Constitutive association of Mcm2-3-5 proteins with chromatin in Entamoeba histolytica.
Eukaryotic cells duplicate their genome once and only once per cell cycle. Our earlier studies with the protozoan parasite, Entamoeba histolytica, have shown that genome reduplication may occur several times without nuclear or cellular division. The Mcm2-7 protein complex is required for licensing of DNA replication. In an effort to understand whether genome reduplication occurs due to absence or failure of the DNA replication licensing system, we analysed the function of Mcm2-3-5 proteins in E. histolytica. In this study, we have cloned E. histolytica (Eh) MCM2 and Eh MCM5 genes, while Eh MCM3 was cloned earlier. The sequence of Eh MCM2-3-5 genes is well conserved with other eukaryotic homologues. We have shown that Eh Mcm2,3 proteins are functional in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our studies in E. histolytica showed that Eh Mcm2-3-5 proteins are associated with chromatin constitutively in cycling cells and during arrest of DNA synthesis induced by serum starvation. Alternation of genome duplication with mitosis is regulated by association-dissociation of Mcm2-7 proteins with chromatin in other eukaryotes. Our results suggest that constitutive association of Mcm proteins with chromatin could be one of the reasons why genome reduplication occurs in E. histolytica.
Das
Suchismita
S
Department of Biochemistry, Bose Institute, P1/12 CIT Scheme VIIM, Kolkata 700054, India.
Mukherjee
Chandrama
C
Sinha
Pratima
P
Lohia
Anuradha
A
D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000502:physiology*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004748:Entamoeba histolytica / Q000378:metabolism*; D017125:Genes, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002843:Chromatin; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; C085711:mcm5 protein, S pombe