DNA looping by FokI: the impact of twisting and bending rigidity on protein-induced looping dynamics

Protein-induced DNA looping is crucial for many genetic processes such as transcription, gene regulation and DNA replication. Here, we use tethered-particle motion to examine the impact of DNA bending and twisting rigidity on loop capture and release, using the restriction endonuclease FokI as a test system. To cleave DNA efficiently, FokI bridges two copies of an asymmetric sequence, invariably aligning the sites in parallel. On account of the fixed alignment, the topology of the DNA loop is set by the orientation of the sites along the DNA. We show that both the separation of the FokI sites and their orientation, altering, respectively, the twisting and the bending of the DNA needed to juxtapose the sites, have profound effects on the dynamics of the looping interaction. Surprisingly, the presence of a nick within the loop does not affect the observed rigidity of the DNA. In contrast, the introduction of a 4-nt gap fully relaxes all of the torque present in the system but does not necessarily enhance loop stability. FokI therefore employs torque to stabilise its DNA-looping interaction by acting as a ‘torsional’ catch bond

DNA looping by FokI: the impact of synapse geometry on loop topology at varied site orientations

Most restriction endonucleases, including FokI, interact with two copies of their recognition sequence before cutting DNA. On DNA with two sites they act in cis looping out the intervening DNA. While many restriction enzymes operate symmetrically at palindromic sites, FokI acts asymmetrically at a non-palindromic site. The directionality of its sequence means that two FokI sites can be bridged in either parallel or anti-parallel alignments. Here we show by biochemical and single-molecule biophysical methods that FokI aligns two recognition sites on separate DNA molecules in parallel and that the parallel arrangement holds for sites in the same DNA regardless of whether they are in inverted or repeated orientations. The parallel arrangement dictates the topology of the loop trapped between sites in cis: the loop from inverted sites has a simple 180° bend, while that with repeated sites has a convoluted 360° turn. The ability of FokI to act at asymmetric sites thus enabled us to identify the synapse geometry for sites in trans and in cis, which in turn revealed the relationship between synapse geometry and loop topology

Sequence-specific recognition of DNA nanostructures

DNA is the most exploited biopolymer for the programmed self-assembly of objects and devices that exhibit nanoscale-sized features. One of the most useful properties of DNA nanostructures is their ability to be functionalized with additional non-nucleic acid components. The introduction of such a component is often achieved by attaching it to an oligonucleotide that is part of the nanostructure, or hybridizing it to single-stranded overhangs that extend beyond or above the nanostructure surface. However, restrictions in nanostructure design and/or the self-assembly process can limit the suitability of these procedures. An alternative strategy is to couple the component to a DNA recognition agent that is capable of binding to duplex sequences within the nanostructure. This offers the advantage that it requires little, if any, alteration to the nanostructure and can be achieved after structure assembly. In addition, since the molecular recognition of DNA can be controlled by varying pH and ionic conditions, such systems offer tunable properties that are distinct from simple Watson–Crick hybridization. Here, we describe methodology that has been used to exploit and characterize the sequence-specific recognition of DNA nanostructures, with the aim of generating functional assemblies for bionanotechnology and synthetic biology applications.<br/

Survey and summary. Triplex-forming oligonucleotides: a third strand for DNA nanotechnology

DNA self-assembly has proved to be a useful bottomup strategy for the construction of user-defined nanoscale objects, lattices and devices. The design of these structures has largely relied on exploiting simple base pairing rules and the formation of double-helical domains as secondary structural elements. However, other helical forms involving specific non-canonical base-base interactions have introduced a novel paradigm into the process of engineering with DNA. The most notable of these is a three-stranded complex generated by the binding of a third strand within the duplex major groove, generating a triple-helical ('triplex') structure. The sequence, structural and assembly requirements that differentiate triplexes from their duplex counterparts has allowed the design of nanostructures for both dynamic and/or structural purposes, as well as a means to target non-nucleic acid components to precise locations within a nanostructure scaffold. Here, we review the properties of triplexes that have proved useful in the engineering of DNA nanostructures, with an emphasis on applications that hitherto have not been possible by duplex formation alone.</p