A wealth of protein and DNA sequence data is being generated by genome projects and other sequencing efforts. A crucial barrier to deciphering these sequences and understanding the relations among them is the difficulty of detecting subtle local residue patterns common to multiple sequences. Such patterns frequently reflect similar molecular structures and biological properties. A mathematical definition of this "local multiple alignment" problem suitable for full computer automation has been used to develop a new and sensitive algorithm, based on the statistical method of iterative sampling. This algorithm finds an optimized local alignment model for N sequences in N-linear time, requiring only seconds on current workstations, and allows the simultaneous detection and optimization of multiple patterns and pattern repeats. The method is illustrated as applied to helix-turn-helix proteins, lipocalins, and prenyltransferases.

The canonical condensin complex (henceforth condensin I) plays an essential role in mitotic chromosome assembly and segregation from yeast to humans. We report here the identification of a second condensin complex (condensin II) from vertebrate cells. Condensins I and II share the same pair of structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) subunits but contain different sets of non-SMC subunits. siRNA-mediated depletion of condensin I- or condensin II-specific subunits in HeLa cells produces a distinct, highly characteristic defect in chromosome morphology. Simultaneous depletion of both complexes causes the severest defect. In Xenopus egg extracts, condensin I function is predominant, but lack of condensin II results in the formation of irregularly shaped chromosomes. Condensins I and II show different distributions along the axis of chromosomes assembled in vivo and in vitro. We propose that the two condensin complexes make distinct mechanistic contributions to mitotic chromosome architecture in vertebrate cells.

SUMMARY Two abundant classes of mobile elements, namely Alu and L1 elements, continue to generate new retrotransposon insertions in human genomes. Estimates suggest that these elements have generated millions of new germline insertions in individual human genomes worldwide. Unfortunately, current technologies are not capable of detecting most of these young insertions, and the true extent of germline mutagenesis by endogenous human retrotransposons has been difficult to examine. Here, we describe new technologies for detecting these young retrotransposon insertions and demonstrate that such insertions indeed are abundant in human populations. We also found that new somatic L1 insertions occur at high frequencies in human lung cancer genomes. Genome-wide analysis suggests that altered DNA methylation may be responsible for the high levels of L1 mobilization observed in these tumors. Our data indicate that transposon-mediated mutagenesis is extensive in human genomes, and is likely to have a major impact on human biology and diseases.

Computer analysis of a conserved domain, BRCT, first described at the carboxyl terminus of the breast cancer protein BRCA1, a p53 binding protein (53BP1), and the yeast cell cycle checkpoint protein RAD9 revealed a large superfamily of domains that occur predominantly in proteins involved in cell cycle checkpoint functions responsive to DNA damage. The BRCT domain consists of approximately 95 amino acid residues and occurs as a tandem repeat at the carboxyl terminus of numerous proteins, but has been observed also as a tandem repeat at the amino terminus or as a single copy. The BRCT superfamily presently includes approximately 40 nonorthologous proteins, namely, BRCA1, 53BP1, and RAD9; a protein family that consists of the fission yeast replication checkpoint protein Rad4, the oncoprotein ECT2, the DNA repair protein XRCC1, and yeast DNA polymerase subunit DPB11; DNA binding enzymes such as terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferases, deoxycytidyl transferase involved in DNA repair, and DNA-ligases III and IV; yeast multifunctional transcription factor RAP1; and several uncharacterized gene products. Another previously described domain that is shared by bacterial NAD-dependent DNA-ligases, the large subunits of eukaryotic replication factor C, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases appears to be a distinct version of the BRCT domain. The retinoblastoma protein (a universal tumor suppressor) and related proteins may contain a distant relative of the BRCT domain. Despite the functional diversity of all these proteins, participation in DNA damage-responsive checkpoints appears to be a unifying theme. Thus, the BRCT domain is likely to perform critical, yet uncharacterized, functions in the cell cycle control of organisms from bacteria to humans. The carboxyterminal BRCT domain of BRCA1 corresponds precisely to the recently identified minimal transcription activation domain of this protein, indicating one such function.