The mutagenesis proteins UmuD' and UmuC prevent lethal frameshifts while increasing base substitution mutations

Replication restart in UV-irradiated Escherichia coli involving pols II, III, V, PriA, RecA and RecFOR proteins

In Escherichia coli, UV-irradiated cells resume DNA synthesis after a transient inhibition by a process called replication restart. To elucidate the role of several key proteins involved in this process, we have analysed the time dependence of replication restart in strains carrying a combination of mutations in lexA, recA, polB (pol II), umuDC (pol V), priA, dnaC, recF, recO or recR. We find that both pol II and the origin-independent primosome-assembling function of PriA are essential for the immediate recovery of DNA synthesis after UV irradiation. In their absence, translesion replication or 'replication readthrough' occurs approximately 50 min after UV and is pol V-dependent. In a wild-type, lexA+ background, mutations in recF, recO or recR block both pathways. Similar results were obtained with a lexA(Def) recF strain. However, lexA(Def) recO or lexA(Def) recR strains, although unable to facilitate PriA-pol II-dependent restart, were able to perform pol V-dependent readthrough. The defects in restart attributed to mutations in recF, recO or recR were suppressed in a recA730 lexA(Def) strain expressing constitutively activated RecA (RecA*). Our data suggest that in a wild-type background, RecF, O and R are important for the induction of the SOS response and the formation of RecA*-dependent recombination intermediates necessary for PriA/Pol II-dependent replication restart. In con-trast, only RecF is required for the activation of RecA that leads to the formation of pol V (UmuD'2C) and facilitates replication readthrough.

Deletion of the MAG1 DNA glycosylase gene suppresses alkylation-induced killing and mutagenesis in yeast cells lacking AP endonucleases

DNA base excision repair (BER) is initiated by DNA glycosylases that recognize and remove damaged bases. The phosphate backbone adjacent to the resulting apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) site is then cleaved by an AP endonuclease or glycosylase-associated AP lyase to invoke subsequent BER steps. We have used a genetic approach in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to address whether AP sites are blocks to DNA replication and the biological consequences if AP sites persist in the genome. We found that yeast cells deficient in the two AP endonucleases (apn1 apn2 double mutant) are extremely sensitive to killing by methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), a model DNA alkylating agent. Interestingly, this sensitivity can be reduced up to 2500-fold by deleting the MAG1 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase gene, suggesting that Mag1 not only removes lethal base lesions, but also benign lesions and possibly normal bases, and that the resulting AP sites are highly toxic to the cells. This rescuing effect appears to be specific for DNA alkylation damage, since the mag1 mutation reduces killing effects of two other DNA alkylating agents, but does not alter the sensitivity of apn cells to killing by UV, gamma-ray or H(2)O(2). Our mutagenesis assays indicate that nearly half of spontaneous and almost all MMS-induced mutations in the AP endonuclease-deficient cells are due to Mag1 DNA glycosylase activity. Although the DNA replication apparatus appears to be incapable of replicating past AP sites, Polzeta-mediated translesion synthesis is able to bypass AP sites, and accounts for all spontaneous and MMS-induced mutagenesis in the AP endonuclease-deficient cells. These results allow us to delineate base lesion flow within the BER pathway and link AP sites to other DNA damage repair and tolerance pathways.

DNA postreplication repair and mutagenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DNA postreplication repair (PRR) is defined as an activity to convert DNA damage-induced single-stranded gaps into large molecular weight DNA without actually removing the replication-blocking lesions. In bacteria such as Escherichia coli, this activity requires RecA and the RecA-mediated SOS response and is accomplished by recombination and mutagenic translesion DNA synthesis. Eukaryotic cells appear to share similar DNA damage tolerance pathways; however, some enzymes required for PRR in eukaryotes are rather different from those of prokaryotes. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, PRR is centrally controlled by RAD6 and RAD18, whose products form a stable complex with single-stranded DNA-binding, ATPase and ubiquitin-conjugating activities. PRR can be further divided into translesion DNA synthesis and error-free modes, the exact molecular events of which are largely unknown. This error-free PRR is analogous to DNA damage-avoidance as defined in mammalian cells, which relies on recombination processes. Two possible mechanisms by which recombination participate in PRR to resolve the stalled replication folk are discussed. Recombination and PRR are also genetically regulated by a DNA helicase and are coupled to the cell-cycle. The PRR processes appear to be highly conserved within eukaryotes, from yeast to human.

Mechanism of DNA polymerase II-mediated frameshift mutagenesis

Escherichia coli possesses three SOS-inducible DNA polymerases (Pol II, IV, and V) that were recently found to participate in translesion synthesis and mutagenesis. Involvement of these polymerases appears to depend on the nature of the lesion and its local sequence context, as illustrated by the bypass of a single N-2-acetylaminofluorene adduct within the NarI mutation hot spot. Indeed, error-free bypass requires Pol V (umuDC), whereas mutagenic (-2 frameshift) bypass depends on Pol II (polB). In this paper, we show that purified DNA Pol II is able in vitro to generate the -2 frameshift bypass product observed in vivo at the NarI sites. Although the Delta polB strain is completely defective in this mutation pathway, introduction of the polB gene on a low copy number plasmid restores the -2 frameshift pathway. In fact, modification of the relative copy number of polB versus umuDC genes results in a corresponding modification in the use of the frameshift versus error-free translesion pathways, suggesting a direct competition between Pol II and V for the bypass of the same lesion. Whether such a polymerase competition model for translesion synthesis will prove to be generally applicable remains to be confirmed.

The SOS response: recent insights into umuDC-dependent mutagenesis and DNA damage tolerance

Be they prokaryotic or eukaryotic, organisms are exposed to a multitude of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damaging agents ranging from ultraviolet (UV) light to fungal metabolites, like Aflatoxin B1. Furthermore, DNA damaging agents, such as reactive oxygen species, can be produced by cells themselves as metabolic byproducts and intermediates. Together, these agents pose a constant threat to an organism's genome. As a result, organisms have evolved a number of vitally important mechanisms to repair DNA damage in a high fidelity manner. They have also evolved systems (cell cycle checkpoints) that delay the resumption of the cell cycle after DNA damage to allow more time for these accurate processes to occur. If a cell cannot repair DNA damage accurately, a mutagenic event may occur. Most bacteria, including Escherichia coli, have evolved a coordinated response to these challenges to the integrity of their genomes. In E. coli, this inducible system is termed the SOS response, and it controls both accurate and potentially mutagenic DNA repair functions [reviewed comprehensively in () and also in ()]. Recent advances have focused attention on the umuD(+)C(+)-dependent, translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) process that is responsible for SOS mutagenesis (). Here we discuss the SOS response of E. coli and concentrate in particular on the roles of the umuD(+)C(+) gene products in promoting cell survival after DNA damage via TLS and a primitive DNA damage checkpoint.

Interim report on genomics of Escherichia coli

We present a summary of recent progress in understanding Escherichia coli K-12 gene and protein functions. New information has come both from classical biological experimentation and from using the analytical tools of functional genomics. The content of the E. coli genome can clearly be seen to contain elements acquired by horizontal transfer. Nevertheless, there is probably a large, stable core of >3500 genes that are shared among all E. coli strains. The gene-enzyme relationship is examined, and, in many cases, it exhibits complexity beyond a simple one-to-one relationship. Also, the E. coli genome can now be seen to contain many multiple enzymes that carry out the same or closely similar reactions. Some are similar in sequence and may share common ancestry; some are not. We discuss the concept of a minimal genome as being variable among organisms and obligatorily linked to their life styles and defined environmental conditions. We also address classification of functions of gene products and avenues of insight into the history of protein evolution.

Bryn Bridges and mutagenesis: exploring the intellectual space

The products of the SOS-regulated umuDC genes are required for most UV and chemical mutagenesis in Escherichia coli. Recently it has been recognized that UmuC is the founding member of a superfamily of novel DNA polymerases found in all three kingdoms of life. Key findings leading to these insights are reviewed, placing a particular emphasis on contributions made by Bryn Bridges and on his interest in the importance of interactions between the umuDC gene products and the replicative DNA polymerase.

Evolution of the two-step model for UV-mutagenesis

It is quite remarkable how our understanding of translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) has changed so dramatically in the past 2 years. Until very recently, little was known about the molecular mechanisms of TLS in higher eukaryotes and what we did know, was largely based upon Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae model systems. The paradigm, proposed by Bryn Bridges and I [Mutat. Res. 150 (1985) 133] in 1985, was that error-prone TLS occurred in two steps; namely a misinsertion event opposite a lesion, followed by extension of the mispair so as to facilitate complete bypass of the lesion. The initial concept was that at least for E. coli, the misinsertion event was performed by the cell's main replicase, DNA polymerase III holoenzyme, and that elongation was achieved through the actions of specialized polymerase accessory proteins, such as UmuD and UmuC. Some 15 years later, we now know that this view is likely to be incorrect in that both misinsertion and bypass are performed by the Umu proteins (now called pol V). As pol V is normally a distributive enzyme, pol III may only be required to "fix" the misincorporation as a mutation by completing chromosome duplication. However, while the role of the E. coli proteins involved in TLS have changed, the initial concept of misincorporation followed by extension/bypass remains valid. Indeed, recent evidence suggests that it can equally be applied to TLS in eukaryotic cells where there are many more DNA polymerases to choose from. The aim of this review is, therefore, to provide a historical perspective to the "two-step" model for UV-mutagenesis, how it has recently evolved, and in particular, to highlight the seminal contributions made to it by Bryn Bridges.

Lesion bypass by the Escherichia coli DNA polymerase V requires assembly of a RecA nucleoprotein filament

Translesion replication is carried out in Escherichia coli by the SOS-inducible DNA polymerase V (UmuC), an error-prone polymerase, which is specialized for replicating through lesions in DNA, leading to the formation of mutations. Lesion bypass by pol V requires the SOS-regulated proteins UmuD' and RecA and the single-strand DNA-binding protein (SSB). Using an in vitro assay system for translesion replication based on a gapped plasmid carrying a site-specific synthetic abasic site, we show that the assembly of a RecA nucleoprotein filament is required for lesion bypass by pol V. This is based on the reaction requirements for stoichiometric amounts of RecA and for single-stranded gaps longer than 100 nucleotides and on direct visualization of RecA-DNA filaments by electron microscopy. SSB is likely to facilitate the assembly of the RecA nucleoprotein filament; however, it has at least one additional role in lesion bypass. ATPgammaS, which is known to strongly increase binding of RecA to DNA, caused a drastic inhibition of pol V activity. Lesion bypass does not require stoichiometric binding of UmuD' along RecA filaments. In summary, the RecA nucleoprotein filament, previously known to be required for SOS induction and homologous recombination, is also a critical intermediate in translesion replication.

An aerobic recA-, umuC-dependent pathway of spontaneous base-pair substitution mutagenesis in Escherichia coli

Antimutator alleles indentify genes whose normal products are involved in spontaneous mutagenesis pathways. Mutant alleles of the recA and umuC genes of Escherichia coli, whose wild-type alleles are components of the inducible SOS response, were shown to cause a decrease in the level of spontaneous mutagenesis. Using a series of chromosomal mutant trp alleles, which detect point mutations, as a reversion assay, it was shown that the reduction in mutagenesis is limited to base-pair substitutions. Within the limited number of sites than could be examined, transversions at AT sites were the favored substitutions. Frameshift mutagenesis was slightly enhanced by a mutant recA allele and unchanged by a mutant umuC allele. The wild-type recA and umuC genes are involved in the same mutagenic base-pair substitution pathway, designated "SOS-dependent spontaneous mutagenesis" (SDSM), since a recAumuC strain showed the same degree and specificity of antimutator activity as either single mutant strain. The SDSM pathway is active only in the presence of oxygen, since wild-type, recA, and umuC strains all show the same levels of reduced spontaneous mutagenesis anaerobically. The SDSM pathway can function in starving/stationary cells and may, or may not, be operative in actively dividing cultures. We suggest that, in wild-type cells, SDSM results from basal levels of SOS activity during DNA synthesis. Mutations may result from synthesis past cryptic DNA lesions (targeted mutagenesis) and/or from mispairings during synthesis with a normal DNA template (untargeted mutagenesis). Since it occurs in chromosomal genes of wild-type cells, SDSM may be biologically significant for isolates of natural enteric bacterial populations where extended starvation is often a common mode of existence.

umuDC-mediated cold sensitivity is a manifestation of functions of the UmuD(2)C complex involved in a DNA damage checkpoint control

The umuDC genes are part of the Escherichia coli SOS response, and their expression is induced as a consequence of DNA damage. After induction, they help to promote cell survival via two temporally separate pathways. First, UmuD and UmuC together participate in a cell cycle checkpoint control; second, UmuD'(2)C enables translesion DNA replication over any remaining unrepaired or irreparable lesions in the DNA. Furthermore, elevated expression of the umuDC gene products leads to a cold-sensitive growth phenotype that correlates with a rapid inhibition of DNA synthesis. Here, using two mutant umuC alleles, one that encodes a UmuC derivative that lacks a detectable DNA polymerase activity (umuC104; D101N) and another that encodes a derivative that is unable to confer cold sensitivity but is proficient for SOS mutagenesis (umuC125; A39V), we show that umuDC-mediated cold sensitivity can be genetically separated from the role of UmuD'(2)C in SOS mutagenesis. Our genetic and biochemical characterizations of UmuC derivatives bearing nested deletions of C-terminal sequences indicate that umuDC-mediated cold sensitivity is not due solely to the single-stranded DNA binding activity of UmuC. Taken together, our analyses suggest that umuDC-mediated cold sensitivity is conferred by an activity of the UmuD(2)C complex and not by the separate actions of the UmuD and UmuC proteins. Finally, we present evidence for structural differences between UmuD and UmuD' in solution, consistent with the notion that these differences are important for the temporal regulation of the two separate physiological roles of the umuDC gene products.

Effect of endogenous carotenoids on "adaptive" mutation in Escherichia coli FC40

The appearance over many days of Lac(+) frameshift mutations in Escherichia coli strain FC40 incubated on lactose selection plates is a classic example of apparent "adaptive" mutation in an episomal gene. We show that endogenously overproduced carotenoids reduce adaptive mutation under selective conditions by a factor of around two. Carotenoids are known to scavenge singlet oxygen suggesting that the accumulation of oxidative base damage may be an integral part of the adaptive mutation phenomenon. If so, the lesion cannot be 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine since adaptive mutation in FC40 is unaffected by mutM and mutY mutations. If active oxygen species such as singlet oxygen are involved in adaptive mutation then they should also induce frameshift mutations in FC40 under non-selective conditions. We show that such mutations can be induced under non-selective conditions by protoporphyrin photosensitisation and that this photodynamic induction is reduced by a factor of just over two when endogenous carotenoids are present. We argue that the involvement of oxidative damage would in no way be inconsistent with current understanding of the mechanism of adaptive mutation and the role of DNA polymerases.

Why do cells have multiple error-prone DNA polymerases?

Recent years have witnessed the emergence of a plethora of so-called novel DNA polymerases in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Many of these DNA polymerases are characterized by poor replicational fidelity and low processivity, and are devoid of 3' --> 5' exonuclease activity. This article describes the discovery of these error-prone polymerases and what is known about their biological function.

At the birth of molecular radiation biology

Rational thinking builds on feelings, too. This article starts with a tribute to Richard Setlow, an eminent scientist; it retraces as well some studies in molecular genetics that helped to understand basic questions of radiation biology. In the mid-1950s, the induction of a dormant virus (prophage) by irradiation of its host was an intriguing phenomenon. Soon, it was found that prophage induction results from the inactivation of the prophage repressor. Similarly, a score of induced cellular SOS functions were found to be induced when the LexA repressor is inactivated. Repressor inactivation involves the formation of a newly formed distinctive structure: a RecA-polymer wrapped around single-stranded DNA left by the arrest of replication at damaged sites. By touching this RecA nucleofilament, the LexA repressor is inactivated, triggering the sequential expression of SOS functions. The RecA nucleofilament acts as a chaperone, allowing recombinational repair to occur after nucleotide excision repair is over. The UmuD'C complex, synthesized slowly and parsimoniously, peaks at the end of recombinational repair, ready to be positioned at the tip of a RecA nucleofilament, placing the UmuD'C complex right at a lesion. At this location, UmuD'C prevents recombinational repair, and now acts as an error-prone paucimerase that fills the discontinuity opposite the damaged DNA. Finally, the elimination of lesions from the path of DNA polymerase, allows the resumption of DNA replication, and the SOS repair cycle switches to a normal cell cycle.

Plasmid-encoded MucB protein is a DNA polymerase (pol RI) specialized for lesion bypass in the presence of MucA', RecA, and SSB

Replication through damaged sites in DNA requires in Escherichia coli the SOS stress-inducible DNA polymerase V (UmuC), which is specialized for lesion bypass. Homologs of the umuC gene were found on native conjugative plasmids, which often carry multiple antibiotic-resistant genes. MucB is a UmuC homolog present on plasmid R46, and its variant plasmid pKM101 has been introduced into Salmonella strains for use in the Ames test for mutagens. Using a translesion replication assay based on a gapped plasmid carrying a site-specific synthetic abasic site in the single-stranded DNA region, we show that MucB is a DNA polymerase, termed pol RI, which is specialized for lesion bypass. The activity of pol RI requires the plasmid-encoded MucA' protein and the E. coli RecA and single-strand DNA binding proteins. Elimination of any of the proteins from the reaction abolished lesion bypass and polymerase activity. The unprocessed MucA could not substitute for MucA' in the bypass reaction. The presence of a lesion bypass DNA polymerase on a native conjugative plasmid, which has a broad host range specificity and carries multiple antibiotic-resistant genes, raises the possibility that mutagenesis caused by pol RI plays a role in the spreading of antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens.

DNA polymerases and SOS mutagenesis: can one reconcile the biochemical and genetic data?

Until recently, it had been concluded from genetic evidence that DNA polymerase III (Pol III, the main replicative polymerase in E. coli) was also responsible for mutagenic translesion synthesis on damaged templates, albeit under the influence of inducible proteins UmuD' and UmuC. Now it appears that these proteins themselves have polymerase activity (and are now known as Pol V) and can carry out translesion synthesis in vitro in the absence of Pol III. Here I discuss the apparent contradictions between genetics and biochemistry with regard to the role of Pol III in translesion synthesis. Does Pol V interact with Pol III and constitute an alternative component of the replication factory (replisome)? Where do the other three known polymerases fit in? What devices does the cell have to ensure that the "right" polymerase is used in a given situation? The debate about the role of Pol III in translesion synthesis reveals a deeper divide between models that interpret everything in terms of mass action effects and those that embrace a replisome held together by protein-protein interactions and located as a structural entity within the cell.

Factors that influence the mutagenic patterns of DNA adducts from chemical carcinogens

Carcinogens are generally mutagens, which is understandable given that tumor cells grow uncontrollably because they have mutations in critical genes involved in growth control. Carcinogens often induce a complex pattern of mutations (e.g., GC-->TA, GC-->AT, etc.). These mutations are thought to be initiated when a DNA polymerase encounters a carcinogen-DNA adduct during replication. In principle, mutational complexity could be due to either a collection of different adducts each inducing a single kind of mutation (Hypothesis 1a), or a single adduct inducing different kinds of mutations (Hypothesis 1b). Examples of each are discussed. Regarding Hypothesis 1b, structural factors (e.g., DNA sequence context) and biological factors (e.g., differing DNA polymerases) that can affect the pattern of adduct mutagenesis are discussed. This raises the question: how do structural and biological factors influence the pattern of adduct mutagenesis. For structural factors, three possibilities are considered: (Hypothesis 2a) a single conformation of an adduct giving rise to multiple mutations -- dNTP insertion by DNA polymerase being influenced by (e.g.) the surrounding DNA sequence context; (Hypothesis 2b) a variation on this ("dislocation mutagenesis"); or (Hypothesis 2c) a single adduct adopting multiple conformations, each capable of giving a different pattern of mutations. Hypotheses 2a, 2b and 2c can each in principle rationalize many mutational results, including how the pattern of adduct mutagenesis might be influenced by factors, such as DNA sequence context. Five lines of evidence are discussed suggesting that Hypothesis 2c can be correct for base substitution mutagenesis. For example, previous work from our laboratory was interpreted to indicate that [+ta]-B[a]P-N(2)-dG in a 5'-CGG sequence context (G115) could be trapped in a conformation giving predominantly G-->T mutations, but heating caused the adduct to equilibrate to its thermodynamic mixture of conformations, leading to a decrease in the fraction of G-->T mutations. New work is described suggesting that [+ta]-B[a]P-N(2)-dG at G115 can also be trapped predominantly in the G-->A mutational conformation, from which equilibration can also occur, leading to an increase in the fraction of G-->T mutations. Evidence is also presented that the fraction of G-->T mutations is higher when [+ta]-B[a]P-N(2)-dG at G115 is in ss-DNA ( approximately 89%) vs. ds-DNA ( approximately 66%), a finding that can be rationalized if the mixture of adduct conformations is different in ss- and ds-DNA. In summary, the factors affecting adduct mutagenesis are reviewed and five lines of evidence that support one hypothesis (2c: adduct conformational complexity can cause adduct mutational complexity) are discussed.

Characterisation of the catalytically active form of RecG helicase

Replication of DNA is fraught with difficulty and chromosomes contain many lesions which may block movement of the replicative machinery. However, several mechanisms to overcome such problems are beginning to emerge from studies with Escherichia coli. An important enzyme in one or more of these mechanisms is the RecG helicase, which may target stalled replication forks to generate a four-stranded (Holliday) junction, thus facilitating repair and/or bypass of the original lesion. To begin to understand how RecG might catalyse regression of fork structures, we have analysed what the catalytically active form of the enzyme may be. We have found that RecG exists as a monomer in solution as measured by gel filtration but when bound to junction DNA the enzyme forms two distinct protein-DNA complexes that contain one and two protein molecules. However, mutant inhibition studies failed to provide any evidence that RecG acts as a multimer in vitro. Additionally, there was no evidence for cooperativity in the junction DNA-stimulated hydrolysis of ATP. These data suggest that RecG functions as a monomer to unwind junction DNA, which supports an 'inchworm' rather than an 'active rolling' mechanism of DNA unwinding. The observed in vivo inhibition of wild-type RecG by mutant forms of the enzyme was attributed to occlusion of the DNA target and correlates with the very low abundance of replication forks within an E.COLI: cell, even during rapid growth.

The human DINB1 gene encodes the DNA polymerase Poltheta

The human DINB1 gene shares a high degree of homology with the Escherichia coli dinB gene. Here, we purify the hDINB1-encoded protein and show that it is a DNA polymerase. Because hDinB1 is the eighth eukaryotic DNA polymerase to be described, we have named it DNA polymerase (Pol) theta. hPoltheta is unable to bypass a cis-syn thymine-thymine dimer, nor does it bypass a (6-4) photoproduct or an abasic site. We also examine the fidelity of hPoltheta on nondamaged DNA templates by steady-state kinetic analyses and find that hPoltheta misincorporates deoxynucleotides with a frequency of about 10(-3) to 10(-4). We discuss the relationship between the fidelity of hPoltheta and its inability to bypass DNA damage.

Intrinsic polymerase activities of UmuD'(2)C and MucA'(2)B are responsible for their different mutagenic properties during bypass of a T-T cis-syn cyclobutane dimer

In wild-type Escherichia coli, translesion replication is largely dependent upon the UmuD'(2)C complex (DNA polymerase V [polV]) or its plasmid-encoded homologs, such as MucA'(2)B. Interestingly, both the efficiency of translesion replication of a T-T cis-syn dimer and the spectra of mutations observed are different in Umu- and Muc-expressing strains. We have investigated whether the polIII core is responsible for these differences by measuring the frequency of dimer bypass, the error rate of bypass, and the resulting mutation spectrum in mutants carrying a deletion of dnaQ (epsilon subunit) or holE (theta subunit) or carrying the dnaQ allele mutD5, which is deficient in proofreading but is competent in the structural function of epsilon, or the dnaE antimutator allele spq-2. The chromosomal copy of the umuDC operon was deleted in each strain, and the UmuDC, UmuD'C, MucAB, or MucA'B proteins were expressed from a low-copy-number plasmid. With only few exceptions, we found that the characteristically different mutation spectra resulting from Umu- and Muc-mediated bypass are maintained in all of the strains investigated, indicating that differences in the activity or structure of the polIII core are not responsible for the observed phenotype. We also demonstrate that the MucA'(2)B complex is more efficient in promoting translesion replication than the UmuD'(2)C proteins and show that, contrary to expectation, the T-T dimer is bypassed more accurately by MucA'(2)B than by UmuD'(2)C. These results are consistent with the view that in a wild-type cell, the polV-like enzymes are responsible for the spectra of mutations generated during translesion replication and that polIII may simply be required to fix the misincorporations as mutations by completing chromosomal replication. Our observations also show that the mutagenic properties of a lesion can depend strongly on the particular enzyme employed in bypass.

Coping with replication 'train wrecks' in Escherichia coli using Pol V, Pol II and RecA proteins

DNA replication machineries tend to stall when confronted with damaged DNA template sites, causing the biochemical equivalent of a major 'train wreck'. A newly discovered bacterial DNA polymerase, Escherichia coli Pol V, acting in conjunction with the RecA protein, can exchange places with the stalled replicative Pol III core and catalyse 'error-prone' translesion synthesis. In contrast to Pol V-catalysed 'brute-force, sloppier copying', another SOS-induced DNA polymerase, Pol II, plays a pivotal role in an 'error-free', replication-restart DNA repair pathway and probably involves RecA-mediated homologous recombination.

Sloppier copier DNA polymerases involved in genome repair

When chromosomal replication is impeded in the presence of DNA damage, members of a newly discovered UmuC/DinB/Rev1/Rad30 superfamily of procaryotic and eucaryotic DNA polymerases catalyze translesion synthesis at blocked replication forks. Although these polymerases share sequence elements essentially unrelated to the standard replication and repair enzymes, some of them (such as the SOS-induced Escherichia coli pol V) catalyze 'error-prone' translesion synthesis leading to large increases in mutation, whereas others (an example being the Xeroderma pigmentosum variant gene product XPV pol eta) carry out aberrant, yet nonmutagenic translesion synthesis. Ongoing studies of these low fidelity polymerases could provide new insights into the mechanism of somatic hypermutation, a key element in the immune response.

Visualization of two binding sites for the Escherichia coli UmuD'(2)C complex (DNA pol V) on RecA-ssDNA filaments

The heterotrimeric UmuD'(2)C complex of Escherichia coli has recently been shown to possess intrinsic DNA polymerase activity (DNA pol V) that facilitates error-prone translesion DNA synthesis (SOS mutagenesis). When overexpressed in vivo, UmuD'(2)C also inhibits homologous recombination. In both activities, UmuD'(2)C interacts with RecA nucleoprotein filaments. To examine the biochemical and structural basis of these reactions, we have analyzed the ability of the UmuD'(2)C complex to bind to RecA-ssDNA filaments in vitro. As estimated by a gel retardation assay, binding saturates at a stoichiometry of approximately one complex per two RecA monomers. Visualized by cryo-electron microscopy under these conditions, UmuD'(2)C is seen to bind uniformly along the filaments, such that the complexes are completely submerged in the deep helical groove. This mode of binding would impede access to DNA in a RecA filament, thus explaining the ability of UmuD'(2)C to inhibit homologous recombination. At sub-saturating binding, the distribution of UmuD'(2)C complexes along RecA-ssDNA filaments was characterized by immuno-gold labelling with anti-UmuC antibodies. These data revealed preferential binding at filament ends (most likely, at one end). End-specific binding is consistent with genetic models whereby such binding positions the UmuD'(2)C complex (pol V) appropriately for its role in SOS mutagenesis.

Accuracy of thymine-thymine dimer bypass by Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD30 gene functions in error-free replication of UV-damaged DNA. RAD30 encodes a DNA polymerase, Pol eta, which inserts two adenines opposite the two thymines of a cis-syn thymine-thymine (T-T) dimer. Here we use steady-state kinetics to determine the accuracy of DNA synthesis opposite the T-T dimer. Surprisingly, the accuracy of DNA synthesis opposite the damaged DNA is nearly indistinguishable from that opposite nondamaged DNA, with frequencies of misincorporation of about 10(-2) to 10(-3). These studies support the hypothesis that unlike most DNA polymerases, Pol eta is able to tolerate distortions in DNA resulting from damage, which then enables the polymerase to utilize the intrinsic base pairing ability of the T-T dimer.

Accuracy of thymine-thymine dimer bypass by Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase eta

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD30 gene functions in error-free replication of UV-damaged DNA. RAD30 encodes a DNA polymerase, Pol eta, which inserts two adenines opposite the two thymines of a cis-syn thymine-thymine (T-T) dimer. Here we use steady-state kinetics to determine the accuracy of DNA synthesis opposite the T-T dimer. Surprisingly, the accuracy of DNA synthesis opposite the damaged DNA is nearly indistinguishable from that opposite nondamaged DNA, with frequencies of misincorporation of about 10(-2) to 10(-3). These studies support the hypothesis that unlike most DNA polymerases, Pol eta is able to tolerate distortions in DNA resulting from damage, which then enables the polymerase to utilize the intrinsic base pairing ability of the T-T dimer.

Specific amino acid changes enhance the anti-recombination activity of the UmuD'C complex

In addition to being an essential component of trans-lesion synthesis, the UmuD'C complex is an antagonist of RecA-mediated homologous recombination. When constitutively expressed at an elevated concentration, the UmuD'C complex sensitizes recA+ bacteria to DNA damage, whereas it has no effect on bacteria expressing a RecA [UmuR] protein that overcomes recombination inhibition. Using as a genetic screen enhanced cell killing on mitomycin plates, we isolated novel umuD' and umuC mutations that restored mitomycin sensitivity to recA D112G [UmuR] bacteria overproducing the UmuD'C complex. The mutations were named [Rin++] because a characterization in a recA+ as well in a recA D112G background showed that they enhanced UmuD'C-promoted recombination inhibition in two assays, conjugational recombination and recombinational repair of palindrome-containing DNA. The [Rin++] mutations affect five amino acids, G25D, S28T, P29L, E35K, and T95R, in UmuD' and seven, F10L, Y270C, K277E, F287L, F287S, K342Q and F351I, in UmuC. These amino acids might play a key role in the UmuD'C anti-recombination activity. None of the [Rin++] mutations enhanced UmuD'C-promoted mutagenic bypass of UV lesions, in contrast, several lead to a defect in this process. In this study, we discuss a few molecular mechanisms that could account for the recombination and mutagenesis phenotypes of a mutant UmuD'C [Rin++] complex.

Lesions in DNA: hurdles for polymerases

Translesion synthesis (TLS) is one of the DNA damage tolerance strategies, which have evolved to enable organisms to replicate their genome despite the presence of unrepaired damage. The process of TLS has the propensity to produce mutations, a potential origin of cancer, and is therefore of medical interest. Significant progress in our understanding of TLS has come primarily from studies of the bacterium Escherichia coli, the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and, more recently, human cells. Results from these analyses indicate that the fundamental mechanism of TLS and the proteins involved have been conserved throughout evolution from bacteria to humans.

A role for the umuDC gene products of Escherichia coli in increasing resistance to DNA damage in stationary phase by inhibiting the transition to exponential growth

The umuDC gene products, whose expression is induced by DNA-damaging treatments, have been extensively characterized for their role in SOS mutagenesis. We have recently presented evidence that supports a role for the umuDC gene products in the regulation of growth after DNA damage in exponentially growing cells, analogous to a prokaryotic DNA damage checkpoint. Our further characterization of the growth inhibition at 30 degrees C associated with constitutive expression of the umuDC gene products from a multicopy plasmid has shown that the umuDC gene products specifically inhibit the transition from stationary phase to exponential growth at the restrictive temperature of 30 degrees C and that this is correlated with a rapid inhibition of DNA synthesis. These observations led to the finding that physiologically relevant levels of the umuDC gene products, expressed from a single, SOS-regulated chromosomal copy of the operon, modulate the transition to rapid growth in E. coli cells that have experienced DNA damage while in stationary phase. This activity of the umuDC gene products is correlated with an increase in survival after UV irradiation. In a distinction from SOS mutagenesis, uncleaved UmuD together with UmuC is responsible for this activity. The umuDC-dependent increase in resistance in UV-irradiated stationary-phase cells appears to involve, at least in part, counteracting a Fis-dependent activity and thereby regulating the transition to rapid growth in cells that have experienced DNA damage. Thus, the umuDC gene products appear to increase DNA damage tolerance at least partially by regulating growth after DNA damage in both exponentially growing and stationary-phase cells.

Highly mutagenic replication by DNA polymerase V (UmuC) provides a mechanistic basis for SOS untargeted mutagenesis

When challenged by DNA-damaging agents, Escherichia coli cells respond by inducing the SOS stress response, which leads to an increase in mutation frequency by two mechanisms: translesion replication, a process that causes mutations because of misinsertion opposite the lesions, and an inducible mutator activity, which acts at undamaged sites. Here we report that DNA polymerase V (pol V; UmuC), which previously has been shown to be a lesion-bypass DNA polymerase, was highly mutagenic during in vitro gap-filling replication of a gapped plasmid carrying the cro reporter gene. This reaction required, in addition to pol V, UmuD', RecA, and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein. pol V produced point mutations at a frequency of 2.1 x 10(-4) per nucleotide (2.1% per cro gene), 41-fold higher than DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. The mutational spectrum of pol V was dominated by transversions (53%), which were formed at a frequency of 1.3 x 10(-4) per nucleotide (1. 1% per cro gene), 74-fold higher than with pol III holoenzyme. The prevalence of transversions and the protein requirements of this system are similar to those of in vivo untargeted mutagenesis (SOS mutator activity). This finding suggests that replication by pol V, in the presence of UmuD', RecA, and ssDNA-binding protein, is the basis of chromosomal SOS untargeted mutagenesis.

SOS mutagenesis results from up-regulation of translesion synthesis

Irradiation of DNA with ultraviolet light generates a variety of photolesions. Among them, are cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) and (6-4) photoproducts blocking lesions that interfere with DNA replication if left unrepaired. In addition to efficient pre-replicative excision repair mechanisms, cells have evolved damage tolerance pathways enabling them to replicate lesion-containing DNA molecules either by directly replicating through the damaged base (translesion synthesis, TLS) or by employing the locally undamaged complementary strand thus avoiding the lesion (damage avoidance pathways, DA). Using double-stranded vectors with a single T(6-4)T UV lesion and a strand segregation analysis (SSA), we have measured the relative utilization of the two tolerance pathways (TLS and DA) in Escherichia coli. During the SOS response the error-prone TLS pathway is strongly stimulated ( approximately 20-fold) at the expense of the error-free DA pathways. Thus, up-regulation of TLS may turn out to be a general property of the SOS response; a similar conclusion was previously reached with the frameshift-inducing N-2-acetylaminofluorene adduct. Therefore, as far as its contribution to damaged DNA replication is concerned, the SOS response appears to be an induced mutator state rather than a survival strategy. Depending on the base inserted opposite the lesion, TLS can be error-free or mutagenic. In a wild-type strain, both forms of TLS are increased to a similar extent during the SOS response. In contrast, in a DeltaumuDC strain induction of TLS is totally abolished, demonstrating that the UmuDC proteins usually thought to be specifically involved in mutagenesis facilitate the recovery of both error-free and mutagenic replication intermediates in vivo.

The mutagenesis protein UmuC is a DNA polymerase activated by UmuD', RecA, and SSB and is specialized for translesion replication

Replication of DNA lesions leads to the formation of mutations. In Escherichia coli this process is regulated by the SOS stress response, and requires the mutagenesis proteins UmuC and UmuD'. Analysis of translesion replication using a recently reconstituted in vitro system (Reuven, N. B., Tomer, G., and Livneh, Z. (1998) Mol. Cell 2, 191-199) revealed that lesion bypass occurred with a UmuC fusion protein, UmuD', RecA, and SSB in the absence of added DNA polymerase. Further analysis revealed that UmuC was a DNA polymerase (E. coli DNA polymerase V), with a weak polymerizing activity. Upon addition of UmuD', RecA, and SSB, the UmuC DNA polymerase was greatly activated, and replicated a synthetic abasic site with great efficiency (45% bypass in 6 min), 10-100-fold higher than E. coli DNA polymerases I, II, or III holoenzyme. Analysis of bypass products revealed insertion of primarily dAMP (69%), and to a lesser degree dGMP (31%) opposite the abasic site. The UmuC104 mutant protein was defective both in lesion bypass and in DNA synthesis. These results indicate that UmuC is a UmuD'-, RecA-, and SSB-activated DNA polymerase, which is specialized for lesion bypass. UmuC is a member of a new family of DNA polymerases which are specialized for lesion bypass, and include the yeast RAD30 and the human XP-V genes, encoding DNA polymerase eta.

The bacteriophage P1 HumD protein is a functional homolog of the prokaryotic UmuD'-like proteins and facilitates SOS mutagenesis in Escherichia coli

The Escherichia coli umuD and umuC genes comprise an operon and encode proteins that are involved in the mutagenic bypass of normally replication-inhibiting DNA lesions. UmuD is, however, unable to function in this process until it undergoes a RecA-mediated cleavage reaction to generate UmuD'. Many homologs of umuDC have now been identified. Most are located on bacterial chromosomes or on broad-host-range R plasmids. One such putative homolog, humD (homolog of umuD) is, however, found on the bacteriophage P1 genome. Interestingly, humD differs from other umuD homologs in that it encodes a protein similar in size to the posttranslationally generated UmuD' protein and not UmuD, nor is it in an operon with a cognate umuC partner. To determine if HumD is, in fact, a bona fide homolog of the prokaryotic UmuD'-like mutagenesis proteins, we have analyzed the ability of HumD to complement UmuD' functions in vivo as well as examined HumD's physical properties in vitro. When expressed from a high-copy-number plasmid, HumD restored cellular mutagenesis and increased UV survival to normally nonmutable recA430 lexA(Def) and UV-sensitive DeltaumuDC recA718 lexA(Def) strains, respectively. Complementing activity was reduced when HumD was expressed from a low-copy-number plasmid, but this observation is explained by immunoanalysis which indicates that HumD is normally poorly expressed in vivo. In vitro analysis revealed that like UmuD', HumD forms a stable dimer in solution and is able to interact with E. coli UmuC and RecA nucleoprotein filaments. We conclude, therefore, that bacteriophage P1 HumD is a functional homolog of the UmuD'-like proteins, and we speculate as to the reasons why P1 might require the activity of such a protein in vivo.

The Escherichia coli SOS mutagenesis proteins UmuD and UmuD' interact physically with the replicative DNA polymerase

The Escherichia coli umuDC operon is induced in response to replication-blocking DNA lesions as part of the SOS response. UmuD protein then undergoes an RecA-facilitated self-cleavage reaction that removes its N-terminal 24 residues to yield UmuD'. UmuD', UmuC, RecA, and some form of the E. coli replicative DNA polymerase, DNA polymerase III holoenzyme, function in translesion synthesis, the potentially mutagenic process of replication over otherwise blocking lesions. Furthermore, it has been proposed that, before cleavage, UmuD together with UmuC acts as a DNA damage checkpoint system that regulates the rate of DNA synthesis in response to DNA damage, thereby allowing time for accurate repair to take place. Here we provide direct evidence that both uncleaved UmuD and UmuD' interact physically with the catalytic, proofreading, and processivity subunits of the E. coli replicative polymerase. Consistent with our model proposing that uncleaved UmuD and UmuD' promote different events, UmuD and UmuD' interact differently with DNA polymerase III: whereas uncleaved UmuD interacts more strongly with beta than it does with alpha, UmuD' interacts more strongly with alpha than it does with beta. We propose that the protein-protein interactions we have characterized are part of a higher-order regulatory system of replication fork management that controls when the umuDC gene products can gain access to the replication fork.

Aging-dependent large accumulation of point mutations in the human mtDNA control region for replication

Progressive damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) during life is thought to contribute to aging processes. However, this idea has been difficult to reconcile with the small fraction of mtDNA so far found to be altered. Here, examination of mtDNA revealed high copy point mutations at specific positions in the control region for replication of human fibroblast mtDNA from normal old, but not young, individuals. Furthermore, in longitudinal studies, one or more mutations appeared in an individual only at an advanced age. Some mutations appeared in more than one individual. Most strikingly, a T414G transversion was found, in a generally high proportion (up to 50 percent) of mtDNA molecules, in 8 of 14 individuals above 65 years of age (57 percent) but was absent in 13 younger individuals.

Human and mouse homologs of Escherichia coli DinB (DNA polymerase IV), members of the UmuC/DinB superfamily

To understand the mechanisms underlying mutagenesis in eukaryotes better, we have cloned mouse and human homologs of the Escherichia coli dinB gene. E. coli dinB encodes DNA polymerase IV and greatly increases spontaneous mutations when overexpressed. The mouse and human DinB1 amino acid sequences share significant identity with E. coli DinB, including distinct motifs implicated in catalysis, suggesting conservation of the polymerase function. These proteins are members of a large superfamily of DNA damage-bypass replication proteins, including the E. coli proteins UmuC and DinB and the Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteins Rev1 and Rad30. In a phylogenetic tree, the mouse and human DinB1 proteins specifically group with E. coli DinB, suggesting a mitochondrial origin for these genes. The human DINB1 gene is localized to chromosome 5q13 and is widely expressed.

A UmuD,C-dependent pathway for spontaneous G:C to C:G transversions in stationary phase Escherichia coli mut Y

In Escherichia coli trpA23 bacteria lacking the MutY glycosylase and incubated on plates in the absence of tryptophan, tryptophan-independent mutants continue to arise during incubation over many days. Their appearance is enhanced in umuD+,C+ strains in comparison with strains carrying a deletion through the umu operon and the umuD,C-dependent mutants were greater in number in uvrA bacteria (lacking nucleotide excision repair) than in uvr+ bacteria. Sequencing of mutations occurring in uvrA bacteria revealed the presence of G:C to C:G transversions but only in umuD+,C+ strains. There is thus a pathway in starved bacteria that generates G:C to C:G transversions and requires the inducible UmuD,C proteins. The data are consistent with the occurrence of a lesion, probably 8-oxoguanine, against which guanine may be incorporated during DNA synthesis by "dNTP stabilised" misalignment against the downstream template base. Upon realignment the configuration is substrate for MutY glycosylase which can remove the unmodified guanine. It is hypothesised that UmuD,C proteins are required for primer extension from the mismatch once formed.

A phenotype for enigmatic DNA polymerase II: a pivotal role for pol II in replication restart in UV-irradiated Escherichia coli

DNA synthesis in Escherichia coli is inhibited transiently after UV irradiation. Induced replisome reactivation or "replication restart" occurs shortly thereafter, allowing cells to complete replication of damaged genomes. At the present time, the molecular mechanism underlying replication restart is not understood. DNA polymerase II (pol II), encoded by the dinA (polB) gene, is induced as part of the global SOS response to DNA damage. Here we show that pol II plays a pivotal role in resuming DNA replication in cells exposed to UV irradiation. There is a 50-min delay in replication restart in mutant cells lacking pol II. Although replication restart appears normal in DeltaumuDC strains containing pol II, the restart process is delayed for >90 min in cells lacking both pol II and UmuD'(2)C. Because of the presence of pol II, a transient replication-restart burst is observed in a "quick-stop" temperature-sensitive pol III mutant (dnaE486) at nonpermissive temperature. However, complete recovery of DNA synthesis requires the concerted action of both pol II and pol III. Our data demonstrate that pol II and UmuD'(2)C act in independent pathways of replication restart, thereby providing a phenotype for pol II in the repair of UV-damaged DNA.

UmuD'(2)C is an error-prone DNA polymerase, Escherichia coli pol V

The damage-inducible UmuD' and UmuC proteins are required for most SOS mutagenesis in Escherichia coli. Our recent assay to reconstitute this process in vitro, using a native UmuD'(2)C complex, revealed that the highly purified preparation contained DNA polymerase activity. Here we eliminate the possibility that this activity is caused by a contaminating DNA polymerase and show that it is intrinsic to UmuD'(2)C. E. coli dinB has recently been shown to have DNA polymerase activity (pol IV). We suggest that UmuD'(2)C, the fifth DNA polymerase discovered in E. coli, be designated as E. coli pol V. In the presence of RecA, beta sliding clamp, gamma clamp loading complex, and E. coli single-stranded binding protein (SSB), pol V's polymerase activity is highly "error prone" at both damaged and undamaged DNA template sites, catalyzing efficient bypass of abasic lesions that would otherwise severely inhibit replication by pol III holoenzyme complex (HE). Pol V bypasses a site-directed abasic lesion with an efficiency about 100- to 150-fold higher than pol III HE. In accordance with the "A-rule," dAMP is preferentially incorporated opposite the lesion. A pol V mutant, UmuD'(2)C104 (D101N), has no measurable lesion bypass activity. A kinetic analysis shows that addition of increasing amounts of pol III to a fixed level of pol V inhibits lesion bypass, demonstrating that both enzymes compete for free 3'-OH template-primer ends. We show, however, that despite competition for primer-3'-ends, pol V and pol III HE can nevertheless interact synergistically to stimulate synthesis downstream from a template lesion.

A model for a umuDC-dependent prokaryotic DNA damage checkpoint

The products of the Escherichia coli umuDC operon are required for translesion synthesis, the mechanistic basis of most mutagenesis caused by UV radiation and many chemicals. The UmuD protein shares homology with LexA, the repressor of SOS-regulated loci, and similarly undergoes a facilitated autodigestion on interaction with the RecA/single-stranded DNA nucleoprotein filaments formed after a cell experiences DNA damage. This cleavage, in which Ser-60 of UmuD acts as the nucleophile, produces UmuD', the form active in translesion synthesis. Expression of the noncleavable UmuD(S60A) protein and UmuC was found to increase survival after UV irradiation, despite the inability of the UmuD(S60A) protein to participate in translesion synthesis; this survival increase is uvr(+) dependent. Additional observations that expression of the UmuD(S60A) protein and UmuC delayed the resumption of DNA replication and cell growth after UV irradiation lead us to propose that the uncleaved UmuD protein and UmuC delay the resumption of DNA replication, thereby allowing nucleotide excision repair additional time to repair the damage accurately before replication is attempted. After a UV dose of 20 J/m(2), uncleaved UmuD is the predominant form for approximately 20 min, after which UmuD' becomes the predominant form, suggesting that the umuDC gene products play two distinct and temporally separated roles in DNA damage tolerance, the first in cell-cycle control and the second in translesion synthesis over unrepaired or irreparable lesions. The relationship of these observations to the eukaryotic DNA damage checkpoint is discussed.

The dinB gene encodes a novel E. coli DNA polymerase, DNA pol IV, involved in mutagenesis

In Escherichia coli, the dinB gene is required for the SOS-induced lambda untargeted mutagenesis pathway and confers a mutator phenotype to the cell when the gene product is overexpressed. Here, we report that the purified DinB protein is a DNA polymerase. This novel E. coli DNA polymerase (pol IV) is shown to be strictly distributive, devoid of proofreading activity, and prone to elongate bulged (misaligned) primer/template structures. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments of dinB also demonstrate that the polymerase activity of DinB is required for its in vivo mutagenicity. Along with the sequence homologies previously found within the UmuC-like protein family, these results indicate that the uncovered DNA polymerase activity may be a common feature of all these homologous proteins.

DNA repair: Polymerases for passing lesions

Replicative DNA polymerases generally cannot pass lesions in the template strand. Now there is accumulating evidence for the widespread existence of a separate class of DNA polymerases that can carry out translesion synthesis in both mutagenic and error-free ways.

Deficient nucleotide excision repair increases base-pair substitutions but decreases TGGC frameshifts induced by methylglyoxal in Escherichia coli

To investigate the mutation spectrum of a well-known mutagen, methylglyoxal, and the influence of nucleotide excision repair (NER) on methylglyoxal-induced mutations, we treated wild-type and NER-deficient (uvrA or uvrC) Escherichia coli strains with methylglyoxal, and analyzed mutations in the chromosomal lacI gene. In the three strains, the cell death and the mutation frequency increased according to the dose of methylglyoxal added to the culture medium. The frequencies of methylglyoxal-induced base-pair substitutions were higher in the NER-deficient strains than in the wild-type strain, in the presence and absence of mucAB gene. Paradoxically, the frequency of methylglyoxal-induced TGGC frameshifts was higher in the wild-type strain than in the NER-deficient strains. When the methylglyoxal-induced mutation spectra in the presence and absence of mucAB gene are compared, the ratios of base-pair substitutions to frameshifts were increased by the effects of mucAB gene. In the three strains, more than 75% of the base-pair substitutions occurred at G:C sites, independent of the mucAB gene. When the mucAB gene was present, G:C-->T:A transversions were predominant, followed by G:C-->A:T transitions. When the mucAB gene was absent, the predominant mutations differed in the three strains: in the wild-type and uvrC strains, G:C-->A:T transitions were predominant, followed by G:C-->T:A transversions, while in the uvrA strains, G:C-->T:A transversions were predominant, followed by G:C-->A:T transitions. These results suggest that NER may be involved in both the repair and the fixation of methylglyoxal-induced mutations.

Requirement of DNA polymerase activity of yeast Rad30 protein for its biological function

The RAD30 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a DNA polymerase, Poleta. The Rad30 protein shares homology with the yeast Rev1 and the Escherichia coli DinB and UmuC proteins. Although these proteins contain several highly conserved motifs, only Rad30 has been shown to possess a DNA polymerase activity. To determine whether the DNA polymerase activity of Rad30 was essential for its biological function, we made a mutation in the highly conserved SIDE sequence in Rad30, in which the aspartate and glutamate residues have each been changed to alanine. The mutant Rad30 protein lacks the DNA polymerase activity, and the mutant gene does not complement the rad30Delta mutation. These findings indicate that DNA polymerase activity is indispensable for the biological function of RAD30.

SOS and UVM pathways have lesion-specific additive and competing effects on mutation fixation at replication-blocking DNA lesions

Escherichia coli cells have multiple mutagenic pathways that are induced in response to environmental and physiological stimuli. Unlike the well-investigated classical SOS response, little is known about newly recognized pathways such as the UVM (UV modulation of mutagenesis) response. In this study, we compared the contributions of the SOS and UVM pathways on mutation fixation at two representative noninstructive DNA lesions: 3,N4-ethenocytosine (epsilonC) and abasic (AP) sites. Because both SOS and UVM responses are induced by DNA damage, and defined UVM-defective E. coli strains are not yet available, we first constructed strains in which expression of the SOS mutagenesis proteins UmuD' and UmuC (and also RecA in some cases) is uncoupled from DNA damage by being placed under the control of a heterologous lac-derived promoter. M13 single-stranded viral DNA bearing site-specific lesions was transfected into cells induced for the SOS or UVM pathway. Survival effects were determined from transfection efficiency, and mutation fixation at the lesion was analyzed by a quantitative multiplex sequence analysis procedure. Our results suggest that induction of the SOS pathway can independently elevate mutagenesis at both lesions, whereas the UVM pathway significantly elevates mutagenesis at epsilonC in an SOS-independent fashion and at AP sites in an SOS-dependent fashion. Although mutagenesis at epsilonC appears to be elevated by the induction of either the SOS or the UVM pathway, the mutational specificity profiles for epsilonC under SOS and UVM pathways are distinct. Interestingly, when both pathways are active, the UVM effect appears to predominate over the SOS effect on mutagenesis at epsilonC, but the total mutation frequency is significantly increased over that observed when each pathway is individually induced. These observations suggest that the UVM response affects mutagenesis not only at class 2 noninstructive lesions (epsilonC) but also at classical SOS-dependent (class 1) lesions such as AP sites. Our results add new layers of complexity to inducible mutagenic phenomena: DNA damage activates multiple pathways that have lesion-specific additive as well as suppressive effects on mutation fixation, and some of these pathways are not directly regulated by the SOS genetic network.