Novel histone H2A-like protein of escherichia coli

A histone-like protein (H) from Escherichia coli has been purified to more than 98% homogeneity by using its capacity to inhibit DNA functions. H protein behaves as a dimer of 28,000-dalton subunits. The histone H2A-like properties of H protein are: (i) binding to DNA at a stoichiometry of 1 H protein dimer per 75 bases; (ii) abundance of about 30,000 molecules per cell, sufficient to bind about 20% of the chromosome; (iii) limiting digestion of double-stranded DNA by micrococcal nuclease; (iv) reannealing of complementary single-stranded DNA; (v) amino acid composition resembling that of eukaryotic histone H2A; (vi) neutralization of H protein by antibody specific for H2A; (vii) heat stability; and (viii) acid solubility. The capacity of H protein to bind DNA prevents its template or substrate functions n several reactions in vitro: DNA synthesis by several polymerases; transcription by RNA polymerase; DNA topoisomerase activity; and DNA-dependent ATP hydrolysis by rep protein, dnaB protein, or protein n'. Together with other histone-like proteins of E. coli, H protein may organize the E. coli chromosome into nucleosomes, such as in eukaryotic chromatin.

The delta subunit of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III holoenzyme is the dnaX gene product

The delta subunit of DNA polymerase III holoenzyme has been purified extensively with an assay for phi X174 DNA synthesis using core (pol III) and beta and gamma subunits. Either the purified delta subunit or the purified DNA polymerase III holoenzyme can complement a defective enzyme fraction from the conditional replication mutant SG133 described by Sevastopoulos et al. [Sevastopoulas, C.G., Wehr, C.T. & Glaser, D. A. (1977) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74, 3485-3489]. It has been established by Henson et al. [Henson, J.M., Chu, H., Irwin, C.A. & Walker, J.R. (1979) Genetics 92, 1,41-1059] that SG133 has two temperature-sensitive mutations, called dnaX and dnaY. The crude enzyme source from dnaX can be complemented by the delta subunit and by DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. By contrast, the core DNA polymerase III and the beta and gamma subunits are unable to complement this defective enzyme fraction. Thus, the delta subunit of DNA polymerase III holoenzyme appears to be the dnaX gene product of Escherichia coli.

DNA polymerase beta from brain neurons is a repair enzyme

DNA polymerase beta was isolated from rat cortex neurons and characterised. Its properties were strikingly similar to those of other mammalian beta-polymerases. In adult rats, this was the major DNA polymerase occurring in neuronal nuclei, which contained no alpha-polymerase, 99.2% beta-polymerase and only 0.8% gamma-polymerase. Isolated neuronal nuclei of this developmental stage were shown to perform ultraviolet-induced repair DNA synthesis in vitro. Since beta-polymerase was virtually the exclusive DNA polymerase in these nuclei it was concluded that the beta enzyme was responsible for the observed DNA repair. This was further substantiated by demonstrating a virtually complete suppression of DNA repair in irradiated nuclei by 2',3'-dideoxyribosylthymine 5'-triphosphate (d2TTP), a potent beta-polymerase inhibitor. However, the presence of minute amounts of gamma-polymerase in neuronal nuclei and its susceptibility to d2TTP did not allow one to rule out an ancillary role of DNA polymerase gamma in DNA repair. In view of the similarity of the neuronal DNA polymerase beta with all other mammalian beta-polymerases it may be speculated that the ability to perform repair DNA synthesis is not unique to the neuronal enzyme but is a general function of all beta-polymerases.

Functional roles of DNA polymerases beta and gamma

The physiological functions of DNA polymerases (deoxynucleosidetriphosphate:DNA deoxynucleotidyltransferase, EC 2.7.7.7) beta and gamma were investigated by using neuronal nuclei and synaptosomes isolated from rat brain. UV irradiation of neuronal nuclei from 60-day-old rats resulted in a 7- to 10-fold stimulation of DNA repair synthesis attributable to DNA polymerase beta which, at this developmental stage, is virtually the only DNA polymerase present in the nuclei. No repair synthesis could be elicited by treating the nuclei with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, but this way probably due to the inability of brain tissues to excise alkylated bases from DNA. The role of DNA polymerase gamma was studied in synaptosomes by using a system mimicking in vivo mitochondrial DNA synthesis. By showing that, under these conditions, DNA replication occurs in mitochondria, and exploiting the fact that DNA polymerase gama is the only DNA polymerase present in mitochondria, evidence was obtained for a role of DNA polymerase gamma in mitochondrial DNA replication. Based on these results and on the wealth of literature on DNA polymerase alpha, we conclude that DNA polymerase alpha is mainly responsible for DNA replication in nuclei, DNA polymerase beta is involved in nuclear DNA repair, and DNA polymerase gamma is the mitochondrial replicating enzyme. However, minor roles for DNA polymerase alpha in DNA repair or for DNA polymerase beta in DNA replication cannot be excluded.

Identity of DNA polymerase gamma from synaptosomal mitochondria and rat-brain nuclei

DNA polymerase gamma and mitochondrial DNA polymerase were isolated from brain nuclei and synaptosomes respectively. The presence of a single DNA polymerase in synaptosomal mitochondria was established by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, phosphocellulose and DNA-cellulose, as well as by sedimentation analysis and isoelectric focusing. A great similarity between the purified nuclear DNA polymerase gamma and the mitochondrial enzyme was found by the following criteria: chromatographic behaviour in three column systems; essentially complete inhibition by N-ethyl-maleimide (2 mM); optimal requirements of Mn2+ (0.1 mM), Mg2+ (5 mM) and pH (8.0); template preferences, poly(A) - (dT)20-25 larger than activated DNA larger than poly(dA) - (dT)12-18; lack of activity on single-stranded polynucleotides and (dT)12-primed mRNA; molecular weight (180000), sedimentation (9.2 S) and isoelectric point (pI 5.4). We therefore conclude that brain nuclear DNA polymerase gamma and synaptosomal mitochondrial DNA polymerase are closely related and may even be identical.

Variation of DNA polymerases-alpha, -beta. and -gamma during perinatal tissue growth and differentiation

The activities of the three known DNA polymerases-alpha, beta-, and -gamma were determined in rat brain neurons, cardiac muscle and spleen, and were correlated with the rate of cell proliferation during perinatal development. In neurons and cardiac muscle, which stop dividing before birth, DNA polymerase-alpha activity drops sharply from a high level with the approach of term and disappears at approximately two weeks postnatal age. In contrast, alpha-polymerase activity is almost absent in spleen during late gestation, when the rate of cell division is low, and increases abruptly after birth with the sudden onset of cell proliferation. These data give further evidence for an involvement of DNA polymerase-alpha in DNA replication. DNA polymerase-beta and -gamma activities show essentially no correlation with the rate of cell division. Thus, these enzymes are probably responsible for repair type processes rather than for DNA replecation.