Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow Print PDF (294K) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (12)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Commercial Re-use Guidelines
for Open Access NAR Content
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mearini, G.
Right arrow Articles by Fackelmayer, F. O.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mearini, G.
Right arrow Articles by Fackelmayer, F. O.
Related Collections
Right arrow Cell biology
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Published online 11 May 2004

Nucleic Acids Research, 2004, Vol. 32, No. 8 2642-2651
© 2004 Oxford University Press

Localization and dynamics of small circular DNA in live mammalian nuclei

Giulia Mearini, Peter E. Nielsen1 and Frank O. Fackelmayer*

Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Heinrich-Pette-Institute, Martinistraße 52, 20251 Hamburg, Germany and 1 Department of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3c, DK 2200N, Copenhagen, Denmark

*To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel/Fax: +49 48051 300; Email: Frank{at}Fackelmayer.de

Received February 6, 2004; Revised March 23, 2004; Accepted April 15, 2004

While genomic DNA, packaged into chromatin, is known to be locally constrained but highly dynamic in the nuclei of living cells, little is known about the localization and dynamics of small circular DNA molecules that invade cells by virus infection, application of gene therapy vectors or experimental transfection. To address this point, we have created traceable model substrates by direct labeling of plasmid DNA with fluorescent peptide nucleic acids, and have investigated their fate after microinjection into living cells. Here, we report that foreign DNA rapidly undergoes interactions with intranuclear structural sites that strongly reduce its mobility and restrict the DNA to regions excluding nucleoli and nuclear bodies such as PML bodies. The labeled plasmids partially co-localize with SAF-A, a well characterized marker protein for the nuclear ‘scaffold’ or ‘matrix’, and are resistant towards extraction by detergent and, in part, elevated salt concentrations. We show that the localization and the low mobility of plasmids is independent of the plasmid sequence, and does not require the presence of either a scaffold attachment region (SAR) DNA element or a functional promoter.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Cell Biol.Home page
M. Xu and P. R. Cook
Similar active genes cluster in specialized transcription factories
J. Cell Biol., May 19, 2008; 181(4): 615 - 623.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Nucleic Acids ResHome page
N. Shimizu, F. Kamezaki, and S. Shigematsu
Tracking of microinjected DNA in live cells reveals the intracellular behavior and elimination of extrachromosomal genetic material
Nucleic Acids Res., November 3, 2005; 33(19): 6296 - 6307.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.