Extrachromosomal circular DNA: A neglected nucleic acid molecule in plants. Current opinion in plant biology Throughout the years, most plant genomic studies were focused on nuclear chromosomes. Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) has largely been neglected for decades since its discovery in 1965. While initial research showed that eccDNAs can originate from highly repetitive sequences, recent findings show that many regions of the genome can contribute to the eccDNA pool. Currently, the biological functions of eccDNAs, if any, are a mystery but recent studies have indicated that they can be regulated by different genomic loci and contribute to stress response and adaptation. In this review, we outline current relevant technological developments facilitating eccDNA identification and the latest discoveries about eccDNAs in plants. Finally, we explore the probable functions and future research directions that could be undertaken with respect to different eccDNA sources. 10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102263

Plant viral and bacteriophage delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics. Lam Patricia,Steinmetz Nicole F Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology Nucleic acid therapeutics have emerged as a powerful method for treatment of many diseases. However, the challenge lies in safe and efficient delivery of nucleic acids to their target site, as they need to cross various extracellular and intracellular barriers. Mammalian viruses have initially been favored for delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics, but safety concerns regarding their immunogenicity and potential of integration have fueled the search for alternative delivery strategies. For example, chemistry and bioengineering have led to advances in the use of nonviral vectors composed of lipids and other polymers; nevertheless, the synthetic systems often do not match the efficiency achieved using the biological systems. More recently, researchers have turned toward the development of plant viruses and bacteriophages and virus-like particles as an alternative or complementary approach. These systems unite the properties of both the viral and nonviral systems and as such are a new exciting avenue toward nucleic acid delivery. This review highlights the benefits of plant viral and bacteriophage delivery of nucleic acids and provides a summary of the current progress in research in this field. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2018, 10:e1487. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1487 This article is categorized under: Biology-Inspired Nanomaterials > Protein and Virus-Based Structures. 10.1002/wnan.1487

Cold Shock Domain Proteins: Structure and Interaction with Nucleic Acids. Budkina K S,Zlobin N E,Kononova S V,Ovchinnikov L P,Babakov A V Biochemistry. Biokhimiia This review summarizes the features of cold shock domain (CSD) proteins in the context of their interactions with nucleic acids and describes similarities and differences in the structure of cold shock proteins of prokaryotes and CSD proteins of eukaryotes with special emphasis on the functions related to the RNA/DNA-binding ability of these proteins. The mechanisms and specificity of their interaction with nucleic acids in relation to the growing complexity of protein domain structure are described, as well as various complexes of the mammalian Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) with nucleic acids (filaments, globules, toroids). The role of particular amino acid residues in the binding of nitrogenous bases and the sugar-phosphate backbone of nucleic acids is emphasized. The data on the nucleic acid sequences recognized by the Y-box binding proteins are systematized. Post-translational modifications of YB-1, especially its phosphorylation, affect the recognition of specific sequences in the promoter regions of various groups of genes by YB-1 protein. The data on the interaction of Lin28 protein with let-7 miRNAs are summarized. The features of the domain structure of plant CSD proteins and their effect on the interaction with nucleic acids are discussed. 10.1134/S0006297920140011