Alterations to the expression level of mitochondrial transcription factor A, TFAM, modify the mode of mitochondrial DNA replication in cultured human cells.

ABSTRACT: Mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) is an abundant mitochondrial protein of the HMG superfamily, with various putative roles in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) metabolism. In this study we have investigated the effects on mtDNA replication of manipulating TFAM expression in cultured human cells. Mammalian mtDNA replication intermediates (RIs) fall into two classes, whose mechanistic relationship is not properly understood. One class is characterized by extensive RNA incorporation on the lagging strand, whereas the other has the structure of products of conventional, strand-coupled replication. TFAM overexpression increased the overall abundance of RIs and shifted them substantially towards those of the conventional, strand-coupled type. The shift was most pronounced in the rDNA region an

SUBMITTER: Pohjoismaki JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1635303 | biostudies-literature | 2006

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature