Isolation, characterization and molecular cloning of Duplex-Specific Nuclease from the hepatopancreas of the Kamchatka crab

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nucleases, which are key components of biologically diverse processes such as DNA replication, repair and recombination, antiviral defense, apoptosis and digestion, have revolutionized the field of molecular biology. Indeed many standard molecular strategies, including molecular cloning, studies of DNA-protein interactions, and analysis of nucleic acid structures, would be virtually impossible without these versatile enzymes. The discovery of nucleases with unique properties has often served as the basis for the development of modern molecular biology methods. Thus, the search for novel nucleases with potentially exploitable functions remains an important scientific undertaking.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using degenerative primers and the rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) procedure, we cloned the Duplex-Specific Nuclease (DSN) gene from the hepatopancreas of the Kamchatka crab and determined its full primary structure. We also developed an effective method for purifying functional DSN from the crab hepatopancreas. The isolated enzyme was highly thermostable, exhibited a broad pH optimum (5.5 – 7.5) and required divalent cations for activity, with manganese and cobalt being especially effective. The enzyme was highly specific, cleaving double-stranded DNA or DNA in DNA-RNA hybrids, but not single-stranded DNA or single- or double-stranded RNA. Moreover, only DNA duplexes containing at least 9 base pairs were effectively cleaved by DSN; shorter DNA duplexes were left intact.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We describe a new DSN from Kamchatka crab hepatopancreas, determining its primary structure and developing a preparative method for its purification. We found that DSN had unique substrate specificity, cleaving only DNA duplexes longer than 8 base pairs, or DNA in DNA-RNA hybrids. Interestingly, the DSN primary structure is homologous to well-known Serratia-like non-specific nucleases structures, but the properties of DSN are distinct. The unique substrate specificity of DSN should prove valuable in certain molecular biology applications.</p

A Novel Method for SNP Detection Using a New Duplex-Specific Nuclease From Crab Hepatopancreas

We have characterized a novel nuclease from the Kamchatka crab, designated duplex-specific nuclease (DSN). DSN displays a strong preference for cleaving double-stranded DNA and DNA in DNA-RNA hybrid duplexes, compared to single-stranded DNA. Moreover, the cleavage rate of short, perfectly matched DNA duplexes by this enzyme is essentially higher than that for nonperfectly matched duplexes of the same length. Thus, DSN differentiates between one-nucleotide variations in DNA. We developed a novel assay for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection based on this unique property, termed “duplex-specific nuclease preference” (DSNP). In this innovative assay, the DNA region containing the SNP site is amplified and the PCR product mixed with signal probes (FRET-labeled short sequence-specific oligonucleotides) and DSN. During incubation, only perfectly matched duplexes between the DNA template and signal probe are cleaved by DSN to generate sequence-specific fluorescence. The use of FRET-labeled signal probes coupled with the specificity of DSN presents a simple and efficient method for detecting SNPs. We have employed the DSNP assay for the typing of SNPs in methyltetrahydrofolate reductase, prothrombin and p53 genes on homozygous and heterozygous genomic DNA. [Supplemental material is available online at www.genome.org. The sequence data from this study have been submitted to GenBank/EMBL/Date Bank under accession nos. AF520591. The following individuals kindly provided reagents, samples, or unpublished information as indicated in the paper: N.K. Yankovsky, A.V. Polyakov, and G.N. Rudenskaya.

Urupocidin A: A New, Inducing iNOS Expression Bicyclic Guanidine Alkaloid from the Marine Sponge <i>Monanchora pulchra</i>

Urupocidins A and B (<b>1</b> and <b>2</b>), bisguanidine alkaloids with an unprecedented skeleton system, derived from polyketide precursors and containing an unusual <i>N</i>-alkyl-<i>N</i>-hydroxyguanidine moiety, have been isolated from the sponge <i>Monanhora pulchra</i>. The structures of <b>1</b> and <b>2</b>, including absolute configuration, were established using the detailed analysis of 1D and 2D NMR, CD, and mass spectra as well as chemical transformations. Compound <b>1</b> increases nitric oxide production in murine macrophages via inducing iNOS expression