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Redox Signaling through DNA
Author(s) -
O'Brien Elizabeth,
Silva Rebekah M. B.,
Barton Jacqueline K.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
israel journal of chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.908
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1869-5868
pISSN - 0021-2148
DOI - 10.1002/ijch.201600022
Subject(s) - chemistry , dna , redox , dna damage , electron transfer , cofactor , enzyme , biophysics , electron transport chain , dna repair , biochemistry , photochemistry , organic chemistry , biology
Biological electron transfer reactions between metal cofactors are critical to many essential processes within the cell. Duplex DNA is, moreover, capable of mediating the transport of charge through its π‐stacked nitrogenous bases. Increasingly, [4Fe4S] clusters, generally redox‐active cofactors, have been found to be associated with enzymes involved in DNA processing. DNA‐binding enzymes containing [4Fe4S] clusters can thus utilize DNA charge transport (DNA CT) for redox signaling to coordinate reactions over long molecular distances. In particular, DNA CT signaling may represent the first step in the search for DNA lesions by proteins containing [4Fe4S] clusters that are involved in DNA repair. Here we describe research carried out to examine the chemical characteristics and biological consequences of DNA CT. We are finding that DNA CT among metalloproteins represents powerful chemistry for redox signaling at long range within the cell.