Base methylation and local DNA helix stability. Effect on the kinetics of cruciform extrusion

Strategies for the detection of site-specific DNA methylation and its application, opportunities and challenges in the field of electrochemical biosensors

DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that plays a crucial role in various biological processes. Aberrant DNA methylation is closely associated with the onset of diseases, and the specific localization of methylation sites in the genome offers further insight into the connection between methylation and diseases. Currently, there are numerous methods available for site-specific methylation detection. Electrochemical biosensors have garnered significant attention due to their distinct advantages, such as rapidity, simplicity, high sensitivity, low cost, and the potential for miniaturization. In this paper, we present a systematic review of the primary sensing strategies utilized in the past decade for analyzing site-specific methylation and their applications in electrochemical sensors, from a novel perspective focusing on the localization analysis of site-specific methylation. These strategies include bisulfite treatment, restriction endonuclease treatment, other sensing strategies, and deamination without direct bisulfite treatment. We hope that this paper can offer ideas and references for establishing site-specific methylation electrochemical analysis in clinical practice.

DNA methylation detection and site analysis by using an electrochemical biosensor constructed based on toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction

DNA methylation has become a novel target for early diagnosis and prognosis of cancer as well as other related diseases. The accurate detection of the methylation sites of specific genes proved to be of great significance. However, the complex biological nature of clinical samples and the detection of low-abundance targets led to higher requirements for the testing technology. It has been found that by virtue of high sensitivity, rapid response, low cost, facile operation and applicability to microanalysis, electrochemical sensors have greatly contributed to the process of clinical diagnosis. In this study, a facile, rapid and highly sensitive electrochemical biosensor based on the peak current change was developed on the basis of high selectivity of toehold and greater efficiency of PNA strand displacement and used for the detection and site analysis of DNA methylation. Moreover, compared with non-methylated DNA sequences, methylated DNA sequences could be readily invaded by PNA probes, thereby resulting in the strand displacement and significant electrical signals. Therefore, methylation of cytosine sites was primarily analyzed based on electrical signals. Strand displacement by the target DNA sequences with different methylated sites can lead to substantial changes of strand displacement efficiency. As a result, the methylation sites can be analyzed on the basis of corresponding peak current response relation. This method has a detection limit of 0.075 pM and does not involve various complicated steps such as bisulfite treatment, enzyme digestion and PCR amplification. Indeed, one detection cycle can be completed in 60 min. The proposed technology might exhibit great potential in early clinical diagnosis and risk assessment of cancers and related diseases.

The influence of CpG (5'-d(CpG)-3' dinucleotides) methylation on ultrasonic DNA fragmentation

DNA methylation is an important way of gene regulation. The variety of methods for DNA methylation analysis based on chemical modification or enzyme digestion has been proposed. However, DNA is able to undergo transformations under physical power. Here, we report that the cytosine methylation in CpG dinucleotides determines the difference in fragmentation rate of methylated and unmethylated DNA under sonication. We found that at the beginning of sonication, methylated DNAs are degraded faster than unmethylated one, and the difference in fragmentation degree can be evaluated with high reliability by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The optimal parameters that provide the greatest difference in amount of amplifiable DNA targets corresponding to fragmentation degree are the following: moderate amplicon size (about 150-250 bp), medium CpG sparseness (one CpG dinucleotide per ∼12-14 nucleotides of the chain), and short sonication time (less than 5 min). Along with CpG, the CpA and CpT contents of amplified regions should be taken into account for proper DNA fragmentation by ultrasound as well. The obtained data could be used for elaboration of a method for comparative methylation testing, when there is no need to detect methylation of certain CpG dinucleotides. This method will be simple (can be used by any technician familiar with PCR), low cost (no need to use an expensive reagents), and fast (only brief DNA sonication and conventional qPCR are carried out). Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Sparse conserved under-methylated CpGs are associated with high-order chromatin structure

BACKGROUND

Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) is the gold standard for studying landscape DNA methylation. Current computational methods for WGBS are mainly designed for gene regulatory regions with multiple under-methylated CpGs (UMCs), such as promoters and enhancers.

RESULTS

To reliably predict the functional importance of single isolated UMCs across the genome, which is usually not achievable using traditional methods, we develop a multi-sample-based method. We identified 9421 sparse conserved under-methylated CpGs (scUMCs) from 31 high-quality methylomes, which are enriched in distal interacting anchor regions co-occupied by multiple chromatin-loop factors and are flanked by highly methylated CpGs. Moreover, cell lineage-specific scUMCs are associated with essential developmental genes, regulators of cell differentiation, and chromatin remodeling enzymes. Dynamic methylation levels of scUMCs correlate with the intensity of chromatin interactions and binding of looping factors as well as patterns of gene expression.

CONCLUSIONS

We introduce an innovative computational method for the identification of scUMCs, which are novel epigenetic features associated with high-order chromatin structure, opening new directions in the study of the inter-relationships between DNA methylation and chromatin structure.

N6-Methyladenine: A Conserved and Dynamic DNA Mark

Chromatin, consisting of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) wrapped around histone proteins, facilitates DNA compaction and allows identical DNA codes to confer many different cellular phenotypes. This biological versatility is accomplished in large part by posttranslational modifications to histones and chemical modifications to DNA. These modifications direct the cellular machinery to expand or compact specific chromatin regions and mark regions of the DNA as important for cellular functions. While each of the four bases that make up DNA can be modified (Iyer et al. 2011), this chapter will focus on methylation of the sixth position on adenines (6mA), as this modification has been poorly characterized in recently evolved eukaryotes, but shows promise as a new conserved layer of epigenetic regulation. 6mA was previously thought to be restricted to unicellular organisms, but recent work has revealed its presence in metazoa. Here, we will briefly describe the history of 6mA, examine its evolutionary conservation, and evaluate the current methods for detecting 6mA. We will discuss the enzymes that bind and regulate this mark and finally examine known and potential functions of 6mA in eukaryotes.

Substrate recognition and modification by the nosiheptide resistance methyltransferase

Background

The proliferation of antibiotic resistant pathogens is an increasing threat to the general public. Resistance may be conferred by a number of mechanisms including covalent or mutational modification of the antibiotic binding site, covalent modification of the drug, or the over-expression of efflux pumps. The nosiheptide resistance methyltransferase (NHR) confers resistance to the thiazole antibiotic nosiheptide in the nosiheptide producer organism Streptomyces actuosus through 2ʹO-methylation of 23S rRNA at the nucleotide A1067. Although the crystal structures of NHR and the closely related thiostrepton-resistance methyltransferase (TSR) in complex with the cofactor S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) are available, the principles behind NHR substrate recognition and catalysis remain unclear.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We have analyzed the binding interactions between NHR and model 58 and 29 nucleotide substrate RNAs by gel electrophoresis mobility shift assays (EMSA) and fluorescence anisotropy. We show that the enzyme binds to RNA as a dimer. By constructing a hetero-dimer complex composed of one wild-type subunit and one inactive mutant NHR-R135A subunit, we show that only one functional subunit of the NHR homodimer is required for its enzymatic activity. Mutational analysis suggests that the interactions between neighbouring bases (G1068 and U1066) and A1067 have an important role in methyltransfer activity, such that the substitution of a deoxy sugar spacer (5ʹ) to the target nucleotide achieved near wild-type levels of methylation. A series of atomic substitutions at specific positions on the substrate adenine show that local base-base interactions between neighbouring bases are important for methylation.

Conclusion/Significance

Taken together these data suggest that local base-base interactions play an important role in aligning the substrate 2’ hydroxyl group of A1067 for methyl group transfer. Methylation of nucleic acids is playing an increasingly important role in fundamental biological processes and we anticipate that the approach outlined in this manuscript may be useful for investigating other classes of nucleic acid methyltransferases.

DNA methylation and cancer

Cancer has been considered a genetic disease with a wide array of well-characterized gene mutations and chromosomal abnormalities. Of late, aberrant epigenetic modifications have been elucidated in cancer, and together with genetic alterations, they have been helpful in understanding the complex traits observed in neoplasia. "Cancer Epigenetics" therefore has contributed substantially towards understanding the complexity and diversity of various cancers. However, the positioning of epigenetic events during cancer progression is still not clear, though there are some reports implicating aberrant epigenetic modifications in very early stages of cancer. Amongst the most studied aberrant epigenetic modifications are the DNA methylation differences at the promoter regions of genes affecting their expression. Hypomethylation mediated increased expression of oncogenes and hypermethylation mediated silencing of tumor suppressor genes are well known examples. This chapter also explores the correlation of DNA methylation and demethylation enzymes with cancer.

The analysis of stress-induced duplex destabilization in long genomic DNA sequences

We present a method for calculating predicted locations and extents of stress-induced DNA duplex destabilization (SIDD) as functions of base sequence and stress level in long DNA molecules. The base pair denaturation energies are assigned individually, so the influences of near neighbors, methylated bases, adducts, or lesions can be included. Sample calculations indicate that copolymeric energetics give results that are close to those derived when full near-neighbor energetics are used; small but potentially informative differences occur only in the calculated SIDD properties of moderately destabilized regions. The method presented here for analyzing long sequences calculates the destabilization properties within windows of fixed length N, with successive windows displaced by an offset distance d(o). The final values of the relevant destabilization parameters for each base pair are calculated as weighted averages of the values computed for each window in which that base pair appears. This approach implicitly assumes that the strength of the direct coupling between remote base pairs that is induced by the imposed stress attenuates with their separation distance. This strategy enables calculations of the destabilization properties of DNA sequences of any length, up to and including complete chromosomes. We illustrate its utility by calculating the destabilization properties of the entire E. coli genomic DNA sequence. A preliminary analysis of the results shows that promoters are associated with SIDD regions in a highly statistically significant manner, suggesting that SIDD attributes may prove useful in the computational prediction of promoter locations in prokaryotes.

Molecular structure and properties of protonated and methylated derivatives of cytosine

Ab initio techniques were used to determine the effects of protonation and methylation on cytosine's molecular geometry, molecular affinities, relative stability, and structural rigidity. The geometries of local minima were fully optimized by the gradient procedure at DFT and MP2 levels of theory with the medium size 6-31G(d,p) basis set. The results of energetic analysis indicate that N(3)-methyl-cytosine and C(5)-methyl-cytosine are the most stable derivatives for monocationic and neutral species, respectively. The structural rigidity of each species was assessed by an analysis of normal out-of-plane frequencies, the amplitudes, and by the contribution of internal coordinates to the potential energy distributions. The obtained evidence suggests that methylation increases the overall structural flexibility of cytosine and that all molecules in this study populate a non-planar conformation 50% of the time.

Same origins of DNA replication function on the active and inactive human X chromosomes

We previously characterized a functional origin of DNA replication at the transcriptional promoter of the human hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene (Cohen et al. [2002] J. Cell. Biochem. 85:346-356). This origin was mapped using a quantitative PCR assay to evaluate the relative abundance of HPRT markers in short nascent DNA strands isolated from asynchronous cultures of male fibroblasts. The HPRT gene on the X chromosome is transcriptionally active in male human fibroblasts. It is known that on the heterochromatic X chromosome in female cells the HPRT gene is transcriptionally silenced and its replication timing changes from early to late in S phase. This change in replication timing could indicate that replication of the HPRT gene is under the control of different origins of DNA replication in the active (euchromatic, early replicating) and the inactive (heterochromatic, late replicating) X chromosomes. In the present study, we identified the location of the origin of replication of a second X chromosome gene, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), which we mapped to its transcriptional promoter, in normal male human fibroblasts. Then, we determined the activity of the previously identified HPRT and the G6PD human origins in hybrid hamster cells carrying either the active or the inactive human X chromosome. The results of these studies clearly demonstrated that the human HPRT and G6PD origins of replication were utilized to the same extent in the active and the inactive X chromosomes. Therefore, transcription activity at the HPRT and G6PD genes is not necessary for initiation of DNA replication at the origins mapped to these chromosomal loci.

Mapping of an origin of DNA replication near the transcriptional promoter of the human HPRT gene

A quantitative PCR method was used to map a functional origin of DNA replication in the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene in normal human fibroblasts. This PCR method measures the abundance of specific sequences in short fragments of newly replicated DNA from logarithmically growing cells. Quantitative measurements rely on synthetic molecules (competitors) that amplify with the same primer sets as the target molecules, but generate products of different sizes. This method was first utilized to determine the position of the replication origin near the lamin B2 gene (Giacca et al. [1994] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 91:7119-7123). In the present study, primer sets were tested along a 16-kb region near exon 1 of the HPRT gene. The most abundant fragment was found to be located in the first intron of HPRT, just downstream of the promoter and exon 1 of the gene, and approximately 3.5 kb upstream of a previously reported autonomously replicating sequence (Sykes et al. [1988] Mol. Gen. Genet. 212:301-309).

The effect of C(5) cytosine methylation at CpG sequences on mitomycin-DNA bonding profiles

Recent studies have documented that cytosine C(5) methylation of CpG sequences enhances mitomycin C (1) adduction. The reports differ on the extent and uniformity of 1 modification at the nucleotide level. We have determined the bonding profiles for mitomycin monoalkylation in two DNA restriction fragments where the CpG sequences were methylated. Three mitomycin substrates were used and two different enzymatic assays employed to monitor the extent of drug modification at the individual base sites. Drug DNA modification was accomplished with I and 10-decarbamoylmitomycin C (2) under reductive (Na2S2O4) condilions and with N-methyl-7-methoxyaziridinomitosene (3) under nonreductive conditions. The UvrABC incision assay permitted us to quantitate the sites of drug adduction, and the lambda-exonuclease stop assay provided a qualitative estimation of drug-DNA modification consistent with the UvrABC data. We learned that C(5) cytosine methylation (m5C) enhanced the extent of overall DNA modification. Using the UvrABC endonuclease assay, we found that modification by 1 increased 2.0 and 7.4 times for the two DNA restriction fragments. Analysis of the modification sites at the nucleotide sequence level revealed that guanine (G) was the only base modified and that the overall increased level of DNA adduction was due to enhanced modification of select m5CpG* (G* = mitomycin (mitosene) adduction sites) loci compared with CpG* sites: the largest differences reached two orders of magnitude. Significantly, not all CpG* sites underwent increased drug adduction upon C(5) cytosine methylation. The effect of C(5) cytosine methylation on the drug adduction profiles was less pronounced for G* sites located within dinucleotide sequences other than CpG*. We observed that DNA methylation often led to slightly diminished adduction levels at these sites. The different m5CpG* adduction patterns provided distinctive sequence-selective bonding profiles for 1-3. We have attributed the large differences in guanine reactivity to DNA structural factors created, in part, by C(5) cytosine methylation. The significance of these findings in cancer chemotherapy is briefly discussed.

DNA methylation at the CfrBI site is involved in expression control in the CfrBI restriction-modification system

We have previously found that genes of the CFR:BI restriction-modification (R-M) system from Citrobacter freundii are oriented divergently and that their promoter regions overlap. The overlapping promoters suggest regulation of gene expression at the transcriptional level. In this study the transcription regulation of CFR:BI R-M genes was analyzed in vivo and in vitro in Escherichia coli. It was shown that in the presence of CFR:BI methyltransferase (M.CFR:BI), cell galactokinase activity decreases 10-fold when the galactokinase gene (galK) is under the control of the cfrBIM promoter and increases 20-fold when galK is under the control of the cfrBIR promoter. The CFR:BI site, proven to be unique for the entire CFR:BI R-M gene sequence, is located in the -35 cfrBIM promoter region and is in close vicinity of the -10 cfrBIR promoter region. A comparison of the cfrBIM and the cfrBIR promoter activities in the in vitro transcription system using methylated and unmethylated DNA fragments as templates demonstrated that the efficiency of CFR:BI R-M gene transcription is regulated by enzymatic modification at the N-4-position of cytosine bases of the CFR:BI site by M.CFR:BI. From the results of the in vivo and in vitro experiments we suggest a new model of gene expression regulation in type II R-M systems.

C5 cytosine methylation at CpG sites enhances sequence selectivity of mitomycin C-DNA bonding

We have established that UvrABC nuclease is equally efficient in cutting mitomycin C (MC)-DNA monoadducts formed at different sequences and that the degree of UvrABC cutting represents the extent of drug-DNA bonding. Using this method we determined the effect of C5 cytosine methylation on the DNA monoalkylation by MC and the related analogues N-methyl-7-methoxyaziridinomitosene (MS-NMA) and 10-decarbamoylmitomycin C (DC-MC). We have found that C5 cytosine methylation at CpG sites greatly enhances MC and MS-NMA DNA adduct formation at those sites while reducing adduct formation at non-CpG sequences. In contrast, although DC-MC DNA bonding at CpG sites is greatly enhanced by CpG methylation, its bonding at non-CpG sequences is not appreciably affected. These cumulative results suggest that C5 cytosine methylation at CpG sites enhances sequence selectivity of drug-DNA bonding. We propose that the methylation pattern and status (hypo- or hypermethylation) of genomic DNA may determine the cells' susceptibility to MC and its analogues, and these effects may, in turn, play a crucial role in the antitumor activities of the drugs.

DNA methylation at mammalian replication origins

In Escherichia coli, DNA methylation regulates both origin usage and the time required to reassemble prereplication complexes at replication origins. In mammals, at least three replication origins are associated with a high density cluster of methylated CpG dinucleotides, and others whose methylation status has not yet been characterized have the potential to exhibit a similar DNA methylation pattern. One of these origins is found within the approximately 2-kilobase pair region upstream of the human c-myc gene that contains 86 CpGs. Application of the bisulfite method for detecting 5-methylcytosines at specific DNA sequences revealed that this region was not methylated in either total genomic DNA or newly synthesized DNA. Therefore, DNA methylation is not a universal component of mammalian replication origins. To determine whether or not DNA methylation plays a role in regulating the activity of origins that are methylated, the rate of remethylation and the effect of hypomethylation were determined at origin beta (ori-beta), downstream of the hamster DHFR gene. Remethylation at ori-beta did not begin until approximately 500 base pairs of DNA was synthesized, but it was then completed by the time that 4 kilobase pairs of DNA was synthesized (<3 min after release into S phase). Thus, DNA methylation cannot play a significant role in regulating reassembly of prereplication complexes in mammalian cells, as it does in E. coli. To determine whether or not DNA methylation plays any role in origin activity, hypomethylated hamster cells were examined for ori-beta activity. Cells that were >50% reduced in methylation at ori-beta no longer selectively activated ori-beta. Therefore, at some loci, DNA methylation either directly or indirectly determines where replication begins.

Developmental abnormalities associated with deoxyadenosine methylation in transgenic tobacco

As in other higher eukaryotes, DNA methylation in plants is predominantly found at deoxycytosine residues, while deoxyadenosine residues are not methylated at significant levels. 6mdA methylation has been successfully introduced into yeast and Drosophila via expression of a heterologous methyltransferase, but similar attempts in tobacco had, up until now, proved unsuccessful despite the correct expression of a methyltransferase construct. It was unclear whether this result reflected the failure of heterologous methyltransferases to enter the nucleus, or whether 6mdA methylation, which has been shown to interfere with promoter activity, was toxic for plants. Here we show that 6mdA methylation can be successfully introduced into transgenic tobacco plants via expression of the bacterial dam enzyme. The efficiency of 6mdA methylation was directly proportional to expression levels of the dam construct, and methylation of all GATC sites was observed in a highly expressing line. Increasing expression levels of the enzyme in different plants correlated with increasingly abnormal phenotypes affecting leaf pigmentation, apical dominance, and leaf and floral structure. Whilst introduction of dam-specific methylation does not cause any developmental abnormalities in yeast or Drosophila, our data suggest that methylation of deoxyadenine residues in plants interferes with the expression of genes involved in leaf and floral development.

Active mammalian replication origins are associated with a high-density cluster of mCpG dinucleotides

ori-beta is a well-characterized origin of bidirectional replication (OBR) located approximately 17 kb downstream of the dihydrofolate reductase gene in hamster cell chromosomes. The approximately 2-kb region of ori-beta that exhibits greatest replication initiation activity also contains 12 potential methylation sites in the form of CpG dinucleotides. To ascertain whether DNA methylation might play a role at mammalian replication origins, the methylation status of these sites was examined with bisulfite to chemically distinguish cytosine (C) from 5-methylcytosine (mC). All of the CpGs were methylated, and nine of them were located within 356 bp flanking the minimal OBR, creating a high-density cluster of mCpGs that was approximately 10 times greater than average for human DNA. However, the previously reported densely methylated island in which all cytosines were methylated regardless of their dinucleotide composition was not detected and appeared to be an experimental artifact. A second OBR, located at the 5' end of the RPS14 gene, exhibited a strikingly similar methylation pattern, and the organization of CpG dinucleotides at other mammalian origins revealed the potential for high-density CpG methylation. Moreover, analysis of bromodeoxyuridine-labeled nascent DNA confirmed that active replication origins were methylated. These results suggest that a high-density cluster of mCpG dinucleotides may play a role in either the establishment or the regulation of mammalian replication origins.

Studies on the influence of cytosine methylation on DNA recombination and end-joining in mammalian cells

To test the influence of cytosine methylation on homologous recombination and the rejoining of DNA double strand breaks in mammalian cells, we developed a sensitive and quantitative assay system using extrachromosomal substrates. First, methylation was introduced into substrates in vitro with the prokaryotic SssI methylase, which specifically methylates the C-5 position of cytosine bases within CpG dinucleotides, mimicking the mammalian DNA methyltransferase. Next, methylated substrates were incubated in mammalian cells for a sufficient length of time to recombine or rejoin prior to substrate recovery. Results from bacterial transformation of the substrates and from direct Southern analysis demonstrate that cytosine methylation has no detectable effect on either DNA end-joining or homologous recombination. Thus, the components of the protein machinery involved in these complex processes are unaffected by the major DNA modification in mammalian cells. These results leave open the possibility that methylation may modulate the accessibility of these components to chromosomal DNA by altering local chromatin structure.

Investigation of the influence of cytosine methylation on DNA flexibility

To test the influence of pyrimidine methyl groups on DNA flexibility and helix repeat, two sets of 14 mixed sequence DNA molecules, spanning a range of lengths from 158 to 180 base pairs, were cyclized with T4 DNA ligase. The two sets differed only in that the Cyt-5 positions of all cytosines (80-90 cytosine residues per molecule) were fully methylated in the members of one set. Determination of the molar cyclization factors, persistence lengths, helix repeats, and torsional elastic constants revealed no significant differences between the two sets. These results imply that, at least for mixed sequence DNA, the biological consequences of cytosine methylation are likely to derive from either local structural distortions in the helix, which do not propagate as altered twist, or from direct protein-methyl cytosine interactions.

The topology of the promoter of RNA polymerase II- and III-transcribed genes is modified by the methylation of 5'-CG-3' dinucleotides

In eukaryotic cells, RNA polymerase II- and III-transcribed promoters can be inactivated by sequence-specific methylation. For some promoter motifs, the introduction of 5-methyldeoxycytidine (5-mC) residues has been shown to alter specific promoter motif-protein interactions. To what extent does the presence of 5-mC in promoter or regulatory DNA sequences affect the structure of DNA itself. We have investigated changes in DNA bending in three naturally occurring DNA elements, the late E2A promoter of adenovirus type 2 (Ad2) DNA, one of our main model systems, the VAI (virus-associated) RNA gene of Ad2 DNA, and an Alu element associated with the human angiogenin gene. Alterations in electrophoretic mobility of differently permuted promoter segments in non-denaturing polyacrylamide gels have been used as assay system. In the late E2A promoter of Ad2 DNA, a major and possibly some minor DNA bending motifs exist which cause deviations in electrophoretic mobility in comparison to coelectrophoresed marker DNA fragments devoid of DNA bending motifs. DNA elements have been specifically in vitro methylated by the HpaII (5'-CCGG-3'), the FnuDII (5'-CGCG-3'), or the CpG DNA methyltransferase from Spiroplasma species (M-SssI; 5'-CG-3'). Methylation by one of these DNA methyltransferases influences the electrophoretic mobility of the three tested promoter elements very strikingly, though to different extents. It cannot be predicted whether sequence-specific promoter methylation increases or decreases electrophoretic mobility; these changes have to be experimentally determined. Methylation of the E. coli dcm (5'-CCA/TGG-3') sites in some of the DNA constructs does not make a contribution to mobility changes. It is concluded that sequence-specific methylations in promoter or regulatory DNA elements can alter the bending of DNA very markedly. This parameter may contribute significantly to the silencing of promoters, probably via altering spatial relationships among DNA-bound transcription factors.

A comparison of the fidelity of copying 5-methylcytosine and cytosine at a defined DNA template site

5-Methylcytosine has been postulated to be an endogenous mutagen in procaryotes and eucaryotes leading to base substitution hot spots, C-->T transitions, resulting from spontaneous deamination of mC to T. The possibility remains, however, that a second mechanism involving mispairing of mC with A might also contribute to base substitution mutagenesis via G-->A transitions. Stimulation of the G-->A mutational pathway could involve preferential misincorporation of dAMP opposite template mC compared to C. To investigate this possibility, we synthesized a sequence containing mC at a defined template location. We compared the fidelity of copying mC versus C and the efficiency of extending mismatched base pairs at the mC position using three DNA polymerases, AMV reverse transcriptase, Drosophila DNA polymerase alpha, and mutant Escherichia coli Klenow fragment containing no proofreading exonuclease activity. Significant differences in misinsertion and mismatch extension efficiencies were observed only for the case of AMV reverse transcriptase. AMV reverse transcriptase was observed to incorporate dAMP 4 to 5-fold more efficiently opposite mC than C. Favored extension of a 5-MeC.A over C.A mispair was also observed with a difference of about 3-fold. In contrast to AMV reverse transcriptase, Klenow fragment showed no significant difference when copying either mC or C sites or when extending mispairs involving mC and C. Incorporation of dAMP opposite either C or mC was barely detectable using pol alpha, although pol alpha has been observed to form A.C mismatches in other sequences. While we cannot completely exclude the possibility that dAMP might be incorporated opposite mC in preference to C, our results suggest that contributions of the G-->A pathway to mC mutagenic hot spots are likely to be minor, lending additional support to the model invoking deamination of mC.

Differential DNase I hypersensitivity of ras oncogenes in B6C3F1, C3H/He, and C57BL/6 mouse liver

The male hybrid B6C3F1 mouse exhibits a 30% spontaneous hepatoma incidence, whereas the paternal C3H/He strain and the maternal C57BL/6 strain exhibit a 60% and a negligible incidence, respectively. In addition, both male and female B6C3F1 mice are extremely sensitive to chemical induction of hepatocarcinogenesis. The Ha-ras, Ki-ras, and myc oncogenes have been implicated in a variety of solid tumors. Specifically, Ha- and, less frequently, Ki-ras have been reported to be activated in B6C3F1 mouse liver tumors. The objective of this study was to examine a possible point of transcriptional control of Ha-ras, Ki-ras, and myc in all three mouse strains, our hypothesis being that these oncogenes may be primed for expression in the nascent liver of those strains exhibiting a high spontaneous hepatoma incidence. A positive correlation has been established between gene expression and the presence of DNase I hypersensitive sites. DNase I hypersensitive sites were observed in the Ha-ras and myc oncogenes in the three mouse strains. However, Ha-ras appears to possess an additional site in B6C3F1 and C3H/He as compared to C57BL/6. Similarly, the Ki-ras oncogene exhibited a DNase I hypersensitive site only in B6C3F1 and C3H/He mouse liver. These results indicate that the hepatoma-prone strains (B6C3F1 and C3H/He) may have a greater potential for Ha- and Ki-ras expression than does the non-hepatoma-prone strain (C57BL/6).

Transcription of synthetic DNA containing sequences with dyad symmetry by wheat-germ RNA polymerase II. Increased rates of product release in single-step addition reactions

Interaction of purified eukaryotic RNA polymerase II with various synthetic palindromic DNA sequences is associated with the formation of transcriptional complexes of different stabilities, i.e. having different propensities for releasing the nascent transcript. This phenomenon was observed by using wheat-germ RNA polymerase II and a series of double-stranded template polymers containing palindromic repeating motifs of 6-16 bp, with regulatory alternating purine and pyrimidine bases such as d[ATA(CG)nC].d[TAT(GC)nG], with n = 1, 3 or 6 referred to as d(GC), d(GC)3 or d(GC)6, respectively. We also synthesized two double-stranded methylated polymers, containing the repeating units d(ATAm5CGm5C).d(TATGm5CG) and d[ATA(m5CG)6m5C].d[TAT(Gm5C)6G] [designated d(GmC) and d(GmC)6, respectively]. All of these polymers served as templates for the reaction of single-step addition of CTP to a CpG primer catalysed by wheat-germ RNA polymerase II, to an extent that seems well correlated with the number of potential initiation sites within the DNA molecules. Furthermore, in these reactions, the enzyme appears to form relatively stable transcriptional complexes, as trinucleotide product was released only very slowly. In marked contrast to the results with the CpG primer, the single-step addition reaction primed by UpA, i.e. the synthesis of UpApU proceeded at a much higher velocity and was strongly enhanced by increasing the d(G-C) content of the repeating units of the DNA polymers. Thus, taking into account the number of potential sites at which UpApU synthesis could occur, the extent of UpApU synthesis was increased about 12-fold with d(GC)6 compared to that with the d(GC) template. The catalytic nature of the reaction necessarily implies that the stability of the transcription complexes with the plant RNA polymerase II decreased as the d(G-C) content of the repeating motif increased. Furthermore, although the synthesis of CpGpC could be demonstrated with d(GmC)6 as template, the UpA-primed synthesis of UpApU could not be detected with this polymer. The results obtained in transcription of these polymers are discussed in relation to the potential involvement of palindromic DNA in transcription termination and attenuation in the presence of RNA polymerase II.

Roles of DNA adenine methylation in controlling replication of the REPI replicon of plasmid pColV-K30

DNA adenine methylation controls DNA replication of plasmids containing the prototypic REPI replicon by affecting protein recognition and by altering the helical stability of the origin. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis shows that adenine methylated origin DNA is more easily melted than unmethylated. However, because an added DNA adenine methylation (dam) site at the origin, whether in or out of phase with other helically aligned dam sites, actually prevents replication, we conclude that destabilization of the helix is not the exclusive function of adenine methylation in REPI replication. We find that the conformation and degree of methylation at the origin, features which are important for protein recognition, are essential for replication. In fact, RepI, a protein required for replication initiation at REPI replicons, contains a region homologous with a domain in proteins which specifically recognize and bind 5'-GATC-3'. We propose that the dam sites in the origin play a dual role: one is destabilization of the helix, and the other is protein recognition.

Local supercoil-stabilized DNA structures

The DNA double helix exhibits local sequence-dependent polymorphism at the level of the single base pair and dinucleotide step. Curvature of the DNA molecule occurs in DNA regions with a specific type of nucleotide sequence periodicities. Negative supercoiling induces in vitro local nucleotide sequence-dependent DNA structures such as cruciforms, left-handed DNA, multistranded structures, etc. Techniques based on chemical probes have been proposed that make it possible to study DNA local structures in cells. Recent results suggest that the local DNA structures observed in vitro exist in the cell, but their occurrence and structural details are dependent on the DNA superhelical density in the cell and can be related to some cellular processes.

Effect of altering GATC sequences in the plasmid ColE1 primer promoter

Plasmid ColE1 has three recognition sites for the Escherichia coli DNA adenine methylase in the immediate upstream region of the primer promoter. Two of these sites are conserved among all plasmid relatives of ColE1 and constitute parts of an inverted repeat that can conceivably form a cruciform structure. Recent experiments have indicated that hemimethylated ColE1-type plasmids are inefficiently replicated after transformation (D. W. Russell and N. Zinder, Cell 50:1071-1079, 1987). By mutating the three methylation sites, we found that disruption of all three GATC sites was necessary for complete relief of the hemimethylation-mediated inhibition of replication in vivo. We also found that these three methylation sites acted in a position-specific manner. The putative cruciform, if present, did not play a regulatory role in the hemimethylation-mediated inhibition of replication.

Cytosine methylation in CTF and Sp1 recognition sites of an HSV tk promoter: effects on transcription in vivo and on factor binding in vitro

We methylated specific cytosine residues within or immediately around the CTF and Sp1 binding sites of the Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter. The efficiency of transcription in vivo was reduced at least 50-fold compared with transcription from the unmethylated promoter. However, methylation within the CTF recognition site had no effect on the affinity of CTF for this site in vitro. Methylation of the Sp1 site resulted in only a small decrease in the affinity of this factor for its recognition site. In vivo studies showed that the same gene inserted in different vector DNAs was regulated differently by methylation in the promoter. These results show that cytosine methylation can inhibit transcription by a mechanism other than directly blocking the binding of transcription factors.