Apoptotic cleavage of DNA in human lymphocyte chromatin shows high sequence specificity.
Apoptotic digestion of human lymphocyte chromatin results in the appearance of large amounts of nucleosome size DNA fragments. Sequencing of these fragments and analysis of the distribution of bases around the apoptotic nucleases' cutting sites revealed a rather strong consensus sequence, not observed earlier. The consensus TAAAgTAcTTTA is characterized by complementary symmetry, resembling prokaryotic restriction sites. This consensus also possesses three TA dinucleotide steps, separated by five bases (corresponding to a half-period of the DNA double helix), suggesting strong bending of the DNA at the cut sites which is perhaps required for cutting.
CAGT-Center for Applied Genotyping, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, D-80804, Munich, Germany. bettecken@mpipsykl.mpg.de
Thomas
T
Bettecken
Zakharia M
ZM
Frenkel
Janine
J
Altmüller
Peter
P
Nürnberg
Edward N
EN
Trifonov
D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000378:metabolism
D002843:Chromatin; D009707:Nucleosomes; D004247:DNA; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes