Conservation of Chi cutting activity in terrestrial and marine enteric bacteria

Chi hotspot Control of RecBCD Helicase-nuclease: Enzymatic Tests Support the Intramolecular Signal-transduction Model

Repair of broken DNA is essential for life; the reactions involved can also promote genetic recombination to aid evolution. In Escherichia coli, RecBCD enzyme is required for the major pathway of these events. RecBCD is a complex ATP-dependent DNA helicase with nuclease activity controlled by Chi recombination hotspots (5'-GCTGGTGG-3'). During rapid DNA unwinding, when Chi is in a RecC tunnel, RecB nuclease nicks DNA at Chi. Here, we test our signal transduction model - upon binding Chi (step 1), RecC signals RecD helicase to stop unwinding (step 2); RecD then signals RecB (step 3) to nick at Chi (step 4) and to begin loading RecA DNA strand-exchange protein (step 5). We discovered that ATP-γ-S, like the small molecule RecBCD inhibitor NSAC1003, causes RecBCD to nick DNA, independent of Chi, at novel positions determined by the DNA substrate length. Two RecB ATPase-site mutants nick at novel positions determined by their RecB:RecD helicase rate ratios. In each case, we find that nicking at the novel position requires steps 3 and 4 but not step 1 or 2, as shown by mutants altered at the intersubunit contacts specific for each step; nicking also requires RecD helicase and RecB nuclease activities. Thus, altering the RecB ATPase site, by small molecules or mutation, sensitizes RecD to signal RecB to nick DNA (steps 4 and 3, respecitvely) without the signal from RecC or Chi (steps 1 and 2). These new, enzymatic results strongly support the signal transduction model and provide a paradigm for studying other complex enzymes.

RecBCD enzyme and Chi recombination hotspots as determinants of self vs. non-self: Myths and mechanisms

Bacteria face a challenge when DNA enters their cells by transformation, mating, or phage infection. Should they treat this DNA as an invasive foreigner and destroy it, or consider it one of their own and potentially benefit from incorporating new genes or alleles to gain useful functions? It is frequently stated that the short nucleotide sequence Chi (5' GCTGGTGG 3'), a hotspot of homologous genetic recombination recognized by Escherichia coli's RecBCD helicase-nuclease, allows E. coli to distinguish its DNA (self) from any other DNA (non-self) and to destroy non-self DNA, and that Chi is "over-represented" in the E. coli genome. We show here that these latter statements (dogmas) are not supported by available evidence. We note Chi's wide-spread occurrence and activity in distantly related bacterial species and phages. We illustrate multiple, highly non-random features of the genomes of E. coli and coliphage P1 that account for Chi's high frequency and genomic position, leading us to propose that P1 selects for Chi's enhancement of recombination, whereas E. coli selects for the preferred codons in Chi. We discuss other, previously described mechanisms for self vs. non-self determination involving RecBCD and for RecBCD's destruction of DNA that cannot recombine, whether foreign or domestic, with or without Chi.

Evolution of Chi motifs in Proteobacteria

Homologous recombination is a key pathway found in nearly all bacterial taxa. The recombination complex not only allows bacteria to repair DNA double-strand breaks but also promotes adaption through the exchange of DNA between cells. In Proteobacteria, this process is mediated by the RecBCD complex, which relies on the recognition of a DNA motif named Chi to initiate recombination. The Chi motif has been characterized in Escherichia coli and analogous sequences have been found in several other species from diverse families, suggesting that this mode of action is widespread across bacteria. However, the sequences of Chi-like motifs are known for only five bacterial species: E. coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Bacillus subtilis, Lactococcus lactis, and Staphylococcus aureus. In this study, we detected putative Chi motifs in a large dataset of Proteobacteria and identified four additional motifs sharing high sequence similarity and similar properties to the Chi motif of E. coli in 85 species of Proteobacteria. Most Chi motifs were detected in Enterobacteriaceae and this motif appears well conserved in this family. However, we did not detect Chi motifs for the majority of Proteobacteria, suggesting that different motifs are used in these species. Altogether these results substantially expand our knowledge on the evolution of Chi motifs and on the recombination process in bacteria.

Chi hotspot control of RecBCD helicase-nuclease by long-range intramolecular signaling

Repair of broken DNA by homologous recombination requires coordinated enzymatic reactions to prepare it for interaction with intact DNA. The multiple activities of enterobacterial RecBCD helicase-nuclease are coordinated by Chi recombination hotspots (5′ GCTGGTGG 3′) recognized during DNA unwinding. Chi is recognized in a tunnel in RecC but activates the RecB nuclease, > 25 Ǻ away. How the Chi-dependent signal travels this long distance has been unknown. We found a Chi hotspot-deficient mutant in the RecB helicase domain located > 45 Ǻ from both the Chi-recognition site and the nuclease active site. This unexpected observation led us to find additional mutations that reduced or eliminated Chi hotspot activity in each subunit and widely scattered throughout RecBCD. Each mutation alters the intimate contact between one or another pair of subunits in crystal or cryoEM structures of RecBCD bound to DNA. Collectively, these mutations span a path about 185 Ǻ long from the Chi recognition site to the nuclease active site. We discuss these surprising results in the context of an intramolecular signal transduction accounting for many previous observations.

The RecB helicase-nuclease tether mediates Chi hotspot control of RecBCD enzyme

In bacteria, repair of DNA double-strand breaks uses a highly conserved helicase–nuclease complex to unwind DNA from a broken end and cut it at specific DNA sequences called Chi. In Escherichia coli the RecBCD enzyme also loads the DNA strand-exchange protein RecA onto the newly formed end, resulting in a recombination hotspot at Chi. Chi hotspots regulate multiple RecBCD activities by altering RecBCD’s conformation, which is proposed to include the swinging of the RecB nuclease domain on the 19-amino-acid tether connecting the helicase and nuclease domains. Here, we altered the tether and tested multiple RecBCD activities, genetically in cells and enzymatically in cell-free extracts. Randomizing the amino-acid sequence or lengthening it had little effect. However, shortening it by as little as two residues or making substitutions of ≥10 proline or ≥9 glycine residues dramatically lowered Chi-dependent activities. These results indicate that proper control of RecBCD by Chi requires that the tether be long enough and appropriately flexible. We discuss a model in which the swing-time of the nuclease domain determines the position of Chi-dependent and Chi-independent cuts and Chi hotspot activity.

RecBCD Enzyme "Chi Recognition" Mutants Recognize Chi Recombination Hotspots in the Right DNA Context

RecBCD enzyme is a complex, three-subunit protein machine essential for the major pathway of DNA double-strand break repair and homologous recombination in Escherichia coli Upon encountering a Chi recombination-hotspot during DNA unwinding, RecBCD nicks DNA to produce a single-stranded DNA end onto which it loads RecA protein. Conformational changes that regulate RecBCD's helicase and nuclease activities are induced upon its interaction with Chi, defined historically as 5' GCTGGTGG 3'. Chi is thought to be recognized as single-stranded DNA passing through a tunnel in RecC. To define the Chi recognition-domain in RecC and thus the mechanism of the RecBCD-Chi interaction, we altered by random mutagenesis eight RecC amino acids lining the tunnel. We screened for loss of Chi activity with Chi at one site in bacteriophage λ. The 25 recC mutants analyzed thoroughly had undetectable or strongly reduced Chi-hotspot activity with previously reported Chi sites. Remarkably, most of these mutants had readily detectable, and some nearly wild-type, activity with Chi at newly generated Chi sites. Like wild-type RecBCD, these mutants had Chi activity that responded dramatically (up to fivefold, equivalent to Chi's hotspot activity) to nucleotide changes flanking 5' GCTGGTGG 3'. Thus, these and previously published RecC mutants thought to be Chi-recognition mutants are actually Chi context-dependence mutants. Our results fundamentally alter the view that Chi is a simple 8-bp sequence recognized by the RecC tunnel. We propose that Chi hotspots have dual nucleotide sequence interactions, with both the RecC tunnel and the RecB nuclease domain.

Unexpected DNA context-dependence identifies a new determinant of Chi recombination hotspots

Homologous recombination occurs especially frequently near special chromosomal sites called hotspots. In Escherichia coli, Chi hotspots control RecBCD enzyme, a protein machine essential for the major pathway of DNA break-repair and recombination. RecBCD generates recombinogenic single-stranded DNA ends by unwinding DNA and cutting it a few nucleotides to the 3′ side of 5′ GCTGGTGG 3′, the sequence historically equated with Chi. To test if sequence context affects Chi activity, we deep-sequenced the products of a DNA library containing 10 random base-pairs on each side of the Chi sequence and cut by purified RecBCD. We found strongly enhanced cutting at Chi with certain preferred sequences, such as A or G at nucleotides 4–7, on the 3′ flank of the Chi octamer. These sequences also strongly increased Chi hotspot activity in E. coli cells. Our combined enzymatic and genetic results redefine the Chi hotspot sequence, implicate the nuclease domain in Chi recognition, indicate that nicking of one strand at Chi is RecBCD's biologically important reaction in living cells, and enable more precise analysis of Chi's role in recombination and genome evolution.

How RecBCD enzyme and Chi promote DNA break repair and recombination: a molecular biologist's view

The repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is essential for cell viability and important for homologous genetic recombination. In enteric bacteria such as Escherichia coli, the major pathway of DSB repair requires the RecBCD enzyme, a complex helicase-nuclease regulated by a simple unique DNA sequence called Chi. How Chi regulates RecBCD has been extensively studied by both genetics and biochemistry, and two contrasting mechanisms to generate a recombinogenic single-stranded DNA tail have been proposed: the nicking of one DNA strand at Chi versus the switching of degradation from one strand to the other at Chi. Which of these reactions occurs in cells has remained unproven because of the inability to detect intracellular DNA intermediates in bacterial recombination and DNA break repair. Here, I discuss evidence from a combination of genetics and biochemistry indicating that nicking at Chi is the intracellular (in vivo) reaction. This example illustrates the need for both types of analysis (i.e., molecular biology) to uncover the mechanism and control of complex processes in living cells.

In vivo evidence for two active nuclease motifs in the double-strand break repair enzyme RexAB of Lactococcus lactis

In bacteria, double-strand DNA break (DSB) repair involves an exonuclease/helicase (exo/hel) and a short regulatory DNA sequence (Chi) that attenuates exonuclease activity and stimulates DNA repair. Despite their key role in cell survival, these DSB repair components show surprisingly little conservation. The best-studied exo/hel, RecBCD of Escherichia coli, is composed of three subunits. In contrast, RexAB of Lactococcus lactis and exo/hel enzymes of other low-guanine-plus-cytosine branch gram-positive bacteria contain two subunits. We report that RexAB functions via a novel mechanism compared to that of the RecBCD model. Two potential nuclease motifs are present in RexAB compared with a single nuclease in RecBCD. Site-specific mutagenesis of the RexA nuclease motif abolished all nuclease activity. In contrast, the RexB nuclease motif mutants displayed strongly reduced nuclease activity but maintained Chi recognition and had a Chi-stimulated hyperrecombination phenotype. The distinct phenotypes resulting from RexA or RexB nuclease inactivation lead us to suggest that each of the identified active nuclease sites in RexAB is involved in the degradation of one DNA strand. In RecBCD, the single RecB nuclease degrades both DNA strands and is presumably positioned by RecD. The presence of two nucleases would suggest that this RecD function is dispensable in RexAB.

A five-nucleotide sequence protects DNA from exonucleolytic degradation by AddAB, the RecBCD analogue of Bacillus subtilis

Homologous recombination in Bacillus subtilis requires the product of the addA and addB genes, the AddAB enzyme. This enzyme, which is both a helicase and a powerful nuclease, is thought to be the counterpart of the Escherichia coli RecBCD enzyme. From this analogy, it is expected that the nuclease activity of AddAB can be downregulated by a specific DNA sequence, which would correspond to the chi site in E. coli. Using protection of linear double-stranded DNA as a criterion, we identified the five-nucleotide sequence 5'-AGCGG-3', or its complement 5'-CCGCT-3', as being sufficient for AddAB nuclease attenuation. We have shown further that this attenuation occurs only if the sequence is properly oriented with respect to the translocating AddAB enzyme. Finally, inspection of the complete B. subtilis genome revealed that this five-nucleotide sequence is over-represented and is, in a majority of cases, co-oriented with DNA replication. Based on these observations, we propose that 5'-AGCGG-3', or its complement, is the B. subtilis analogue of the E. coli chi sequence.

Clustering of chi sequence in Escherichia coli genome

An 8-mer DNA sequence called chi (5'-GCTGGTGG) is present on the Escherichia coli chromosome at a high frequency. It is responsible for both the attenuation of RecBCD exonuclease activity and the promotion of RecABCD-mediated homologous recombination. chi was first identified as a site that increased plaque size of bacteriophage lambda. lambda containing chi makes very small plaques on a recC* (recC1004) mutant because chi is poorly recognized by the RecBC*D mutant enzyme. We cloned E. coli chromosomal fragments in lambda that allowed lambda to form larger plaques on this recC* mutant as well as on the rec+ parent. One identified fragment contained a cluster of two copies of chi and several chi-like sequences with the same orientation. It increased recombination in the rec+ strain more than a fragment with one chi did. This fragment was within the rep gene, whose helicase product is known to be required for growth in the absence of functional RecBCD enzyme. The possibility that RecBCD enzyme might interact both with the rep gene and its product is discussed. Many of the other chi clusters identified in the E. coli genome database lie within genes for membrane proteins. The possible significance of these findings is discussed.

Very short patch repair of T:G mismatches in vivo: importance of context and accessory proteins

In Escherichia coli, T:G mismatches in specific contexts are corrected by a very short patch (VSP) repair system. Previous studies have shown that the product of gene vsr mediates correction of T:G to C:G in the 5'CTAGG/3'GGTCC context and in some related contexts. Amber mutations that arose in CAG sequences in gene cI of bacteriophage lambda were used to determine the effect of flanking bases on the repair of T:G mispairs arising during phage recombination. The experimental findings were combined with published data on mismatch repair of mutations in lambda gene P and E. coli gene lacI. While VSP repair was most efficient in the context 5'CTAGG, there was very significant correction when either the 5'C or the 3' G was replaced by another base. Some mismatch repair of TAG to CAG occurred in all contexts tested. Reduction in VSP repair caused by the lack of MutL or MutS was fully complemented by the addition of vsr+ plasmids when the T:G mispair was in the 5'CTAGG/3'GGTCC context. VSP repair was decreased in bacteria containing mutS+ on a multicopy plasmid. It is suggested that VSP repair maintains sequences such as the repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) and Chi sequences, which have important roles in E. coli and closely related bacteria.

Biochemistry of homologous recombination in Escherichia coli

Homologous recombination is a fundamental biological process. Biochemical understanding of this process is most advanced for Escherichia coli. At least 25 gene products are involved in promoting genetic exchange. At present, this includes the RecA, RecBCD (exonuclease V), RecE (exonuclease VIII), RecF, RecG, RecJ, RecN, RecOR, RecQ, RecT, RuvAB, RuvC, SbcCD, and SSB proteins, as well as DNA polymerase I, DNA gyrase, DNA topoisomerase I, DNA ligase, and DNA helicases. The activities displayed by these enzymes include homologous DNA pairing and strand exchange, helicase, branch migration, Holliday junction binding and cleavage, nuclease, ATPase, topoisomerase, DNA binding, ATP binding, polymerase, and ligase, and, collectively, they define biochemical events that are essential for efficient recombination. In addition to these needed proteins, a cis-acting recombination hot spot known as Chi (chi: 5'-GCTGGTGG-3') plays a crucial regulatory function. The biochemical steps that comprise homologous recombination can be formally divided into four parts: (i) processing of DNA molecules into suitable recombination substrates, (ii) homologous pairing of the DNA partners and the exchange of DNA strands, (iii) extension of the nascent DNA heteroduplex; and (iv) resolution of the resulting crossover structure. This review focuses on the biochemical mechanisms underlying these steps, with particular emphases on the activities of the proteins involved and on the integration of these activities into likely biochemical pathways for recombination.

Chromosomal gene capture mediated by the Pseudomonas putida TOL catabolic plasmid

The Pseudomonas putida TOL plasmid pWW0 is able to mediate chromosomal mobilization in the canonical unidirectional way, i.e., from donor to recipient cells, and bidirectionally, i.e., donor-->recipient-->donor (retrotransfer). Transconjugants are recipient cells that have received DNA from donor cells, whereas retrotransconjugants are donor bacteria that have received DNA from a recipient. The TOL plasmid pWW0 is able to directly mobilize and retromobilize a kanamycin resistance marker integrated into the chromosome of other P. putida strains, a process that appears to involve a single conjugational event. The rate of retrotransfer (as well as of direct transfer) of the chromosomal marker is influenced by the location of the kanamycin marker on the chromosome and ranges from 10(-3) to less than 10(-8) retrotransconjugants per donor (transconjugants per recipient). The mobilized DNA is incorporated into the chromosome of the retrotransconjugants (transconjugants) in a process that seems to occur through recombination of highly homologous flanking regions. No interspecific mobilization of the chromosomal marker in matings involving P. putida and the closely related Pseudomonas fluorescens, which belongs to rRNA group I, was observed.

Homologous genetic recombination: the pieces begin to fall into place

One of the authors (AJC) acknowledges with gratitude the important role Fernando Bastarrachea played in the author's discovery that E. coli could carry out homologous genetic recombination by multiple pathways. This in turn led to the discovery of several genes, including recF, recO, and recR, whose role in recombination would not otherwise have been detected. Subsequent genetic and biochemical studies have led to a general formulation in which there are multiple nucleolytic ways to achieve a presynaptic intermediate bound to RecA protein. Postsynaptic events in the general formulation occur by means of multiple branch migration enzymes to form Holliday DNA structures and a specific nuclease to cleave them. The general formulation is built on synapsis catalyzed by RecA protein. A second RecA-independent synapsis catalyzed by RecT (and RecE?) protein is now under study and a third type independent of both RecA and RecT has apparently been discovered. How these will affect the general formulation remains to be seen. Some proteins, most prominently RecF, RecO, and RecR, have no role in the general formulation. The hypothesis is presented that these proteins act as a switch between replication and recombination by helping to convert replication to recombination intermediates. Universality of the general formulation is supported by the widespread occurrence of recA, recB, recC, and recD genes among bacteria. Recent discovery of recA-like genes in several eukaryotes further supports its universality. We have contributed additional support by sequencing a recA-like gene from an archaeal species, thus making it plausible that the mechanism of synapsis worked out for E. coli RecA protein will hold for all three organismal domains. The boundaries of the puzzle of homologous genetic recombination therefore seem complete and the pieces to the complex picture they encompass are falling into place.

The Bacillus subtilis addAB genes are fully functional in Escherichia coli

An Escherichia coli recBCD deletion mutant was transformed with plasmids containing the Bacillus subtilis add genes. The transformants had relatively high ATP-dependent exonuclease- and ATP-dependent helicase activities, and their viability, the ability to repair u.v.-damaged DNA and the recombination in conjugation were nearly completely restored. The B. subtilis Add enzyme did not show Chi-activity in phage lambda recombination. The individual B. subtilis Add proteins were not able to form an enzymatically active complex with the E. coli RecB,C,D proteins, and they could not complement the recB,C,D deficiency. Evidence is presented that only two subunits are involved in the B. subtilis ATP-dependent exonuclease. This is in contrast to E. coli in which the RecBCD enzyme consists of three subunits.

Organization of the bacterial chromosome

Recent progress in studies on the bacterial chromosome is summarized. Although the greatest amount of information comes from studies on Escherichia coli, reports on studies of many other bacteria are also included. A compilation of the sizes of chromosomal DNAs as determined by pulsed-field electrophoresis is given, as well as a discussion of factors that affect gene dosage, including redundancy of chromosomes on the one hand and inactivation of chromosomes on the other hand. The distinction between a large plasmid and a second chromosome is discussed. Recent information on repeated sequences and chromosomal rearrangements is presented. The growing understanding of limitations on the rearrangements that can be tolerated by bacteria and those that cannot is summarized, and the sensitive region flanking the terminator loci is described. Sources and types of genetic variation in bacteria are listed, from simple single nucleotide mutations to intragenic and intergenic recombinations. A model depicting the dynamics of the evolution and genetic activity of the bacterial chromosome is described which entails acquisition by recombination of clonal segments within the chromosome. The model is consistent with the existence of only a few genetic types of E. coli worldwide. Finally, there is a summary of recent reports on lateral genetic exchange across great taxonomic distances, yet another source of genetic variation and innovation.

Activation of Chi recombinational hotspots by RecBCD-like enzymes from enteric bacteria

Chi sites, 5'G-C-T-G-G-T-G-G-3', enhance homologous recombination in Escherichia coli and are activated by the RecBCD enzyme. To test the ability of Chi to be activated by analogous enzymes from other bacteria, we cloned recBCD-like genes from diverse bacteria into an E. coli recBCD deletion mutant. Clones from seven species of enteric bacteria conferred to this deletion mutant recombination proficiency, Chi hotspot activity in lambda Red- Gam- vegetative crosses, and RecBCD enzyme activities, including Chi-dependent DNA strand cleavage. Three clones from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Ps. putida conferred recombination proficiency and ATP-dependent nuclease activity, but neither Chi hotspot activity nor Chi-dependent DNA cleavage. These results imply that Chi has been conserved as a recombination-promoting signal for RecBCD-like enzymes in enteric bacteria but not in more distantly related bacteria such as Pseudomonas spp. We discuss the possibility that other, presently unknown, nucleotide sequences serve the same function as Chi in Pseudomonas spp.

Functional analyses of Proteus mirabilis wild-type and mutant RecBCD enzymes in Escherichia coli reveal a new mutant phenotype

Cloned into Escherichia coli the recB, recC and recD genes of Proteus mirabilis produce a recBCD enzyme (exoV) functional in recombination and DNA repair. The direction of transcription of recB, recC and recD, the sizes of the enzyme subunits, and their composition in the active enzyme are similar to that observed for the E. coli enzyme. In lambda crosses, the P. mirabilis enzyme has only about 40% of the Chi activity of the E. coli enzyme. The recBCD genes were also cloned from an exoV mutant of P. mirabilis which is u.v.-sensitive and partly deficient in exoV. The defect was attributed to the recB gene by complementation studies. In a recBCD deletion strain of E. coli, the enzyme from the mutant produced 40% of conjugational recombinants and had retained about 25% of Chi activity. However, it did not restore normal DNA repair, cell viability or recombination in lambda crosses and P1 transduction. The new mutant phenotype is discussed in the light of the assumption that prokaryotic recBCD enzymes can promote recombination in a Chi-dependent and a Chi-independent manner.

Cloning of the recB, recC, and recD genes from Proteus mirabilis in Escherichia coli: in vivo formation of active hybrid enzymes

We cloned chromosomal DNA fragments from Proteus mirabilis which complement recBCD deletion mutants of Escherichia coli by restoring (i) recombination proficiency in conjugation, (ii) normal resistance to UV irradiation, and (iii) ATP-dependent exonuclease activity for duplex DNA. The data indicate that the order of the genes thyA, recC, recB, recD, and argA is similar in both P. mirabilis and E. coli. Hybrid enzymes formed in vivo were active in repair and recombination.

Cutting of chi-like sequences by the RecBCD enzyme of Escherichia coli

Chi, 5' G-C-T-G-G-T-G-G 3', stimulates coliphage lambda recombination mediated by the major recombination pathway of Escherichia coli, the RecBC pathway. Purified RecBCD enzyme makes a single strand endonuclease cleavage four to six nucleotides to the 3' side of the chi sequence. Three sequences similar to chi, 5' A-C-T-G-G-T-G-G 3', 5' G-T-T-G-G-T-G-G 3' and 5' G-C-T-A-G-T-G-G 3', have partial recombinational hotspot activity in genetic crosses. We report here that purified RecBCD enzyme preferentially cuts four nucleotides to the right of the two most active chi-like octamers. The degree of cutting correlated with the genetic activities of these sequences; this result indicates that these cleavages are essential to the genetic activity of chi and chi-like sequences.