BACKGROUND Increased levels of plasma nuclear and mitochondrial DNA have been reported in critically ill patients. We tested the hypothesis that plasma nuclear and mitochondrial DNA are substantially increased in acute bacterial meningitis and decrease after antimicrobial therapy, and that plasma nuclear and mitochondrial DNA levels can predict treatment outcomes. METHODS We examined serial p...

Transcription factors bind specifically to their target elements in the genome, eliciting specific gene expression programs. The nuclear factor-?B (NF-?B) system is a family of proteins comprising inducible transcription activators, which play critical role inflammation and cancer. NF-?B members function as dimers with each monomeric unit binding ?B-DNA. Despite available structures various com...

We have examined the time course and patterns of covalent aflatoxin B1:DNA adducts produced within the ribosomal RNA gene sequences isolated from the liver nuclear DNA of aflatoxin B1-treated animals. Liver nuclear DNA was initially enriched in ribosomal DNA by cesium salt density centrifugation, and incubated under alkaline conditions to stabilize bound aflatoxin B1-DNA moieties. Alkali-treate...

HIV-1 and other lentiviruses have the unique property among retroviruses to replicate in nondividing cells. This property relies on the use of a nuclear import pathway enabling the viral DNA to cross the nuclear membrane of the host cell. In HIV-1 reverse transcription, a central strand displacement event consecutive to central initiation and termination of plus strand synthesis creates a plus ...

Two DNA helicases from calf thymus nuclei have been purified and characterized. The two proteins, designated as nuclear DNA helicase I and 11, were copurified on Bio-Rex 70, DEAE-Sepharose, phosphocellulose and subsequently separated from each other on a heparin-Sepharose column. Final purification of DNA helicase I was achieved on single-stranded DNAcellulose and that of DNA helicase I1 on ATP...

To study nuclear and mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis during the cell cycle, a 15N-labeled log-phase population of Saccharomyces cervisiae was shifted to 14N medium. After one-half generation, the cells were centrifuged on a sorbitol gradient in a zonal rotor to fractionate the population according to cell size and age into fractions representing the yeast cell cycle. DNA sam...

Background: Androgen receptor (AR) plays a critical role in prostate cancer and male sexual differentiation.Mechanisms by which AR acts and regulations of AR nucleocytoplasmic shuttling are not understood well. Materials and Methods: Degenerate PCR and RACE Cloning of AR Gene; Phylogenetic Analysis and Molecular Modeling;Real-time Fluorescent Quantitative RT-PCR; Northern Blot Hybridization;In ...

Biochemical fractionation was combined with high resolution electron microscopic autoradiography to study the localization in rat liver nuclear matrix of attached DNA fragments, in vivo replicated DNA, and in vitro synthesized DNA. In particular, we determined the distribution of these DNA components with the peripheral nuclear lamina versus more internally localized structural elements of isol...

Melting fine structure of the nuclear DNA isolated from the filamentous fungus Fusarium graminearum Schwabe is presented. Optical melting profiles of nuclear DNA were analyzed by using a combination of curve fitting and derivative techniques. The "melting components" were obtained from the derivative curve by a simple decomposition technique. Differential optical melting curves of unsheared nuc...

DNA topoisomerases contribute to various cellular activities that involve DNA. We previously identified a human nuclear gene that encodes a mitochondrial DNA topoisomerase. Here we show that genes for mitochondrial DNA topoisomerases (type IB) exist only in vertebrates. A 13-exon topoisomerase motif was identified as a characteristic of genes for both nuclear and mitochondrial type IB topoisome...