arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Penghui Shi.
DNA Polymerase is an enzyme that participates in the process of DNA replication. In general, forward DNA polymerase moves along the template strand in a 3'-5' direction, and the daughter strand is formed in a 5'-3' direction. This paper theoretically analyzes the mechanism of forward DNA polymerase, and gives the design proposal of a new reverse DNA polymerase (3'-5' direction).
Zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) comprise a powerful class of tools that are redefining the boundaries of biological research. Although these technologies have begun to enable targeted genome modifications, there remains a need for new technologies that are affordable, scalable, and easy to engineer. In this paper, we propose a new tool for genetic engineering, the pseudocomplementary peptide nucleic acid nucleases (pcPNANs), which are composed of a pseudocomplementary PNA (pcPNA) specific for a DNA target sequence, a FokI nuclease cleavage domain and a nuclear localization signal. pcPNANs may induce targeted DNA double-strand breaks that activate DNA damage response pathways and enable custom alterations. Their cleavage-site is determined by simple Watson-Crick rule, and thus pcPNANs for aimed cleavage of genomes can be straightforwardly designed and synthesized without any selection procedure. Accordingly, the cleavage-site and site-specificity are freely chosen by changing the sequences and the lengths of pcPNA strands. We believe that the potentiality of pcPNAN as a new tool for genetic engineering will be confirmed in the future.