Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ian Miller, Max Totrov, Lioubov Korotchkina, Denis N. Kazyulkin, Andrei Gudkov, Sergey Korolev
Summary: Research on L1-EN has revealed that its sequence specificity and catalytic activity are influenced by the conformational properties of the preferred sequence. Unlike other nucleases, L1-EN does not bend the DNA helix, but rather causes 'compression' near the cleavage site, providing multiple advantages for retrotransposition. This work could potentially lead to the development of L1-EN inhibitors as anti-cancer and anti-aging therapeutics.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Priyanka Rathore, Trude Schwarzacher, J. S. Heslop-Harrison, Vishnu Bhat, Paulina Tomaszewska
Summary: The genomic organization and repetitive DNA sequences in Cenchrus ciliaris were investigated in this study. Retroelements were found to be distributed throughout the genome and associated with DNA methylation. The signals from in situ hybridization can differentiate the two ancestral genomes in C. ciliaris.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Oncology
Christopher J. Bergin, Amanda Mendes da Silva, Yannick D. Benoit
Summary: The incidence of colorectal cancer has been increasing in young adults, suggesting the involvement of environmental risk factors. Recent research has found that there is an increase in the transposition frequency of LINE1 in colonic epithelium, which is important for understanding the transposition mechanism and potential therapeutic avenues for colorectal cancer.
Article
Biology
Srinjoy Sil, Sarah Keegan, Farida Ettefa, Lance T. Denes, Jef D. Boeke, Liam J. Holt
Summary: LINE-1 (L1) is the dominant retrotransposon in the human genome, accounting for 17% of the genome. The condensation of ORF1p, a RNA-binding protein encoded by L1, is critical for efficient L1 retrotransposition. By studying the assembly dynamics and material properties of ORF1p, we propose that dynamic oligomerization of ORF1p on L1 RNA drives the formation of an essential L1 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) condensate for retrotransposition.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
R. E. Irwin, C. Scullion, S. J. Thursby, M. Sun, A. Thakur, L. Hilman, B. Callaghan, P. D. Thompson, D. J. McKenna, S. B. Rothbart, Guoliang Xu, C. P. Walsh
Summary: While the importance of epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modification in gene suppression is known, there is still limited understanding of their interplay. The UHRF1 protein has been shown to interact with both DNA methylation and repressive chromatin marks, but its primary function in humans was unclear. In this study, stable knockdowns of UHRF1 in human fibroblasts revealed a loss of DNA methylation across the entire genome, accompanied by the activation of genes involved in innate immune signaling due to the presence of viral RNA from retrotransposable elements.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher H. Switzer, Hyun-Ju Cho, Thomas R. Eykyn, Paul Lavender, Philip Eaton
Summary: Inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) and nitric oxide (NO) signaling lead to DNA hypomethylation and genomic instability through degradation of DNMT1 protein and retrotransposon activation. NOS2 expression levels are correlated with decreased DNA methylation and malignant cellular transformation in breast cancer patients.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sujuan Zhao, Jiayi Xu, Weiyun Zhang, Wei Yan, Guangyu Li
Summary: Microcystin-LR (MCLR) exposure induced impairment to the male reproductive system in zebrafish and potentially affected offspring through transgenerational toxicity. Paternal MCLR exposure may significantly impact gene-specific DNA methylation patterns in the testis, leading to developmental neurotoxicity in the offspring.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bernal Camila, Camero Carlos, Pinzon Maria-Jose, Rodriguez Sergio, Canas Alejandra, Rojas Adriana
Summary: The marketing of electronic cigarettes as a safe alternative to smoking has increased, leading to greater use of these devices, especially among young people and smokers interested in quitting. However, there is a need to determine the health consequences of electronic cigarettes, as many compounds in their aerosol and liquid have the potential to be carcinogenic and genotoxic. This study evaluated the genotoxicity levels and DNA methylation patterns associated with vaping, finding an increase in genotoxicity and changes in methylation patterns in LINE-1 elements among vapers.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Biology
M. Julhasur Rahman, Sherry L. Haller, Ana M. M. Stoian, Jie Li, Greg Brennan, Stefan Rothenburg
Summary: This study developed a model to understand the mechanisms of gene transfer in vaccinia virus. The findings indicate that gene capture events are mediated by LINE-1 retrotransposition and highlight the role of host retrotransposons as major drivers for virus evolution.
Article
Plant Sciences
Kamil Haliloglu, Aras Turkoglu, Ozge Balpinar, Hayrunnisa Nadaroglu, Azize Alayli, Peter Poczai
Summary: Nanoparticles play a crucial role in DNA methylation and polymorphism in wheat, with different types and concentrations of nanoparticles having varying effects on polymorphism and cytosine methylation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mengyu Zhang, Weikang Sun, Xiaoxin You, Dongge Xu, Lingling Wang, Jingping Yang, Erguang Li, Susu He
Summary: This study analyzed publicly available datasets and found that EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) has a repression of L1 transcription compared with EBV-negative gastric cancer (EBVnGC). Retrotransposition-associated young and full-length L1s (FL-L1s) were found to be the most repressed L1s in EBVaGC. Increased deposition of H3K9me3 on FL-L1s was observed, potentially attributed to increased TASOR expression and the interaction between viral DNA and the TASOR enhancer. This study uncovers a regulation mechanism of L1 expression by chromatin topology remodeling associated with viral-host genome interaction in EBVaGC.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Kei Fukuda, Chikako Shimura, Hisashi Miura, Akie Tanigawa, Takehiro Suzuki, Naoshi Dohmae, Ichiro Hiratani, Yoichi Shinkai
Summary: The study reveals that H3K9me2 in mouse embryonic stem cells is regulated by multiple MTases, with different MTases controlling H3K9me2 and transcription in the A and B compartments. Additionally, decreased H3K9me2 is associated with a more active compartmental state and transcriptional activation, contributing to the setting of inactive compartments. This suggests that H3K9 methyltransferases play a crucial role in maintaining genome organization in transcriptionally inactive compartments.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Jiaojiao Fu, Tiansheng Qin, Chaoming Li, Jiaojiao Zhu, Yaoyao Ding, Meiying Zhou, Qing Yang, Xiaofeng Liu, Juanhong Zhou, Fan Chen
Summary: The retrotransposon LINE-1 is the only autonomously mobile transposon in the human genome and can lead to genetic mutations, chromosomal rearrangements, and genomic instability. Recent studies have shown its involvement in various diseases and immune regulation. LINE-1 expression in gynecologic tumors suggests its potential as an independent indicator for early diagnosis and prognosis, and as a therapeutic target, it is closely associated with gynecologic tumor prognosis. This article discusses its function in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of ovarian, cervical, and endometrial malignancies, as well as other gynecologic malignancies, offering new perspectives on early tumor detection and novel anti-tumor drug development.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Tingting Jiang, Xiao-Ou Zhang, Zhiping Weng, Wen Xue
Summary: The study optimized prime editing tools for creating precise genomic deletions and direct replacement of a genomic fragment with a desired sequence without the need for an exogenous DNA template. By conjugating Cas9 nuclease to reverse transcriptase and using two PE guide RNAs targeting complementary DNA strands, the PEDAR method achieved precise and specific deletion and repair of target sequences.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elikanah Olusayo Adegoke, Md Saidur Rahman, Shereen Amjad, Won-Ki Pang, Do-Yeal Ryu, Yoo-Jin Park, Myung-Geol Pang
Summary: This study finds that BPA has a downregulating effect on testicular junctional proteins, which is partly mediated by binding with estrogen receptors and regulation of signaling pathways. It leads to abnormal testicular tissue and impaired sperm function. These effects can be transmitted to the next generation, but are mostly alleviated in the third generation through DNA methylation.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
