Primase, the dnaG protein of Escherichia coli. An enzyme which starts DNA chains

Escherichia coli DNA replication: the old model organism still holds many surprises

Research on Escherichia coli DNA replication paved the groundwork for many breakthrough discoveries with important implications for our understanding of human molecular biology, due to the high level of conservation of key molecular processes involved. To this day, it attracts a lot of attention, partially by virtue of being an important model organism, but also because the understanding of factors influencing replication fidelity might be important for studies on the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Importantly, the wide access to high-resolution single-molecule and live-cell imaging, whole genome sequencing, and cryo-electron microscopy techniques, which were greatly popularized in the last decade, allows us to revisit certain assumptions about the replisomes and offers very detailed insight into how they work. For many parts of the replisome, step-by-step mechanisms have been reconstituted, and some new players identified. This review summarizes the latest developments in the area, focusing on (a) the structure of the replisome and mechanisms of action of its components, (b) organization of replisome transactions and repair, (c) replisome dynamics, and (d) factors influencing the base and sugar fidelity of DNA synthesis.

Molecular insights into the prototypical single-stranded DNA-binding protein from E. coli

The SSB protein of Escherichia coli functions to bind single-stranded DNA wherever it occurs during DNA metabolism. Depending upon conditions, SSB occurs in several different binding modes. In the course of its function, SSB diffuses on ssDNA and transfers rapidly between different segments of ssDNA. SSB interacts with many other proteins involved in DNA metabolism, with 22 such SSB-interacting proteins, or SIPs, defined to date. These interactions chiefly involve the disordered and conserved C-terminal residues of SSB. When not bound to ssDNA, SSB can aggregate to form a phase-separated biomolecular condensate. Current understanding of the properties of SSB and the functional significance of its many intermolecular interactions are summarized in this review.

Diverse Mechanisms of Helicase Loading during DNA Replication Initiation in Bacteria

Initiation of DNA replication is required for cell viability and passage of genetic information to the next generation. Studies in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis have established ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities (AAA+) as essential proteins required for loading of the replicative helicase at replication origins. AAA+ ATPases DnaC in E. coli and DnaI in B. subtilis have long been considered the paradigm for helicase loading during replication in bacteria. Recently, it has become increasingly clear that most bacteria lack DnaC/DnaI homologs. Instead, most bacteria express a protein homologous to the newly described DciA (dnaC/dnaI antecedent) protein. DciA is not an ATPase, and yet it serves as a helicase operator, providing a function analogous to that of DnaC and DnaI across diverse bacterial species. The recent discovery of DciA and of other alternative mechanisms of helicase loading in bacteria has changed our understanding of DNA replication initiation. In this review, we highlight recent discoveries, detailing what is currently known about the replicative helicase loading process across bacterial species, and we discuss the critical questions that remain to be investigated.

The C-Terminal Acid Phosphatase Module of the RNase HI Enzyme RnhC Controls Rifampin Sensitivity and Light-Dependent Colony Pigmentation of Mycobacterium smegmatis

RNase H enzymes participate in various processes that require processing of RNA-DNA hybrids, including DNA replication, transcription, and ribonucleotide excision from DNA. Mycobacteria encode multiple RNase H enzymes, and prior data indicate that RNase HI activity is essential for mycobacterial viability. However, the additional roles of mycobacterial RNase Hs are unknown, including whether RNase HII (RnhB and RnhD) excises chromosomal ribonucleotides misincorporated during DNA replication and whether individual RNase HI enzymes (RnhA and RnhC) mediate additional phenotypes. We find that loss of RNase HII activity in Mycobacterium smegmatis (through combined deletion of rnhB/rnhD) or individual RNase HI enzymes does not affect growth, hydroxyurea sensitivity, or mutagenesis, whereas overexpression (OE) of either RNase HII severely compromises bacterial viability. We also show that deletion of rnhC, which encodes a protein with an N-terminal RNase HI domain and a C-terminal acid phosphatase domain, confers sensitivity to rifampin and oxidative stress as well as loss of light-induced carotenoid pigmentation. These phenotypes are due to loss of the activity of the C-terminal acid phosphatase domain rather than the RNase HI activity, suggesting that the acid phosphatase activity may confer rifampin resistance through the antioxidant properties of carotenoid pigment production. IMPORTANCE Mycobacteria encode multiple RNase H enzymes, with RNase HI being essential for viability. Here, we examine additional functions of RNase H enzymes in mycobacteria. We find that RNase HII is not involved in mutagenesis but is highly toxic when overexpressed. The RNase HI enzyme RnhC is required for tolerance to rifampin, but this role is surprisingly independent of its RNase H activity and is instead mediated by an autonomous C-terminal acid phosphatase domain. This study provides new insights into the functions of the multiple RNase H enzymes of mycobacteria.

Structural Adaptation of the Single-Stranded DNA-Binding Protein C-Terminal to DNA Metabolizing Partners Guides Inhibitor Design

Single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB) is a bacterial interaction hub and an appealing target for antimicrobial therapy. Understanding the structural adaptation of the disordered SSB C-terminus (SSB-Ct) to DNA metabolizing enzymes (e.g., ExoI and RecO) is essential for designing high-affinity SSB mimetic inhibitors. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the transient interactions of SSB-Ct with two hot spots on ExoI and RecO. The residual flexibility of the peptide-protein complexes allows adaptive molecular recognition. Scanning with non-canonical amino acids revealed that modifications at both termini of SSB-Ct could increase the affinity, supporting the two-hot-spot binding model. Combining unnatural amino acid substitutions on both segments of the peptide resulted in enthalpy-enhanced affinity, accompanied by enthalpy-entropy compensation, as determined by isothermal calorimetry. NMR data and molecular modeling confirmed the reduced flexibility of the improved affinity complexes. Our results highlight that the SSB-Ct mimetics bind to the DNA metabolizing targets through the hot spots, interacting with both of segments of the ligands.

The Impact of RNA-DNA Hybrids on Genome Integrity in Bacteria

During the essential processes of DNA replication and transcription, RNA-DNA hybrid intermediates are formed that pose significant risks to genome integrity when left unresolved. To manage RNA-DNA hybrids, all cells rely on RNase H family enzymes that specifically cleave the RNA portion of the many different types of hybrids that form in vivo. Recent experimental advances have provided new insight into how RNA-DNA hybrids form and the consequences to genome integrity that ensue when persistent hybrids remain unresolved. Here we review the types of RNA-DNA hybrids, including R-loops, RNA primers, and ribonucleotide misincorporations, that form during DNA replication and transcription and discuss how each type of hybrid can contribute to genome instability in bacteria. Further, we discuss how bacterial RNase HI, HII, and HIII and bacterial FEN enzymes contribute to genome maintenance through the resolution of hybrids.

"Life is short, and art is long": RNA degradation in cyanobacteria and model bacteria

RNA turnover plays critical roles in the regulation of gene expression and allows cells to respond rapidly to environmental changes. In bacteria, the mechanisms of RNA turnover have been extensively studied in the models Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, but not much is known in other bacteria. Cyanobacteria are a diverse group of photosynthetic organisms that have great potential for the sustainable production of valuable products using CO2 and solar energy. A better understanding of the regulation of RNA decay is important for both basic and applied studies of cyanobacteria. Genomic analysis shows that cyanobacteria have more than 10 ribonucleases and related proteins in common with E. coli and B. subtilis, and only a limited number of them have been experimentally investigated. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about these RNA-turnover-related proteins in cyanobacteria. Although many of them are biochemically similar to their counterparts in E. coli and B. subtilis, they appear to have distinct cellular functions, suggesting a different mechanism of RNA turnover regulation in cyanobacteria. The identification of new players involved in the regulation of RNA turnover and the elucidation of their biological functions are among the future challenges in this field.

PrimPol: A Breakthrough among DNA Replication Enzymes and a Potential New Target for Cancer Therapy

DNA replication can encounter blocking obstacles, leading to replication stress and genome instability. There are several mechanisms for evading this blockade. One mechanism consists of repriming ahead of the obstacles, creating a new starting point; in humans, PrimPol is responsible for carrying out this task. PrimPol is a primase that operates in both the nucleus and mitochondria. In contrast with conventional primases, PrimPol is a DNA primase able to initiate DNA synthesis de novo using deoxynucleotides, discriminating against ribonucleotides. In vitro, PrimPol can act as a DNA primase, elongating primers that PrimPol itself sythesizes, or as translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerase, elongating pre-existing primers across lesions. However, the lack of evidence for PrimPol polymerase activity in vivo suggests that PrimPol only acts as a DNA primase. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of human PrimPol covering its biochemical properties and structure, in vivo function and regulation, and the processes that take place to fill the gap-containing lesion that PrimPol leaves behind. Finally, we explore the available data on human PrimPol expression in different tissues in physiological conditions and its role in cancer.

Haloferax volcanii-a model archaeon for studying DNA replication and repair

The tree of life shows the relationship between all organisms based on their common ancestry. Until 1977, it comprised two major branches: prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Work by Carl Woese and other microbiologists led to the recategorization of prokaryotes and the proposal of three primary domains: Eukarya, Bacteria and Archaea. Microbiological, genetic and biochemical techniques were then needed to study the third domain of life. Haloferax volcanii, a halophilic species belonging to the phylum Euryarchaeota, has provided many useful tools to study Archaea, including easy culturing methods, genetic manipulation and phenotypic screening. This review will focus on DNA replication and DNA repair pathways in H. volcanii, how this work has advanced our knowledge of archaeal cellular biology, and how it may deepen our understanding of bacterial and eukaryotic processes.

PRIM1 deficiency causes a distinctive primordial dwarfism syndrome

DNA replication is fundamental for cell proliferation in all organisms. Nonetheless, components of the replisome have been implicated in human disease, and here we report PRIM1 encoding the catalytic subunit of DNA primase as a novel disease gene. Using a variant classification agnostic approach, biallelic mutations in PRIM1 were identified in five individuals. PRIM1 protein levels were markedly reduced in patient cells, accompanied by replication fork asymmetry, increased interorigin distances, replication stress, and prolonged S-phase duration. Consequently, cell proliferation was markedly impaired, explaining the patients' extreme growth failure. Notably, phenotypic features distinct from those previously reported with DNA polymerase genes were evident, highlighting differing developmental requirements for this core replisome component that warrant future investigation.

RnhP is a plasmid-borne RNase HI that contributes to genome maintenance in the ancestral strain Bacillus subtilis NCIB 3610

RNA-DNA hybrids form throughout the chromosome during normal growth and under stress conditions. When left unresolved, RNA-DNA hybrids can slow replication fork progression, cause DNA breaks, and increase mutagenesis. To remove hybrids, all organisms use ribonuclease H (RNase H) to specifically degrade the RNA portion. Here we show that, in addition to chromosomally encoded RNase HII and RNase HIII, Bacillus subtilis NCIB 3610 encodes a previously uncharacterized RNase HI protein, RnhP, on the endogenous plasmid pBS32. Like other RNase HI enzymes, RnhP incises Okazaki fragments, ribopatches, and a complementary RNA-DNA hybrid. We show that while chromosomally encoded RNase HIII is required for pBS32 hyper-replication, RnhP compensates for the loss of RNase HIII activity on the chromosome. Consequently, loss of RnhP and RNase HIII impairs bacterial growth. We show that the decreased growth rate can be explained by laggard replication fork progression near the terminus region of the right replichore, resulting in SOS induction and inhibition of cell division. We conclude that all three functional RNase H enzymes are present in B. subtilis NCIB 3610 and that the plasmid-encoded RNase HI contributes to chromosome stability, while the chromosomally encoded RNase HIII is important for chromosome stability and plasmid hyper-replication.

Metabolic cofactors NADH and FAD act as non-canonical initiating substrates for a primase and affect replication primer processing in vitro

To initiate replication on a double-stranded DNA de novo, all organisms require primase, an RNA polymerase making short RNA primers which are then extended by DNA polymerases. Here, we show that primase can use metabolic cofactors as initiating substrates, instead of its canonical substrate ATP. DnaG primase of Escherichia coli initiates synthesis of RNA with NADH (the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide) in vitro. These cofactors consist of an ADP core covalently bound to extra moieties. The ADP component of these metabolites base-pairs with the DNA template and provides a 3′-OH group for RNA extension. The additional cofactors moieties apparently contact the ‘basic ridge’ domain of DnaG, but not the DNA template base at the –1 position. ppGpp, the starvation response regulator, strongly inhibits the initiation with cofactors, hypothetically due to competition for overlapping binding sites. Efficient RNA primer processing is a prerequisite for Okazaki fragments maturation, and we find that the efficiency of primer processing by DNA polymerase I in vitro is specifically affected by the cofactors on its 5′-end. Together these results indicate that utilization of cofactors as substrates by primase may influence regulation of replication initiation and Okazaki fragments processing.

A Primase-Induced Conformational Switch Controls the Stability of the Bacterial Replisome

Recent studies of bacterial DNA replication have led to a picture of the replisome as an entity that freely exchanges DNA polymerases and displays intermittent coupling between the helicase and polymerase(s). Challenging the textbook model of the polymerase holoenzyme acting as a stable complex coordinating the replisome, these observations suggest a role of the helicase as the central organizing hub. We show here that the molecular origin of this newly found plasticity lies in the 500-fold increase in strength of the interaction between the polymerase holoenzyme and the replicative helicase upon association of the primase with the replisome. By combining in vitro ensemble-averaged and single-molecule assays, we demonstrate that this conformational switch operates during replication and promotes recruitment of multiple holoenzymes at the fork. Our observations provide a molecular mechanism for polymerase exchange and offer a revised model for the replication reaction that emphasizes its stochasticity.

Mimivirus encodes a multifunctional primase with DNA/RNA polymerase, terminal transferase and translesion synthesis activities

Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus is an amoeba-infecting giant virus with over 1000 genes including several involved in DNA replication and repair. Here, we report the biochemical characterization of gene product 577 (gp577), a hypothetical protein (product of L537 gene) encoded by mimivirus. Sequence analysis and phylogeny suggested gp577 to be a primase-polymerase (PrimPol)-the first PrimPol to be identified in a nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus (NCLDV). Recombinant gp577 protein purified as a homodimer and exhibited de novo RNA as well as DNA synthesis on circular and linear single-stranded DNA templates. Further, gp577 extends a DNA/RNA primer annealed to a DNA or RNA template using deoxyribonucleoties (dNTPs) or ribonucleotides (NTPs) demonstrating its DNA/RNA polymerase and reverse transcriptase activity. We also show that gp577 possesses terminal transferase activity and is capable of extending ssDNA and dsDNA with NTPs and dNTPs. Mutation of the conserved primase motif residues of gp577 resulted in the loss of primase, polymerase, reverse transcriptase and terminal transferase activities. Additionally, we show that gp577 possesses translesion synthesis (TLS) activity. Mimiviral gp577 represents the first protein from an NCLDV endowed with primase, polymerase, reverse transcriptase, terminal transferase and TLS activities.

RNase HIII Is Important for Okazaki Fragment Processing in Bacillus subtilis

RNA-DNA hybrids are common in chromosomal DNA. Persistent RNA-DNA hybrids result in replication fork stress, DNA breaks, and neurological disorders in humans. During replication, Okazaki fragment synthesis relies on frequent RNA primer placement, providing one of the most prominent forms of covalent RNA-DNA strands in vivo The mechanism of Okazaki fragment maturation, which involves RNA removal and subsequent DNA replacement, in bacteria lacking RNase HI remains unclear. In this work, we reconstituted repair of a linear model Okazaki fragment in vitro using purified recombinant enzymes from Bacillus subtilis We showed that RNase HII and HIII are capable of incision on Okazaki fragments in vitro and that both enzymes show mild stimulation by single-stranded DNA binding protein (SSB). We also showed that RNase HIII and DNA polymerase I provide the primary pathway for Okazaki fragment maturation in vitro Furthermore, we found that YpcP is a 5' to 3' nuclease that can act on a wide variety of RNA- and DNA-containing substrates and exhibits preference for degrading RNA in model Okazaki fragments. Together, our data showed that RNase HIII and DNA polymerase I provide the primary pathway for Okazaki fragment maturation, whereas YpcP also contributes to the removal of RNA from an Okazaki fragment in vitroIMPORTANCE All cells are required to resolve the different types of RNA-DNA hybrids that form in vivo When RNA-DNA hybrids persist, cells experience an increase in mutation rate and problems with DNA replication. Okazaki fragment synthesis on the lagging strand requires an RNA primer to begin synthesis of each fragment. The mechanism of RNA removal from Okazaki fragments remains unknown in bacteria that lack RNase HI. We examined Okazaki fragment processing in vitro and found that RNase HIII in conjunction with DNA polymerase I represent the most efficient repair pathway. We also assessed the contribution of YpcP and found that YpcP is a 5' to 3' exonuclease that prefers RNA substrates with activity on Okazaki and flap substrates in vitro.

A cancer-associated point mutation disables the steric gate of human PrimPol

PrimPol is a human primase/polymerase specialized in re-starting stalled forks by repriming beyond lesions such as pyrimidine dimers, and replication-perturbing structures including G-quadruplexes and R-loops. Unlike most conventional primases, PrimPol proficiently discriminates against ribonucleotides (NTPs), being able to start synthesis using deoxynucleotides (dNTPs), yet the structural basis and physiological implications for this discrimination are not understood. In silico analyses based on the three-dimensional structure of human PrimPol and related enzymes enabled us to predict a single residue, Tyr¹⁰⁰, as the main effector of sugar discrimination in human PrimPol and a change of Tyr¹⁰⁰ to histidine to boost the efficiency of NTP incorporation. We show here that the Y100H mutation profoundly stimulates NTP incorporation by human PrimPol, with an efficiency similar to that for dNTP incorporation during both primase and polymerase reactions in vitro. As expected from the higher cellular concentration of NTPs relative to dNTPs, Y100H expression in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and U2OS osteosarcoma cells caused enhanced resistance to hydroxyurea, which decreases the dNTP pool levels in S-phase. Remarkably, the Y100H PrimPol mutation has been identified in cancer, suggesting that this mutation could be selected to promote survival at early stages of tumorigenesis, which is characterized by depleted dNTP pools.

Substrate Specificity for Bacterial RNases HII and HIII Is Influenced by Metal Availability

We tested the activities of four predicated RNase H enzymes, including two RNase HI-type enzymes, in addition to RNase HII (RnhB) and RNase HIII (RnhC), on several RNA-DNA hybrid substrates with different divalent metal cations. We found that the two RNase HI-type enzymes, YpdQ and YpeP, failed to show activity on the three substrates tested. RNase HII and RNase HIII cleaved all the substrates tested, although the activity was dependent on the metal made available. We show that Bacillus subtilis RNase HII and RNase HIII are both able to incise 5' to a single ribonucleoside monophosphate (rNMP). We show that RNase HIII incision at a single rNMP occurs most efficiently with Mn2+, an activity we found to be conserved among other Gram-positive RNase HIII enzymes. Characterization of RNases HII and HIII with metal concentrations in the physiological range showed that RNase HII can cleave at single rNMPs embedded in DNA while RNase HIII is far less effective. Further, using metal concentrations within the physiological range, RNase HIII efficiently cleaved longer RNA-DNA hybrids lacking an RNA-DNA junction, while RNase HII was much less effective. Phenotypic analysis showed that cells with an rnhC deletion were sensitive to hydroxyurea (HU). In contrast, cells with an rnhB deletion showed wild-type growth in the presence of HU, supporting the hypothesis that RNases HII and HIII have distinct substrate specificities in vivo This work demonstrates how metal availability influences the substrate recognition and activity of RNases HII and HIII, providing insight into their functions in vivoIMPORTANCE RNase H represents a class of proteins that cleave RNA-DNA hybrids, helping resolve R-loops and Okazaki fragments, as well as initiating the process of ribonucleotide excision repair (RER). We investigated the activities of four Bacillus subtilis RNase H enzymes and found that only RNases HII and HIII have activity and that their substrate preference is dependent on metal availability. To understand the factors that contribute to RNase HII and RNase HIII substrate preference, we show that in the presence of metal concentrations within the physiological range, RNases HII and HIII have distinct activities on different RNA-DNA hybrids. This work provides insight into how RNases HII and HIII repair the broad range of RNA-DNA hybrids that form in Gram-positive bacteria.

The Polyphyletic Origins of Primase-Helicase Bifunctional Proteins

We studied the evolutionary relationships of different primase-helicase bifunctional proteins, found mostly in viruses, virophages, plasmids, and organellar genomes, by phylogeny and correlation analysis. Our study suggests independent origins of primase-helicase bifunctional proteins resulting from multiple fusion events between genes encoding primase and helicase domains of different families. The correlation analysis further indicated strong functional dependencies of domains in the bifunctional proteins that are part of smaller genomes and plasmids. Bifunctional proteins found in some bacterial genomes exhibited weak coevolution probably suggesting that these are the non-functional remnants of the proteins acquired via horizontal transfer. We have put forward possible scenarios for the origin of primase-helicase bifunctional proteins in large eukaryotic DNA viruses and virophages.

Current and Emerging Assays for Studying the Primer Synthesis Activities of DNA Primases

Primases play a crucial role in the initiation of DNA synthesis during replication by de novo synthesis of short RNA or DNA "primers." In recent years, evidence has accumulated which expands the essential roles of primases to include, not only the initiation of replication but also other critical roles in DNA metabolism, including damage tolerance and repair. Despite the broadening roles for these enzymes, the methods used to identify and characterize primase activities are limited. Historically, biochemical analysis of primases has been based on the synthesis of radioactively labeled primers and their detection on denaturing polyacrylamide gels. In the last two decades, a number of alternative primase assays have been developed in an effort to supersede radioactive methods. However, the radioactive gel-based assay, which has not significantly changed since its conception in the late 1970s, remains the most widely used and favored method. In this chapter, we discuss the background to, and the advantages and disadvantages of, the current techniques used to characterize primase activity in vitro. Finally, we describe an alternative, gel-based, fluorescent primase assay, which we have successfully used in the characterization of a recently identified primase-polymerase, PrimPol.

The DnaE polymerase from Deinococcus radiodurans features RecA-dependent DNA polymerase activity

We report in the present study on the catalytic properties of Deinococcus radiodurans DnaE polymerase, whose DNA elongation efficiency was compared with the homologous Escherichia coli polymerase. Contrary to the latter, the deinococcal enzyme was found to be strictly dependent on RecA recombinase.

We report in the present study on the catalytic properties of the Deinococcus radiodurans DNA polymerase III α subunit (αDr). The αDr enzyme was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, both in soluble form and as inclusion bodies. When purified from soluble protein extracts, αDr was found to be tightly associated with E. coli RNA polymerase, from which αDr could not be dissociated. On the contrary, when refolded from inclusion bodies, αDr was devoid of E. coli RNA polymerase and was purified to homogeneity. When assayed with different DNA substrates, αDr featured slower DNA extension rates when compared with the corresponding enzyme from E. coli (E. coli DNA Pol III, αEc), unless under high ionic strength conditions or in the presence of manganese. Further assays were performed using a ssDNA and a dsDNA, whose recombination yields a DNA substrate. Surprisingly, αDr was found to be incapable of recombination-dependent DNA polymerase activity, whereas αEc was competent in this action. However, in the presence of the RecA recombinase, αDr was able to efficiently extend the DNA substrate produced by recombination. Upon comparing the rates of RecA-dependent and RecA-independent DNA polymerase activities, we detected a significant activation of αDr by the recombinase. Conversely, the activity of αEc was found maximal under non-recombination conditions. Overall, our observations indicate a sharp contrast between the catalytic actions of αDr and αEc, with αDr more performing under recombination conditions, and αEc preferring DNA substrates whose extension does not require recombination events.

The magic dance of the alarmones (p)ppGpp

The alarmones (p)ppGpp are important second messengers that orchestrate pleiotropic adaptations of bacteria and plant chloroplasts in response to starvation and stress. Here, we review our structural and mechanistic knowledge on (p)ppGpp metabolism including their synthesis, degradation and interconversion by a highly diverse set of enzymes. Increasing structural information shows how (p)ppGpp interacts with an incredibly diverse set of different targets that are essential for replication, transcription, translation, ribosome assembly and metabolism. This raises the question how the chemically rather simple (p)ppGpp is able to interact with these different targets? Structural analysis shows that the diversity of (p)ppGpp interaction with cellular targets critically relies on the conformational flexibility of the 3' and 5' phosphate moieties allowing alarmones to efficiently modulate the activity of target structures in a broad concentration range. Current approaches in the design of (p)ppGpp-analogs as future antibiotics might be aided by the comprehension of conformational flexibility exhibited by the magic dancers (p)ppGpp.

The E. coli DNA Replication Fork

DNA replication in Escherichia coli initiates at oriC, the origin of replication and proceeds bidirectionally, resulting in two replication forks that travel in opposite directions from the origin. Here, we focus on events at the replication fork. The replication machinery (or replisome), first assembled on both forks at oriC, contains the DnaB helicase for strand separation, and the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme (Pol III HE) for DNA synthesis. DnaB interacts transiently with the DnaG primase for RNA priming on both strands. The Pol III HE is made up of three subassemblies: (i) the αɛθ core polymerase complex that is present in two (or three) copies to simultaneously copy both DNA strands, (ii) the β2 sliding clamp that interacts with the core polymerase to ensure its processivity, and (iii) the seven-subunit clamp loader complex that loads β2 onto primer-template junctions and interacts with the α polymerase subunit of the core and the DnaB helicase to organize the two (or three) core polymerases. Here, we review the structures of the enzymatic components of replisomes, and the protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions that ensure they remain intact while undergoing substantial dynamic changes as they function to copy both the leading and lagging strands simultaneously during coordinated replication.

Mutations for Worse or Better: Low-Fidelity DNA Synthesis by SOS DNA Polymerase V Is a Tightly Regulated Double-Edged Sword

1953, the year of Watson and Crick, bore witness to a less acclaimed yet highly influential discovery. Jean Weigle demonstrated that upon infection of Escherichia coli, λ phage deactivated by UV radiation, and thus unable to form progeny, could be reactivated by irradiation of the bacterial host. Evelyn Witkin and Miroslav Radman later revealed the presence of the SOS regulon. The more than 40 regulon genes are repressed by LexA protein and induced by the coproteolytic cleavage of LexA, catalyzed by RecA protein bound to single-stranded DNA, the RecA* nucleoprotein filament. Several SOS-induced proteins are engaged in repairing both cellular and extracellular damaged DNA. There's no "free lunch", however, because error-free repair is accompanied by error-prone translesion DNA synthesis (TLS), involving E. coli DNA polymerase V (UmuD'2C) and RecA*. This review describes the biochemical mechanisms of pol V-mediated TLS. pol V is active only as a mutasomal complex, pol V Mut = UmuD'2C-RecA-ATP. RecA* donates a single RecA subunit to pol V. We highlight three recent insights. (1) pol V Mut has an intrinsic DNA-dependent ATPase activity that governs polymerase binding and dissociation from DNA. (2) Active and inactive states of pol V Mut are determined at least in part by the distinct interactions between RecA and UmuC. (3) pol V is activated by RecA*, not at a blocked replisome, but at the inner cell membrane.

Replisome Dynamics during Chromosome Duplication

This review describes the components of the Escherichia coli replisome and the dynamic process in which they function and interact under normal conditions. It also briefly describes the behavior of the replisome during situations in which normal replication fork movement is disturbed, such as when the replication fork collides with sites of DNA damage. E. coli DNA Pol III was isolated first from a polA mutant E. coli strain that lacked the relatively abundant DNA Pol I activity. Further biochemical studies, and the use of double mutant strains, revealed Pol III to be the replicative DNA polymerase essential to cell viability. In a replisome, DnaG primase must interact with DnaB for activity, and this constraint ensures that new RNA primers localize to the replication fork. The leading strand polymerase continually synthesizes DNA in the direction of the replication fork, whereas the lagging-strand polymerase synthesizes short, discontinuous Okazaki fragments in the opposite direction. Discontinuous lagging-strand synthesis requires that the polymerase rapidly dissociate from each new completed Okazaki fragment in order to begin the extension of a new RNA primer. Lesion bypass can be thought of as a two-step reaction that starts with the incorporation of a nucleotide opposite the lesion, followed by the extension of the resulting distorted primer terminus. A remarkable property of E. coli, and many other eubacterial organisms, is the speed at which it propagates. Rapid cell division requires the presence of an extremely efficient replication machinery for the rapid and faithful duplication of the genome.

Primase-polymerases are a functionally diverse superfamily of replication and repair enzymes

Until relatively recently, DNA primases were viewed simply as a class of proteins that synthesize short RNA primers requisite for the initiation of DNA replication. However, recent studies have shown that this perception of the limited activities associated with these diverse enzymes can no longer be justified. Numerous examples can now be cited demonstrating how the term ‘DNA primase’ only describes a very narrow subset of these nucleotidyltransferases, with the vast majority fulfilling multifunctional roles from DNA replication to damage tolerance and repair. This article focuses on the archaeo-eukaryotic primase (AEP) superfamily, drawing on recently characterized examples from all domains of life to highlight the functionally diverse pathways in which these enzymes are employed. The broad origins, functionalities and enzymatic capabilities of AEPs emphasizes their previous functional misannotation and supports the necessity for a reclassification of these enzymes under a category called primase-polymerases within the wider functional grouping of polymerases. Importantly, the repositioning of AEPs in this way better recognizes their broader roles in DNA metabolism and encourages the discovery of additional functions for these enzymes, aside from those highlighted here.

Ribonucleotides in bacterial DNA

In all living cells, DNA is the storage medium for genetic information. Being quite stable, DNA is well-suited for its role in storage and propagation of information, but RNA is also covalently included in DNA through various mechanisms. Recent studies also demonstrate useful aspects of including ribonucleotides in the genome during repair. Therefore, our understanding of the consequences of RNA inclusion into bacterial genomic DNA is just beginning, but with its high frequency of occurrence the consequences and potential benefits are likely to be numerous and diverse. In this review, we discuss the processes that cause ribonucleotide inclusion in genomic DNA, the pathways important for ribonucleotide removal and the consequences that arise should ribonucleotides remain nested in genomic DNA.

DNA replication at the single-molecule level

A cell can be thought of as a highly sophisticated micro factory: in a pool of billions of molecules - metabolites, structural proteins, enzymes, oligonucleotides - multi-subunit complexes assemble to perform a large number of basic cellular tasks, such as DNA replication, RNA/protein synthesis or intracellular transport. By purifying single components and using them to reconstitute molecular processes in a test tube, researchers have gathered crucial knowledge about mechanistic, dynamic and structural properties of biochemical pathways. However, to sort this information into an accurate cellular road map, we need to understand reactions in their relevant context within the cellular hierarchy, which is at the individual molecule level within a crowded, cellular environment. Reactions occur in a stochastic fashion, have short-lived and not necessarily well-defined intermediates, and dynamically form functional entities. With the use of single-molecule techniques these steps can be followed and detailed kinetic information that otherwise would be hidden in ensemble averaging can be obtained. One of the first complex cellular tasks that have been studied at the single-molecule level is the replication of DNA. The replisome, the multi-protein machinery responsible for copying DNA, is built from a large number of proteins that function together in an intricate and efficient fashion allowing the complex to tolerate DNA damage, roadblocks or fluctuations in subunit concentration. In this review, we summarize advances in single-molecule studies, both in vitro and in vivo, that have contributed to our current knowledge of the mechanistic principles underlying DNA replication.

Genetic and biochemical assays reveal a key role for replication restart proteins in group II intron retrohoming

Mobile group II introns retrohome by an RNP-based mechanism in which the intron RNA reverse splices into a DNA site and is reverse transcribed by the associated intron-encoded protein. The resulting intron cDNA is then integrated into the genome by cellular mechanisms that have remained unclear. Here, we used an Escherichia coli genetic screen and Taqman qPCR assay that mitigate indirect effects to identify host factors that function in retrohoming. We then analyzed mutants identified in these and previous genetic screens by using a new biochemical assay that combines group II intron RNPs with cellular extracts to reconstitute the complete retrohoming reaction in vitro. The genetic and biochemical analyses indicate a retrohoming pathway involving degradation of the intron RNA template by a host RNase H and second-strand DNA synthesis by the host replicative DNA polymerase. Our results reveal ATP-dependent steps in both cDNA and second-strand synthesis and a surprising role for replication restart proteins in initiating second-strand synthesis in the absence of DNA replication. We also find an unsuspected requirement for host factors in initiating reverse transcription and a new RNA degradation pathway that suppresses retrohoming. Key features of the retrohoming mechanism may be used by human LINEs and other non-LTR-retrotransposons, which are related evolutionarily to mobile group II introns. Our findings highlight a new role for replication restart proteins, which function not only to repair DNA damage caused by mobile element insertion, but have also been co-opted to become an integral part of the group II intron retrohoming mechanism.

Mobile group II introns are bacterial retrotransposons that are evolutionarily related to introns and retroelements in higher organisms. They spread within and between genomes by a mechanism termed “retrohoming” in which the intron RNA inserts directly into a DNA site and is reverse transcribed by an intron-encoded reverse transcriptase. The resulting intron cDNA is integrated into the genome by host factors, but how it occurs has remained unclear. Here, we investigated the function of host factors in retrohoming by genetic and biochemical approaches, including a new biochemical assay that reconstitutes the complete retrohoming reaction in vitro. Our results lead to a comprehensive model for retrohoming, which includes a surprising role for replication restart proteins in recruiting the host replicative DNA polymerase to copy the intron cDNA into the genome in the absence of DNA replication. We also find an unexpected contribution of host factors to initiating reverse transcription and a new RNA degradation pathway that suppresses retrohoming. We suggest that key features of the group II intron retrohoming mechanism may be used by human LINE elements and other non-LTR-retrotransposons. Additionally, our results provide new insights into the function of replication restart proteins, which are critical for surviving DNA damage in all organisms.

A novel non-radioactive primase-pyrophosphatase activity assay and its application to the discovery of inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis primase DnaG

Bacterial DNA primase DnaG synthesizes RNA primers required for chromosomal DNA replication. Biochemical assays measuring primase activity have been limited to monitoring formation of radioactively labelled primers because of the intrinsically low catalytic efficiency of DnaG. Furthermore, DnaG is prone to aggregation and proteolytic degradation. These factors have impeded discovery of DnaG inhibitors by high-throughput screening (HTS). In this study, we expressed and purified the previously uncharacterized primase DnaG from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb DnaG). By coupling the activity of Mtb DnaG to that of another essential enzyme, inorganic pyrophosphatase from M. tuberculosis (Mtb PPiase), we developed the first non-radioactive primase–pyrophosphatase assay. An extensive optimization of the assay enabled its efficient use in HTS (Z′ = 0.7 in the 384-well format). HTS of 2560 small molecules to search for inhibitory compounds yielded several hits, including suramin, doxorubicin and ellagic acid. We demonstrate that these three compounds inhibit Mtb DnaG. Both suramin and doxorubicin are potent (low-µM) DNA- and nucleotide triphosphate-competitive priming inhibitors that interact with more than one site on Mtb DnaG. This novel assay should be applicable to other primases and inefficient DNA/RNA polymerases, facilitating their characterization and inhibitor discovery.

Binding mechanism of metal⋅NTP substrates and stringent-response alarmones to bacterial DnaG-type primases

Primases are DNA-dependent RNA polymerases found in all cellular organisms. In bacteria, primer synthesis is carried out by DnaG, an essential enzyme that serves as a key component of DNA replication initiation, progression, and restart. How DnaG associates with nucleotide substrates and how certain naturally prevalent nucleotide analogs impair DnaG function are unknown. We have examined one of the earliest stages in primer synthesis and its control by solving crystal structures of the S. aureus DnaG catalytic core bound to metal ion cofactors and either individual nucleoside triphosphates or the nucleotidyl alarmones, pppGpp and ppGpp. These structures, together with both biochemical analyses and comparative studies of enzymes that use the same catalytic fold as DnaG, pinpoint the predominant nucleotide-binding site of DnaG and explain how the induction of the stringent response in bacteria interferes with primer synthesis.

Clamp loader ATPases and the evolution of DNA replication machinery

Clamp loaders are pentameric ATPases of the AAA+ family that operate to ensure processive DNA replication. They do so by loading onto DNA the ring-shaped sliding clamps that tether the polymerase to the DNA. Structural and biochemical analysis of clamp loaders has shown how, despite differences in composition across different branches of life, all clamp loaders undergo the same concerted conformational transformations, which generate a binding surface for the open clamp and an internal spiral chamber into which the DNA at the replication fork can slide, triggering ATP hydrolysis, release of the clamp loader, and closure of the clamp round the DNA. We review here the current understanding of the clamp loader mechanism and discuss the implications of the differences between clamp loaders from the different branches of life.

Functions of single-strand DNA-binding proteins in DNA replication, recombination, and repair

Double-stranded (ds) DNA contains all of the necessary genetic information, although practical use of this information requires unwinding of the duplex DNA. DNA unwinding creates single-stranded (ss) DNA intermediates that serve as templates for myriad cellular functions. Exposure of ssDNA presents several problems to the cell. First, ssDNA is thermodynamically less stable than dsDNA, which leads to spontaneous formation of duplex secondary structures that impede genome maintenance processes. Second, relative to dsDNA, ssDNA is hypersensitive to chemical and nucleolytic attacks that can cause damage to the genome. Cells deal with these potential problems by encoding specialized ssDNA-binding proteins (SSBs) that bind to and stabilize ssDNA structures required for essential genomic processes. SSBs are essential proteins found in all domains of life. SSBs bind ssDNA with high affinity and in a sequence-independent manner and, in doing so, SSBs help to form the central nucleoprotein complex substrate for DNA replication, recombination, and repair processes. While SSBs are found in every organism, the proteins themselves share surprisingly little sequence similarity, subunit composition, and oligomerization states. All SSB proteins contain at least one DNA-binding oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding (OB) fold, which consists minimally of a five stranded beta-sheet arranged as a beta barrel capped by a single alpha helix. The OB fold is responsible for both ssDNA binding and oligomerization (for SSBs that operate as oligomers). The overall organization of OB folds varies between bacteria, eukaryotes, and archaea. As part of SSB/ssDNA cellular structures, SSBs play direct roles in the DNA replication, recombination, and repair. In many cases, SSBs have been found to form specific complexes with diverse genome maintenance proteins, often helping to recruit SSB/ssDNA-processing enzymes to the proper cellular sites of action. This clustering of genome maintenance factors can help to stimulate and coordinate the activities of individual enzymes and is also important for dislodging SSB from ssDNA. These features support a model in which DNA metabolic processes have evolved to work on ssDNA/SSB nucleoprotein filaments rather than on naked ssDNA. In this volume, methods are described to interrogate SSB-DNA and SSB-protein binding functions along with approaches that aim to understand the cellular functions of SSB. This introductory chapter offers a general overview of SSBs that focuses on their structures, DNA-binding mechanisms, and protein-binding partners.

AT-rich region and repeated sequences - the essential elements of replication origins of bacterial replicons

Repeated sequences are commonly present in the sites for DNA replication initiation in bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic replicons. Those motifs are usually the binding places for replication initiation proteins or replication regulatory factors. In prokaryotic replication origins, the most abundant repeated sequences are DnaA boxes which are the binding sites for chromosomal replication initiation protein DnaA, iterons which bind plasmid or phage DNA replication initiators, defined motifs for site-specific DNA methylation, and 13-nucleotide-long motifs of a not too well-characterized function, which are present within a specific region of replication origin containing higher than average content of adenine and thymine residues. In this review, we specify methods allowing identification of a replication origin, basing on the localization of an AT-rich region and the arrangement of the origin's structural elements. We describe the regularity of the position and structure of the AT-rich regions in bacterial chromosomes and plasmids. The importance of 13-nucleotide-long repeats present at the AT-rich region, as well as other motifs overlapping them, was pointed out to be essential for DNA replication initiation including origin opening, helicase loading and replication complex assembly. We also summarize the role of AT-rich region repeated sequences for DNA replication regulation.

Replication initiation at a distance: determination of the cis- and trans-acting elements of replication origin alpha of plasmid R6K

Plasmid R6K, which contains 3 replication origins called alpha, gamma, and beta, is a favorable system to investigate the molecular mechanism(s) of action at a distance, i.e. replication initiation at a considerable distance from the primary initiator protein binding sites (iterons). The centrally located gamma origin contains 7 iterons that bind to the plasmid-encoded initiator protein, pi. Ori alpha, located at a distance of approximately 4 kb from gamma, contains a single iteron that does not directly bind to pi but is believed to access the protein by pi-mediated alpha-gamma iteron-iteron interaction that loops out the intervening approximately 3.7 kb of DNA. Although the cis-acting components and the trans-acting proteins required for ori gamma function have been analyzed in detail, such information was lacking for ori alpha. Here, we have identified both the sequence elements located at alpha and those at gamma, that together promoted alpha activity. The data support the conclusion that besides the single iteron, a neighboring DNA primase recognition element called G site is essential for alpha-directed plasmid maintenance. Sequences preceding the iteron and immediately following the G site, although not absolutely necessary, appear to play a role in efficient plasmid maintenance. In addition, while both dnaA1 and dnaA2 boxes that bind to DnaA protein and are located at gamma were essential for alpha activity, only dnaA2 was required for initiation at gamma. Mutations in the AT-rich region of gamma also abolished alpha function. These results are consistent with the interpretation that a protein-DNA complex consisting of pi and DnaA forms at gamma and activates alpha at a distance by DNA looping.

Mechanism of polymerase collision release from sliding clamps on the lagging strand

Replicative polymerases are tethered to DNA by sliding clamps for processive DNA synthesis. Despite attachment to a sliding clamp, the polymerase on the lagging strand must cycle on and off DNA for each Okazaki fragment. In the 'collision release' model, the lagging strand polymerase collides with the 5' terminus of an earlier completed fragment, which triggers it to release from DNA and from the clamp. This report examines the mechanism of collision release by the Escherichia coli Pol III polymerase. We find that collision with a 5' terminus does not trigger polymerase release. Instead, the loss of ssDNA on filling in a fragment triggers polymerase to release from the clamp and DNA. Two ssDNA-binding elements are involved, the tau subunit of the clamp loader complex and an OB domain within the DNA polymerase itself. The tau subunit acts as a switch to enhance polymerase binding at a primed site but not at a nick. The OB domain acts as a sensor that regulates the affinity of Pol III to the clamp in the presence of ssDNA.

Motors, switches, and contacts in the replisome

Replisomes are the protein assemblies that replicate DNA. They function as molecular motors to catalyze template-mediated polymerization of nucleotides, unwinding of DNA, the synthesis of RNA primers, and the assembly of proteins on DNA. The replisome of bacteriophage T7 contains a minimum of proteins, thus facilitating its study. This review describes the molecular motors and coordination of their activities, with emphasis on the T7 replisome. Nucleotide selection, movement of the polymerase, binding of the processivity factor, unwinding of DNA, and RNA primer synthesis all require conformational changes and protein contacts. Lagging-strand synthesis is mediated via a replication loop whose formation and resolution is dictated by switches to yield Okazaki fragments of discrete size. Both strands are synthesized at identical rates, controlled by a molecular brake that halts leading-strand synthesis during primer synthesis. The helicase serves as a reservoir for polymerases that can initiate DNA synthesis at the replication fork. We comment on the differences in other systems where applicable.

A biochemically active MCM-like helicase in Bacillus cereus

The mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins serve as the replicative helicases in archaea and eukaryotes. Interestingly, an MCM homolog was identified, by BLAST analysis, within a phage integrated in the bacterium Bacillus cereus (Bc). BcMCM is only related to the AAA region of MCM-helicases; the typical amino-terminus is missing and is replaced by a segment with weak homology to primases. We show that BcMCM displays 3′→5′ helicase and ssDNA-stimulated ATPase activity, properties that arise from its conserved AAA domain. Isolated BcMCM is a monomer in solution but likely forms the functional oligomer in vivo. We found that the BcMCM amino-terminus can bind ssDNA and harbors a zinc atom, both hallmarks of the typical MCM amino-terminus. No BcMCM-catalyzed primase activity could be detected. We propose that the divergent amino-terminus of BcMCM is a paralog of the corresponding region of MCM-helicases. A divergent amino terminus makes BcMCM a useful model for typical MCM-helicases since it accomplishes the same function using an apparently unrelated structure.

SSB as an organizer/mobilizer of genome maintenance complexes

When duplex DNA is altered in almost any way (replicated, recombined, or repaired), single strands of DNA are usually intermediates, and single-stranded DNA binding (SSB) proteins are present. These proteins have often been described as inert, protective DNA coatings. Continuing research is demonstrating a far more complex role of SSB that includes the organization and/or mobilization of all aspects of DNA metabolism. Escherichia coli SSB is now known to interact with at least 14 other proteins that include key components of the elaborate systems involved in every aspect of DNA metabolism. Most, if not all, of these interactions are mediated by the amphipathic C-terminus of SSB. In this review, we summarize the extent of the eubacterial SSB interaction network, describe the energetics of interactions with SSB, and highlight the roles of SSB in the process of recombination. Similar themes to those highlighted in this review are evident in all biological systems.

Bacterial growth and cell division: a mycobacterial perspective

The genus Mycobacterium is best known for its two major pathogenic species, M. tuberculosis and M. leprae, the causative agents of two of the world's oldest diseases, tuberculosis and leprosy, respectively. M. tuberculosis kills approximately two million people each year and is thought to latently infect one-third of the world's population. One of the most remarkable features of the nonsporulating M. tuberculosis is its ability to remain dormant within an individual for decades before reactivating into active tuberculosis. Thus, control of cell division is a critical part of the disease. The mycobacterial cell wall has unique characteristics and is impermeable to a number of compounds, a feature in part responsible for inherent resistance to numerous drugs. The complexity of the cell wall represents a challenge to the organism, requiring specialized mechanisms to allow cell division to occur. Besides these mycobacterial specializations, all bacteria face some common challenges when they divide. First, they must maintain their normal architecture during and after cell division. In the case of mycobacteria, that means synthesizing the many layers of complex cell wall and maintaining their rod shape. Second, they need to coordinate synthesis and breakdown of cell wall components to maintain integrity throughout division. Finally, they need to regulate cell division in response to environmental stimuli. Here we discuss these challenges and the mechanisms that mycobacteria employ to meet them. Because these organisms are difficult to study, in many cases we extrapolate from information known for gram-negative bacteria or more closely related GC-rich gram-positive organisms.

Identification of a DNA primase template tracking site redefines the geometry of primer synthesis

Primases are essential RNA polymerases required for the initiation of DNA replication, lagging strand synthesis and replication restart. Many aspects of primase function remain unclear, including how the enzyme associates with a moving nucleic acid strand emanating from a helicase and orients primers for handoff to replisomal components. Using a new screening method to trap transient macromolecular interactions, we determined the structure of the Escherichia coli DnaG primase catalytic domain bound to single-stranded DNA. The structure reveals an unanticipated binding site that engages nucleic acid in two distinct configurations, indicating that it serves as a nonspecific capture and tracking locus for template DNA. Bioinformatic and biochemical analyses show that this evolutionarily constrained region enforces template polarity near the active site and is required for primase function. Together, our findings reverse previous proposals for primer-template orientation and reconcile disparate studies to re-evaluate replication fork organization.

Competition of bacteriophage polypeptides with native replicase proteins for binding to the DNA sliding clamp reveals a novel mechanism for DNA replication arrest in Staphylococcus aureus

Bacteriophages have evolved specific mechanisms that redirect bacterial metabolic pathways to the bacteriophage reproduction cycle. In this study, we characterized the bactericidal mechanism of two polypeptides from bacteriophages Twort and G1 that target the DNA sliding clamp of Staphylococcus aureus. The DNA sliding clamp, which tethers DNA polymerase to its template and thereby confers processivity upon the enzyme, was found to be essential for the viability of S. aureus. Expression of polypeptides TwortORF168 and G1ORF240 in S. aureus selectively inhibited DNA replication which in turn resulted in cell death. Both polypeptides specifically inhibited the S. aureus DNA replicase that was reconstituted in vitro but not the corresponding replicase of Streptococcus pyogenes. We demonstrated that inhibition of DNA synthesis is multifaceted and occurs via binding the DNA sliding clamp: TwortORF168 and G1ORF240 bound tightly to the DNA sliding clamp and prevented both its loading onto DNA and its interaction with DNA polymerase C. These results elucidate the impact of bacteriophage polypeptide expression upon DNA replication in the growing cell.

Regulation of bacterial priming and daughter strand synthesis through helicase-primase interactions

The replisome is a multi-component molecular machine responsible for rapidly and accurately copying the genome of an organism. A central member of the bacterial replisome is DnaB, the replicative helicase, which separates the parental duplex to provide templates for newly synthesized daughter strands. A unique RNA polymerase, the DnaG primase, associates with DnaB to repeatedly initiate thousands of Okazaki fragments per replication cycle on the lagging strand. A number of studies have shown that the stability and frequency of the interaction between DnaG and DnaB determines Okazaki fragment length. More recent work indicates that each DnaB hexamer associates with multiple DnaG molecules and that these primases can coordinate with one another to regulate their activities at a replication fork. Together, disparate lines of evidence are beginning to suggest that Okazaki fragment initiation may be controlled in part by crosstalk between multiple primases bound to the helicase.

The replication intermediates in Escherichia coli are not the product of DNA processing or uracil excision

The current model of DNA replication in Escherichia coli postulates continuous synthesis of the leading strand, based on in vitro experiments with purified enzymes. In contrast, in vivo experiments in E. coli and its bacteriophages, in which maturation of replication intermediates was blocked, report discontinuous DNA synthesis of both the lagging and the leading strands. To address this discrepancy, we analyzed nascent DNA species from ThyA+ E. coli cells replicating their DNA in ligase-deficient conditions to block maturation of replication intermediates. We report here that the bulk of the newly synthesized DNA isolated from ligase-deficient cells have a length between 0.3 and 3 kb, with a minor fraction being longer that 11 kb but shorter than the chromosome. The low molecular weight of the replication intermediates is unchanged by blocking linear DNA processing with a recBCD mutation or by blocking uracil excision with an ung mutation. These results are consistent with the previously proposed discontinuous replication of the leading strand in E. coli.

Control of DNA replication: regulation and activation of eukaryotic replicative helicase, MCM

DNA replication is a key event of cell proliferation and the final target of signal transduction induced by growth factor stimulation. It is also strictly regulated during the ongoing cell cycle so that it occurs only once during S phase and that all the genetic materials are faithfully duplicated. DNA replication may be arrested or temporally inhibited due to a varieties of internal and external causes. Cells have developed intricate mechanisms to cope with the arrested replication forks to minimize the adversary effect on the stable maintenance of genetic materials. Helicases play a central role in DNA replication. In eukaryotes, MCM (minichromosome maintenance) protein complex plays essential roles as a replicative helicase. MCM4-6-7 complex possesses intrinsic DNA helicase activity which translocates on single-stranded DNA form 3' to 5'. Mammalian MCM4-6-7 helicase and ATPase activities are specifically stimulated by the presence of thymine-rich single-stranded DNA sequences onto which it is loaded. The activation appears to depend on the thymine content of this single-strand, and sequences derived from human replication origins can serve as potent activators of the MCM helicase. MCM is a prime target of Cdc7 kinase, known to be essential for activation of replication origins. We will discuss how the MCM may be activated at the replication origins by template DNA, phosphorylation, and interaction with other replicative proteins, and will present a model of how activation of MCM helicase by specific sequences may contribute to selection of replication initiation sites in higher eukaryotes.

Molecular mechanism of DNA replication-coupled inactivation of the initiator protein in Escherichia coli: interaction of DnaA with the sliding clamp-loaded DNA and the sliding clamp-Hda complex

In Escherichia coli, the ATP-DnaA protein initiates chromosomal replication. After the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme is loaded on to DNA, DnaA-bound ATP is hydrolysed in a manner depending on Hda protein and the DNA-loaded form of the DNA polymerase III sliding clamp subunit, which yields ADP-DnaA, an inactivated form for initiation. This regulatory DnaA-inactivation represses extra initiation events. In this study, in vitro replication intermediates and structured DNA mimicking replicational intermediates were first used to identify structural prerequisites in the process of DnaA-ATP hydrolysis. Unlike duplex DNA loaded with sliding clamps, primer RNA-DNA heteroduplexes loaded with clamps were not associated with DnaA-ATP hydrolysis, and duplex DNA provided in trans did not rescue this defect. At least 40-bp duplex DNA is competent for the DnaA-ATP hydrolysis when a single clamp was loaded. The DnaA-ATP hydrolysis was inhibited when ATP-DnaA was tightly bound to a DnaA box-bearing oligonucleotide. These results imply that the DnaA-ATP hydrolysis involves the direct interaction of ATP-DnaA with duplex DNA flanking the sliding clamp. Furthermore, Hda protein formed a stable complex with the sliding clamp. Based on these, we suggest a mechanical basis in the DnaA-inactivation that ATP-DnaA interacts with the Hda-clamp complex with the aid of DNA binding.

Conserved interactions in the Staphylococcus aureus DNA PolC chromosome replication machine

The PolC holoenzyme replicase of the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus pathogen has been reconstituted from pure subunits. We compared individual S. aureus replicase subunits with subunits from the Gram-negative Escherichia coli polymerase III holoenzyme for activity and interchangeability. The central organizing subunit, tau, is smaller than its Gram-negative homolog, yet retains the ability to bind single-stranded DNA and contains DNA-stimulated ATPase activity comparable with E. coli tau. S. aureus tau also stimulates PolC, although they do not form as stabile a complex as E. coli polymerase III.tau. We demonstrate that the extreme C-terminal residues of PolC bind to and function with beta clamps from different bacteria. Hence, this polymerase-clamp interaction is highly conserved. Additionally, the S. aureus delta wrench of the clamp loader binds to E. coli beta. The S. aureus clamp loader is even capable of loading E. coli and Streptococcus pyogenes beta clamps onto DNA. Interestingly, S. aureus PolC lacks functionality with heterologous beta clamps when they are loaded onto DNA by the S. aureus clamp loader, suggesting that the S. aureus clamp loader may have difficulty ejecting from heterologous clamps. Nevertheless, these overall findings underscore the conservation in structure and function of Gram-positive and Gram-negative replicases despite >1 billion years of evolutionary distance between them.

Analysis of a multicomponent thermostable DNA polymerase III replicase from an extreme thermophile

This report takes a proteomic/genomic approach to characterize the DNA polymerase III replication apparatus of the extreme thermophile, Aquifex aeolicus. Genes (dnaX, holA, and holB) encoding the subunits required for clamp loading activity (tau, delta, and delta') were identified. The dnaX gene produces only the full-length product, tau, and therefore differs from Escherichia coli dnaX that produces two proteins (gamma and tau). Nonetheless, the A. aeolicus proteins form a taudeltadelta' complex. The dnaN gene encoding the beta clamp was identified, and the taudeltadelta' complex is active in loading beta onto DNA. A. aeolicus contains one dnaE homologue, encoding the alpha subunit of DNA polymerase III. Like E. coli, A. aeolicus alpha and tau interact, although the interaction is not as tight as the alpha-tau contact in E. coli. In addition, the A. aeolicus homologue to dnaQ, encoding the epsilon proofreading 3'-5'-exonuclease, interacts with alpha but does not form a stable alpha.epsilon complex, suggesting a need for a brace or bridging protein to tightly couple the polymerase and exonuclease in this system. Despite these differences to the E. coli system, the A. aeolicus proteins function to yield a robust replicase that retains significant activity at 90 degrees C. Similarities and differences between the A. aeolicus and E. coli pol III systems are discussed, as is application of thermostable pol III to biotechnology.

DNA primases

DNA primases are enzymes whose continual activity is required at the DNA replication fork. They catalyze the synthesis of short RNA molecules used as primers for DNA polymerases. Primers are synthesized from ribonucleoside triphosphates and are four to fifteen nucleotides long. Most DNA primases can be divided into two classes. The first class contains bacterial and bacteriophage enzymes found associated with replicative DNA helicases. These prokaryotic primases contain three distinct domains: an amino terminal domain with a zinc ribbon motif involved in binding template DNA, a middle RNA polymerase domain, and a carboxyl-terminal region that either is itself a DNA helicase or interacts with a DNA helicase. The second major primase class comprises heterodimeric eukaryotic primases that form a complex with DNA polymerase alpha and its accessory B subunit. The small eukaryotic primase subunit contains the active site for RNA synthesis, and its activity correlates with DNA replication during the cell cycle.

Interplay of clamp loader subunits in opening the beta sliding clamp of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III holoenzyme

The Escherichia coli beta dimer is a ring-shaped protein that encircles DNA and acts as a sliding clamp to tether the replicase, DNA polymerase III holoenzyme, to DNA. The gamma complex (gammadeltadelta'chipsi) clamp loader couples ATP to the opening and closing of beta in assembly of the ring onto DNA. These proteins are functionally and structurally conserved in all cells. The eukaryotic equivalents are the replication factor C (RFC) clamp loader and the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) clamp. The delta subunit of the E. coli gamma complex clamp loader is known to bind beta and open it by parting one of the dimer interfaces. This study demonstrates that other subunits of gamma complex also bind beta, although weaker than delta. The gamma subunit like delta, affects the opening of beta, but with a lower efficiency than delta. The delta' subunit regulates both gamma and delta ring opening activities in a fashion that is modulated by ATP interaction with gamma. The implications of these actions for the workings of the E. coli clamp loading machinery and for eukaryotic RFC and PCNA are discussed.