Analysis of protein-DNA interactions in chromatin by UV induced cross-linking and mass spectrometry

Noncanonical Amino Acid Incorporation in Animals and Animal Cells

Noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) are synthetic building blocks that, when incorporated into proteins, confer novel functions and enable precise control over biological processes. These small yet powerful tools offer unprecedented opportunities to investigate and manipulate various complex life forms. In particular, ncAA incorporation technology has garnered significant attention in the study of animals and their constituent cells, which serve as invaluable model organisms for gaining insights into human physiology, genetics, and diseases. This review will provide a comprehensive discussion on the applications of ncAA incorporation technology in animals and animal cells, covering past achievements, current developments, and future perspectives.

Positions of cysteine residues reveal local clusters and hidden relationships to Sequons and Transmembrane domains in Human proteins

Membrane proteins often possess critical structural features, such as transmembrane domains (TMs), N-glycosylation, and disulfide bonds (SS bonds), which are essential to their structure and function. Here, we extend the study of the motifs carrying N-glycosylation, i.e. the sequons, and the Cys residues supporting the SS bonds, to the whole human proteome with a particular focus on the Cys positions in human proteins with respect to those of sequons and TMs. As the least abundant amino acid residue in protein sequences, the positions of Cys residues in proteins are not random but rather selected through evolution. We discovered that the frequency of Cys residues in proteins is length dependent, and the frequency of CC gaps formed between adjacent Cys residues can be used as a classifier to distinguish proteins with special structures and functions, such as keratin-associated proteins (KAPs), extracellular proteins with EGF-like domains, and nuclear proteins with zinc finger C2H2 domains. Most importantly, by comparing the positions of Cys residues to those of sequons and TMs, we discovered that these structural features can form dense clusters in highly repeated and mutually exclusive modalities in protein sequences. The evolutionary advantages of such complementarity among the three structural features are discussed, particularly in light of structural dynamics in proteins that are lacking from computational predictions. The discoveries made here highlight the sequence-structure-function axis in biological organisms that can be utilized in future protein engineering toward synthetic biology.

Chemical crosslinking extends and complements UV crosslinking in analysis of RNA/DNA nucleic acid-protein interaction sites by mass spectrometry

UV (ultra-violet) crosslinking with mass spectrometry (XL-MS) has been established for identifying RNA-and DNA-binding proteins along with their domains and amino acids involved. Here, we explore chemical XL-MS for RNA-protein, DNA-protein, and nucleotide-protein complexes in vitro and in vivo . We introduce a specialized nucleotide-protein-crosslink search engine, NuXL, for robust and fast identification of such crosslinks at amino acid resolution. Chemical XL-MS complements UV XL-MS by generating different crosslink species, increasing crosslinked protein yields in vivo almost four-fold and thus it expands the structural information accessible via XL-MS. Our workflow facilitates integrative structural modelling of nucleic acid-protein complexes and adds spatial information to the described RNA-binding properties of enzymes, for which crosslinking sites are often observed close to their cofactor-binding domains. In vivo UV and chemical XL-MS data from E. coli cells analysed by NuXL establish a comprehensive nucleic acid-protein crosslink inventory with crosslink sites at amino acid level for more than 1500 proteins. Our new workflow combined with the dedicated NuXL search engine identified RNA crosslinks that cover most RNA-binding proteins, with DNA and RNA crosslinks detected in transcriptional repressors and activators.

CHHM: a Manually Curated Catalogue of Human Histone Modifications Revealing Hotspot Regions and Unique Distribution Patterns

Histone modification is one of the key elements in epigenetic control and plays important roles in regulation of biological processes and disease development. Currently, records of human histone modifications with various levels of confidence in evidence are scattered in various knowledgebases and databases. In the present study, a curated catalogue of human histone modifications, CHHM, was obtained by manual retrieval, evidence assessment, and integration of modification records from 10 knowledgebases/databases and 3 complementary articles. CHHM contains 6612 nonredundant modification entries covering 31 types of modifications (including 9 types of emerging modifications) and 2 types of histone-DNA crosslinks, that were identified in 11 H1 variants, 21 H2A variants, 21 H2B variants, 9 H3 variants, and 2 H4 variants. For ease of visualization and accessibility, modification entries are presented with aligned protein sequences in an Excel file. Confidence level in evidence is provided for each entry. Acylation modifications contribute to the highest number of modification entries in CHHM. This supports that cellular metabolic status plays a very important role in epigenetic control. CHHM reveals modification hotspot regions and uneven distribution of the modification entries across the histone families. Such uneven distribution may suggest that a particular histone family is more susceptible to certain types of modifications. CHHM not only serves as an important and user-friendly resource for biomedical and clinical researches involving histone modifications and transcriptional regulation, but also provides new insights for basic researches in the mechanism of human histone modifications and epigenetic control.

Photochromic Perovskite Nanocrystals for Ultraviolet Dosimetry

Excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation has serious damage to human's health, therefore the development of visible, portable, and wearable sensor for monitoring UV radiation, especially the cumulative UV dosage, is highly desired but full of challenges. Herein, a wearable and flexible UV dosimeter based on photochromic perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) is designed. The obtained CsPbCl3 PNCs dispersed in dibromomethane (PNCs-DBM) undergo continuous, vivid, and multiple (from very weak purple to blue, cyan, and finally strong green) color change in response to UV radiation. It is demonstrated that the UV-induced degradation of DBM and subsequent anion-exchange reaction between CsPbCl3 and Br-, play a crucial role in the color change of PNCs-DBM. The properties of continuous fluorescence color change and enhanced fluorescence intensity enable the construction of sensitive and visible UV dosimeter. Furthermore, by integrated photochromic PNCs with flexible bracelet or PDMS substrate, a wearable UV sensor or a multi-indicator array for the detection of solar UV dosage is developed. This work may advance the fundamental understanding about photochromic perovskite, and show promising application of perovskite nanomaterials in easily fabricated, low-cost, visualized, and wearable solar UV dosimeter.

Endogenous Cellular Metabolite Methylglyoxal Induces DNA-Protein Cross-Links in Living Cells

Methylglyoxal (MGO) is an electrophilic α-oxoaldehyde generated endogenously through metabolism of carbohydrates and exogenously due to autoxidation of sugars, degradation of lipids, and fermentation during food and drink processing. MGO can react with nucleophilic sites within proteins and DNA to form covalent adducts. MGO-induced advanced glycation end-products such as protein and DNA adducts are thought to be involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, diabetes, cancer, renal failure, and neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, MGO has been hypothesized to form toxic DNA-protein cross-links (DPC), but the identities of proteins participating in such cross-linking in cells have not been determined. In the present work, we quantified DPC formation in human cells exposed to MGO and identified proteins trapped on DNA upon MGO exposure using mass spectrometry-based proteomics. A total of 265 proteins were found to participate in MGO-derived DPC formation including gene products engaged in telomere organization, nucleosome assembly, and gene expression. In vitro experiments confirmed DPC formation between DNA and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), as well as histone proteins H3.1 and H4. Collectively, our study provides the first evidence for MGO-mediated DNA-protein cross-linking in living cells, prompting future studies regarding the relevance of these toxic lesions in cancer, diabetes, and other diseases linked to elevated MGO levels.

Denaturing mass photometry for rapid optimization of chemical protein-protein cross-linking reactions

Chemical cross-linking reactions (XL) are an important strategy for studying protein-protein interactions (PPIs), including low abundant sub-complexes, in structural biology. However, choosing XL reagents and conditions is laborious and mostly limited to analysis of protein assemblies that can be resolved using SDS-PAGE. To overcome these limitations, we develop here a denaturing mass photometry (dMP) method for fast, reliable and user-friendly optimization and monitoring of chemical XL reactions. The dMP is a robust 2-step protocol that ensures 95% of irreversible denaturation within only 5 min. We show that dMP provides accurate mass identification across a broad mass range (30 kDa-5 MDa) along with direct label-free relative quantification of all coexisting XL species (sub-complexes and aggregates). We compare dMP with SDS-PAGE and observe that, unlike the benchmark, dMP is time-efficient (3 min/triplicate), requires significantly less material (20-100×) and affords single molecule sensitivity. To illustrate its utility for routine structural biology applications, we show that dMP affords screening of 20 XL conditions in 1 h, accurately identifying and quantifying all coexisting species. Taken together, we anticipate that dMP will have an impact on ability to structurally characterize more PPIs and macromolecular assemblies, expected final complexes but also sub-complexes that form en route.

Photophysics of a nucleic acid-protein crosslinking model strongly depends on solvation dynamics: an experimental and theoretical study

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the photophysics of 5-benzyluracil (5BU) in methanol, which is a model system for interactions between nucleic acids and proteins. A molecular dynamics study of 5BU in solution through efficient DFT-based hybrid ab initio potentials revealed a remarkable conformational flexibility - allowing the population of two main conformers - as well as specific solute-solvent interactions, which both appear as relevant factors for the observed 5BU optical absorption properties. The simulated absorption spectrum, calculated on such an ensemble, enabled a molecular interpretation of the experimental UV-Vis lowest energy band, which is also involved in the induced photo-reactivity upon irradiation. In particular, the first two excited states (mainly involving the uracil moiety) both contribute to the 5BU lowest energy absorption. Moreover, as a key finding, the nature and brightness of such electronic transitions are strongly influenced by 5BU conformation and the microsolvation of its heteroatoms.

Galectin-3 does not interact with RNA directly

Galectin-3, well characterized as a glycan binding protein, has been identified as a putative RNA binding protein, possibly through participation in pre-mRNA maturation through interactions with splicosomes. Given recent developments with cell surface RNA biology, the putative dual-function nature of galectin-3 evokes a possible non-classical connection between glycobiology and RNA biology. However, with limited functional evidence of a direct RNA interaction, many molecular-level observations rely on affinity reagents and lack appropriate genetic controls. Thus, evidence of a direct interaction remains elusive. We demonstrate that antibodies raised to endogenous human galectin-3 can isolate RNA-protein crosslinks, but this activity remains insensitive to LGALS3 knock-out. Proteomic characterization of anti-galectin-3 IPs revealed enrichment of galectin-3, but high abundance of hnRNPA2B1, an abundant, well-characterized RNA-binding protein with weak homology to the N-terminal domain of galectin-3, in the isolate. Genetic ablation of HNRNPA2B1, but not LGALS3, eliminates the ability of the anti-galectin-3 antibodies to isolate RNA-protein crosslinks, implying either an indirect interaction or cross-reactivity. To address this, we introduced an epitope tag to the endogenous C-terminal locus of LGALS3. Isolation of the tagged galectin-3 failed to reveal any RNA-protein crosslinks. This result suggests that the galectin-3 does not directly interact with RNA and may be misidentified as an RNA-binding protein, at least in HeLa where the putative RNA associations were first identified. We encourage further investigation of this phenomenon employ gene deletions and, when possible, endogenous epitope tags to achieve the specificity required to evaluate potential interactions.

Enzymatic Processing of DNA-Protein Crosslinks

DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) represent a unique and complex form of DNA damage formed by covalent attachment of proteins to DNA. DPCs are formed through a variety of mechanisms and can significantly impede essential cellular processes such as transcription and replication. For this reason, anti-cancer drugs that form DPCs have proven effective in cancer therapy. While cells rely on numerous different processes to remove DPCs, the molecular mechanisms responsible for orchestrating these processes remain obscure. Having this insight could potentially be harnessed therapeutically to improve clinical outcomes in the battle against cancer. In this review, we describe the ways cells enzymatically process DPCs. These processing events include direct reversal of the DPC via hydrolysis, nuclease digestion of the DNA backbone to delete the DPC and surrounding DNA, proteolytic processing of the crosslinked protein, as well as covalent modification of the DNA-crosslinked proteins with ubiquitin, SUMO, and Poly(ADP) Ribose (PAR).

DNA-Histone Cross-Link Formation via Hole Trapping in Nucleosome Core Particles

Radical cations (holes) produced in DNA by ionizing radiation and other oxidants yield DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs). Detailed studies of DPC formation in chromatin via this process are lacking. We describe here a comprehensive examination of DPC formation within nucleosome core particles (NCPs), which are the monomeric component of chromatin. DNA holes are introduced at defined sites within NCPs that are constructed from the bottom-up. DPCs form at DNA holes in yields comparable to those of alkali-labile DNA lesions that result from water trapping. DPC-forming efficiency and site preference within the NCP are dependent on translational and rotational positioning. Mass spectrometry and the use of mutant histones reveal that lysine residues in histone N-terminal tails and amino termini are responsible for the DPC formation. These studies are corroborated by computational simulation at the microsecond time scale, showing a wide range of interactions that can precede DPC formation. Three consecutive dGs, which are pervasive in the human genome, including G-quadruplex-forming sequences, are sufficient to produce DPCs that could impact gene expression.

Advantages and limitations of UV cross-linking analysis of protein-RNA interactomes in microbes

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) govern the lifespan of nearly all transcripts and play key roles in adaptive responses in microbes. A robust approach to examine protein-RNA interactions involves irradiating cells with UV light to form covalent adducts between RBPs and their cognate RNAs. Combined with RNA or protein purification, these procedures can provide global RBP censuses or transcriptomic maps for all target sequences of a single protein in living cells. The recent development of novel methods has quickly populated the RBP landscape in microorganisms. Here, we provide an overview of prominent UV cross-linking techniques which have been applied to investigate RNA interactomes in microbes. By assessing their advantages and caveats, this technical evaluation intends to guide the selection of appropriate methods and experimental design as well as to encourage the use of complementary UV-dependent techniques to inspect RNA-binding activity.

Spatiotemporal and global profiling of DNA-protein interactions enables discovery of low-affinity transcription factors

Precise dissection of DNA-protein interactions is essential for elucidating the recognition basis, dynamics and gene regulation mechanism. However, global profiling of weak and dynamic DNA-protein interactions remains a long-standing challenge. Here, we establish the light-induced lysine (K) enabled crosslinking (LIKE-XL) strategy for spatiotemporal and global profiling of DNA-protein interactions. Harnessing unique abilities to capture weak and transient DNA-protein interactions, we demonstrate that LIKE-XL enables the discovery of low-affinity transcription-factor/DNA interactions via sequence-specific DNA baits, determining the binding sites for transcription factors that have been previously unknown. More importantly, we successfully decipher the dynamics of the transcription factor subproteome in response to drug treatment in a time-resolved manner, and find downstream target transcription factors from drug perturbations, providing insight into their dynamic transcriptional networks. The LIKE-XL strategy offers a complementary method to expand the DNA-protein profiling toolbox and map accurate DNA-protein interactomes that were previously inaccessible via non-covalent strategies, for better understanding of protein function in health and disease.

RNA interactome capture in Escherichia coli globally identifies RNA-binding proteins

RNA-binding proteins (RPBs) are deeply involved in fundamental cellular processes in bacteria and are vital for their survival. Despite this, few studies have so far been dedicated to direct and global identification of bacterial RBPs. We have adapted the RNA interactome capture (RIC) technique, originally developed for eukaryotic systems, to globally identify RBPs in bacteria. RIC takes advantage of the base pairing potential of poly(A) tails to pull-down RNA-protein complexes. Overexpressing poly(A) polymerase I in Escherichia coli drastically increased transcriptome-wide RNA polyadenylation, enabling pull-down of crosslinked RNA-protein complexes using immobilized oligo(dT) as bait. With this approach, we identified 169 putative RBPs, roughly half of which are already annotated as RNA-binding. We experimentally verified the RNA-binding ability of a number of uncharacterized RBPs, including YhgF, which is exceptionally well conserved not only in bacteria, but also in archaea and eukaryotes. We identified YhgF RNA targets in vivo using CLIP-seq, verified specific binding in vitro, and reveal a putative role for YhgF in regulation of gene expression. Our findings present a simple and robust strategy for RBP identification in bacteria, provide a resource of new bacterial RBPs, and lay the foundation for further studies of the highly conserved RBP YhgF.

A widely applicable and cost-effective method for specific RNA-protein complex isolation

Although methodological advances have been made over the past years, a widely applicable, easily scalable and cost-effective procedure that can be routinely used to isolate specific ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs) remains elusive. We describe the "Silica-based Acidic Phase Separation (SAPS)-capture" workflow. This versatile method combines previously described techniques in a cost-effective, optimal and widely applicable protocol. The specific RNP isolation procedure is performed on a pre-purified RNP sample instead of cell lysate. This combination of protocols results in an increased RNP/bead ratio and by consequence a reduced experimental cost. To validate the method, the 18S rRNP of S. cerevisiae was captured and to illustrate its applicability we isolated the complete repertoire of RNPs in A. thaliana. The procedure we describe can provide the community with a powerful tool to advance the study of the ribonome of a specific RNA molecule in any organism or tissue type.

Characterizing crosstalk in epigenetic signaling to understand disease physiology

Epigenetics, the inheritance of genomic information independent of DNA sequence, controls the interpretation of extracellular and intracellular signals in cell homeostasis, proliferation and differentiation. On the chromatin level, signal transduction leads to changes in epigenetic marks, such as histone post-translational modifications (PTMs), DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility to regulate gene expression. Crosstalk between different epigenetic mechanisms, such as that between histone PTMs and DNA methylation, leads to an intricate network of chromatin-binding proteins where pre-existing epigenetic marks promote or inhibit the writing of new marks. The recent technical advances in mass spectrometry (MS) -based proteomic methods and in genome-wide DNA sequencing approaches have broadened our understanding of epigenetic networks greatly. However, further development and wider application of these methods is vital in developing treatments for disorders and pathologies that are driven by epigenetic dysregulation.

The RNA-bound proteome of MRSA reveals post-transcriptional roles for helix-turn-helix DNA-binding and Rossmann-fold proteins

RNA-binding proteins play key roles in controlling gene expression in many organisms, but relatively few have been identified and characterised in detail in Gram-positive bacteria. Here, we globally analyse RNA-binding proteins in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using two complementary biochemical approaches. We identify hundreds of putative RNA-binding proteins, many containing unconventional RNA-binding domains such as Rossmann-fold domains. Remarkably, more than half of the proteins containing helix-turn-helix (HTH) domains, which are frequently found in prokaryotic transcription factors, bind RNA in vivo. In particular, the CcpA transcription factor, a master regulator of carbon metabolism, uses its HTH domain to bind hundreds of RNAs near intrinsic transcription terminators in vivo. We propose that CcpA, besides acting as a transcription factor, post-transcriptionally regulates the stability of many RNAs.

Nucleotide-amino acid π-stacking interactions initiate photo cross-linking in RNA-protein complexes

Photo-induced cross-linking is a mainstay technique to characterize RNA-protein interactions. However, UV-induced cross-linking between RNA and proteins at “zero-distance” is poorly understood. Here, we investigate cross-linking of the RBFOX alternative splicing factor with its hepta-ribonucleotide binding element as a model system. We examine the influence of nucleobase, nucleotide position and amino acid composition using CLIR-MS technology (crosslinking-of-isotope-labelled-RNA-and-tandem-mass-spectrometry), that locates cross-links on RNA and protein with site-specific resolution. Surprisingly, cross-linking occurs only at nucleotides that are π-stacked to phenylalanines. Notably, this π-stacking interaction is also necessary for the amino-acids flanking phenylalanines to partake in UV-cross-linking. We confirmed these observations in several published datasets where cross-linking sites could be mapped to a high resolution structure. We hypothesize that π-stacking to aromatic amino acids activates cross-linking in RNA-protein complexes, whereafter nucleotide and peptide radicals recombine. These findings will facilitate interpretation of cross-linking data from structural studies and from genome-wide datasets generated using CLIP (cross-linking-and-immunoprecipitation) methods.

Although UV-induced cross-linking is a widely used method to study RNA-protein complexes, the cross-linking reactions are poorly understood. Here, the authors show that π-stacking interactions between nucleobases and aromatic amino acids play a key role in the cross-linking process.

Multivalent DNA and nucleosome acidic patch interactions specify VRK1 mitotic localization and activity

A key role of chromatin kinases is to phosphorylate histone tails during mitosis to spatiotemporally regulate cell division. Vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) is a serine-threonine kinase that phosphorylates histone H3 threonine 3 (H3T3) along with other chromatin-based targets. While structural studies have defined how several classes of histone-modifying enzymes bind to and function on nucleosomes, the mechanism of chromatin engagement by kinases is largely unclear. Here, we paired cryo-electron microscopy with biochemical and cellular assays to demonstrate that VRK1 interacts with both linker DNA and the nucleosome acidic patch to phosphorylate H3T3. Acidic patch binding by VRK1 is mediated by an arginine-rich flexible C-terminal tail. Homozygous missense and nonsense mutations of this acidic patch recognition motif in VRK1 are causative in rare adult-onset distal spinal muscular atrophy. We show that these VRK1 mutations interfere with nucleosome acidic patch binding, leading to mislocalization of VRK1 during mitosis, thus providing a potential new molecular mechanism for pathogenesis.

Theoretical Study of Light-Induced Crosslinking Reaction Between Pyrimidine DNA Bases and Aromatic Amino Acids

Low-lying electronic excited states and their relaxation pathways as well as energetics of the crosslinking reaction between uracil as a model system for pyrimidine-type building blocks of DNA and RNA and benzene as a model system for aromatic groups of tyrosine (Tyr) and phenylalanine (Phe) amino acids have been studied in the framework of density functional theory. The equilibrium geometries of the ground and electronic excited states as well as the crossing points between the potential energy surfaces of the uracil–benzene complex were computed. Based on these results, different relaxation pathways of the electronic excited states that lead to either back to the initial geometry configuration or the dimerization between the six-membered rings of the uracil–benzene complex have been identified, and the energetic conditions for their occurrence are discussed. It can be concluded that the DNA–protein crosslinking reaction can be induced by the external electromagnetic field via the dimerization reaction between the six-membered rings of the uracil–benzene pair at the electronic excited-state level of the complex. In the case of the uracil–phenol complex, the configuration of the cyclic adduct (dimerized) conformation is less likely to be formed.

Characterization of the T4 gp32-ssDNA complex by native, cross-linking, and ultraviolet photodissociation mass spectrometry

Protein-DNA interactions play crucial roles in DNA replication across all living organisms. Here, we apply a suite of mass spectrometry (MS) tools to characterize a protein-ssDNA complex, T4 gp32·ssDNA, with results that both support previous studies and simultaneously uncover novel insight into this non-covalent biological complex. Native mass spectrometry of the protein reveals the co-occurrence of Zn-bound monomers and homodimers, while addition of differing lengths of ssDNA generates a variety of protein:ssDNA complex stoichiometries (1 : 1, 2 : 1, 3 : 1), indicating sequential association of gp32 monomers with ssDNA. Ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) mass spectrometry allows characterization of the binding site of the ssDNA within the protein monomer via analysis of holo ions, i.e. ssDNA-containing protein fragments, enabling interrogation of disordered regions of the protein which are inaccessible via traditional crystallographic techniques. Finally, two complementary cross-linking (XL) approaches, bottom-up analysis of the crosslinked complexes as well as MS1 analysis of the intact complexes, are used to showcase the absence of ssDNA binding with the intact cross-linked homodimer and to generate two homodimer gp32 model structures which highlight that the homodimer interface overlaps with the monomer ssDNA-binding site. These models suggest that the homodimer may function in a regulatory capacity by controlling the extent of ssDNA binding of the protein monomer. In sum, this work underscores the utility of a multi-faceted mass spectrometry approach for detailed investigation of non-covalent protein-DNA complexes.

Photoactivatable ribonucleosides mark base-specific RNA-binding sites

RNA-protein interaction can be captured by crosslinking and enrichment followed by tandem mass spectrometry, but it remains challenging to pinpoint RNA-binding sites (RBSs) or provide direct evidence for RNA-binding. To overcome these limitations, we here developed pRBS-ID, by incorporating the benefits of UVA-based photoactivatable ribonucleoside (PAR; 4-thiouridine and 6-thioguanosine) crosslinking and chemical RNA cleavage. pRBS-ID robustly detects peptides crosslinked to PAR adducts, offering direct RNA-binding evidence and identifying RBSs at single amino acid-resolution with base-specificity (U or G). Using pRBS-ID, we could profile uridine-contacting RBSs globally and discover guanosine-contacting RBSs, which allowed us to characterize the base-specific interactions. We also applied the search pipeline to analyze the datasets from UVC-based RBS-ID experiments, altogether offering a comprehensive list of human RBSs with high coverage (3,077 RBSs in 532 proteins in total). pRBS-ID is a widely applicable platform to investigate the molecular basis of posttranscriptional regulation.

High-Resolution Mapping of Amino Acid Residues in DNA-Protein Cross-Links Enabled by Ribonucleotide-Containing DNA

DNA-protein cross-links have broad applications in mapping DNA-protein interactions and provide structural insights into macromolecular structures. However, high-resolution mapping of DNA-interacting amino acid residues with tandem mass spectrometry remains challenging due to difficulties in sample preparation and data analysis. Herein, we developed a method for identifying cross-linking amino residues in DNA-protein cross-links at single amino acid resolution. We leveraged the alkaline lability of ribonucleotides and designed ribonucleotide-containing DNA to produce structurally defined nucleic acid-peptide cross-links under our optimized ribonucleotide cleavage conditions. The structurally defined oligonucleotide-peptide heteroconjugates improved ionization, reduced the database search space, and facilitated the identification of cross-linking residues in peptides. We applied the workflow to identifying abasic (AP) site-interacting residues in human mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM)-DNA cross-links. With sub-nmol sample input, we obtained high-quality fragmentation spectra for nucleic acid-peptide cross-links and identified 14 cross-linked lysine residues with the home-built AP_CrosslinkFinder program. Semi-quantification based on integrated peak areas revealed that K186 of TFAM is the major cross-linking residue, consistent with K186 being the closest (to the AP modification) lysine residue in solved TFAM:DNA crystal structures. Additional cross-linking lysine residues (K69, K76, K136, K154) support the dynamic characteristics of TFAM:DNA complexes. Overall, our combined workflow using ribonucleotide as a chemically cleavable DNA modification together with optimized sample preparation and data analysis offers a simple yet powerful approach for mapping cross-linking sites in DNA-protein cross-links. The method is amendable to other chemical or photo-cross-linking systems and can be extended to complex biological samples.

Mass Spectrometry of Nucleic Acid Noncovalent Complexes

Nucleic acids have been among the first targets for antitumor drugs and antibiotics. With the unveiling of new biological roles in regulation of gene expression, specific DNA and RNA structures have become very attractive targets, especially when the corresponding proteins are undruggable. Biophysical assays to assess target structure as well as ligand binding stoichiometry, affinity, specificity, and binding modes are part of the drug development process. Mass spectrometry offers unique advantages as a biophysical method owing to its ability to distinguish each stoichiometry present in a mixture. In addition, advanced mass spectrometry approaches (reactive probing, fragmentation techniques, ion mobility spectrometry, ion spectroscopy) provide more detailed information on the complexes. Here, we review the fundamentals of mass spectrometry and all its particularities when studying noncovalent nucleic acid structures, and then review what has been learned thanks to mass spectrometry on nucleic acid structures, self-assemblies (e.g., duplexes or G-quadruplexes), and their complexes with ligands.

Protein-DNA/RNA Interactions: An Overview of Investigation Methods in the -Omics Era

The fields of application of functional proteomics are not limited to the study of protein–protein interactions; they also extend to those involving protein complexes that bind DNA or RNA. These interactions affect fundamental processes such as replication, transcription, and repair in the case of DNA, as well as transport, translation, splicing, and silencing in the case of RNA. Analytical or preparative experimental approaches, both in vivo and in vitro, have been developed to isolate and identify DNA/RNA binding proteins by exploiting the advantage of the affinity shown by these proteins toward a specific oligonucleotide sequence. The present review proposes an overview of the approaches most commonly employed in proteomics applications for the identification of nucleic acid-binding proteins, such as affinity purification (AP) protocols, EMSA, chromatin purification methods, and CRISPR-based chromatin affinity purification, which are generally associated with mass spectrometry methodologies for the unbiased protein identification.

Interfaces with Structure Dynamics of the Workhorses from Cells Revealed through Cross-Linking Mass Spectrometry (CLMS)

The fundamentals of how protein-protein/RNA/DNA interactions influence the structures and functions of the workhorses from the cells have been well documented in the 20th century. A diverse set of methods exist to determine such interactions between different components, particularly, the mass spectrometry (MS) methods, with its advanced instrumentation, has become a significant approach to analyze a diverse range of biomolecules, as well as bring insights to their biomolecular processes. This review highlights the principal role of chemistry in MS-based structural proteomics approaches, with a particular focus on the chemical cross-linking of protein-protein/DNA/RNA complexes. In addition, we discuss different methods to prepare the cross-linked samples for MS analysis and tools to identify cross-linked peptides. Cross-linking mass spectrometry (CLMS) holds promise to identify interaction sites in larger and more complex biological systems. The typical CLMS workflow allows for the measurement of the proximity in three-dimensional space of amino acids, identifying proteins in direct contact with DNA or RNA, and it provides information on the folds of proteins as well as their topology in the complexes. Principal CLMS applications, its notable successes, as well as common pipelines that bridge proteomics, molecular biology, structural systems biology, and interactomics are outlined.