Likewise, the normal attachment of the chromosomes to the metaphase plate and lack of checkpoint merely activation that monitors spindle tension in geminin silenced cells suggest that kinetochores are also unaffected by geminin silencing. It is thus possible to propose that the primary function for the geminin TopoIIa complex is to resolve chromosome complexities and that, in the absence of geminin, an increase in the number and complexity of knotted repli cation bubbles would increase the number of nodes in the catenane that arrest segregation of the freshly replicated DNA molecules, leading to chromosome bridges and mitotic arrest. Our present study supports this proposition. Several proteins with wide varieties of functions have been shown to function Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries in a similar manner in which they interact and or stimulate the relaxation and decatenation activities of TopoIIa.
Similar to geminin silencing, mutations in these genes prevent effective separation of sister chromatids during anaphase because of the suppression of TopoIIa func tion. In future studies, it will be important to search for other components Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries in this geminin TopoIIa complex that regulate chromosome decatenation. This work will be necessary to better understand the molecular mechanism of proper decatenation segregation during mitosis. One of the interesting and unexpected aspects of the present study is the fact that GST geminin could induce linearization of k DNA as well as pBP322 plasmid. As mentioned above, we cannot rule out bacterial nuclease Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries contaminant in the GST geminin preparation as the source of the apparent DNA linearization in both assays.
However, while this might be possible in the pBP322 reaction, Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries it is hard to imagine that this is the case in the k DNA reaction. The k DNA used consisted of inter locked minicircles that form extremely large networks of high molecular weight. Unless cut and religated specifically Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries by TopoIIa during the decatenation process, these networks fail to enter the gel. Assuming that a protein other than geminin cleaved the DNA, it must have been pulled down specifically by GST gemi nin and not by GST alone. This would make it a partner and not contaminant. However, bacteria do not express geminin. Therefore, a human homolog of this nuclease must exist and would be worth cloning in the future. Alternatively, it is possible that geminin at higher con centrations binds and masks a TopoIIa ligation indu cing domain, if it exits. This could explain the fact that only at much higher concentrations in these assays did geminin prevent religation, but not cleaving activity, of TopoIIa. Finally, research use only it is possible that geminin itself has nuclease activity.