1
|
Chang C, Zhou G, Gao Y. In crystallo observation of active site dynamics and transient metal ion binding within DNA polymerases. STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS (MELVILLE, N.Y.) 2023; 10:034702. [PMID: 37333512 PMCID: PMC10275647 DOI: 10.1063/4.0000187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
DNA polymerases are the enzymatic catalysts that synthesize DNA during DNA replication and repair. Kinetic studies and x-ray crystallography have uncovered the overall kinetic pathway and led to a two-metal-ion dependent catalytic mechanism. Diffusion-based time-resolved crystallography has permitted the visualization of the catalytic reaction at atomic resolution and made it possible to capture transient events and metal ion binding that have eluded static polymerase structures. This review discusses past static structures and recent time-resolved structures that emphasize the crucial importance of primer alignment and different metal ions binding during catalysis and substrate discrimination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yang Gao
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed:. Tel.: +1 (713) 348-2619
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
In crystallo observation of three metal ion promoted DNA polymerase misincorporation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2346. [PMID: 35487947 PMCID: PMC9054841 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30005-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Error-free replication of DNA is essential for life. Despite the proofreading capability of several polymerases, intrinsic polymerase fidelity is in general much higher than what base-pairing energies can provide. Although researchers have investigated this long-standing question with kinetics, structural determination, and computational simulations, the structural factors that dictate polymerase fidelity are not fully resolved. Time-resolved crystallography has elucidated correct nucleotide incorporation and established a three-metal-ion-dependent catalytic mechanism for polymerases. Using X-ray time-resolved crystallography, we visualize the complete DNA misincorporation process catalyzed by DNA polymerase η. The resulting molecular snapshots suggest primer 3´-OH alignment mediated by A-site metal ion binding is the key step in substrate discrimination. Moreover, we observe that C-site metal ion binding preceded the nucleotidyl transfer reaction and demonstrate that the C-site metal ion is strictly required for misincorporation. Our results highlight the essential but separate roles of the three metal ions in DNA synthesis. By observing DNA polymerase misincorporation with time-resolved crystallography, the authors visualize three-metal ion dependent polymerase catalysis and identify A-site metal-mediated primer alignment as a key step in nucleotide discrimination.
Collapse
|
3
|
Chu X, Suo Z, Wang J. Investigating the Conformational Dynamics of a Y-Family DNA Polymerase during Its Folding and Binding to DNA and a Nucleotide. JACS AU 2022; 2:341-356. [PMID: 35252985 PMCID: PMC8889613 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.1c00368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
During DNA polymerization, the Y-family DNA polymerases are capable of bypassing various DNA damage, which can stall the replication fork progression. It has been well acknowledged that the structures of the Y-family DNA polymerases have been naturally evolved to undertake this vital task. However, the mechanisms of how these proteins utilize their unique structural and conformational dynamical features to perform the translesion DNA synthesis are less understood. Here, we developed structure-based models to study the precatalytic DNA polymerization process, including DNA and nucleotide binding to DPO4, a paradigmatic Y-family polymerase from Sulfolobus solfataricus. We studied the interplay between the folding and the conformational dynamics of DPO4 and found that DPO4 undergoes first unraveling (unfolding) and then folding for accomplishing the functional "open-to-closed" conformational transition. DNA binding dynamically modulates the conformational equilibrium in DPO4 during the stepwise binding through different types of interactions, leading to different conformational distributions of DPO4 at different DNA binding stages. We observed that nucleotide binding induces modulation of a few contacts surrounding the active site of the DPO4-DNA complex associated with a high free energy barrier. Our simulation results resonate with the experimental evidence that the conformational change at the active site led by nucleotide is the rate-limiting step of nucleotide incorporation. In combination with localized frustration analyses, we underlined the importance of DPO4 conformational dynamics and fluctuations in facilitating DNA and nucleotide binding. Our findings offer mechanistic insights into the processes of DPO4 conformational dynamics associated with the substrate binding and contribute to the understanding of the "structure-dynamics-function" relationship in the Y-family DNA polymerases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiakun Chu
- Department
of Chemistry, State University of New York
at Stony Brook, Stony
Brook, New York 11794, United States
| | - Zucai Suo
- Department
of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, United States
| | - Jin Wang
- Department
of Chemistry, State University of New York
at Stony Brook, Stony
Brook, New York 11794, United States
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, State University
of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Millar DP. Conformational Dynamics of DNA Polymerases Revealed at the Single-Molecule Level. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:826593. [PMID: 35281261 PMCID: PMC8913937 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.826593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA polymerases are intrinsically dynamic macromolecular machines. The purpose of this review is to describe the single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) methods that are used to probe the conformational dynamics of DNA polymerases, focusing on E. coli DNA polymerase I. The studies reviewed here reveal the conformational dynamics underpinning the nucleotide selection, proofreading and 5′ nuclease activities of Pol I. Moreover, the mechanisms revealed for Pol I are likely employed across the DNA polymerase family. smFRET methods have also been used to examine other aspects of DNA polymerase activity.
Collapse
|
5
|
Chu WT, Yan Z, Chu X, Zheng X, Liu Z, Xu L, Zhang K, Wang J. Physics of biomolecular recognition and conformational dynamics. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2021; 84:126601. [PMID: 34753115 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/ac3800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Biomolecular recognition usually leads to the formation of binding complexes, often accompanied by large-scale conformational changes. This process is fundamental to biological functions at the molecular and cellular levels. Uncovering the physical mechanisms of biomolecular recognition and quantifying the key biomolecular interactions are vital to understand these functions. The recently developed energy landscape theory has been successful in quantifying recognition processes and revealing the underlying mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that in addition to affinity, specificity is also crucial for biomolecular recognition. The proposed physical concept of intrinsic specificity based on the underlying energy landscape theory provides a practical way to quantify the specificity. Optimization of affinity and specificity can be adopted as a principle to guide the evolution and design of molecular recognition. This approach can also be used in practice for drug discovery using multidimensional screening to identify lead compounds. The energy landscape topography of molecular recognition is important for revealing the underlying flexible binding or binding-folding mechanisms. In this review, we first introduce the energy landscape theory for molecular recognition and then address four critical issues related to biomolecular recognition and conformational dynamics: (1) specificity quantification of molecular recognition; (2) evolution and design in molecular recognition; (3) flexible molecular recognition; (4) chromosome structural dynamics. The results described here and the discussions of the insights gained from the energy landscape topography can provide valuable guidance for further computational and experimental investigations of biomolecular recognition and conformational dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Ting Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiqiang Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiakun Chu
- Department of Chemistry & Physics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, United States of America
| | - Xiliang Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
| | - Zuojia Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
| | - Kun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
| | - Jin Wang
- Department of Chemistry & Physics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Multiple deprotonation paths of the nucleophile 3'-OH in the DNA synthesis reaction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2103990118. [PMID: 34088846 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2103990118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA synthesis by polymerases is essential for life. Deprotonation of the nucleophile 3'-OH is thought to be the obligatory first step in the DNA synthesis reaction. We have examined each entity surrounding the nucleophile 3'-OH in the reaction catalyzed by human DNA polymerase (Pol) η and delineated the deprotonation process by combining mutagenesis with steady-state kinetics, high-resolution structures of in crystallo reactions, and molecular dynamics simulations. The conserved S113 residue, which forms a hydrogen bond with the primer 3'-OH in the ground state, stabilizes the primer end in the active site. Mutation of S113 to alanine destabilizes primer binding and reduces the catalytic efficiency. Displacement of a water molecule that is hydrogen bonded to the 3'-OH using the 2'-OH of a ribonucleotide or 2'-F has little effect on catalysis. Moreover, combining the S113A mutation with 2'-F replacement, which removes two potential hydrogen acceptors of the 3'-OH, does not reduce the catalytic efficiency. We conclude that the proton can leave the O3' via alternative paths, supporting the hypothesis that binding of the third Mg2+ initiates the reaction by breaking the α-β phosphodiester bond of an incoming deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (dNTP).
Collapse
|
7
|
Chu X, Suo Z, Wang J. Investigating the trade-off between folding and function in a multidomain Y-family DNA polymerase. eLife 2020; 9:60434. [PMID: 33079059 PMCID: PMC7641590 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The way in which multidomain proteins fold has been a puzzling question for decades. Until now, the mechanisms and functions of domain interactions involved in multidomain protein folding have been obscure. Here, we develop structure-based models to investigate the folding and DNA-binding processes of the multidomain Y-family DNA polymerase IV (DPO4). We uncover shifts in the folding mechanism among ordered domain-wise folding, backtracking folding, and cooperative folding, modulated by interdomain interactions. These lead to ‘U-shaped’ DPO4 folding kinetics. We characterize the effects of interdomain flexibility on the promotion of DPO4–DNA (un)binding, which probably contributes to the ability of DPO4 to bypass DNA lesions, which is a known biological role of Y-family polymerases. We suggest that the native topology of DPO4 leads to a trade-off between fast, stable folding and tight functional DNA binding. Our approach provides an effective way to quantitatively correlate the roles of protein interactions in conformational dynamics at the multidomain level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiakun Chu
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, United States
| | - Zucai Suo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, United States
| | - Jin Wang
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Raper AT, Reed AJ, Suo Z. Kinetic Mechanism of DNA Polymerases: Contributions of Conformational Dynamics and a Third Divalent Metal Ion. Chem Rev 2018; 118:6000-6025. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Austin T. Raper
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Andrew J. Reed
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Zucai Suo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Increased Processivity, Misincorporation, and Nucleotide Incorporation Efficiency in Sulfolobus solfataricus Dpo4 Thumb Domain Mutants. Appl Environ Microbiol 2017; 83:AEM.01013-17. [PMID: 28710267 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01013-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to increase the processivity of Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA polymerase Dpo4. Protein engineering and bioinformatics were used to compile a library of potential Dpo4 mutation sites. Ten potential mutants were identified and constructed. A primer extension assay was used to evaluate the processivity of Dpo4 mutants. Thumb (A181D) and finger (E63K) domain mutants showed a processivity of 20 and 19 nucleotides (nt), respectively. A little finger domain mutant (I248Y) exhibited a processivity of 17 nt, only 1 nt more than wild-type Dpo4. Furthermore, the A181D mutant showed lower fidelity and higher nucleotide incorporation efficiency (4.74 × 10-4 s-1 μM-1) than E63K and I248Y mutants. When tasked with bypassing damage, the A181D mutant exhibited a 3.81-fold and 2.62-fold higher catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km ) at incorporating dCTP and dATP, respectively, than wild-type Dpo4. It also showed a 55% and 91.5% higher catalytic efficiency when moving beyond the damaged 8-oxoG:C and 8-oxoG:A base pairs, respectively, compared to wild-type Dpo4. Protein engineering and bioinformatics methods can effectively increase the processivity and translesion synthesis ability of Dpo4.IMPORTANCE DNA polymerases with poor fidelity can be exploited to store data and record changes in response to the intracellular environment. Sulfolobus solfataricus Dpo4 is such an enzyme, although its use is hindered by its low processivity. In this work, we used a bioinformatics and protein engineering approach to generate Dpo4 mutants with improved processivity. We identified the Dpo4 thumb domain as the most relevant in controlling processivity.
Collapse
|
10
|
Reed AJ, Vyas R, Raper AT, Suo Z. Structural Insights into the Post-Chemistry Steps of Nucleotide Incorporation Catalyzed by a DNA Polymerase. J Am Chem Soc 2016; 139:465-471. [PMID: 27959534 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b11258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
DNA polymerases are essential enzymes that faithfully and efficiently replicate genomic information.1-3 The mechanism of nucleotide incorporation by DNA polymerases has been extensively studied structurally and kinetically, but several key steps following phosphodiester bond formation remain structurally uncharacterized due to utilization of natural nucleotides. It is thought that the release of pyrophosphate (PPi) triggers reverse conformational changes in a polymerase in order to complete a full catalytic cycle as well as prepare for DNA translocation and subsequent incorporation events. Here, by using the triphosphates of chain-terminating antiviral drugs lamivudine ((-)3TC-TP) and emtricitabine ((-)FTC-TP), we structurally reveal the correct sequence of post-chemistry steps during nucleotide incorporation by human DNA polymerase β (hPolβ) and provide a structural basis for PPi release. These post-catalytic structures reveal hPolβ in an open conformation with PPi bound in the active site, thereby strongly suggesting that the reverse conformational changes occur prior to PPi release. The results also help to refine the role of the newly discovered third divalent metal ion for DNA polymerase-catalyzed nucleotide incorporation. Furthermore, a post-chemistry structure of hPolβ in the open conformation, following incorporation of (-)3TC-MP, with a second (-)3TC-TP molecule bound to the active site in the absence of PPi, suggests that nucleotide binding stimulates PPi dissociation and occurs before polymerase translocation. Our structural characterization defines the order of the elusive post-chemistry steps in the canonical mechanism of a DNA polymerase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Reed
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and ‡The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Rajan Vyas
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and ‡The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Austin T Raper
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and ‡The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Zucai Suo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and ‡The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Raper AT, Reed AJ, Gadkari VV, Suo Z. Advances in Structural and Single-Molecule Methods for Investigating DNA Lesion Bypass and Repair Polymerases. Chem Res Toxicol 2016; 30:260-269. [PMID: 28092942 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.6b00342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Innovative advances in X-ray crystallography and single-molecule biophysics have yielded unprecedented insight into the mechanisms of DNA lesion bypass and damage repair. Time-dependent X-ray crystallography has been successfully applied to view the bypass of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanine (8-oxoG), a major oxidative DNA lesion, and the incorporation of the triphosphate form, 8-oxo-dGTP, catalyzed by human DNA polymerase β. Significant findings of these studies are highlighted here, and their contributions to the current mechanistic understanding of mutagenic translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) and base excision repair are discussed. In addition, single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) techniques have recently been adapted to investigate nucleotide binding and incorporation opposite undamaged dG and 8-oxoG by Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA polymerase IV (Dpo4), a model Y-family DNA polymerase. The mechanistic response of Dpo4 to a DNA lesion and the complex smFRET technique are described here. In this perspective, we also describe how time-dependent X-ray crystallography and smFRET can be used to achieve the spatial and temporal resolutions necessary to answer some of the mechanistic questions that remain in the fields of TLS and DNA damage repair.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Austin T Raper
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Andrew J Reed
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Varun V Gadkari
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Zucai Suo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| |
Collapse
|