Protein tracking-induced supercoiling of DNA: a tool to regulate DNA transactions in vivo?
An interplay between DNA-dependent biological processes appears to be crucial for cell viability. At the molecular level, this interplay relies heavily on the communication between DNA-bound proteins, which can be facilitated and controlled by the dynamic structure of double-stranded DNA. Hence, DNA structural alterations are recognized as potential tools to transfer biological information over some distance within a genome. Until recently, however, direct evidence for DNA structural information as a mediator between cellular processes was lacking. This changed when the concept of transient waves of DNA supercoiling, induced by proteins tracking along the right-handed DNA double helix, came into the limelight. Indeed, a number of observations now suggest that helix tracking-induced DNA structural information might be exploited to participate in the regulation of a variety of DNA transactions in vivo.
Dröge
P
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Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Germany.
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004261:DNA Replication; D004278:DNA, Superhelical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D004278:DNA, Superhelical; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D004247:DNA; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases