The extended AT-hook is a novel RNA binding motif.

The AT-hook has been defined as a DNA binding peptide motif that contains a glycine-arginine-proline (G-R-P) tripeptide core flanked by basic amino acids. Recent reports documented variations in the sequence of AT-hooks and revealed RNA binding activity of some canonical AT-hooks, suggesting a higher structural and functional variability of this protein domain than previously anticipated. Here we describe the discovery and characterization of the extended AT-hook peptide motif (eAT-hook), in which basic amino acids appear symmetrical mainly at a distance of 12-15 amino acids from the G-R-P core. We identified 80 human and 60 mouse eAT-hook proteins and biochemically characterized the eAT-hooks of Tip5/BAZ2A, PTOV1 and GPBP1. Microscale thermophoresis and electrophoretic mobility shift assays reveal the nucleic acid binding features of this peptide motif, and show that eAT-hooks bind RNA with one order of magnitude higher affinity than DNA. In addition, cellular localization studies suggest a role for the N-terminal eAT-hook of PTOV1 in nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. In summary, our findings classify the eAT-hook as a novel nucleic acid binding motif, which potentially mediates various RNA-dependent cellular processes.

Active human nucleolar organizer regions are interspersed with inactive rDNA repeats in normal and tumor cells.

AIM: The synthesis of rRNA is a key determinant of normal and malignant cell growth and subject to epigenetic regulation. Yet, the epigenomic features of rDNA arrays clustered in nucleolar organizer regions are largely unknown. We set out to explore for the first time how DNA methylation is distributed on individual rDNA arrays. MATERIALS & METHODS: Here we combined immunofluorescence detection of DNA modifications with fluorescence hybridization of single DNA fibers, metaphase immuno-FISH and methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme digestions followed by Southern blot. RESULTS: We found clustering of both hypomethylated and hypermethylated repeat units and hypermethylation of noncanonical rDNA in IMR90 fibroblasts and HCT116 colorectal carcinoma cells. Surprisingly, we also found transitions between hypo- and hypermethylated rDNA repeat clusters on single DNA fibers. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our analyses revealed co-existence of different epialleles on individual nucleolar organizer regions and showed that epi-combing is a valuable approach to analyze epigenomic patterns of repetitive DNA.

Large-scale organization of ribosomal DNA chromatin is regulated by Tip5.

The DNase I accessibility and chromatin organization of genes within the nucleus do correlate to their transcriptional activity. Here, we show that both serum starvation and overexpression of Tip5, a key regulator of ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) repression, dictate DNase I accessibility, facilitate the association of rDNA with the nuclear matrix and thus regulate large-scale rDNA chromatin organization. Tip5 contains four AT-hooks and a TAM (Tip5/ARBP/MBD) domain, which were proposed to bind matrix-attachment regions (MARs) of the genome. Remarkably, the TAM domain of Tip5 functions as nucleolar localization and nuclear matrix targeting module, whereas AT-hooks do not mediate association with the nuclear matrix, but they are required for nucleolar targeting. These findings suggest a dual role for Tip5's AT-hooks and TAM domain, targeting the nucleolus and anchoring to the nuclear matrix, and suggest a function for Tip5 in the regulation of higher-order rDNA chromatin structure.

Single-molecule, genome-scale analyses of DNA modifications: exposing the epigenome with next-generation technologies.

DNA modifications represent an integral part of the epigenome and they have a pivotal role in regulation of genome function. Despite the wide variety of analytical techniques that have been developed to detect DNA modifications, their investigation at the single-genome level is only beginning to emerge. In contrast to population-averaged analyses, single-molecule approaches potentially allow the mapping of epigenetic linkage between distantly located genomic regions, the locus-specific analysis of repetitive DNA elements, as well as determination of allele-specific DNA modification patterns. In this article, the properties of current single-molecule analyses of DNA modifications will be discussed and compared. In addition, the possible biomedical and discovery research applications of single-molecule epigenomics will be highlighted.

Microscale thermophoresis as a sensitive method to quantify protein: nucleic acid interactions in solution.

Microscale thermophoresis (MST) is a new method that enables the quantitative analysis of molecular interactions in solution at the microliter scale. The technique is based on the thermophoresis of molecules, which provides information about molecule size, charge, and hydration shell. Since at least one of these parameters is typically affected upon binding, the method can be used for the analysis of each kind of biomolecular interaction or modification of proteins or DNA. Quantitative binding parameters are obtained by using a serial dilution of the binding substrate. This section provides a detailed protocol describing the analysis of DNA-protein interactions, using the AT-hook peptides as a model system that bind to short double-stranded DNA.

Gaussia-luciferase as a sensitive reporter gene for monitoring promoter activity in the nucleus of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

For the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a codon-adapted gene variant of the extracellular luciferase of Gaussia princeps was generated as a sensitive molecular tool to study gene expression from the nuclear genome. In the past, monitoring promoter activity in Chlamydomonas employing the commonly used luciferase encoded by Renilla reniformis was hampered due to the detection limit of the reporter assay, especially if analyzing weak promoters. In this work, the expression of Gaussia-luciferase from such promoters resulted in an average luminescent activity at least 500 times higher than that detected for the Renilla enzyme. The wildtype signal peptide of Gaussia princeps efficiently mediated the export of the luciferase into the culture medium of Chlamydomonas strain cw15arg ( - ), and the characterization of the secreted protein showed an unexpected temperature instability, probably arising from post-translational modifications made by the algae. To further test the utility of Gaussia-luciferase, promoter sequences originating from different viral genomes were analyzed for their ability to drive transgene expression in Chlamydomonas. Solely, the 35S-promoter of the Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) displayed a significant transcriptional activity and this happened only when the shunting region of the 5'-untranslated region of the 35S-sequence was omitted from the luciferase expression cassette. Gaussia-luciferase proved to be a superior quantifiable reporter gene for the analysis of constitutive promoter sequences in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.