A computational structural study on the DNA-protecting role of the tardigrade-unique Dsup protein.

ABSTRACT: The remarkable ability of tardigrades to withstand a wide range of physical and chemical extremes has attracted a considerable interest in these small invertebrates, with a particular focus on the protective roles of proteins expressed during such conditions. The discovery that a tardigrade-unique protein named Dsup (damage suppressor) protects DNA from damage produced by radiation and radicals, has raised expectations concerning its potential applications in biotechnology and medicine. We present in this paper what might be dubbed a "computational experiment" on the Dsup-DNA system. By means of molecular modelling, calculations of electrostatic potentials and electric fields, and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we obtained a dynamic picture of the Dsup-DNA interaction. Our result

SUBMITTER: Minguez-Toral M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7414916 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature