the base excision repair （BER） pathway. Three of the five major DNA glycosylases that initiate the BER pathway in the event of DNA damage from oxidation are the endonuclease VIII-like （NELL） proteins. This study aimed to investigate the effect of GSRd on the expression ofDNA glycosylases NEILs in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia. Methods： NEIL expression patterns were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in both normal and middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） rat models. Survival rate and Zea-Longa neurological scores were used to assess the effect of GSRd administration on MCAO rats. Mitochondrial DNA （mtDNA） and nuclear DNA （nDNA） damages were evaluated by the way of real-time analysis of mutation frequency. NEIL expressions were measured in both messenger RNA （mRNA） and protein levels by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting analysis. Apoptosis level was quantitated by the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP biotin nick end labeling assay. Results： We found that GSRd administration reduced mtDNA and nDNA damages, which contributed to an improvement in survival rate and neurological function; significantly up-regulated NEIL1 and NEIL3 expressions in both mRNA and protein levels of MCAO rats; and reduced cell apoptosis and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 in rats at 7 days after MCAO. Conclusions： Our results indicated that the neuroprotective function of GSRd for acute ischemic stroke might be partially explained by the up-regulation of N展开更多
I completed my medical studies at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm but have always been devoted to basic research. My longstanding interest is to understand fundamental DNA repair mechanisms in the fields of canc...I completed my medical studies at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm but have always been devoted to basic research. My longstanding interest is to understand fundamental DNA repair mechanisms in the fields of cancer therapy, inherited human genetic disorders and ancient DNA. I initially measured DNA decay, including rates of base loss and cytosine deamination. I have dis- covered several important DNA repair proteins and determined their mechanisms of action. The discovery of uracil-DNA glycosylase defined a new category of repair enzymes with each specialized for different types of DNA damage. The base excision repair pathway was first reconstituted with human proteins in my group. Cell-free analysis for mammalian nucleotide excision repair of DNA was also developed in my laboratory. I found multiple distinct DNA ligases in mammalian cells, and led the first genetic and biochemical work on DNA ligases I, III and IV. I discovered the mam- malian exonucleases DNase III （TREX1） and IV （FEN1）. Interestingly, expression of TREXI was altered in some human autoimmune diseases. I also showed that the mutagenic DNA adduct O6-methylguanine （O6mG） is repaired without removing the guanine from DNA, identifying a sur- prising mechanism by which the methyl group is transferred to a residue in the repair protein itself. A further novel process of DNA repair discovered by my research group is the action of AlkB as an iron-dependent enzyme carrying out oxidative demethylation.展开更多
Background Cigarette-smoke induced DNA damage can cause airway cell apoptosis and death, which may be associated with the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）. However, only 20%-30% of smokers...Background Cigarette-smoke induced DNA damage can cause airway cell apoptosis and death, which may be associated with the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）. However, only 20%-30% of smokers develop COPD, suggesting that different degrees of DNA repair produce different outcomes in smokers, i.e., part of them develop COPD. We investigated the association between polymorphisms in DNA repair genes hOGG1 （Ser326Cys） and XRCC1 （Arg399GIn）, alone or in combination, and susceptibility of COPD. Methods Altogether 201 COPD patients and 309 controls were recruited and frequency-matched on age and sex. hOGG1 and XRCC1 genotypes were determined by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Results The risk of COPD was not significantly different among individuals with Ser/Cys and Cys/Cys genotypes compared with those with hOGG1 Ser/Ser genotype. The risk of COPD was not significantly different among individuals with Gin/Gin genotype compared with those with XRCC1 Arg/Arg genotype, but it was significantly elevated among individuals with Arg/GIn genotype （adjusted odds ratios （OR）=1.55, 95% confidence intervals （CI） 1.05-2.29, P=0.029）. Assessment of smoking status in current smokers compared with those with hOGG1 Ser/Ser genotype revealed that the risk of COPD was significantly elevated among individuals with Cys/Cys genotype （adjusted OR=5.07, 95% CI 1.84-13.95, P=0.002）. Compared with those with XRCC1 Arg/Arg genotype, the risk of COPD was significantly elevated among individuals with Arg/GIn genotype （adjusted OR=2.77, 95% CI 1.52-5.07, P=-0.001）. Assessment of smoking exposure in light smokers compared with those with hOGG1 Ser/Ser genotype showed that the risk of COPD was significantly elevated among individuals with Cys/Cys genotype （adjusted OR=4.02, 95% CI 1.05-16.80, P=0.042）. Compared with those with XRCC1 Arg/Arg genotype, the risk of COPD was significantly elevated among individuals with Gin/Gin genotype （adjusted OR=4.48, 95% CI 1.35-14.展开更多
The thymine DNA glycosylase （TDG） is a multifunctional enzyme,which is essential for embryonic development.It mediates the base excision repair （BER） of G：T and G：U DNA mismatches arising from the deamination of...The thymine DNA glycosylase （TDG） is a multifunctional enzyme,which is essential for embryonic development.It mediates the base excision repair （BER） of G：T and G：U DNA mismatches arising from the deamination of 5-methyl cytosine （5-MeC） and cytosine,respectively.Recent studies have pointed at a role of TDG during the active demethylation of 5-MeC within CpG islands.TDG interacts with the histone acetylase CREB-binding protein （CBP） to activate CBP-dependent transcription.In addition,TDG also interacts with the retinoic acid receptor α （RARα）,resulting in the activation of RARα target genes.Here we provide evidence for the existence of a functional ternary complex containing TDG,CBP and activated RARα.Using global transcriptome profiling,we uncover a coupling of de novo methylation-sensitive and RA-dependent transcription,which coincides with a significant subset of CBP target genes.The introduction of a point mutation in TDG,which neither affects overall protein structure nor BER activity,leads to a significant loss in ternary complex stability,resulting in the deregulation of RA targets involved in cellular networks associated with DNA replication,recombination and repair.We thus demonstrate for the first time a direct coupling of TDG＇s epigenomic and transcription regulatory function through ternary complexes with CBP and RARα.展开更多
We report the characterization of a uracil-DNA glycosylase（UDG） from the hyperthermophilic archaea Pyrococcus furiosus（P, furiosus）. P. furiosus UDG（PfUDG） has high sequence similarity to the families IV and V U...We report the characterization of a uracil-DNA glycosylase（UDG） from the hyperthermophilic archaea Pyrococcus furiosus（P, furiosus）. P. furiosus UDG（PfUDG） has high sequence similarity to the families IV and V UDGs（thermostable UDG family and PaUDG-b family）. PfUDG excises uracil from various DNA substrates with the following order： U/T=U/C〉U/G=U/AP=U/-〉U/U=U/I=U/A. The optimal temperature and pH value for uracil exci- sion by PfUDG are 70 ℃ and 9.0, respectively. The removal of U is inhibited by the divalent ions of Fe, Ca, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni and Mn, as well as a high concentration of NaC1. The phosphorothioates near uracil strongly inhibit the exci- sion of uracil by PfUDG. Interestingly, pfuDNA（Pyrococcusfuriosus DNA） polymerase, which tightly binds the ura- cil-carrying oligonucleotide, does not inhibit the excision by Pfl.IDG, suggesting PfUDG in vivo functions as the re- pair enzyme to excise uracil damage in genome.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30870198 and 30870178)the Programme of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities of China (No. B07017)
文摘Cytosine bases of the nuclear genome in higher plants are often extensively methylated.Cytosine methylation has been implicated in the silencing of both transposable elements （TEs） and endogenous genes,and loss of methylation may have severe functional consequences.The recent methylation profiling of the entire Arabidopsis genome has provided novel insights into the extent and pattern of cytosine methylation and its relationships with gene activity.In addition,the fresh studies also revealed the more dynamic nature of this epigenetic modification across plant development than previously believed.Cytosine methylation of gene promoter regions usually inhibits transcription,but methylation in coding regions （gene-body methylation） does not generally affect gene expression.Active demethylation （though probably act synergistically with passive loss of methylation） of promoters by the 5-methyl cytosine DNA glycosylase or DEMETER （DME） is required for the uni-parental expression of imprinting genes in endosperm,which is essential for seed viability.The opinion that cytosine methylation is indispensible for normal plant development has been reinforced by using single or combinations of diverse loss-of-function mutants for DNA methyltransferases,DNA glycosylases,components involved in siRNA biogenesis and chromatin remodeling factors.Patterns of cytosine methylation in plants are usually faithfully maintained across organismal generations by the concerted action of epigenetic inheritance and progressive correction of strayed patterns.However,some variant methylation patterns may escape from being corrected and hence produce novel epialleles in the affected somatic cells.This,coupled with the unique property of plants to produce germline cells late during development,may enable the newly acquired epialleles to be inherited to future generations,which if visible to selection may contribute to adaptation and evolution.
基金This study was supporte-d by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 81371365）.
文摘Background： Ginsenoside Rd （GSRd）, one of the main active ingredients in traditional Chinese herbal Panax ginseng, has been found to have therapeutic effects on ischemic stroke. However, the molecular mechanisms of GSRd＇s neuroprotective function remain unclear. Ischemic stroke-induced oxidative stress results in DNA damage, which triggers cell death and contributes to poor prognosis. Oxidative DNA damage is primarily processed by the base excision repair （BER） pathway. Three of the five major DNA glycosylases that initiate the BER pathway in the event of DNA damage from oxidation are the endonuclease VIII-like （NELL） proteins. This study aimed to investigate the effect of GSRd on the expression ofDNA glycosylases NEILs in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia. Methods： NEIL expression patterns were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in both normal and middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） rat models. Survival rate and Zea-Longa neurological scores were used to assess the effect of GSRd administration on MCAO rats. Mitochondrial DNA （mtDNA） and nuclear DNA （nDNA） damages were evaluated by the way of real-time analysis of mutation frequency. NEIL expressions were measured in both messenger RNA （mRNA） and protein levels by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting analysis. Apoptosis level was quantitated by the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP biotin nick end labeling assay. Results： We found that GSRd administration reduced mtDNA and nDNA damages, which contributed to an improvement in survival rate and neurological function; significantly up-regulated NEIL1 and NEIL3 expressions in both mRNA and protein levels of MCAO rats; and reduced cell apoptosis and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 in rats at 7 days after MCAO. Conclusions： Our results indicated that the neuroprotective function of GSRd for acute ischemic stroke might be partially explained by the up-regulation of N
文摘I completed my medical studies at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm but have always been devoted to basic research. My longstanding interest is to understand fundamental DNA repair mechanisms in the fields of cancer therapy, inherited human genetic disorders and ancient DNA. I initially measured DNA decay, including rates of base loss and cytosine deamination. I have dis- covered several important DNA repair proteins and determined their mechanisms of action. The discovery of uracil-DNA glycosylase defined a new category of repair enzymes with each specialized for different types of DNA damage. The base excision repair pathway was first reconstituted with human proteins in my group. Cell-free analysis for mammalian nucleotide excision repair of DNA was also developed in my laboratory. I found multiple distinct DNA ligases in mammalian cells, and led the first genetic and biochemical work on DNA ligases I, III and IV. I discovered the mam- malian exonucleases DNase III （TREX1） and IV （FEN1）. Interestingly, expression of TREXI was altered in some human autoimmune diseases. I also showed that the mutagenic DNA adduct O6-methylguanine （O6mG） is repaired without removing the guanine from DNA, identifying a sur- prising mechanism by which the methyl group is transferred to a residue in the repair protein itself. A further novel process of DNA repair discovered by my research group is the action of AlkB as an iron-dependent enzyme carrying out oxidative demethylation.
基金This study was supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 30570794）.
文摘Background Cigarette-smoke induced DNA damage can cause airway cell apoptosis and death, which may be associated with the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）. However, only 20%-30% of smokers develop COPD, suggesting that different degrees of DNA repair produce different outcomes in smokers, i.e., part of them develop COPD. We investigated the association between polymorphisms in DNA repair genes hOGG1 （Ser326Cys） and XRCC1 （Arg399GIn）, alone or in combination, and susceptibility of COPD. Methods Altogether 201 COPD patients and 309 controls were recruited and frequency-matched on age and sex. hOGG1 and XRCC1 genotypes were determined by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Results The risk of COPD was not significantly different among individuals with Ser/Cys and Cys/Cys genotypes compared with those with hOGG1 Ser/Ser genotype. The risk of COPD was not significantly different among individuals with Gin/Gin genotype compared with those with XRCC1 Arg/Arg genotype, but it was significantly elevated among individuals with Arg/GIn genotype （adjusted odds ratios （OR）=1.55, 95% confidence intervals （CI） 1.05-2.29, P=0.029）. Assessment of smoking status in current smokers compared with those with hOGG1 Ser/Ser genotype revealed that the risk of COPD was significantly elevated among individuals with Cys/Cys genotype （adjusted OR=5.07, 95% CI 1.84-13.95, P=0.002）. Compared with those with XRCC1 Arg/Arg genotype, the risk of COPD was significantly elevated among individuals with Arg/GIn genotype （adjusted OR=2.77, 95% CI 1.52-5.07, P=-0.001）. Assessment of smoking exposure in light smokers compared with those with hOGG1 Ser/Ser genotype showed that the risk of COPD was significantly elevated among individuals with Cys/Cys genotype （adjusted OR=4.02, 95% CI 1.05-16.80, P=0.042）. Compared with those with XRCC1 Arg/Arg genotype, the risk of COPD was significantly elevated among individuals with Gin/Gin genotype （adjusted OR=4.48, 95% CI 1.35-14.
基金funded by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique(CNRS)and the Genopole Evry
文摘The thymine DNA glycosylase （TDG） is a multifunctional enzyme,which is essential for embryonic development.It mediates the base excision repair （BER） of G：T and G：U DNA mismatches arising from the deamination of 5-methyl cytosine （5-MeC） and cytosine,respectively.Recent studies have pointed at a role of TDG during the active demethylation of 5-MeC within CpG islands.TDG interacts with the histone acetylase CREB-binding protein （CBP） to activate CBP-dependent transcription.In addition,TDG also interacts with the retinoic acid receptor α （RARα）,resulting in the activation of RARα target genes.Here we provide evidence for the existence of a functional ternary complex containing TDG,CBP and activated RARα.Using global transcriptome profiling,we uncover a coupling of de novo methylation-sensitive and RA-dependent transcription,which coincides with a significant subset of CBP target genes.The introduction of a point mutation in TDG,which neither affects overall protein structure nor BER activity,leads to a significant loss in ternary complex stability,resulting in the deregulation of RA targets involved in cellular networks associated with DNA replication,recombination and repair.We thus demonstrate for the first time a direct coupling of TDG＇s epigenomic and transcription regulatory function through ternary complexes with CBP and RARα.
基金Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(No.2006AA02Z108)the National Basic Research Program of China(No.2009CB118906)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.30700131,30870512)
文摘We report the characterization of a uracil-DNA glycosylase（UDG） from the hyperthermophilic archaea Pyrococcus furiosus（P, furiosus）. P. furiosus UDG（PfUDG） has high sequence similarity to the families IV and V UDGs（thermostable UDG family and PaUDG-b family）. PfUDG excises uracil from various DNA substrates with the following order： U/T=U/C〉U/G=U/AP=U/-〉U/U=U/I=U/A. The optimal temperature and pH value for uracil exci- sion by PfUDG are 70 ℃ and 9.0, respectively. The removal of U is inhibited by the divalent ions of Fe, Ca, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni and Mn, as well as a high concentration of NaC1. The phosphorothioates near uracil strongly inhibit the exci- sion of uracil by PfUDG. Interestingly, pfuDNA（Pyrococcusfuriosus DNA） polymerase, which tightly binds the ura- cil-carrying oligonucleotide, does not inhibit the excision by Pfl.IDG, suggesting PfUDG in vivo functions as the re- pair enzyme to excise uracil damage in genome.
