A Possible Mechanism of DNA to DNA Transcription in Eukaryotic Cells: Endonuclease Dependent Transcript Cutout

摘要

We previously proposed the existence of DNA to DNA transcription in eukaryotic cells, but the mechanism by which single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) transcript is produced and released from the genome remains unknown. We once speculated that the mechanism of DNA to DNA transcription might be similar to that of DNA to RNA transcription, but now we propose that endonuclease dependent transcript cutout may be a possible mechanism of DNA to DNA transcription, in which a copy of ssDNA fragment (transcript) between two nicks produced by nicking endonuclease is released from double-stranded DNA (dsDN A) region in the genome by an unknown ssDNA fragment releasing enzyme. The gap in the dsDNA will be filled through DNA repair mechanism. Occasionally, multiple copies of ssDNA transcripts could be produced through multiple rounds of cutout-repair-cutout cycle.