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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

The Rise And Fall Of Poly(Adp-Ribose): An Enzymatic Perspective., John M. Pascal, Tom Ellenberger Aug 2015

The Rise And Fall Of Poly(Adp-Ribose): An Enzymatic Perspective., John M. Pascal, Tom Ellenberger

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Human cells respond to DNA damage with an acute and transient burst in production of poly(ADP-ribose), a posttranslational modification that expedites damage repair and plays a pivotal role in cell fate decisions. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) and glycohydrolase (PARG) are the key set of enzymes that orchestrate the rise and fall in cellular levels of poly(ADP-ribose). In this perspective, we focus on recent structural and mechanistic insights into the enzymes involved in poly(ADP-ribose) production and turnover, and we highlight important questions that remain to be answered.


Diversification Of Importin-Α Isoforms In Cellular Trafficking And Disease States., Ruth A. Pumroy, Gino Cingolani Feb 2015

Diversification Of Importin-Α Isoforms In Cellular Trafficking And Disease States., Ruth A. Pumroy, Gino Cingolani

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

The human genome encodes seven isoforms of importin α which are grouped into three subfamilies known as α1, α2 and α3. All isoforms share a fundamentally conserved architecture that consists of an N-terminal, autoinhibitory, importin-β-binding (IBB) domain and a C-terminal Arm (Armadillo)-core that associates with nuclear localization signal (NLS) cargoes. Despite striking similarity in amino acid sequence and 3D structure, importin-α isoforms display remarkable substrate specificity in vivo. In the present review, we look at key differences among importin-α isoforms and provide a comprehensive inventory of known viral and cellular cargoes that have been shown to associate preferentially with specific …


Fungal Mediator Tail Subunits Contain Classical Transcriptional Activation Domains, Zhongle Liu, Lawrence C. Myers Feb 2015

Fungal Mediator Tail Subunits Contain Classical Transcriptional Activation Domains, Zhongle Liu, Lawrence C. Myers

Dartmouth Scholarship

Classical activation domains within DNA-bound eukaryotic transcription factors make weak interactions with coactivator complexes, such as Mediator, to stimulate transcription. How these interactions stimulate transcription, however, is unknown. The activation of reporter genes by artificial fusion of Mediator subunits to DNA binding domains that bind to their promoters has been cited as evidence that the primary role of activators is simply to recruit Mediator. We have identified potent classical transcriptional activation domains in the C termini of several tail module subunits of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, and Candida dubliniensis Mediator, while their N-terminal domains are necessary and sufficient for their …