Restriction and modification are two opposing activities that are used to protect bacteria from cellular invasion by DNA (e.g. bacteriophage infection). Restriction activity involves cleavage of the DNA; while modification activity is the mechanism used to "mark" host DNA and involves DNA methylation. The study of Type I restriction enzymes has often been seen as an esoteric exercise and this ...

The RecBCD enzyme has a powerful duplex DNA exonuclease activity in vivo. We found that this activity decreased strongly when cells were irradiated with UV light (135 J/m2). The activity decrease was seen by an increase in survival of phage T4 2(-) of about 200-fold (phage T4 2(-) has defective duplex DNA end-protecting gene 2 protein). The activity decrease depended on excision repair proficie...

ilex spinigera (aquifoliaceae) plant is an evergreen tree or shrub with thick glossy dark green leaves and red fruits. this plant has medicinal properties and has been used traditionally in northern iran for malaria treatment. the aim of this work is to evaluate the antioxidative activities and the inhibitory effect of i.spinigera on the oxidation of dna. we have found no reports about the popu...

Ten-eleven translocation (TET) family enzymes convert 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxylmethylcytosine. However, the molecular mechanism that regulates this biological process is not clear. Here, we show the evidence that PGC7 (also known as Dppa3 or Stella) interacts with TET2 and TET3 both in vitro and in vivo to suppress the enzymatic activity of TET2 and TET3. Moreover, lacking PGC7 induces the...

Impact of redox active transition metals on activation of cell death signaling in plant cells have been documented to date. We have recently reported that GC-rich DNA oligomers with high affinity for binding of copper and catalytic activity for removal of ROS as novel plant cell-protecting agents. Here, we show that similar DNA oligomers protect the mouse macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells from cop...

Members of the microRNA-29 (miR-29) family directly target the DNA methyltransferases, DNMT3A and DNMT3B. Disturbances in the expression levels of miR-29 have been linked to tumorigenesis and tumor aggressiveness. Members of the miR-29 family are currently thought to repress DNA methylation and suppress tumorigenesis by protecting against de novo methylation. Here, we report that members of the...

The increased collection, storage, and analysis of person-specific DNA sequences poses serious challenges to the protection of the identities to which such sequences correspond. Compromise of DNA privacy via re-identification, the inference of explicit identity of the individual from which the DNA was derived, is dependent on unique features that may be inferred from a DNA sequence. In this pap...

Pi-class glutathione-S-transferase (GSTP1) located on chromosome 11q13 encodes a phase II metabolic enzyme that detoxifies reactive electrophilic intermediates. GSTP1 plays an important role in protecting cells from cytotoxic and carcinogenic agents and is expressed in normal tissues at variable levels in different cell types. Altered GSTP1 activity and expression have been reported in many tum...

Telomeres are repetitive tandem DNA sequences that cap chromosomal ends protecting genomic DNA from enzymatic degradation. Telomeres progressively shorten with cellular replication and are therefore assumed to correlate with biological and chronological age. An expanding body of evidence suggests (i) a predictable inverse association between telomere length, aging and age-related diseases and (...