Review
Plant Sciences
Karin Krupinska, Christine Desel, Susann Frank, Goetz Hensel
Summary: WHIRLY proteins are plant-specific proteins involved in regulating DNA-related processes in organelles and the nucleus, and play important roles in plant development and stress resistance.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Peter Setlow, Graham Christie
Summary: Spores can spread food spoilage, diseases, and intoxications, and methods for spore killing include heat, radiation, high pressure, and chemicals. Factors to consider in choosing methods for spore killing include cost, efficacy, operation scope, and compatibility.
WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Benjamin Yu, Julia Kanaan, Hannah Shames, James Wicander, Makunda Aryal, Yunfeng Li, George Korza, Stanley Brul, Gertjan Kramer, Yong-qing Li, Frank C. Nichols, Bing Hao, Peter Setlow
Summary: 2Duf is a protein located in the inner membrane of spores in Bacillus species. The absence of YetF or YdfS leads to decreased resistance to wet heat and damage to spore core components. YetF can modify the inner membrane structure to increase spore resistance to wet heat.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Peter Setlow, Graham Christie
Summary: Spores formed by some Firmicutes members exemplify the quest for bacterial survival, as they are ubiquitous and reflect adaptations to bacteria's stresses. Spores have significant impact in public health, food safety, and biowarfare. Their heat resistance, conferred by a mineralized protoplast and reduced water content, is hallmark, while mutations may arise from dry heat exposure. Their multifactorial countermeasures to extreme conditions involve reduced macromolecular motion and DNA saturation with small acid-soluble spore proteins (SASPs). SASPs also contribute to radiation resistance, along with Ca2+, photoproduct lyase, and low water content, minimizing DNA damage. Spores' resistance extends to chemicals and macromolecules, facilitated by the spore coat, inner membrane, and SASP protection. Other stresses, such as high pressure and abrasion, are also resisted. Overall mechanisms of resistance involve reduced molecular motion, a balance between rigidity and flexibility, and efficient repair.
MICROBIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Jibran Sualeh Muhammad, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Sutherland K. Maciver, Ahmad M. Alharbi, Hasan Alfahemi, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui
Summary: Since the discovery of antibiotics, humans have benefited from decreased morbidity and mortality associated with bacterial infections. However, the misuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of multi-drug resistant bacterial infections, which is a major health concern. Bacteria exposed to inappropriate levels of antibiotics undergo genetic changes that enable them to survive in the host and become more resistant.
Article
Parasitology
Erica S. Martins-Duarte, Lilach Sheiner, Sarah B. Reiff, Wanderley de Souza, Boris Striepen
Summary: This study focused on identifying and characterizing essential proteins involved in apicoplast genome replication, demonstrating the importance of DNA replication enzymes for parasite growth. The research also showed a highly coordinated replication and division of the apicoplast nucleoid with the nuclear genome during the parasite cell cycle.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mari Takusagawa, Yusuke Kobayashi, Yoichiro Fukao, Kumi Hidaka, Masayuki Endo, Hiroshi Sugiyama, Takashi Hamaji, Yoshinobu Kato, Isamu Miyakawa, Osami Misumi, Toshiharu Shikanai, Yoshiki Nishimura
Summary: The study identified a protein named HBD1, structurally similar to key mitochondrial nucleoid proteins, critical for the maintenance and stability of chloroplast nucleoids. The presence of HBD1 helps compact DNA and influence the distribution of nucleoids. The research also revealed the functional similarity between HBD1 and mitochondrial nucleoids.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qian Huang, Bo Duan, Zhi Qu, Shilong Fan, Bin Xia
Summary: GapR, a nucleoid-associated protein found in Caulobacter crescentus, plays a crucial role in DNA replication, transcription, and cell division. It stimulates gyrase and topo IV to relax supercoils by binding to overtwisted DNA, facilitating the movement of replication and transcription machines. GapR forms a dimer-of-dimers structure in solution, with an open or closed conformation, and has intrinsic DNA binding preference towards AT-rich overtwisted DNA.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexandre Duprey, Eduardo A. Groisman
Summary: DNA supercoiling is a crucial factor in controlling cellular processes, with similarities and differences across different domains of life. Topoisomerases play a key role in mediating changes in DNA supercoiling.
Article
Microbiology
Youngung Ryu, Minyoung Hong, Soo Bin Kim, Tae Kwon Lee, Woojun Park
Summary: Little is known about final spore components when bacteria undergo sporulation under different nutrient conditions. This study observed different degrees of resistance and germination rates in three types of spores of Lysinibacillus boronitolerans YS11 formed under different growth conditions. Raman spectroscopy analysis revealed differences in cellular components among the spores, which affect their survival and germination rates.
JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Ivan Junier, Elham Ghobadpour, Olivier Espeli, Ralf Everaers
Summary: DNA supercoiling plays a central role in fundamental processes of living organisms. This essay explores the relevance, predictive capacity, and limitations of current physical models, with a focus on structural properties beyond the scale of the double helix. The interplay between DNA supercoiling with gene transcription and DNA replication is discussed, as well as its role in nucleoid formation.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Chao Du, Joost Willemse, Amanda M. Erkelens, Victor J. Carrion, Remus T. Dame, Gilles P. van Wezel
Summary: This study identified a novel nucleoid-associated protein (NAP), Gbn, in Actinobacteria that binds to GATC sequences and plays a significant role in the growth and development of Streptomyces. Gbn has broad effects on global gene expression during the late developmental stage.
Article
Microbiology
Gleb Y. Fisunov, Alexander Zubov, Olga Pobeguts, Anna M. Varizhuk, Mariya A. Galyamina, Daria Evsyutina, Tatiana A. Semashko, Valentin A. Manuvera, Sergey Kovalchuk, Rustam K. Ziganshin, Nicolay A. Barinov, Dmitry Klinov, Vadim M. Govorun
Summary: The nucleoids of Mycoplasma gallisepticum undergo structural reorganization during growth phase transition, including condensation and changes in protein content. These changes correlate with the global rearrangement of the transcriptional landscape in this bacterial species during growth phase transition. The glycolytic enzyme, enolase, functions as a nucleoid structural protein capable of non-specific DNA binding and forming fibril-like complexes with DNA.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Virginia S. Lioy, Ivan Junier, Frederic Boccard
Summary: This review highlights the significance and recent advances in the study of bacterial chromosome organization, focusing on both classical factors and newly discovered components that shape the 3D structure of the bacterial genome. It emphasizes the collaboration of different functional elements in establishing the higher-order folding and disposition of the chromosome, opening new avenues for a deeper understanding of the principles and mechanisms of chromosome organization in bacteria.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF MICROBIOLOGY, VOL 75, 2021
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katja Molan, Darja Zgur Bertok
Summary: The integrity of genomes is constantly threatened by internal and external attacks, and bacteria and archaea have different mechanisms to protect DNA. Nucleoid-associated proteins can influence DNA structure and have multiple functions, with Dps, HU, and CbpA being most closely associated with DNA protection. Single-stranded binding proteins can protect single-stranded DNA from degradation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)