Histone-catalyzed cleavage of nucleosomal DNA containing 2-deoxyribonolactone

Evaluation by Experimentation and Simulation of a FRET Pair Comprising Fluorescent Nucleobase Analogs in Nucleosomes

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is an attractive tool for understanding biomolecular dynamics. FRET-based analysis of nucleosomes has the potential to fill the knowledge gaps between static structures and dynamic cellular behaviors. Compared with typical FRET pairs using bulky fluorophores introduced by flexible linkers, fluorescent nucleoside-based FRET pair has great potential since it can be fitted within the helical structures of nucleic acids. Herein we report on the construction of nucleosomes containing a nucleobase FRET pair and the investigation of experimental and theoretical FRET efficiencies through steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy and calculation based on molecular dynamics simulations, respectively. Distinguishable experimental FRET efficiencies were observed depending on the positions of FRET pairs in nucleosomal DNA. The tendency could be supported by theoretical study. This work suggests the possibility of our approach to analyze structural changes of nucleosomes by epigenetic modifications or internucleosomal interactions.

Reconsidering the Chemical Nature of Strand Breaks Derived from Abasic Sites in Cellular DNA: Evidence for 3'-Glutathionylation

The hydrolytic loss of coding bases from cellular DNA is a common and unavoidable reaction. The resulting abasic sites can undergo β-elimination of the 3'-phosphoryl group to generate a strand break with an electrophilic α,β-unsaturated aldehyde residue on the 3'-terminus. The work reported here provides evidence that the thiol residue of the cellular tripeptide glutathione rapidly adds to the alkenal group on the 3'-terminus of an AP-derived strand break. The resulting glutathionylated adduct is the only major cleavage product observed when β-elimination occurs at an AP site in the presence of glutathione. Formation of the glutathionylated cleavage product is reversible, but in the presence of physiological concentrations of glutathione, the adduct persists for days. Biochemical experiments provided evidence that the 3'-phosphodiesterase activity of the enzyme apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE1) can remove the glutathionylated sugar remnant from an AP-derived strand break to generate the 3'OH residue required for repair via base excision or single-strand break repair pathways. The results suggest that a previously unrecognized 3'glutathionylated sugar remnant─and not the canonical α,β-unsaturated aldehyde end group─may be the true strand cleavage product arising from β-elimination at an abasic site in cellular DNA. This work introduces the 3'glutathionylated cleavage product as the major blocking group that must be trimmed to enable repair of abasic site-derived strand breaks by the base excision repair or single-strand break repair pathways.

Participation of Histones in DNA Damage and Repair within Nucleosome Core Particles: Mechanism and Applications

DNA is damaged by various endogenous and exogenous sources, leading to a diverse group of reactive intermediates that yield a complex mixture of products. The initially formed products are often metastable and can react to yield lesions that are more biologically deleterious. Mechanistic studies are frequently carried out on free DNA as the substrate. The observations do not necessarily reflect the reaction environment inside human cells where genomic DNA is condensed as chromatin in the nucleus. Chromatin is made up of monomeric structural units called nucleosomes, which are comprised of DNA wrapped around an octameric core of histone proteins (two copies each of histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4).This account presents a summary of our work in the past decade on the mechanistic studies of DNA damage and repair in reconstituted nucleosome core particles (NCPs). A series of metastable lesions and reactive intermediates, such as abasic sites (AP), N7-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (MdG), and 2'-deoxyadenosin-N6-yl radical (dA^•), have been independently generated in a site-specific manner in bottom-up-synthesized NCPs. Detailed mechanistic studies on these NCPs revealed that histones actively participate in DNA damage and repair processes in diverse ways. For instance, nucleophilic residues in the flexible histone N-terminal tails, such as Lys and N-terminal α-amine, react with electrophilic DNA damage and reactive intermediates. In some cases, transient intermediates are produced, leading to the promotion or suppression of damage and repair processes. In other examples, reactions with histones yield reversible or stable DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs). Histones also utilize acidic and basic residues, such as histidine and aspartic acid, to catalyze DNA strand cleavage through general acid/base catalysis. Alternatively, a Tyr in histone plays a vital role in nucleosomal DNA damage and repair via radical transfer. Finally, the reactivity discovered during the mechanistic studies has facilitated the development of new reagents and methods with applications in biotechnology.This research has enriched our knowledge of the roles of histone proteins in DNA damage and repair and their contributions to epigenetics and may have significant biological implications. The residues in histone N-terminal tails that react with DNA lesions also play pivotal roles in regulating the structure and function of chromatin, indicating that there may be cross-talk between DNA damage and repair in eukaryotic cells and epigenetic regulation. Also, in view of the biased amino acid composition of histones, these results provide hints about how the proteins have evolved to minimize their deleterious effects but maximize beneficial ones for maintaining genome integrity. Finally, previously unreported DPCs and histone post-translational modifications have been discovered through this research. The effects of these newly identified lesions on the structure and function of chromatin and their fates inside cells remain to be elucidated.

Molecular Epigenetics: Chemical Biology Tools Come of Age

The field of epigenetics has exploded over the last two decades, revealing an astonishing level of complexity in the way genetic information is stored and accessed in eukaryotes. This expansion of knowledge, which is very much ongoing, has been made possible by the availability of evermore sensitive and precise molecular tools. This review focuses on the increasingly important role that chemistry plays in this burgeoning field. In an effort to make these contributions more accessible to the nonspecialist, we group available chemical approaches into those that allow the covalent structure of the protein and DNA components of chromatin to be manipulated, those that allow the activity of myriad factors that act on chromatin to be controlled, and those that allow the covalent structure and folding of chromatin to be characterized. The application of these tools is illustrated through a series of case studies that highlight how the molecular precision afforded by chemistry is being used to establish causal biochemical relationships at the heart of epigenetic regulation.

Chromatin and other obstacles to base excision repair: potential roles in carcinogenesis

DNA is comprised of chemically reactive nucleobases that exist under a constant barrage from damaging agents. Failure to repair chemical modifications to these nucleobases can result in mutations that can cause various diseases, including cancer. Fortunately, the base excision repair (BER) pathway can repair modified nucleobases and prevent these deleterious mutations. However, this pathway can be hindered through several mechanisms. For instance, mutations to the enzymes in the BER pathway have been identified in cancers. Biochemical characterisation of these mutants has elucidated various mechanisms that inhibit their activity. Furthermore, the packaging of DNA into chromatin poses another obstacle to the ability of BER enzymes to function properly. Investigations of BER in the base unit of chromatin, the nucleosome core particle (NCP), have revealed that the NCP acts as a complex substrate for BER enzymes. The constituent proteins of the NCP, the histones, also have variants that can further impact the structure of the NCP and may modulate access of enzymes to the packaged DNA. These histone variants have also displayed significant clinical effects both in carcinogenesis and patient prognosis. This review focuses on the underlying molecular mechanisms that present obstacles to BER and the relationship of these obstacles to cancer. In addition, several chemotherapeutics induce DNA damage that can be repaired by the BER pathway and understanding obstacles to BER can inform how resistance and/or sensitivity to these therapies may occur. With the understanding of these molecular mechanisms, current chemotherapeutic treatment regiments may be improved, and future therapies developed.

Histones participate in base excision repair of 8-oxodGuo by transiently cross-linking with active repair intermediates in nucleosome core particles

8-Oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo) is a biomarker of oxidative DNA damage and can be repaired by hOGG1 and APE1 via the base excision repair (BER) pathway. In this work, we studied coordinated BER of 8-oxodGuo by hOGG1 and APE1 in nucleosome core particles and found that histones transiently formed DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs) with active repair intermediates such as 3'-phospho-α,β-unsaturated aldehyde (PUA) and 5'-deoxyribosephosphate (dRP). The effects of histone participation could be beneficial or deleterious to the BER process, depending on the circumstances. In the absence of APE1, histones enhanced the AP lyase activity of hOGG1 by cross-linking with 3'-PUA. However, the formed histone-PUA DPCs hampered the subsequent repair process. In the presence of APE1, both the AP lyase activity of hOGG1 and the formation of histone-PUA DPCs were suppressed. In this case, histones could catalyse removal of the 5'-dRP by transiently cross-linking with the active intermediate. That is, histones promoted the repair by acting as 5'-dRP lyases. Our findings demonstrate that histones participate in multiple steps of 8-oxodGuo repair in nucleosome core particles, highlighting the diverse roles that histones may play during DNA repair in eukaryotic cells.

Nucleosomal embedding reshapes the dynamics of abasic sites

Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites are the most common DNA lesions, which benefit from a most efficient repair by the base excision pathway. The impact of losing a nucleobase on the conformation and dynamics of B-DNA is well characterized. Yet AP sites seem to present an entirely different chemistry in nucleosomal DNA, with lifetimes reduced up to 100-fold, and the much increased formation of covalent DNA-protein cross-links leading to strand breaks, refractory to repair. We report microsecond range, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations that capture the conformational dynamics of AP sites and their tetrahydrofuran analogs at two symmetrical positions within a nucleosome core particle, starting from a recent crystal structure. Different behaviours between the deoxyribo-based and tetrahydrofuran-type abasic sites are evidenced. The two solvent-exposed lesion sites present contrasted extrahelicities, revealing the crucial role of the position of a defect around the histone core. Our all-atom simulations also identify and quantify the frequency of several spontaneous, non-covalent interactions between AP and positively-charged residues from the histones H2A and H2B tails that prefigure DNA-protein cross-links. Such an in silico mapping of DNA-protein cross-links gives important insights for further experimental studies involving mutagenesis and truncation of histone tails to unravel mechanisms of DPCs formation.

Cellular uptake of extracellular nucleosomes induces innate immune responses by binding and activating cGMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)

The nucleosome is the basic structural repeating unit of chromatin. DNA damage and cell apoptosis release nucleosomes into the blood circulatory system, and increased levels of circulating nucleosomes have been observed to be related to inflammation and autoimmune diseases. However, how circulating nucleosomes trigger immune responses has not been fully elucidated. cGAS (cGMP-AMP synthase) is a recently discovered pattern recognition receptor that senses cytoplasmic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). In this study, we employed in vitro reconstituted nucleosomes to examine whether extracellular nucleosomes can gain access to the cytoplasm of mammalian cells to induce immune responses by activating cGAS. We showed that nucleosomes can be taken up by various mammalian cells. Additionally, we found that in vitro reconstituted mononucleosomes and oligonucleosomes can be recognized by cGAS. Compared to dsDNA, nucleosomes exhibit higher binding affinities to cGAS but considerably lower potency in cGAS activation. Incubation of monocytic cells with reconstituted nucleosomes leads to limited production of type I interferons and proinflammatory cytokines via a cGAS-dependent mechanism. This proof-of-concept study reveals the cGAS-dependent immunogenicity of nucleosomes and highlights the potential roles of circulating nucleosomes in autoimmune diseases, inflammation, and antitumour immunity.

Transesterification Reaction and the Repair of Embedded Ribonucleotides in DNA Are Suppressed upon the Assembly of DNA into Nucleosome Core Particles †

Ribonucleotides can be incorporated into DNA through many different cellular processes, and abundant amounts of ribonucleotides are detected in genomic DNA. Embedded ribonucleotides lead to genomic instability through either spontaneous ribonucleotide cleavage via internal transesterification or by inducing mutagenesis, recombination, and chromosome rearrangements. Ribonucleotides misincorporated in genomic DNA can be removed by the ribonucleotide excision repair (RER) pathway in which RNase HII initiates the repair by cleaving the 5'-phosphate of the ribonucleotide. Herein, based on in vitro reconstituted nucleosome core particles (NCPs) containing a single ribonucleotide at different positions, we studied the kinetics of ribonucleotide cleavage via the internal transesterification reaction and repair of the ribonucleotides by RNase HII in NCPs. Our results show that ribonucleotide cleavage via the internal transesterification in NCPs is suppressed compared to that in free DNA. DNA bending and structural rigidity account for the suppressed ribonucleotide cleavage in NCPs. Ribonucleotide repair by RNase HII in NCPs exhibits a strong correlation between the translational and rotational positions of the ribonucleotides. An embedded ribonucleotide located at the entry site while facing outward in NCP is repaired as efficiently as that in free DNA. However, the repair of those located in the central part of NCPs and facing inward are inhibited by up to 273-fold relative to those in free dsDNA. The difference in repair efficiency appears to arise from their different accessibility to repair enzymes in NCPs. This study reveals that a ribonucleotide misincorporated in DNA assembled into NCPs is protected against cleavage. Hence, the spontaneous cleavage of the misincorporated ribonucleotides under physiological conditions is not an essential threat to the stability of chromatin DNA. Instead, their decreased repair efficiency in NCPs may result in numerous and persistent ribonucleotides in genomic DNA, which could exert other deleterious effects on DNA such as mutagenesis and recombination.

Effect of Histone Lysine Methylation on DNA Lesion Reactivity in Nucleosome Core Particles

Lysine methylation is a common post-translational histone modification that regulates transcription and gene expression. The lysine residues in the histone tail also react with damaged nucleotides in chromatin, including abasic sites and N7-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine, the major product of DNA methylating agents. Lysine monomethylation transforms the ε-amine into a secondary amine, which could be more nucleophilic and/or basic than the ε-amine in lysine, and therefore more reactive with damaged DNA. The effect of lysine methylation on the reactivity with abasic sites and N7-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine was examined in nucleosome core particles using a methylated lysine analogue derived from cysteine. ε-Amine methylation increases the rate constant for abasic site reaction within nucleosome core particles. Reactivity at the two positions examined increased less than twofold. Mechanistic experiments indicate that faster β-elimination from an intermediate iminium ion accounts for accelerated abasic reactivity. The rate constants for nucleophilic attack (Schiff base/iminium ion formation) by the lysine and methylated lysine analogues are indistinguishable. Similarly, the rate constants describing nucleophilic attack by the lysine and methylated lysine analogues on β-2'-fluoro-N7-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine to form DNA-protein cross-links are also within experimental error of one another. These data indicate that abasic site containing DNA will be destabilized by lysine methylation. However, these experiments do not indicate that DNA-protein cross-link formation, a recently discovered form of damage resulting from N7-guanine methylation, will be affected by this post-translational modification.

Reactivity of the Major Product of C5'-Oxidative DNA Damage in Nucleosome Core Particles

The major pathway for DNA damage following hydrogen atom abstraction from the C5'-position results in direct strand scission and concomitant formation of a 5'-aldehyde-containing nucleotide (e.g., T-al). We determined that the half-life of alkali-labile T-al in free DNA under physiological conditions varies from 5-12 days. T-al reactivity was examined at three positions within nucleosome core particles (NCPs). β-Elimination increased >2.5-fold when T-al was proximal to the lysine-rich histone H4 tail. No difference in reactivity between free DNA and NCPs was observed when T-al was distal from the histone tails. The position-dependent involvement of histone tails in T-al elimination was gleaned from experiments with sodium cyanoborohydride and histone protein variants. The enhancement of T-al elimination in NCPs is significantly smaller than previously observed for abasic sites. Computational studies comparing elimination from T-al and abasic sites indicate that the barrier for the rate-determining step in the latter is 2.6 kcal mol^-1 lower and is stabilized by a hydrogen bond between the C4-hydroxy group and phosphate leaving group. The long lifetime for T-al in NCPs, combined with what is known about its repair suggests that this DNA lesion might pose significant challenges within cells.

Oxidation of 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine Leads to Substantial DNA-Histone Cross-Links within Nucleosome Core Particles

8-Oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine(8-oxodGuo) is a common primary product of cellular oxidative DNA damage. 8-OxodGuo is more readily oxidized than 2'-deoxyguanosine (dG); a two-electron oxidation generates a highly reactive intermediate (OG^ox), which forms covalent adducts with nucleophiles, including OH^-, free amines, and the side chains of amino acids such as lysine. We determined here that K₃Fe(CN)₆ oxidation of 8-oxodGuo in nucleosome core particles (NCPs) produces high yields, quantitative (i.e., 100%) in some cases, of DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs). The efficiency of DPC formation was closely related to 8-oxodGuo base pairing and location within the NCP and was only slightly decreased by adding the DNA-protective polyamine spermine to the system. Using NCPs that contained histone mutants, we determined that DPCs result predominantly from OG^ox trapping by the N-terminal histone amine. The DPCs were stable under physiological conditions and therefore could have important biological consequences. For instance, the essentially quantitative yield of DPCs at some positions within NCPs would reduce the yield of the mutagenic DNA lesions spiroiminodihydantoin and guanidinohydantoin produced from the common intermediate OG^ox, which in turn would affect mutation signatures of oxidative stress in a position-dependent manner. In summary, our findings indicate that site-specific incorporation of 8-oxodGuo into NCPs, followed by its oxidation, leads to DPCs with an efficiency depending on 8-oxodGuo location and orientation. Given that 8-oxodGuo formation is widespread in genomic DNA and that DPC formation is highly efficient, DPCs may occur in eukaryotic cells and may affect several important biological processes.

Histone Tail Sequences Balance Their Role in Genetic Regulation and the Need To Protect DNA against Destruction in Nucleosome Core Particles Containing Abasic Sites

Abasic sites (AP) are produced 10 000 times per day in a single cell. Strand cleavage at AP is accelerated ≈100-fold within a nucleosome core particle (NCP) compared to free DNA. The lysine-rich N-terminal tails of histone proteins catalyze single-strand breaks through a mechanism used by base-excision-repair enzymes, despite the general dearth of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and histidine-the amino acids that are typically responsible for deprotonation of Schiff base intermediates. Incorporating glutamic acid, aspartic acid, or histidine proximal to lysine residues in histone N-terminal tails increases AP reactivity as much as sixfold. The rate acceleration is due to more facile DNA cleavage of Schiff-base intermediates. These observations raise the possibility that histone proteins could have evolved to minimize the presence of histidine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid in their lysine-rich N-terminal tails to guard against enhancing the toxic effects of DNA damage.

Histone tails decrease N7-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine depurination and yield DNA-protein cross-links in nucleosome core particles and cells

Monofunctional alkylating agents preferentially react at the N7 position of 2'-deoxyguanosine in duplex DNA. Methylated DNA, such as that produced by methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and temozolomide, exists for days in organisms. The predominant consequence of N7-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (MdG) is widely believed to be abasic site (AP) formation via hydrolysis, a process that is slow in free DNA. Examination of MdG reactivity within nucleosome core particles (NCPs) provided two general observations. MdG depurination rate constants are reduced in NCPs compared with when the identical DNA sequence is free in solution. The magnitude of the decrease correlates with proximity to the positively charged histone tails, and experiments in NCPs containing histone variants reveal that positively charged amino acids are responsible for the decreased rate of abasic site formation from MdG. In addition, the lysine-rich histone tails form DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs) with MdG. Cross-link formation is reversible and is ascribed to nucleophilic attack at the C8 position of MdG. DPC and retarded abasic site formation are observed in NCPs randomly damaged by MMS, indicating that these are general processes. Histone-MdG cross-links were also detected by mass spectrometry in chromatin isolated from V79 Chinese hamster lung cells treated with MMS. The formation of DPCs following damage by a monofunctional alkylating agent has not been reported previously. These observations reveal the possibility that such DPCs may contribute to the cytotoxicity of monofunctional alkylating agents, such as MMS, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, and temozolomide.

Rotational Effects within Nucleosome Core Particles on Abasic Site Reactivity

An abasic (AP) site is a ubiquitous DNA lesion that is produced via several cellular processes. Although AP sites are cytotoxic and mutagenic, cells are protected from them by different DNA damage tolerance and repair pathways, including base excision repair (BER). AP lesions are alkali-labile, but the half-life for strand scission is several weeks in free DNA at around neutral pH. The AP lifetime is reduced ∼100-fold in nucleosome core particles (NCPs) because the histone proteins promote strand scission. The reactivity of other DNA lesions to BER enzymes and exogenous reagents is highly dependent upon rotational positioning within the NCP. We examined strand scission at AP sites as a function of rotational position over approximately one helical turn of DNA. The rate constant for strand scission at AP varies ∼4-fold, a range of reactivity much smaller than that observed for processes that involve reaction with diffusible reagents in solution. In addition, the change in rate constant does not exhibit an obvious pattern with respect to rotational position. The small dependence of reactivity on rotational position is attributed to interactions with histone proteins. A molecular model based upon NCP X-ray crystal structures indicates that histone protein tails access AP sites via the major or minor groove and are therefore not limited to regions where one particular groove is exposed to solvent. Determining the roles of individual proteins is difficult because of the unstructured nature of the histone tails and the chemical mechanism, which involves reversible Schiff base formation, followed by irreversible elimination.

5-Formylcytosine Yields DNA-Protein Cross-Links in Nucleosome Core Particles

In situ generation of 5-formylcytosine (5fC) in nucleosome core particles (NCPs) reveals that 5fC leads to essential DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs). Mechanistic studies using chemical models and mutated histones demonstrate that DPCs form reversibly between the formyl function of 5fC and primary amines on histones. These results suggest that DPC formation from 5fC in chromatin occurs in addition to its role in DNA demethylation.

Biochemical Characterization of AP Lyase and m6A Demethylase Activities of Human AlkB Homologue 1 (ALKBH1)

Alkbh1 is one of nine mammalian homologues of Escherichia coli AlkB, a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase that catalyzes direct DNA repair by removing alkyl lesions from DNA. Six distinct enzymatic activities have been reported for Alkbh1, including hydroxylation of variously methylated DNA, mRNA, tRNA, or histone substrates along with the cleavage of DNA at apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites followed by covalent attachment to the 5'-product. The studies described here extend the biochemical characterization of two of these enzymatic activities using human ALKBH1: the AP lyase and 6-methyl adenine DNA demethylase activities. The steady-state and single-turnover kinetic parameters for ALKBH1 cleavage of AP sites in DNA were determined and shown to be comparable to those of other AP lyases. The α,β-unsaturated aldehyde of the 5'-product arising from DNA cleavage reacts predominantly with C129 of ALKBH1, but secondary sites also generate covalent adducts. The 6-methyl adenine demethylase activity was examined with a newly developed assay using a methylation-sensitive restriction endonuclease, and the enzymatic rate was found to be very low. Indeed, the demethylase activity was less than half that of the AP lyase activity when ALKBH1 samples were assayed using identical buffer conditions. The two enzymatic activities were examined using a series of site-directed variant proteins, revealing the presence of distinct but partially overlapping active sites for the two reactions. We postulate that the very low 6-methyl adenine oxygenase activity associated with ALKBH1 is unlikely to represent the major function of the enzyme in the cell, while the cellular role of the lyase activity (including its subsequent covalent attachment to DNA) remains uncertain.

Probing Enhanced Double-Strand Break Formation at Abasic Sites within Clustered Lesions in Nucleosome Core Particles

DNA is rapidly cleaved under mild alkaline conditions at apyrimidinic/apurinic sites, but the half-life is several weeks in phosphate buffer (pH 7.5). However, abasic sites are ∼100-fold more reactive within nucleosome core particles (NCPs). Histone proteins catalyze the strand scission, and at superhelical location 1.5, the histone H4 tail is largely responsible for the accelerated cleavage. The rate constant for strand scission at an abasic site is enhanced further in a nucleosome core particle when it is part of a bistranded lesion containing a proximal strand break. Cleavage of this form results in a highly deleterious double-strand break. This acceleration is dependent upon the position of the abasic lesion in the NCP and its structure. The enhancement in cleavage rate at an apurinic/apyrimidinic site rapidly drops off as the distance between the strand break and abasic site increases and is negligible once the two forms of damage are separated by 7 bp. However, the enhancement of the rate of double-strand break formation increases when the size of the gap is increased from one to two nucleotides. In contrast, the cleavage rate enhancement at 2-deoxyribonolactone within bistranded lesions is more modest, and it is similar in free DNA and nucleosome core particles. We postulate that the enhanced rate of double-strand break formation at bistranded lesions containing apurinic/apyrimidinic sites within nucleosome core particles is a general phenomenon and is due to increased DNA flexibility.

Histone Adduction and Its Functional Impact on Epigenetics

Bioactive electrophiles generated from the oxidation of endogenous and exogenous compounds are a contributing factor in numerous disease states. Their toxicity is largely attributed to the covalent modification of cellular nucleophiles, including protein and DNA. With regard to protein modification, the side-chains of Cys, His, Lys, and Arg residues are critical targets. This results in the generation of undesired protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) that can trigger dire cellular consequences. Notably, histones are Lys- and Arg-rich proteins, providing a fertile source for adduction by both exogenous and endogenous electrophiles. The regulation of histone PTMs plays a critical role in the regulation of chromatin structure and thus gene expression. This perspective focuses on the role of electrophilic protein adduction within the context of chromatin and its potential consequences on cellular law and order.

Design, synthesis, and characterization of nucleosomes containing site-specific DNA damage

How DNA damaged is formed, recognized, and repaired in chromatin is an area of intense study. To better understand the structure activity relationships of damaged chromatin, mono and dinucleosomes containing site-specific damage have been prepared and studied. This review will focus on the design, synthesis, and characterization of model systems of damaged chromatin for structural, physical, and enzymatic studies.

Rapid Histone-Catalyzed DNA Lesion Excision and Accompanying Protein Modification in Nucleosomes and Nucleosome Core Particles

C5'-Hydrogen atoms are frequently abstracted during DNA oxidation. The oxidized abasic lesion 5'-(2-phosphoryl-1,4-dioxobutane) (DOB) is an electrophilic product of the C5'-radical. DOB is a potent irreversible inhibitor of DNA polymerase β, and forms interstrand cross-links in free DNA. We examined the reactivity of DOB within nucleosomes and nucleosome core particles (NCPs), the monomeric component of chromatin. Depending upon the position at which DOB is generated within a NCP, it is excised from nucleosomal DNA at a rate 275-1500-fold faster than that in free DNA. The half-life of DOB (7.0-16.8 min) in NCPs is shorter than any other abasic lesion. DOB's lifetime in NCPs is also significantly shorter than the estimated lifetime of an abasic site within a cell, suggesting that the observed chemistry would occur intracellularly. Histones also catalyze DOB excision when the lesion is present in the DNA linker region of a nucleosome. Schiff-base formation between DOB and histone proteins is detected in nucleosomes and NCPs, resulting in pyrrolone formation at the lysine residues. The lysines modified by DOB are often post-translationally modified. Consequently, the histone modifications described herein could affect the regulation of gene expression and may provide a chemical basis for the cytotoxicity of the DNA damaging agents that produce this lesion.

Double-strand breaks from a radical commonly produced by DNA-damaging agents

Double-strand breaks are widely accepted to be the most toxic form of DNA damage. Molecules that produce double-strand breaks via a single chemical event are typically very cytotoxic and far less common than those that form single-strand breaks. It was recently reported that a commonly formed C4′-radical produces double-strand breaks under aerobic conditions. Experiments described herein indicate that a peroxyl radical initiates strand damage on the complementary strand via C4′-hydrogen atom abstraction. Inferential evidence suggests that a C3′-peroxyl radical induces complementary strand damage more efficiently than does a C4′-peroxyl radical. Complementary strand hydrogen atom abstraction by the peroxyl radical is efficiently quenched by thiols. This mechanism could contribute to the higher than expected yield of double-strand breaks produced by ionizing radiation.

Probing interactions between lysine residues in histone tails and nucleosomal DNA via product and kinetic analysis

The histone proteins in nucleosome core particles are known to catalyze DNA cleavage at abasic and oxidized abasic sites, which are produced by antitumor antibiotics and as a consequence of other modalities of DNA damage. The lysine rich histone tails whose post-translational modifications regulate genetic expression in cells are mainly responsible for this chemistry. Cleavage at a C4′-oxidized abasic site (C4-AP) concomitantly results in modification of lysine residues in histone tails. Using LC-MS/MS, we demonstrate here that that Lys8, -12, -16, and -20 of histone H4 were modified when C4-AP was incorporated at a hot spot (superhelical location 1.5) for DNA damage within a nucleosome core particle. A new DNA–protein cross-linking method that provides a more quantitative analysis of individual amino acid reactivity is also described. DNA–protein cross-links were produced by an irreversible reaction between a nucleic acid electrophile that was produced following oxidatively induced rearrangement of a phenyl selenide derivative of thymidine (3) and nucleophilic residues within proteins. In addition to providing high yields of DNA–protein cross-links, kinetic analysis of the cross-linking reaction yielded rate constants that enabled ranking the contributions by individual or groups of amino acids. Cross-linking from 3 at superhelical location 1.5 revealed the following order of reactivity for the nucleophilic amino acids in the histone H4 tail: His18 > Lys16 > Lys20 ≈ Lys8, Lys12 > Lys5. Cross-linking via 3 will be generally useful for investigating DNA–protein interactions.

Oxidatively induced DNA damage and its repair in cancer

Oxidatively induced DNA damage is caused in living organisms by endogenous and exogenous reactive species. DNA lesions resulting from this type of damage are mutagenic and cytotoxic and, if not repaired, can cause genetic instability that may lead to disease processes including carcinogenesis. Living organisms possess DNA repair mechanisms that include a variety of pathways to repair multiple DNA lesions. Mutations and polymorphisms also occur in DNA repair genes adversely affecting DNA repair systems. Cancer tissues overexpress DNA repair proteins and thus develop greater DNA repair capacity than normal tissues. Increased DNA repair in tumors that removes DNA lesions before they become toxic is a major mechanism for development of resistance to therapy, affecting patient survival. Accumulated evidence suggests that DNA repair capacity may be a predictive biomarker for patient response to therapy. Thus, knowledge of DNA protein expressions in normal and cancerous tissues may help predict and guide development of treatments and yield the best therapeutic response. DNA repair proteins constitute targets for inhibitors to overcome the resistance of tumors to therapy. Inhibitors of DNA repair for combination therapy or as single agents for monotherapy may help selectively kill tumors, potentially leading to personalized therapy. Numerous inhibitors have been developed and are being tested in clinical trials. The efficacy of some inhibitors in therapy has been demonstrated in patients. Further development of inhibitors of DNA repair proteins is globally underway to help eradicate cancer.

Direct observation of preferential processing of clustered abasic DNA damages with APE1 in TATA box and CpG island by reaction kinetics and fluorescence dynamics

Sequences like the core element of TATA box and CpG island are frequently encountered in the genome and related to transcription. The fate of repair of clustered abasic sites in such sequences of genomic importance is largely unknown. This prompted us to investigate the sequence dependence of cleavage efficiency of APE1 enzyme at abasic sites within the core sequences of TATA box and CpG island using fluorescence dynamics and reaction kinetics. Simultaneous molecular dynamics study through steady state and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy using unique ethidium bromide dye release assay confirmed an elevated amount of abasic site cleavage of the TATA box sequence as compared to the core CpG island. Reaction kinetics showed that catalytic efficiency of APE1 for abasic site cleavage of core CpG island sequence was ∼4 times lower as compared to that of the TATA box. Higher value of Km was obtained from the core CpG island sequence than the TATA box sequence. This suggests a greater binding effect of APE1 enzyme on TATA sequence that signifies a prominent role of the sequence context of the DNA substrate. Evidently, a faster response from APE1 was obtained for clustered abasic damage repair of TATA box core sequences than CpG island consensus sequences. The neighboring bases of the abasic sites in the complementary DNA strand were found to have significant contribution in addition to the flanking bases in modulating APE1 activity. The repair refractivity of the bistranded clustered abasic sites arise from the slow processing of the second abasic site, consequently resulting in decreased overall production of potentially lethal double strand breaks.

DNA damage by histone radicals in nucleosome core particles

Although DNA binding proteins shield the genetic material from diffusible reactive oxygen species by reacting with them, the resulting protein (peroxyl) radicals can oxidize the bound DNA. To explore this possible DNA damage by protein radicals, histone H4 proteins containing an azoalkane radical precursor at defined sites were prepared. Photolysis of a nucleosome core particle containing the modified protein produces DNA damage that is consistent with selective C4′-oxidation. The nucleotide(s) damaged is highly dependent on proximity to the protein radical. These experiments provide insight into the effects of oxidative stress on protein-bound DNA, revealing an additional layer of complexity concerning nucleic acid damage.

Looking beneath the surface to determine what makes DNA damage deleterious

Apurinic/apyrimidinic and oxidized abasic sites are chemically reactive DNA lesions that are produced by a variety of damaging agents. The effects of these molecules that lack a Watson-Crick base on polymerase enzymes are well documented. More recently, multiple consequences of the electrophilic nature of abasic lesions have been revealed. Members of this family of DNA lesions have been shown to inactivate repair enzymes and undergo spontaneous transformation into more deleterious forms of damage. Abasic site reactivity provides insight into the chemical basis for the cytotoxicity of DNA damaging agents that produce them and are valuable examples of how looking beneath the surface of seemingly simple molecules can reveal biologically relevant chemical complexity.

Abasic and oxidized abasic site reactivity in DNA: enzyme inhibition, cross-linking, and nucleosome catalyzed reactions

Abasic lesions are a family of DNA modifications that lack Watson-Crick bases. The parent member of this family, the apurinic/apyrimidinic lesion (AP), occurs as an intermediate during DNA repair, following nucleobase alkylation, and from random hydrolysis of native nucleotides. In a given day, each cell produces between 10000 and 50000 AP lesions. A variety of oxidants including γ-radiolysis produce oxidized abasic sites, such as C4-AP, from the deoxyribose backbone. A number of potent, cytotoxic antitumor agents, such as bleomycin and the enediynes (e.g., calicheamicin, esperamicin, and neocarzinostatin) also lead to oxidized abasic sites in DNA. The absence of Watson-Crick bases prevents DNA polymerases from properly determining which nucleotide to incorporate opposite abasic lesions. Consequently, several studies have revealed that (oxidized) abasic sites are highly mutagenic. Abasic lesions are also chemically unstable, are prone to strand scission, and possess electrophilic carbonyl groups. However, researchers have only uncovered the consequences of the inherent reactivity of these electrophiles within the past decade. The development of solid phase synthesis methods for oligonucleotides that both place abasic sites in defined positions and circumvent their inherent alkaline lability has facilitated this research. Chemically synthesized oligonucleotides containing abasic lesions provide substrates that have allowed researchers to discover a range of interesting chemical properties of potential biological importance. For instance, abasic lesions form DNA-DNA interstrand cross-links, a particularly important family of DNA damage because they block replication and transcription absolutely. In addition, bacterial repair enzymes can convert an interstrand cross-link derived from C4-AP into a double-strand break, the most deleterious form of DNA damage. Oxidized abasic lesions can also inhibit DNA repair enzymes that remove damaged nucleotides. DNA polymerase β, an enzyme that is irreversibly inactivated, is vitally important in base excision repair and is overproduced in some tumor cells. Nucleosome core particles, the monomeric components that make up chromatin, accentuate the chemical instability of abasic lesions. In experiments using synthetic nucleosome core particles containing abasic sites, the histone proteins catalyze strand cleavage at the sites that incorporate these lesions. Furthermore, in the presence of the C4-AP lesion, strand scission is accompanied by modification of the histone protein. The reactivity of (oxidized) abasic lesions illustrates how seemingly simple nucleic acid modifications can have significant biochemical effects and may provide a chemical basis for the cytotoxicity of the chemotherapeutic agents that produce them.

A covalent protein-DNA 5'-product adduct is generated following AP lyase activity of human ALKBH1 (AlkB homologue 1)

ALKBH1 (AlkB homologue 1) is a mammalian AlkB (2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase) homologue that possesses AP (abasic or apurinic/apyrimidinic) lyase activity. The AP lyase reaction is catalysed by imine formation with an active site lysine residue, and a covalent intermediate can be trapped in the presence of NaBH4. Surprisingly, ALKBH1 also forms a stable protein-DNA adduct in the absence of a reducing agent. Experiments with different substrates demonstrated that the protein covalently binds to the 5' DNA product, i.e. the fragment containing an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde. The N-terminal domain of ALKBH1 was identified as the main site of linkage with DNA. By contrast, mutagenesis studies suggest that the primary catalytic residue forming the imine linkage is Lys133, with Lys154 and other lysine residues in this region serving in opportunistic roles. These findings confirm the classification of ALKBH1 as an AP lyase, identify the primary and a secondary lysine residues involved in the lyase reaction, and demonstrate that the protein forms a covalent adduct with the 5' DNA product. We propose two plausible chemical mechanisms to account for the covalent attachment.

Histone modification via rapid cleavage of C4'-oxidized abasic sites in nucleosome core particles

The C4'-oxidized abasic site is produced in DNA by a variety of oxidizing agents, including potent cytotoxic antitumor agents. Independent generation of this alkali-labile lesion at defined positions within nucleosome core particles reveals that the histone proteins increase strand scission between 130- and 550-fold. Strand scission proceeds via a Schiff base intermediate, but the DNA-protein cross-links are unstable. The oxidized abasic site is removed in its entirety from the DNA and transferred to the lysine-rich tail region of the proximal histone protein in the form of a lactam. The modification is distributed over several residues within the amino-terminal tail of the proximal histone. Transfer of DNA damage to histones could affect gene regulation.

Nucleosome core particle-catalyzed strand scission at abasic sites

The reactivity of apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites at different locations within nucleosome core particles was examined. AP sites are greatly destabilized in nucleosome core particles compared to free DNA. Their reactivity varied ~5-fold with respect to the location within the nucleosome core particles but followed a common mechanism involving formation of a Schiff base between histone proteins and the lesion. The identity of the histone protein(s) involved in the reaction and the reactivity of the corresponding DNA-protein cross-links varied with the location of the abasic site, indicating that while the relative rate constants for individual steps varied in a complex manner, the overall mechanism remained the same. The source of the accelerated reactivity was probed using nucleosomes containing AP89 and histone H3 and H4 variants. Mutating the five lysine residues in the amino tail region of histone H4 to arginines reduced the rate constant for disappearance almost 15-fold. Replacing histidine 18 with an alanine reduced AP reactivity more than 3-fold. AP89 in a nucleosome core particle composed of the H4 variant containing both sets of mutations reacted only <4-fold faster than it did in naked DNA. These experiments reveal that nucleosome-catalyzed reaction at AP89 is a general phenomenon and that the lysine rich histone tails, whose modification is integrally involved in epigenetics, are primarily responsible for this chemistry.

Human DNA polymerase β, but not λ, can bypass a 2-deoxyribonolactone lesion together with proliferating cell nuclear antigen

The C1'-oxidized lesion 2-deoxyribonolactone (L) is induced by free radical attack of DNA. This lesion is mutagenic, inhibits base excision repair, and can lead to strand scission. In double-stranded DNA L is repaired by long-patch base excision repair, but it induces replication fork arrest in a single-strand template. Translesion synthesis requires a specialized DNA polymerase (Pol). In E. coli, Pol V is responsible for bypassing L, whereas in yeast Pol ζ has been shown to be required for efficient bypass. Very little is known about the identity of human Pols capable of bypassing L. For instance, the activity of family X enzymes has never been investigated. We examined the ability of different family X Pols: Pols β, λ, and TdT from human cells and Pol IV from S. cerevisiae to act on DNA containing an isolated 2-deoxyribonolactone, as well as when the lesion comprises the 5'-component of a tandem lesion. We show that Pol β, but not Pol λ, can bypass a single L lesion in the template, and its activity is increased by the auxiliary protein proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), whereas both enzymes were completely blocked by a tandem lesion. Yeast Pol IV was able to bypass the single L and the tandem lesion but with little nucleotide insertion specificity. Finally, L did not affect the polymerization activity of the template-independent enzyme TdT.

DNA polymerase λ inactivation by oxidized abasic sites

Base excision repair (BER) plays a vital role in maintaining genomic integrity in mammalian cells. DNA polymerase λ (Pol λ) is believed to play a backup role to DNA polymerase β (Pol β) in base excision repair. Two oxidized abasic lesions that are produced by a variety of DNA-damaging agents, including several antitumor antibiotics, the C4'-oxidized abasic site following Ape1 incision (pC4-AP), and 5'-(2-phosphoryl-1,4-dioxobutane) (DOB), irreversibly inactivate Pol β and Pol λ. The interactions of DOB and pC4-AP with Pol λ are examined in detail using DNA substrates containing these lesions at defined sites. Single-turnover kinetic experiments show that Pol λ excises DOB almost 13 times more slowly than a 5'-phosphorylated 2-deoxyribose (dRP). pC4-AP is excised approximately twice as fast as DOB. The absolute rate constants are considerably slower than those reported for Pol β for the respective reactions, suggesting that Pol λ may be an inefficient backup in BER. DOB inactivates Pol λ approximately 3-fold less efficiently than it does Pol β, and the difference can be attributed to a higher K(I) (33 ± 7 nM). Inactivation of Pol λ's lyase activity by DOB also prevents the enzyme from conducting polymerization following preincubation of the protein and DNA. Mass spectral analysis of GluC-digested Pol λ inactivated by DOB shows that Lys324 is modified. There is inferential support for the idea that Lys312 may also be modified. Both residues are within the Pol λ lyase active site. When acting on pC4-AP, Pol λ achieves approximately four turnovers on average before being inactivated. Lyase inactivation by pC4-AP is also accompanied by loss of polymerase activity, and mass spectrometry indicates that Lys312 and Lys324 are modified by the lesion. The ability of DOB and pC4-AP to inactivate Pol λ provides additional evidence that these lesions are significant sources of the cytotoxicity of DNA-damaging agents that produce them.

Mechanistic studies on histone catalyzed cleavage of apyrimidinic/apurinic sites in nucleosome core particles

Duplex DNA containing an apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) lesion undergoes cleavage significantly more rapidly in nucleosome core particles (NCPs) than it does when free. The mechanism of AP cleavage within NCPs was studied through independently generating lesions within them. AP mediated DNA cleavage within NCPs is initiated by DNA-protein cross-link (DPC(un)) formation followed by β-elimination to give DPCs containing cleaved DNA (DPC(cl)). Hydrolysis of DPC(cl) produces a DNA single strand break (SSB). C2-dideuteration of AP showed that deprotonation from this position is involved in the rate-determining step. Experiments utilizing NCPs containing mutated histone H4 proteins indicated that lysine residues in the amino terminal tail are involved in both DPC formation and β-elimination steps. Lysines 16 and 20 seem to play a greater role in reacting with AP at superhelical location 1.5, but other amino acids (e.g., lysines 5, 8, and 12) compensate in their absence. The mechanism of rapid double strand breaks in bistranded, clustered AP lesions was studied by independently preparing reaction intermediates within model NCPs. A single strand break on one strand enhances the cleavage of a proximal AP on the opposite strand.