Photoreactivating enzyme from Escherichia coli: appearance of new absorption on binding to ultraviolet irradiated DNA

50 years thymine dimer

Fifty years ago thymine dimer was discovered in the Biochemical and Biophysical Laboratory of Delft Technological University, The Netherlands, by one of the authors of this review (Beukers) as the first environmentally induced DNA lesion. It is one of the photoproducts formed between adjacent pyrimidine bases in DNA by UV irradiation, currently known as cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and (6-4) photoproducts. Major lesions found in DNA after in vitro or in vivo UV irradiation are the cis-syn cyclobutane thymine dimer and the thymine-cytosine (6-4) photoproduct. Even after 50 years the study of photo-induced DNA lesions is still going on as is illustrated by the hundreds of papers published every year and the millions hits when browsing the internet for dimer-related information. Living organisms possess efficient and different mechanisms to repair detrimental lesions in their DNA. A unique mechanism to repair CPDs is reversion by either direct interaction with light of short wavelength or by enzymatic photoreactivation. Photophysical mechanisms that induce and reverse molecular bonds in biological macromolecules have been a main focus of research of the group in Delft in the middle of the last century. This review describes the break-through results of these studies which were the result of intense interactions between scientists in the fields of physics, organic chemistry and biochemistry. Philosophically, the "view" of the group in Delft was very appealing: since in nature photolesions are induced in DNA by the sun, how is it possible that repair of these lesions could be accomplished by the same energy source. Evolutionary, it is hardly possible to think of a more efficient repair mechanism.

Expression of an Escherichia coli phr gene in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A 2 kb DNA fragment, containing the photoreactivation gene phr1 from Escherichia coli, was inserted at the BamH1 site in the tet gene of the yeast--E. coli shuttle vector pJDB207. Photoreactivation--deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells transformed with this plasmid showed photoreactivation of killing after UV irradiation of the cells, while extracts of transformed cells exhibited photoreactivating activity in vitro. Far more photoreactivating enzyme molecules were found when the gene was inserted in the plasmid in the opposite orientation to the tet gene as compared with a plasmid carrying the inserted gene in the same orientation. Photoreactivating enzyme encoded by the E. coli phr1 gene and produced in transformed yeast cells has characteristics of the E. coli photoreactivating enzyme (flavoprotein) as judged from the influence of ionic strength on photoreactivating activity.

Escherichia coli DNA photolyase is a flavoprotein

Escherichia coli DNA photolyase (photoreactivating enzyme) was purified to homogeneity from a strain that greatly overproduces the protein. The purified enzyme has absorption peaks at 280 and 380 nm, a fluorescence emission peak at 480 nm and, upon denaturation, releases a chromophore that has the spectroscopic properties of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), indicating that FAD is an intrinsic chromophore of the enzyme.

Identification and amplification of the E. coli phr gene product

We have constructed a series of multicopy plasmids that complement mutations in the phr gene of Escherichia coli. By subcloning into a tac plasmid vector we obtained a phr plasmid that upon induction overproduces two proteins of Mr's 49,000 and 20,000. Tn1000 insertions into the phr gene caused the disappearance of the 49,000 dalton protein, thus demonstrating this protein to be the phr gene product, DNA photolyase. The photolyase encoded by the phr gene makes up about 15% of total cellular proteins after induction of cells carrying a tac-phr plasmid. This protein binds specifically to UV (254 nm) irradiated DNA and upon exposure to near UV (300-500 nm) illumination repairs the UV damage and dissociates from DNA.

Escherichia coli photoreactivating enzyme: purification and properties

We have purified large quantities of Escherichia coli photoreactivating enzyme (EC 4.1.99.3) to apparent homogeneity and have studied its physical and chemical properties. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 36 800 and a S020,W of 3.72 S. Amino acid analysis revealed an apparent absence of tryptophan, a low content of aromatic residues, and the presence of no unusual amino acids. The N terminus is arginine. The purified enzyme contained up to 13% carbohydrate by weight. The carbohydrate was composed of mannose, galactose, glucose, and N-acetylglucosamine. The enzyme is also associated with RNA (approximately 10 nucleotides/enzyme molecule) containing uracil, adenine, guanine, and cytosine with no unusual bases detected.

Evidence that deoxyribonucleic acid photolyase from baker's yeast is a flavoprotein

DNA photolyase purified from baker's yeast by affinity chromatography on UV-irradiated DNA noncovalently bound to cellulose and by chromatography on activated thiol-Sepharose 4B yields a single protein band having a molecular weight of 51 000 when analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight, 53 000, determined by gel filtration was in good agreement. Upon denaturation of photolyase by heat or 8 M urea, flavin adenine dinucleotide (oxidized) was isolated from the mixture and identified by thin-layer chromatography and spectral analysis. In contrast to flavoproteins to which flavin adenine dinucleotide (oxidized) is bound which generally exhibit two absorbance maxima between 300 and 500 nm, photolyase has only one at 380 nm. These findings and the similar characteristics of the absorbance and emission spectra of native photolyase with those of flavoproteins in which the chromophore is considered to be the 4a,5-reduced flavin have led us to propose this configuration for the photolyase chromophore. The difference in properties of yeast photolyase compared to the one reported previously supports the idea that there are two photolyases in baker's yeast.