Open AccessThe 40-kDa subunit of DNA fragmentation factor induces DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation during apoptosis
Author(s) -
Xuesong Liu,
Peng Li,
Piotr Widłak,
Hua Zou,
Xu Luo,
William T. Garrard,
Xiaodong Wang
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.95.15.8461
Subject(s) - dna fragmentation , apoptotic dna fragmentation , chromatin , fragmentation (computing) , prophase , recombinant dna , microbiology and biotechnology , apoptosis , histone , dna , biology , protein subunit , chemistry , biochemistry , gene , programmed cell death , ecology , meiosis
We report here the reconstitution of a pathway that leads to the apoptotic changes in nuclei by using recombinant DNA fragmentation factor (DFF), a heterodimeric protein of 40 and 45 kDa. Coexpression of DFF40 and DFF45 is required to generate recombinant DFF, which becomes activated when DFF45 is cleaved by caspase-3. The cleaved fragments of DFF45 dissociate from the DFF40, the active component of DFF. Purified DFF40 exhibited an intrinsic DNase activity that was markedly stimulated by chromatin-associated proteins histone H1 and high mobility group proteins. DFF40 also triggered chromatin condensation when incubated with nuclei. These data suggest that DFF40 is sufficient to trigger both DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation during apoptosis.
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