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A model for the evolution of prokaryotic DNA restriction-modification systems based upon the structural malleability of Type I restriction-modification enzymes

Bower, Edward K.M.; Cooper, Laurie P.; Roberts, Gareth A.; White, John H.; Luyten, Yvette; Morgan, Richard D.; Dryden, David T.F.

A model for the evolution of prokaryotic DNA restriction-modification systems based upon the structural malleability of Type I restriction-modification enzymes Thumbnail


Authors

Edward K.M. Bower

Laurie P. Cooper

Gareth A. Roberts

John H. White

Yvette Luyten

Richard D. Morgan



Abstract

Restriction Modification (RM) systems prevent the invasion of foreign genetic material into bacterial cells by restriction and protect the host's genetic material by methylation. They are therefore important in maintaining the integrity of the host genome. RM systems are currently classified into four types (I to IV) on the basis of differences in composition, target recognition, cofactors and the manner in which they cleave DNA. Comparing the structures of the different types, similarities can be observed suggesting an evolutionary link between these different types. This work describes the ‘deconstruction’ of a large Type I RM enzyme into forms structurally similar to smaller Type II RM enzymes in an effort to elucidate the pathway taken by Nature to form these different RM enzymes. Based upon the ability to engineer new enzymes from the Type I ‘scaffold’, an evolutionary pathway and the evolutionary pressures required to move along the pathway from Type I RM systems to Type II RM systems are proposed. Experiments to test the evolutionary model are discussed.

Citation

Bower, E., Cooper, L., Roberts, G., White, J., Luyten, Y., Morgan, R., & Dryden, D. (2018). A model for the evolution of prokaryotic DNA restriction-modification systems based upon the structural malleability of Type I restriction-modification enzymes. Nucleic Acids Research, 46(17), 9067-9080. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gky760

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 21, 2018
Online Publication Date Aug 28, 2018
Publication Date Sep 1, 2018
Deposit Date Sep 4, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Nucleic Acids Research
Print ISSN 0305-1048
Electronic ISSN 1362-4962
Publisher Oxford University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 46
Issue 17
Pages 9067-9080
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gky760

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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright Statement
Advance online version © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.






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