Nancy Horton

Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology
Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Professor, Genetics - GIDP

My laboratory is interested in the structures and mechanisms of proteins that act upon DNA and RNA and their consequences to human health. Currently, we are investigating proteins from the human pathogen, Human Parvovirus B19, and as well as enzymes which modulate their activity using filament formation. The methods we employ include structural techniques such as x-ray crystallography, NMR and cryo-electron microscopy, and functional investigations using biochemical and high-throughput methodologies

Publications

2008

Dunten, P. W., E. J. Little, M. T. Gregory, V. M. Manohar, M. Dalton, D. Hough, J. Bitinaite, and N. C. Horton, "The structure of SgrAI bound to DNA; recognition of an 8 base pair target.", Nucleic Acids Res, vol. 36, issue 16, pp. 5405-16, 2008 Sep. PMCID: PMC2532715 PMID: 18701646

2006

Segal, D. J., J. W. Crotty, M. S. Bhakta, C. F. Barbas, and N. C. Horton, "Structure of Aart, a designed six-finger zinc finger peptide, bound to DNA.", J Mol Biol, vol. 363, issue 2, pp. 405-21, 2006 Oct 20. PMID: 16963084
Joshi, H. K., C. Etzkorn, L. Chatwell, J. Bitinaite, and N. C. Horton, "Alteration of sequence specificity of the type II restriction endonuclease HincII through an indirect readout mechanism.", J Biol Chem, vol. 281, issue 33, pp. 23852-69, 2006 Aug 18. PMID: 16675462

2005

Crotty, J. W., C. Etzkorn, C. F. Barbas, D. J. Segal, and N. C. Horton, "Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of Aart, a designed six-finger zinc-finger peptide, bound to DNA.", Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun, vol. 61, issue Pt 6, pp. 573-6, 2005 Jun 01. PMCID: PMC1952332 PMID: 16511099
Little, E. J., and N. C. Horton, "DNA-induced conformational changes in type II restriction endonucleases: the structure of unliganded HincII.", J Mol Biol, vol. 351, issue 1, pp. 76-88, 2005 Aug 05. PMID: 15993893

2004

Etzkorn, C., and N. C. Horton, "Mechanistic insights from the structures of HincII bound to cognate DNA cleaved from addition of Mg2+ and Mn2+.", J Mol Biol, vol. 343, issue 4, pp. 833-49, 2004 Oct 29. PMID: 15476804
Horton, N. C., and J. J. Perona, "DNA cleavage by EcoRV endonuclease: two metal ions in three metal ion binding sites.", Biochemistry, vol. 43, issue 22, pp. 6841-57, 2004 Jun 08. PMID: 15170321
Etzkorn, C., and N. C. Horton, "Ca2+ binding in the active site of HincII: implications for the catalytic mechanism.", Biochemistry, vol. 43, issue 42, pp. 13256-70, 2004 Oct 26. PMID: 15491133

2002

Horton, N. C., C. Otey, S. Lusetti, M. D. Sam, J. Kohn, A. M. Martin, V. Ananthnarayan, and J. J. Perona, "Electrostatic contributions to site specific DNA cleavage by EcoRV endonuclease.", Biochemistry, vol. 41, issue 35, pp. 10754-63, 2002 Sep 03. PMID: 12196013
Horton, N. C., L. F. Dorner, and J. J. Perona, "Sequence selectivity and degeneracy of a restriction endonuclease mediated by DNA intercalation.", Nat Struct Biol, vol. 9, issue 1, pp. 42-7, 2002 Jan. PMID: 11742344

2001

Sam, M. D., N. C. Horton, T. A. Nissan, and J. J. Perona, "Catalytic efficiency and sequence selectivity of a restriction endonuclease modulated by a distal manganese ion binding site.", J Mol Biol, vol. 306, issue 4, pp. 851-61, 2001 Mar 02. PMID: 11243793
Horton, N. C., and J. J. Perona, "Making the most of metal ions.", Nat Struct Biol, vol. 8, issue 4, pp. 290-3, 2001 Apr. PMID: 11276242

1999

Horton, N. C., L. F. Dorner, I. Schildkraut, and J. J. Perona, "Crystallization and preliminary diffraction analysis of the HincII restriction endonuclease-DNA complex.", Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr, vol. 55, issue Pt 11, pp. 1943-5, 1999 Nov. PMID: 10531503
Martin, A. M., N. C. Horton, S. Lusetti, N. O. Reich, and J. J. Perona, "Divalent metal dependence of site-specific DNA binding by EcoRV endonuclease.", Biochemistry, vol. 38, issue 26, pp. 8430-9, 1999 Jun 29. PMID: 10387089

1998

Horton, N. C., K. J. Newberry, and J. J. Perona, "Metal ion-mediated substrate-assisted catalysis in type II restriction endonucleases.", Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol. 95, issue 23, pp. 13489-94, 1998 Nov 10. PMCID: PMC24846 PMID: 9811827
Horton, N. C., and J. J. Perona, "Role of protein-induced bending in the specificity of DNA recognition: crystal structure of EcoRV endonuclease complexed with d(AAAGAT) + d(ATCTT).", J Mol Biol, vol. 277, issue 4, pp. 779-87, 1998 Apr 10. PMID: 9545372
Baldwin, E. T., R. W. Sarver, G. L. Bryant, K. A. Curry, M. B. Fairbanks, B. C. Finzel, R. L. Garlick, R. L. Heinrikson, N. C. Horton, L. L. Kelley, et al., "Cation binding to the integrin CD11b I domain and activation model assessment.", Structure, vol. 6, issue 7, pp. 923-35, 1998 Jul 15. PMID: 9687375
Horton, N. C., and J. J. Perona, "Recognition of flanking DNA sequences by EcoRV endonuclease involves alternative patterns of water-mediated contacts.", J Biol Chem, vol. 273, issue 34, pp. 21721-9, 1998 Aug 21. PMID: 9705308

1996

Horton, N. C., and B. C. Finzel, "The structure of an RNA/DNA hybrid: a substrate of the ribonuclease activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.", J Mol Biol, vol. 264, issue 3, pp. 521-33, 1996 Dec 06. PMID: 8969302
Lewis, M., G. Chang, N. C. Horton, M. A. Kercher, H. C. Pace, M. A. Schumacher, R. G. Brennan, and P. Lu, "Crystal structure of the lactose operon repressor and its complexes with DNA and inducer.", Science, vol. 271, issue 5253, pp. 1247-54, 1996 Mar 01. PMID: 8638105

Pages

Supervising

Christopher Boles