37 research outputs found

    Using complementary techniques to distinguish cryptic species: A new Erysimum (Brassicaceae) species from North Africa

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    • Premise of the study : Cryptic species are superfi cially morphologically indistinguishable and therefore erroneously classifi ed under one single name. The identifi cation and delimitation of these species is usually a diffi cult task. The main aim of this study is to provide an inclusive methodology that combines standard and new tools to allow accurate identifi cation of cryptic species. We used Erysimum nervosum s.l. as a model system. • Methods : Four populations belonging to E. nervosum s.l. were sampled at their two distribution ranges in Morocco (the Atlas Mountains and the Rif Mountains). Fifteen individuals per population were collected to assess standard taxonomic traits. Additionally, corolla color and shape were quantifi ed in 30 individuals per population using spectrophotometry and geometric morphometrics, respectively. Finally, we collected tissue samples from each population per species to study the phylogenetic relationships among them. • Key results : Using the standard taxonomic traits, we could not distinguish the four populations. Nonetheless, there were differences in corolla color and shape between plants from the two mountain ranges. The population differentiation based on quantitative morphological differences were confi rmed and supported by the phylogenetic relationships obtained for these populations and the rest of the Moroccan Erysimum species. • Conclusions : The joint use of the results obtained from standard taxonomic traits, quantitative analyses of plant phenotype, and molecular data suggests the occurrence of two species within E. nervosum s.l. in Morocco, one located in the Atlas Mountains ( E. nervosum s.s.) and the other in the Rif Mountains ( E. riphaeanum sp. nov.). Consequently, we suggest that combining quantitative and molecular approaches with standard taxonomy greatly benefi ts the identifi cation of cryptic species

    Crystal structure of a double-stranded DNA containing a cisplatin interstrand cross-link at 1.63 A resolution: hydration at the platinated site.

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    cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) (cisplatin) is a powerful anti-tumor drug whose target is cellular DNA. In the reaction between DNA and cisplatin, covalent intrastrand and interstrand cross-links (ICL) are formed. Two solution structures of the ICL have been published recently. In both models the double-helix is bent and unwound but with significantly different angle values. We solved the crystal structure at 100K of a double-stranded DNA decamer containing a single cisplatin ICL, using the anomalous scattering (MAD) of platinum as a unique source of phase information. We found 47 degrees for double-helix bending and 70 degrees for unwinding in agreement with previous electrophoretic assays. The crystals are stabilized by intermolecular contacts involving two cytosines extruded from the double-helix, one of which makes a triplet with a terminal G.C pair. The platinum coordination is nearly square and the platinum residue is embedded into a cage of nine water molecules linked to the cross-linked guanines, to the two amine groups, and to the phosphodiester backbone through other water molecules. This water molecule organization is discussed in relation with the chemical stability of the ICL

    Structural basis for the recognition of the FapydG lesion (2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamidopyrimidine) by Formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase

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    Formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (Fpg) is a DNA repair enzyme that excises oxidized purines such as 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) and 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamidopyrimidine (FapyG) from damaged DNA. Here, we report the crystal structure of the Fpg protein from Lactococcus lactis (LlFpg) bound to a carbocyclic FapydG (cFapydG)-containing DNA. The structure reveals that Fpg stabilizes the cFapydG nucleoside into an extrahelical conformation inside its substrate binding pocket. In contrast to the recognition of the 8-oxodG lesion, which is bound with the glycosidic bond in a syn conformation, the cFapydG lesion displays in the complex an anti conformation. Furthermore, Fpg establishes interactions with all the functional groups of the FapyG base lesion, which can be classified in two categories: (i) those specifying a purine-derived lesion (here a guanine) involved in the Watson-Crick face recognition of the lesion and probably contributing to an optimal orientation of the pyrimidine ring moiety in the binding pocket and (ii) those specifying the imidazole ring-opened moiety of FapyG and probably participating also in the rotameric selection of the FapydG nucleobase. These interactions involve strictly conserved Fpg residues and structural water molecules mediated interactions. The significant differences between the Fpg recognition modes of 8-oxodG and FapydG provide new insights into the Fpg substrate specificity

    AP site structural determinants for Fpg specific recognition.

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    The binding of Escherichia coli and Lactococcus lactis Fapy-DNA glyosylase (Fpg) proteins to DNA containing either cyclic or non-cyclic abasic (AP) site analogs was investigated by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and by footprinting experiments. We showed that the reduced AP site is the best substrate analog for the E.coli and L.lactis enzymes ( K Dapp = 0.26 and 0.5 nM, respectively) as compared with the other analogs tested in this study ( K Dapp >2.8 nM). The 1,3-propanediol (Pr) residue-containing DNA seems to be the minimal AP site structure allowing a Fpg specific DNA binding, since the ethyleneglycol residue is not specifically bound by these enzymes. The newly described cyclopentanol residue is better recognized than tetrahydrofuran (for the E.coli Fpg, K Dapp = 2.9 and 25 nM, respectively). These results suggest that the hemiacetal form of the AP site is negatively discriminated by the Fpg protein suggesting a hydrogen bond between the C4'-hydroxyl group of the sugar and a Fpg residue. High-resolution hydroxyl radical footprinting using a duplex containing Pr shows that Fpg binds to six nucleotides on the strand containing the AP site and only the base opposite the lesion on the undamaged complementary strand. This comparative study provides new information about the molecular mechanism involved in the Fpg AP lyase activity
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