The notion that transcription factors bind DNA only through specific, consensus binding sites has been recently questioned. No specific consensus motif for the positioning of the human preinitiation complex (PIC) has been identified. Here, we reveal that nonconsensus, statistical, DNA triplet code provides specificity for the positioning of the human PIC. In particular, we reveal a highly nonrandom, statistical pattern of repetitive nucleotide triplets that correlates with the genomewide binding preferences of PIC measured by Chip-exo. We analyze the triplet enrichment and depletion near the transcription start site and identify triplets that have the strongest effect on PIC-DNA nonconsensus binding. Using statistical mechanics, a random-binder model without fitting parameters, with genomic DNA sequence being the only input, we further validate that the nonconsensus nucleotide triplet code constitutes a key signature providing PIC binding specificity in the human genome. Our results constitute a proof-of-concept for, to our knowledge, a new design principle for protein-DNA recognition in the human genome, which can lead to a better mechanistic understanding of transcriptional regulation.
Successful gene therapy requires the development of suitable carriers for the selective and efficient delivery of genes to specific target cells, with minimal toxicity. In this work, we present a non-viral vector for gene delivery composed of biocompatible materials, CaCl
2
, plasmid DNA and the semi-synthetic anionic biopolymer alginate sulfate (AlgS), which spontaneously co-assembled to form nanoparticles (NPs). The NPs were characterized with a slightly anionic surface charge (Zeta potential [ζ] = −14 mV), an average size of 270 nm, and their suspension was stable for several days with no aggregation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) validated their ternary composition, and it elucidated the molecular interactions among Ca
2+
, the plasmid DNA, and the AlgS. Efficient cellular uptake (>80%), associated with potent GFP gene expression (22%–35%), was observed across multiple cell types: primary rat neonatal cardiac fibroblasts, human breast cancer cell line, and human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The uptake mechanism of the NPs was studied using imaging flow cytometry and shown to be via active, clathrin-mediated endocytosis, as chemical inhibition of this pathway significantly reduced EGFP expression. The NPs were cytocompatible and did not activate the T lymphocytes in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Proof of concept for the efficacy of these NPs as a carrier in cancer gene therapy was demonstrated for Diphtheria Toxin Fragment A (DT-A), resulting in abrogation of protein synthesis and cell death in the human breast cancer cell line. Collectively, our results show that the developed AlgS-Ca
2+
-plasmid DNA (pDNA) NPs may be used as an effective non-viral carrier for pDNA.
Transcription factor (TF) recognition is dictated by the underlying DNA motif sequence specific for each TF.Here, we reveal that DNA sequence repeat symmetry plays a central role in defining TF-DNA-binding preferences. In particular, we find that different TFs bind similar symmetry patterns in the context of different developmental layers. Most TFs possess dominant preferences for similar DNA repeat symmetry types. However, in some cases, preferences of specific TFs are changed during differentiation, suggesting the importance of information encoded outside of known motif regions. Histone modifications also exhibit strong preferences for similar DNA repeat symmetry patterns unique to each type of modification. Next, using an in vivo reporter assay, we show that gene expression in embryonic stem cells can be positively modulated by the presence of genomic and computationally designed DNA oligonucleotides containing identified nonconsensus-repetitive sequence elements. This supports the hypothesis that certain nonconsensus-repetitive patterns possess a functional ability to regulate gene expression. We also performed a solution NMR experiment to probe the stability of double-stranded DNA via imino proton resonances for several double-stranded DNA sequences characterized by different repetitive patterns. We suggest that such local stability might play a key role in determining TF-DNA binding preferences. Overall, our findings show that despite the enormous sequence complexity of the TF-DNA binding landscape in differentiating embryonic stem cells, this landscape can be quantitatively characterized in simple terms using the notion of DNA sequence repeat symmetry.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.