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Molecular and Cellular Biology, September 2001, p. 5753-5766, Vol. 21, No. 17
Graduate School of Bioscience and
Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Midori-ku, Yokohama
226-8501,1 and Nara Institute of Science
and Technology, Ikoma, Nara 630-0101,2 Japan
Received 16 March 2001/Returned for modification 25 April
2001/Accepted 24 May 2001
The end replication problem hypothesis proposes that the ends of
linear DNA cannot be replicated completely during lagging strand DNA
synthesis. Although the idea has been widely accepted for
explaining telomere attrition during cell proliferation, it has never been directly demonstrated. In order to take a biochemical approach to understand how linear DNA ends are replicated, we have
established a novel in vitro linear simian virus 40 DNA replication system. In this system, terminally biotin-labeled linear DNAs are
conjugated to avidin-coated beads and subjected to replication reactions. Linear DNA was efficiently replicated under optimized conditions, and replication products that had replicated using the
original DNA templates were specifically analyzed by purifying bead-bound replication products. By exploiting this system, we showed
that while the leading strand is completely synthesized to the end,
lagging strand synthesis is gradually halted in the terminal ~500-bp
region, leaving 3' overhangs. This result is consistent with
observations in telomerase-negative mammalian cells and formally
demonstrates the end replication problem. This study provides a basis
for studying the details of telomere replication.
0270-7306/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/MCB.21.17.5753-5766.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
In Vitro Reconstitution of the End
Replication Problem
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Graduate School
of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan. Phone: 81 45 924 5711. Fax: 81 45 924 5831. E-mail:
fishikaw{at}bio.titech.ac.jp.
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