The ability to faithfully replicate DNA is dependent upon the maintenance
and regulation of its precursors, the deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates.
Enzymes encoded by the bacteriophage T4 have been widely used as models
of biochemical processes. A body of evidence supports the concept that the
bacteriophage T4 enzymes involved in deoxyribonucleotide biosynthesis...
With respect to a multienzyme complex of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) synthesis somehow juxtaposed with DNA replication sites, our laboratory has demonstrated the existence of a multienzyme complex in T4-infected E. coli, named the T4 dNTP synthetase complex, but the idea of direct linkage of dNTP synthesis to DNA replication and...
The buildup of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen and oxygen species (RNS) is known as oxidative stress. Oxidative stress results in a wide variety of modification to biological macromolecules including nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins. For at least 30 years it has been known that high levels of...
The inverse electron demand Diels Alder reaction between tetrazines and strained alkenes is an exceptionally useful tool in functionalizing to biomolecules since it is orthogonal to the chemistry of most living systems and have exceptionally high rate constants. In particular reactions between strained trans-cyclooctenes (sTCO) and tetrazines can achieve second...
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), protein regions (IDRs), and protein complexes continue to emerge at the forefront of protein science. Proteins and protein regions lacking specific structure are found in all organisms, and often have vital roles in numerous biological processes. Breaking the well-known structure-function paradigm, the understanding of disorder-based functionality...
Peroxiredoxin (Prx) enzymes catalyze the reduction of hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrous acid, and organic peroxides, and are extremely efficient peroxidases, with k[subscript cat]/K[subscript M] on the order of 10⁷ - 10⁸ M⁻¹ s⁻¹. Besides their role in oxidative stress defense, evidence has accumulated that some eukaryotes, including humans, use Prxs as...
Although the Escherichia coli host has almost all of the enzymes necessary to
synthesize nucleotides needed for bacteriophage T4 DNA replication, phage genes
expressed early in infection encode enzymes for de novo DNA precursor biosynthesis
and salvage from degraded host DNA. Eight early enzymes and two host enzymes
comprise the...