Related papers: Life without dUTPase
Solid state nanopores have emerged as powerful tools for single-molecule sensing, yet the rapid uncontrolled translocation of the molecule through the pore remains a key limitation. We have previously demonstrated that an active…
The efficient repair of cellular DNA is essential for the maintenance and inheritance of genomic information. In order to cope with the high frequency of spontaneous and induced DNA damage, a multitude of repair mechanisms have evolved.…
The genetic material of a eukaryotic cell comprises both nuclear DNA (ncDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). These differ markedly in several aspects but nevertheless must encode proteins that are compatible with one another. Here we…
The ejection of DNA from a bacterial virus (``phage'') into its host cell is a biologically important example of the translocation of a macromolecular chain along its length through a membrane. The simplest mechanism for this motion is…
DNA has many valuable characteristics that make it suitable for a long-term storage medium, in particular its durability and high information density. DNA can be stored safely for hundreds of years with virtually no degradation, in contrast…
In eukaryotic genes the protein coding sequence is split into several fragments, the exons, separated by non-coding DNA stretches, the introns. Prokaryotes do not have introns in their genome. We report the calculations of stability domains…
A general theoretical framework is put forth to organize and understand various observed phenomena and mathematical relationships in the field of molecular biology. By modeling each cell in eukaryotic organisms as a processor having a…
The synthesis of ATP, life's 'universal energy currency', is the most prevalent chemical reaction in biological systems, and is responsible for fueling nearly all cellular processes, from nerve impulse propagation to DNA synthesis. ATP…
The synthesis of DNA strands remains the most costly part of the DNA storage system. Thus, to make DNA storage system more practical, the time and materials used in the synthesis process have to be optimized. We consider the most common…
Despite the advent of several novel, synthetic gene drive mechanisms and their potential to one-day control a number of devastating diseases, among other applications, practical use of these systems remains contentious and risky. In…
DNA replication in all organisms must overcome nucleoprotein blocks to complete genome duplication. Accessory replicative helicases in Escherichia coli, Rep and UvrD, help replication machinery overcome blocks by removing incoming…
Double-stranded DNA may contain mismatched base pairs beyond the Watson-Crick pairs guanine-cytosine and adenine-thymine. Such mismatches bear adverse consequences for human health. We utilize molecular dynamics and metadynamics computer…
The determination of a patient's DNA sequence can, in principle, reveal an increased risk to fall ill with particular diseases [1,2] and help to design "personalized medicine" [3]. Moreover, statistical studies and comparison of genomes [4]…
Because genomes are products of natural processes rather than intelligent design, all genomes contain functional and nonfunctional parts. The fraction of the genome that has no biological function is called rubbish DNA. Rubbish DNA consists…
We study DNA adsorption and renaturation in a water-phenol two-phase system, with or without shaking. In very dilute solutions, single-stranded DNA is adsorbed at the interface in a salt-dependent manner. At high salt concentrations the…
The emerging field of DNA storage employs strands of DNA bases (A/T/C/G) as a storage medium for digital information to enable massive density and durability. The DNA storage pipeline includes: (1) encoding the raw data into sequences of…
DNA polymerase (DNAP) is a dual-purpose enzyme that plays two opposite roles in two different situations during DNA replication. It plays its normal role as a {\it polymerase} catalyzing the elongation of a new DNA molecule by adding a…
Mismatch repair is a critical step in DNA replication that occurs after base selection and proofreading, significantly increasing fidelity. However, the mechanism of mismatch recognition has not been established for any repair enzyme.…
We propose a phase coexistence based mechanism for activity of helicases, ubiquitous enzymes that unwind double stranded DNA. The helicase-DNA complex constitutes a fixed-stretch ensemble that entails a coexistence of domains of zipped and…
The transport of macromolecules, such as DNA, through the cytoskeleton is critical to wide-ranging cellular processes from cytoplasmic streaming to transcription. The rigidity and steric hindrances imparted by the network of filaments…