RecQ-mediated genome instability protein 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the RMI1 gene. [5] [6]
Mutations in RMI1 are associated with Bloom-Syndrome like disorder. [7] Two patients, both with microcephalic dwarfism came from the same family. They carried identical heterozygous mutations: [1255_1259del][Lys419LeufsTer5].
RMI1 protein is a component of the Bloom Syndrome Complex. [8] RMI1 protein is made up of 2 OB (oligonucleotide binding) domains. OB1 binds to Topoisomerase III alpha, [9] while OB2 binds to RMI2 within the Bloom Syndrome complex, and FANCM of the Fanconi Anaemia pathway. [10]
An insert within OB1 domain of RMI1 inserts into the catalytic centre of Topoisomerase III alpha, and is necessary for the optimal activity of this enzyme during cellular DNA repair and homologous recombination. [9]
During meiosis in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae , TOP3 (a type I topoisomerase) and its accessory factor RMI1 form a heterodimer that functions to allow passage of one DNA single strand through another. The TOP3-RMI1 heterodimer associates with Sgs1 (Bloom helicase ortholog) to form a complex that catalyzes dissolution of double Holliday junctions. [11] Furthermore, the TOP3-RMI1 heterodimer participates in all meiotic recombination functions associated with Sgs1, most significantly as an early recombination intermediate chaperone, promoting regulated crossover and non-crossover recombination and preventing accumulation of aberrant recombination intermediates. [12] In particular, the TOP3-RMI1–SGS1 complex promotes early formation of non-crossover recombinants during meiosis. [12]
Chromosomal crossover, or crossing over, is the exchange of genetic material during sexual reproduction between two homologous chromosomes' non-sister chromatids that results in recombinant chromosomes. It is one of the final phases of genetic recombination, which occurs in the pachytene stage of prophase I of meiosis during a process called synapsis. Synapsis begins before the synaptonemal complex develops and is not completed until near the end of prophase I. Crossover usually occurs when matching regions on matching chromosomes break and then reconnect to the other chromosome.
RecQ helicase is a family of helicase enzymes initially found in Escherichia coli that has been shown to be important in genome maintenance. They function through catalyzing the reaction ATP + H2O → ADP + P and thus driving the unwinding of paired DNA and translocating in the 3' to 5' direction. These enzymes can also drive the reaction NTP + H2O → NDP + P to drive the unwinding of either DNA or RNA.
Bloom syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by short stature, predisposition to the development of cancer, and genomic instability. BS is caused by mutations in the BLM gene which is a member of the RecQ DNA helicase family. Mutations in other members of this family, namely WRN and RECQL4, are associated with the clinical entities Werner syndrome and Rothmund–Thomson syndrome, respectively. More broadly, Bloom syndrome is a member of a class of clinical entities that are characterized by chromosomal instability, genomic instability, or both and by cancer predisposition.
Homologous recombination is a type of genetic recombination in which genetic information is exchanged between two similar or identical molecules of double-stranded or single-stranded nucleic acids.
Werner syndrome ATP-dependent helicase, also known as DNA helicase, RecQ-like type 3, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the WRN gene. WRN is a member of the RecQ Helicase family. Helicase enzymes generally unwind and separate double-stranded DNA. These activities are necessary before DNA can be copied in preparation for cell division. Helicase enzymes are also critical for making a blueprint of a gene for protein production, a process called transcription. Further evidence suggests that Werner protein plays a critical role in repairing DNA. Overall, this protein helps maintain the structure and integrity of a person's DNA.
A Holliday junction is a branched nucleic acid structure that contains four double-stranded arms joined. These arms may adopt one of several conformations depending on buffer salt concentrations and the sequence of nucleobases closest to the junction. The structure is named after Robin Holliday, the molecular biologist who proposed its existence in 1964.
Mitotic recombination is a type of genetic recombination that may occur in somatic cells during their preparation for mitosis in both sexual and asexual organisms. In asexual organisms, the study of mitotic recombination is one way to understand genetic linkage because it is the only source of recombination within an individual. Additionally, mitotic recombination can result in the expression of recessive genes in an otherwise heterozygous individual. This expression has important implications for the study of tumorigenesis and lethal recessive genes. Mitotic homologous recombination occurs mainly between sister chromatids subsequent to replication. Inter-sister homologous recombination is ordinarily genetically silent. During mitosis the incidence of recombination between non-sister homologous chromatids is only about 1% of that between sister chromatids.
Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) is the exchange of genetic material between two identical sister chromatids.
Chromosome segregation is the process in eukaryotes by which two sister chromatids formed as a consequence of DNA replication, or paired homologous chromosomes, separate from each other and migrate to opposite poles of the nucleus. This segregation process occurs during both mitosis and meiosis. Chromosome segregation also occurs in prokaryotes. However, in contrast to eukaryotic chromosome segregation, replication and segregation are not temporally separated. Instead segregation occurs progressively following replication.
Bloom syndrome protein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BLM gene and is not expressed in Bloom syndrome.
Exonuclease 1 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the EXO1 gene.
DNA topoisomerase 3-alpha is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the TOP3A gene.
Fanconi anemia, complementation group M, also known as FANCM is a human gene. It is an emerging target in cancer therapy, in particular cancers with specific genetic deficiencies.
Sgs1, also known as slow growth suppressor 1, is a DNA helicase protein found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is a homolog of the bacterial RecQ helicase. Like the other members of the RecQ helicase family, Sgs1 is important for DNA repair. In particular, Sgs1 collaborates with other proteins to repair double-strand breaks during homologous recombination in eukaryotes.
SLX4 is a protein involved in DNA repair, where it has important roles in the final steps of homologous recombination. Mutations in the gene are associated with the disease Fanconi anemia.
Synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA) is a major mechanism of homology-directed repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Although many of the features of SDSA were first suggested in 1976, the double-Holliday junction model proposed in 1983 was favored by many researchers. In 1994, studies of double-strand gap repair in Drosophila were found to be incompatible with the double-Holliday junction model, leading researchers to propose a model they called synthesis-dependent strand annealing. Subsequent studies of meiotic recombination in S. cerevisiae found that non-crossover products appear earlier than double-Holliday junctions or crossover products, challenging the previous notion that both crossover and non-crossover products are produced by double-Holliday junctions and leading the authors to propose that non-crossover products are generated through SDSA.
Progeroid syndromes (PS) are a group of rare genetic disorders that mimic physiological aging, making affected individuals appear to be older than they are. The term progeroid syndrome does not necessarily imply progeria, which is a specific type of progeroid syndrome.
Stephen Charles Kowalczykowski is a Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of California at Davis. His research focuses on the biochemistry and molecular biology of DNA repair and homologous recombination. His lab combines fluorescence microscopy, optical trapping and microfluidics to manipulate and visualize single molecules of DNA and the enzymes involved in processing and repairing DNA. He calls this scientific approach, "visual biochemistry". Stephen Kowalczykowski was elected to the American Society for Arts and Science in 2005, the National Academy of Sciences in 2007 and was a Harvey Society Lecturer at Rockefeller University in 2012.
Crossover junction endodeoxyribonuclease, also known as Holliday junction resolvase, Holliday junction endonuclease, Holliday junction-cleaving endonuclease, Holliday junction-resolving endoribonuclease, crossover junction endoribonuclease, and cruciform-cutting endonuclease, is an enzyme involved in DNA repair and homologous recombination. Specifically, it performs endonucleolytic cleavage that results in single-stranded crossover between two homologous DNA molecules at the Holliday junction to produce recombinant DNA products for chromosomal segregation. This process is known as Holliday junction resolution.
A double-strand break repair model refers to the various models of pathways that cells undertake to repair double strand-breaks (DSB). DSB repair is an important cellular process, as the accumulation of unrepaired DSB could lead to chromosomal rearrangements, tumorigenesis or even cell death. In human cells, there are two main DSB repair mechanisms: Homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). HR relies on undamaged template DNA as reference to repair the DSB, resulting in the restoration of the original sequence. NHEJ modifies and ligates the damaged ends regardless of homology. In terms of DSB repair pathway choice, most mammalian cells appear to favor NHEJ rather than HR. This is because the employment of HR may lead to gene deletion or amplification in cells which contains repetitive sequences. In terms of repair models in the cell cycle, HR is only possible during the S and G2 phases, while NHEJ can occur throughout whole process. These repair pathways are all regulated by the overarching DNA damage response mechanism. Besides HR and NHEJ, there are also other repair models which exists in cells. Some are categorized under HR, such as synthesis-dependent strain annealing, break-induced replication, and single-strand annealing; while others are an entirely alternate repair model, namely, the pathway microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ).