Programmable DNA cleavage by Ago nucleases from mesophilic bacteria Clostridium butyricum and Limnothrix rosea.

ABSTRACT: Argonaute (Ago) proteins are key players in RNA interference in eukaryotes, where they function as RNA-guided RNA endonucleases. Prokaryotic Argonautes (pAgos) are much more diverse than their eukaryotic counterparts but their cellular functions and mechanisms of action remain largely unknown. Some pAgos were shown to use small DNA guides for endonucleolytic cleavage of complementary DNA in vitro. However, previously studied pAgos from thermophilic prokaryotes function at elevated temperatures, which limits their potential use as a tool in genomic applications. Here, we describe two pAgos from mesophilic bacteria, Clostridium butyricum (CbAgo) and Limnothrix rosea (LrAgo), that act as DNA-guided DNA nucleases at physiological temperatures. In comparison with previously studied pAgos, CbAgo

SUBMITTER: Kuzmenko A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6582412 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature