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DNA-binding proteins are proteins that bind to single- or double-stranded DNA, generally in the major groove if the binding is sequence-specific – as with transcription factors that regulate expression of genes, and nucleases that cleave DNA between nucleotides. DNA-binding proteins can also bind DNA non-specifically, such as polymerases and histones.
TFAM packages mitochondrial DNA and activates transcription. Here, the authors use single-molecule assays to show distinct bending and unbending dynamics of promoter and nonspecific DNAs, explaining TFAM’s function in packaging and gene expression.
Comprehensive analyses of Cas9 proteins shed light on the evolution of the CRISPR–Cas9 system, and identify a pro-CRISPR accessory protein in bacteria that boosts CRISPR-mediated immunity by enhancing the DNA binding and cleavage activity of Cas9.
Cryo-electron microscopy structures of human RAD51 in complex with the nucleosome show that RAD51 can adopt two conformations—rings and filaments—and reveal how RAD51 binds to the nucleosome through its N-terminal lobe domain.
Cas12f1 is a member of type V Cas12 family, which has a hypercompact size. A Cas12f1-based adenine base editor has now been developed that is small enough to be loaded into a single AAV vector without compromising editing activity.