1
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Cox MM, Goodman MF, Keck JL, van Oijen A, Lovett ST, Robinson A. Generation and Repair of Postreplication Gaps in Escherichia coli. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2023; 87:e0007822. [PMID: 37212693 PMCID: PMC10304936 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00078-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023] Open
Abstract
When replication forks encounter template lesions, one result is lesion skipping, where the stalled DNA polymerase transiently stalls, disengages, and then reinitiates downstream to leave the lesion behind in a postreplication gap. Despite considerable attention in the 6 decades since postreplication gaps were discovered, the mechanisms by which postreplication gaps are generated and repaired remain highly enigmatic. This review focuses on postreplication gap generation and repair in the bacterium Escherichia coli. New information to address the frequency and mechanism of gap generation and new mechanisms for their resolution are described. There are a few instances where the formation of postreplication gaps appears to be programmed into particular genomic locations, where they are triggered by novel genomic elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael M. Cox
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Myron F. Goodman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, University Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, University Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - James L. Keck
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison School of Medicine, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Antoine van Oijen
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Susan T. Lovett
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew Robinson
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
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2
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Carreira R, Aguado FJ, Hurtado-Nieves V, Blanco MG. Canonical and novel non-canonical activities of the Holliday junction resolvase Yen1. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 50:259-280. [PMID: 34928393 PMCID: PMC8754655 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Yen1 and GEN1 are members of the Rad2/XPG family of nucleases that were identified as the first canonical nuclear Holliday junction (HJ) resolvases in budding yeast and humans due to their ability to introduce two symmetric, coordinated incisions on opposite strands of the HJ, yielding nicked DNA products that could be readily ligated. While GEN1 has been extensively characterized in vitro, much less is known about the biochemistry of Yen1. Here, we have performed the first in-depth characterization of purified Yen1. We confirmed that Yen1 resembles GEN1 in many aspects, including range of substrates targeted, position of most incisions they produce or the increase in the first incision rate by assembly of a dimer on a HJ, despite minor differences. However, we demonstrate that Yen1 is endowed with additional nuclease activities, like a nick-specific 5′-3′ exonuclease or HJ arm-chopping that could apparently blur its classification as a canonical HJ resolvase. Despite this, we show that Yen1 fulfils the requirements of a canonical HJ resolvase and hypothesize that its wider array of nuclease activities might contribute to its function in the removal of persistent recombination or replication intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Carreira
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15782, Spain
| | - F Javier Aguado
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15782, Spain
| | - Vanesa Hurtado-Nieves
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15782, Spain
| | - Miguel G Blanco
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15782, Spain
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3
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Ray S, Pal N, Walter NG. Single bacterial resolvases first exploit, then constrain intrinsic dynamics of the Holliday junction to direct recombination. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:2803-2815. [PMID: 33619520 PMCID: PMC7969024 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Homologous recombination forms and resolves an entangled DNA Holliday Junction (HJ) crucial for achieving genetic reshuffling and genome repair. To maintain genomic integrity, specialized resolvase enzymes cleave the entangled DNA into two discrete DNA molecules. However, it is unclear how two similar stacking isomers are distinguished, and how a cognate sequence is found and recognized to achieve accurate recombination. We here use single-molecule fluorescence observation and cluster analysis to examine how prototypic bacterial resolvase RuvC singles out two of the four HJ strands and achieves sequence-specific cleavage. We find that RuvC first exploits, then constrains the dynamics of intrinsic HJ isomer exchange at a sampled branch position to direct cleavage toward the catalytically competent HJ conformation and sequence, thus controlling recombination output at minimal energetic cost. Our model of rapid DNA scanning followed by ‘snap-locking’ of a cognate sequence is strikingly consistent with the conformational proofreading of other DNA-modifying enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujay Ray
- Single Molecule Analysis Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Nibedita Pal
- Single Molecule Analysis Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Nils G Walter
- Single Molecule Analysis Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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4
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Zettl T, Shi X, Bonilla S, Sedlak SM, Lipfert J, Herschlag D. The structural ensemble of a Holliday junction determined by X-ray scattering interference. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:8090-8098. [PMID: 32597986 PMCID: PMC7641307 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The DNA four-way (Holliday) junction is the central intermediate of genetic recombination, yet key aspects of its conformational and thermodynamic properties remain unclear. While multiple experimental approaches have been used to characterize the canonical X-shape conformers under specific ionic conditions, the complete conformational ensemble of this motif, especially at low ionic conditions, remains largely undetermined. In line with previous studies, our single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) measurements of junction dynamics revealed transitions between two states under high salt conditions, but smFRET could not determine whether there are fast and unresolvable transitions between distinct conformations or a broad ensemble of related states under low and intermediate salt conditions. We therefore used an emerging technique, X-ray scattering interferometry (XSI), to directly probe the conformational ensemble of the Holliday junction across a wide range of ionic conditions. Our results demonstrated that the four-way junction adopts an out-of-plane geometry under low ionic conditions and revealed a conformational state at intermediate ionic conditions previously undetected by other methods. Our results provide critical information to build toward a full description of the conformational landscape of the Holliday junction and underscore the utility of XSI for probing conformational ensembles under a wide range of solution conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Zettl
- Department of Physics, Nanosystems Initiative Munich, and Center for Nanoscience, LMU Munich, 80799 Munich, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Xuesong Shi
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Steve Bonilla
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Steffen M Sedlak
- Department of Physics, Nanosystems Initiative Munich, and Center for Nanoscience, LMU Munich, 80799 Munich, Germany
| | - Jan Lipfert
- Department of Physics, Nanosystems Initiative Munich, and Center for Nanoscience, LMU Munich, 80799 Munich, Germany
| | - Daniel Herschlag
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Stanford ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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5
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Bellendir SP, Rognstad DJ, Morris LP, Zapotoczny G, Walton WG, Redinbo MR, Ramsden DA, Sekelsky J, Erie DA. Substrate preference of Gen endonucleases highlights the importance of branched structures as DNA damage repair intermediates. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:5333-5348. [PMID: 28369583 PMCID: PMC5435919 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Human GEN1 and yeast Yen1 are endonucleases with the ability to cleave Holliday junctions (HJs), which are proposed intermediates in recombination. In vivo, GEN1 and Yen1 function secondarily to Mus81, which has weak activity on intact HJs. We show that the genetic relationship is reversed in Drosophila, with Gen mutants having more severe defects than mus81 mutants. In vitro, DmGen, like HsGEN1, efficiently cleaves HJs, 5΄ flaps, splayed arms, and replication fork structures. We find that the cleavage rates for 5΄ flaps are significantly higher than those for HJs for both DmGen and HsGEN1, even in vast excess of enzyme over substrate. Kinetic studies suggest that the difference in cleavage rates results from a slow, rate-limiting conformational change prior to HJ cleavage: formation of a productive dimer on the HJ. Despite the stark difference in vivo that Drosophila uses Gen over Mus81 and humans use MUS81 over GEN1, we find the in vitro activities of DmGen and HsGEN1 to be strikingly similar. These findings suggest that simpler branched structures may be more important substrates for Gen orthologs in vivo, and highlight the utility of using the Drosophila model system to further understand these enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lydia P. Morris
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | | | | | - Matthew R. Redinbo
- Department of Chemistry, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dale A. Ramsden
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jeff Sekelsky
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dorothy A. Erie
- Department of Chemistry, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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6
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Shah Punatar R, Martin MJ, Wyatt HDM, Chan YW, West SC. Resolution of single and double Holliday junction recombination intermediates by GEN1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:443-450. [PMID: 28049850 PMCID: PMC5255610 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1619790114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic recombination provides an important mechanism for the repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Homologous pairing and strand exchange lead to the formation of DNA intermediates, in which sister chromatids or homologous chromosomes are covalently linked by four-way Holliday junctions (HJs). Depending on the type of recombination reaction that takes place, intermediates may have single or double HJs, and their resolution is essential for proper chromosome segregation. In mitotic cells, double HJs are primarily dissolved by the BLM helicase-TopoisomeraseIIIα-RMI1-RMI2 (BTR) complex, whereas single HJs (and double HJs that have escaped the attention of BTR) are resolved by structure-selective endonucleases known as HJ resolvases. These enzymes are ubiquitous in nature, because they are present in bacteriophage, bacteria, archaea, and simple and complex eukaryotes. The human HJ resolvase GEN1 is a member of the XPG/Rad2 family of 5'-flap endonucleases. Biochemical studies of GEN1 revealed that it cleaves synthetic DNA substrates containing a single HJ by a mechanism similar to that shown by the prototypic HJ resolvase, Escherichia coli RuvC protein, but it is unclear whether these substrates fully recapitulate the properties of recombination intermediates that arise within a physiological context. Here, we show that GEN1 efficiently cleaves both single and double HJs contained within large recombination intermediates. Moreover, we find that GEN1 exhibits a weak sequence preference for incision between two G residues that reside in a T-rich region of DNA. These results contrast with those obtained with RuvC, which exhibits a strict requirement for the consensus sequence 5'-A/TTTG/C-3'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajvee Shah Punatar
- DNA Recombination and Repair Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Jose Martin
- DNA Recombination and Repair Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Haley D M Wyatt
- DNA Recombination and Repair Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Ying Wai Chan
- DNA Recombination and Repair Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen C West
- DNA Recombination and Repair Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
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7
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Li H, Hwang Y, Perry K, Bushman F, Van Duyne GD. Structure and Metal Binding Properties of a Poxvirus Resolvase. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:11094-104. [PMID: 27013661 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.709139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Poxviruses replicate their linear genomes by forming concatemers that must be resolved into monomeric units to produce new virions. A viral resolvase cleaves DNA four-way junctions extruded at the concatemer junctions to produce monomeric genomes. This cleavage reaction is required for viral replication, so the resolvase is an attractive target for small molecule inhibitors. To provide a platform for understanding resolvase mechanism and designing inhibitors, we have determined the crystal structure of the canarypox virus (CPV) resolvase. CPV resolvase is dimer of RNase H superfamily domains related to Escherichia coli RuvC, with an active site lined by highly conserved acidic residues that bind metal ions. There are several intriguing structural differences between resolvase and RuvC, and a model of the CPV resolvase·Holliday junction complex provides insights into the consequences of these differences, including a plausible explanation for the weak sequence specificity exhibited by the poxvirus enzymes. The model also explains why the poxvirus resolvases are more promiscuous than RuvC, cleaving a variety of branched, bulged, and flap-containing substrates. Based on the unique active site structure observed for CPV resolvase, we have carried out a series of experiments to test divalent ion usage and preferences. We find that the two resolvase metal binding sites have different preferences for Mg(2+) versus Mn(2+) Optimal resolvase activity is maintained with 5 μm Mn(2+) and 100 μm Mg(2+), concentrations that are well below those required for either metal alone. Together, our findings provide biochemical insights and structural models that will facilitate studying poxvirus replication and the search for efficient poxvirus inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiguang Li
- From the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, the Graduate Group in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, and
| | - Young Hwang
- the Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Kay Perry
- the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, and the Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439
| | - Frederic Bushman
- the Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104,
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8
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Lee SH, Princz LN, Klügel MF, Habermann B, Pfander B, Biertümpfel C. Human Holliday junction resolvase GEN1 uses a chromodomain for efficient DNA recognition and cleavage. eLife 2015; 4:e12256. [PMID: 26682650 PMCID: PMC5039027 DOI: 10.7554/elife.12256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Holliday junctions (HJs) are key DNA intermediates in homologous recombination. They link homologous DNA strands and have to be faithfully removed for proper DNA segregation and genome integrity. Here, we present the crystal structure of human HJ resolvase GEN1 complexed with DNA at 3.0 Å resolution. The GEN1 core is similar to other Rad2/XPG nucleases. However, unlike other members of the superfamily, GEN1 contains a chromodomain as an additional DNA interaction site. Chromodomains are known for their chromatin-targeting function in chromatin remodelers and histone(de)acetylases but they have not previously been found in nucleases. The GEN1 chromodomain directly contacts DNA and its truncation severely hampers GEN1's catalytic activity. Structure-guided mutations in vitro and in vivo in yeast validated our mechanistic findings. Our study provides the missing structure in the Rad2/XPG family and insights how a well-conserved nuclease core acquires versatility in recognizing diverse substrates for DNA repair and maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shun-Hsiao Lee
- Department of Structural Cell Biology, Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Repair, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Lissa Nicola Princz
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, DNA Replication and Genome Integrity, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Maren Felizitas Klügel
- Department of Structural Cell Biology, Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Repair, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Bianca Habermann
- Computational Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Boris Pfander
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, DNA Replication and Genome Integrity, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Christian Biertümpfel
- Department of Structural Cell Biology, Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Repair, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
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9
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Chen SH, Byrne RT, Wood EA, Cox MM. Escherichia coli radD (yejH) gene: a novel function involved in radiation resistance and double-strand break repair. Mol Microbiol 2015; 95:754-68. [PMID: 25425430 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A transposon insertion screen implicated the yejH gene in the repair of ionizing radiation-induced damage. The yejH gene, which exhibits significant homology to the human transcription-coupled DNA repair gene XPB, is involved in the repair of double-strand DNA breaks. Deletion of yejH significantly sensitized cells to agents that cause double-strand breaks (ionizing radiation, UV radiation, ciprofloxacin). In addition, deletion of both yejH and radA hypersensitized the cells to ionizing radiation, UV and ciprofloxacin damage, indicating that these two genes have complementary repair functions. The ΔyejH ΔradA double deletion also showed a substantial decline in viability following an induced double-strand DNA break, of a magnitude comparable with the defect measured when the recA, recB, recG or priA genes are deleted. The ATPase activity and C-terminal zinc finger motif of yejH play an important role in its repair function, as targeted mutant alleles of yejH did not rescue sensitivity. We propose that yejH be renamed radD, reflecting its role in the DNA repair of radiation damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie H Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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10
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Suzuki Y, Endo M, Cañas C, Ayora S, Alonso JC, Sugiyama H, Takeyasu K. Direct analysis of Holliday junction resolving enzyme in a DNA origami nanostructure. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 42:7421-8. [PMID: 24792171 PMCID: PMC4066755 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Holliday junction (HJ) resolution is a fundamental step for completion of homologous recombination. HJ resolving enzymes (resolvases) distort the junction structure upon binding and prior cleavage, raising the possibility that the reactivity of the enzyme can be affected by a particular geometry and topology at the junction. Here, we employed a DNA origami nano-scaffold in which each arm of a HJ was tethered through the base-pair hybridization, allowing us to make the junction core either flexible or inflexible by adjusting the length of the DNA arms. Both flexible and inflexible junctions bound to Bacillus subtilis RecU HJ resolvase, while only the flexible junction was efficiently resolved into two duplexes by this enzyme. This result indicates the importance of the structural malleability of the junction core for the reaction to proceed. Moreover, cleavage preferences of RecU-mediated reaction were addressed by analyzing morphology of the reaction products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Suzuki
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwakecho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST), Sanbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan
| | - Masayuki Endo
- CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST), Sanbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Yoshida-ushinomiyacho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Cristina Cañas
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CNB-CSIC, C/Darwin 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Silvia Ayora
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CNB-CSIC, C/Darwin 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan C Alonso
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CNB-CSIC, C/Darwin 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Hiroshi Sugiyama
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwakecho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST), Sanbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Yoshida-ushinomiyacho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Kunio Takeyasu
- Laboratory of Plasma Membrane and Nuclear Signaling, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University Yoshida-konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
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11
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Bazhulina NP, Surovaya AN, Gursky YG, Andronova VL, Moiseeva ED, Nikitin CACM, Golovkin MV, Galegov GА, Grokhovsky SL, Gursky GV. Complex of the herpes simplex virus type 1 origin binding protein UL9 with DNA as a platform for the design of a new type of antiviral drugs. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2013; 32:1456-73. [PMID: 23879454 PMCID: PMC4066892 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2013.820110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The herpes simplex virus type 1 origin-binding protein, OBP, is a DNA helicase encoded by the UL9 gene. The protein binds in a sequence-specific manner to the viral origins of replication, two OriS sites and one OriL site. In order to search for efficient inhibitors of the OBP activity, we have obtained a recombinant origin-binding protein expressed in Escherichia coli cells. The UL9 gene has been amplified by PCR and inserted into a modified plasmid pET14 between NdeI and KpnI sites. The recombinant protein binds to Box I and Box II sequences and possesses helicase and ATPase activities. In the presence of ATP and viral protein ICP8 (single-strand DNA-binding protein), the initiator protein induces unwinding of the minimal OriS duplex (≈80 bp). The protein also binds to a single-stranded DNA (OriS*) containing a stable Box I-Box III hairpin and an unstable AT-rich hairpin at the 3'-end. In the present work, new minor groove binding ligands have been synthesized which are capable to inhibit the development of virus-induced cytopathic effect in cultured Vero cells. Studies on binding of these compounds to DNA and synthetic oligonucleotides have been performed by fluorescence methods, gel mobility shift analysis and footprinting assays. Footprinting studies have revealed that Pt-bis-netropsin and related molecules exhibit preferences for binding to the AT-spacer in OriS. The drugs stabilize structure of the AT-rich region and inhibit the fluctuation opening of AT-base pairs which is a prerequisite to unwinding of DNA by OBP. Kinetics of ATP-dependent unwinding of OriS in the presence and absence of netropsin derivatives have been studied by measuring the efficiency of Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between fluorophores attached to 5'- and 3'- ends of an oligonucleotide in the minimal OriS duplex. The results are consistent with the suggestion that OBP is the DNA Holiday junction (HJ) binding helicase. The protein induces conformation changes (bending and partial melting) of OriS duplexes and stimulates HJ formation in the absence of ATP. The antiviral activity of bis-netropsins is coupled with their ability to inhibit the fluctuation opening of АТ base pairs in the А + Т cluster and their capacity to stabilize the structure of the АТ-rich hairpin in the single-stranded oligonucleotide corresponding to the upper chain in the minimal duplex OriS. The antiviral activities of bis-netropsins in cell culture and their therapeutic effects on HSV1-infected laboratory animals have been studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- N P Bazhulina
- a V.A. Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences , ul. Vavilova 32, 119991 , Moscow , Russia
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12
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Chen L, Shi K, Yin Z, Aihara H. Structural asymmetry in the Thermus thermophilus RuvC dimer suggests a basis for sequential strand cleavages during Holliday junction resolution. Nucleic Acids Res 2013; 41:648-56. [PMID: 23118486 PMCID: PMC3592405 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks1015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2012] [Revised: 09/27/2012] [Accepted: 10/02/2012] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Holliday junction (HJ) resolvases are structure-specific endonucleases that cleave four-way DNA junctions (HJs) generated during DNA recombination and repair. Bacterial RuvC, a prototypical HJ resolvase, functions as homodimer and nicks DNA strands precisely across the junction point. To gain insights into the mechanisms underlying symmetrical strand cleavages by RuvC, we performed crystallographic and biochemical analyses of RuvC from Thermus thermophilus (T.th. RuvC). The crystal structure of T.th. RuvC shows an overall protein fold similar to that of Escherichia coli RuvC, but T.th. RuvC has a more tightly associated dimer interface possibly reflecting its thermostability. The binding mode of a HJ-DNA substrate can be inferred from the shape/charge complementarity between the T.th. RuvC dimer and HJ-DNA, as well as positions of sulfate ions bound on the protein surface. Unexpectedly, the structure of T.th. RuvC homodimer refined at 1.28 Å resolution shows distinct asymmetry near the dimer interface, in the region harboring catalytically important aromatic residues. The observation suggests that the T.th. RuvC homodimer interconverts between two asymmetric conformations, with alternating subunits switched on for DNA strand cleavage. This model provides a structural basis for the 'nick-counter-nick' mechanism in HJ resolution, a mode of HJ processing shared by prokaryotic and eukaryotic HJ resolvases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Hideki Aihara
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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13
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Ehmsen KT, Heyer WD. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mus81-Mms4 is a catalytic, DNA structure-selective endonuclease. Nucleic Acids Res 2008; 36:2182-95. [PMID: 18281703 PMCID: PMC2367710 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkm1152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2007] [Revised: 12/07/2007] [Accepted: 12/12/2007] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The DNA structure-selective endonuclease Mus81-Mms4/Eme1 is a context-specific recombination factor that supports DNA replication, but is not essential for DSB repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We overexpressed Mus81-Mms4 in S. cerevisiae, purified the heterodimer to apparent homogeneity, and performed a classical enzymological characterization. Kinetic analysis (k(cat), K(M)) demonstrated that Mus81-Mms4 is catalytically active and identified three substrate classes in vitro. Class I substrates reflect low K(M) (3-7 nM) and high k(cat) ( approximately 1 min(-1)) and include the nicked Holliday junction, 3'-flapped and replication fork-like structures. Class II substrates share low K(M) (1-6 nM) but low k(cat) (< or =0.3 min(-1)) relative to Class I substrates and include the D-loop and partial Holliday junction. The splayed Y junction defines a class III substrate having high K(M) ( approximately 30 nM) and low k(cat) (0.26 min(-1)). Holliday junctions assembled from oligonucleotides with or without a branch migratable core were negligibly cut in vitro. We found that Mus81 and Mms4 are phosphorylated constitutively and in the presence of the genotoxin MMS. The endogenous complex purified in either modification state is negligibly active on Holliday junctions. Hence, Holliday junction incision activity in vitro cannot be attributed to the Mus81-Mms4 heterodimer in isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirk Tevebaugh Ehmsen
- Section of Microbiology and Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616-8665, USA
| | - Wolf-Dietrich Heyer
- Section of Microbiology and Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616-8665, USA
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14
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McVey M, Andersen SL, Broze Y, Sekelsky J. Multiple functions of Drosophila BLM helicase in maintenance of genome stability. Genetics 2007; 176:1979-92. [PMID: 17507683 PMCID: PMC1950607 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.106.070052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Bloom Syndrome, a rare human disorder characterized by genomic instability and predisposition to cancer, is caused by mutation of BLM, which encodes a RecQ-family DNA helicase. The Drosophila melanogaster ortholog of BLM, DmBlm, is encoded by mus309. Mutations in mus309 cause hypersensitivity to DNA-damaging agents, female sterility, and defects in repairing double-strand breaks (DSBs). To better understand these phenotypes, we isolated novel mus309 alleles. Mutations that delete the N terminus of DmBlm, but not the helicase domain, have DSB repair defects as severe as those caused by null mutations. We found that female sterility is due to a requirement for DmBlm in early embryonic cell cycles; embryos lacking maternally derived DmBlm have anaphase bridges and other mitotic defects. These defects were less severe for the N-terminal deletion alleles, so we used one of these mutations to assay meiotic recombination. Crossovers were decreased to about half the normal rate, and the remaining crossovers were evenly distributed along the chromosome. We also found that spontaneous mitotic crossovers are increased by several orders of magnitude in mus309 mutants. These results demonstrate that DmBlm functions in multiple cellular contexts to promote genome stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitch McVey
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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15
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Ishino Y, Nishino T, Morikawa K. Mechanisms of maintaining genetic stability by homologous recombination. Chem Rev 2006; 106:324-39. [PMID: 16464008 DOI: 10.1021/cr0404803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshizumi Ishino
- Department of Genetic Resources Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukukoka-shi, Fukuoka, Japan.
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16
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Yamada K, Ariyoshi M, Morikawa K. Three-dimensional structural views of branch migration and resolution in DNA homologous recombination. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2005; 14:130-7. [PMID: 15093826 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2004.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The processing of the Holliday junction by various proteins is a major event in DNA homologous recombination and is crucial to the maintenance of genome stability and biological diversity. The proteins RuvA, RuvB and RuvC play central roles in the late stage of recombination in prokaryotes. Recent atomic views of these proteins, including protein-protein and protein-junction DNA complexes, provide new insights into branch migration mechanisms: RuvA is likely to be responsible for base-pair rearrangements, whereas RuvB, classified as a member of the AAA(+) family, functions as a pump to pull DNA duplex arms without segmental unwinding. The mechanism of junction resolution by RuvC in the RuvABC resolvasome remains to be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiro Yamada
- Biomolecular Engineering Research Institute, 6-2-3 Furuedai, Suita, Osaka 565-0874, Japan
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17
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Parniewski P, Staczek P. Molecular mechanisms of TRS instability. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2003; 516:1-25. [PMID: 12611433 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4615-0117-6_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/26/2023]
Abstract
To date several neurodegenerative disorders including myotonic dystrophy, Huntington's disease, Kennedy's disease, fragile X syndrome, spinocerebellar ataxias or Friedreich's ataxia have been linked to the expanding trinucleotide sequences. Although phenotypic features vary among these debilitating diseases, the structural abnormalities of the triplet repeat containing DNA sequences is the primary cause for all of these disorders. Expansions of the CAG repeat within coding regions of miscellaneous genes result in the synthesis of aberrant proteins containing enormously long polyglutamine stretches. Such proteins acquire toxic functions and/or may direct cells into the apoptotic cycle. On the other hand, massive expansions of various triplet repeats (i.e., CTG/CAG, CGG/CCG/, GAA/TTC) inside the noncoding regions lead to the silencing of transcription and therefore affect expression of the adjacent genes. The repetitive character of TRS allows stretches of such tracts to form slipped-stranded structures, self-complementary hairpins, triplexes or more complex configurations called "sticky DNA", which are not equally processed by some cellular mechanisms, as compared to random DNA. It is likely that the instability of the short TRS (below the threshold level) occurs due to the SILC pathway, which is driven by the DNA slippage. Accumulation of the short expansions leads to the disease premutation state where the MLC pathway becomes predominant. Independent of which mechanism is involved in the MLC pathway (replication, transcription, repair or recombination) the process of complementary strand synthesis is crucial for the TRS instability. Generally, dependent on the location of the tract which has higher potential to form secondary DNA structure, further processing of such tract may result in expansions (secondary structure formed at the newly synthesized strand) or deletions (structure present on the template strand). Analyses of molecular mechanisms of the TRS genetic instability using bacteria, yeast, cell lines and transgenic animals as models allowed the scientists to better understand the role of some major cellular processes in the development of neurodegenerative disorders in humans. However, it is necessary to remember that most of these investigations were focused on the involvement of each particular process separately. Much less of this work though was dedicated to the search for the interactions between such cellular systems that in effect could result in different rate of TRS expansions. Thus, more intensive studies are necessary in order to fully understand the phenomenon ofthe dynamic mutations leading to the human hereditary neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel Parniewski
- Centre for Microbiology and Virology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Lodowa 106, 93-232 Lódz, Poland
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18
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Abstract
It has recently become clear that the recombinational repair of stalled replication forks is the primary function of homologous recombination systems in bacteria. In spite of the rapid progress in many related lines of inquiry that have converged to support this view, much remains to be done. This review focuses on several key gaps in understanding. Insufficient data currently exists on: (a) the levels and types of DNA damage present as a function of growth conditions, (b) which types of damage and other barriers actually halt replication, (c) the structures of the stalled/collapsed replication forks, (d) the number of recombinational repair paths available and their mechanistic details, (e) the enzymology of some of the key reactions required for repair, (f) the role of certain recombination proteins that have not yet been studied, and (g) the molecular origin of certain in vivo observations associated with recombinational DNA repair during the SOS response. The current status of each of these topics is reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Cox
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1544, USA.
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19
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Cohen PE, Pollard JW. Regulation of meiotic recombination and prophase I progression in mammals. Bioessays 2001; 23:996-1009. [PMID: 11746216 DOI: 10.1002/bies.1145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Meiosis is the process by which diploid germ cells divide to produce haploid gametes for sexual reproduction. The process is highly conserved in eukaryotes, however the recent availability of mouse models for meiotic recombination has revealed surprising regulatory differences between simple unicellular organisms and those with increasingly complex genomes. Moreover, in these higher eukaryotes, the intervention of physiological and sex-specific factors may also influence how meiotic recombination and progression are monitored and regulated. This review will focus on the recent studies involving mouse mutants for meiosis, and will highlight important differences between traditional model systems for meiosis (such as yeast) and those involving more complex cellular, physiological and genetic criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- P E Cohen
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, New York 10461, USA.
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20
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Woods KC, Martin SS, Chu VC, Baldwin EP. Quasi-equivalence in site-specific recombinase structure and function: crystal structure and activity of trimeric Cre recombinase bound to a three-way Lox DNA junction. J Mol Biol 2001; 313:49-69. [PMID: 11601846 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.2001.5012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The crystal structure of a novel Cre-Lox synapse was solved using phases from multiple isomorphous replacement and anomalous scattering, and refined to 2.05 A resolution. In this complex, a symmetric protein trimer is bound to a Y-shaped three-way DNA junction, a marked departure from the pseudo-4-fold symmetrical tetramer associated with Cre-mediated LoxP recombination. The three-way DNA junction was accommodated by a simple kink without significant distortion of the adjoining DNA duplexes. Although the mean angle between DNA arms in the Y and X structures was similar, adjacent Cre trimer subunits rotated 29 degrees relative to those in the tetramers. This rotation was accommodated at the protein-protein and DNA-DNA interfaces by interactions that are "quasi-equivalent" to those in the tetramer, analogous to packing differences of chemically identical viral subunits at non-equivalent positions in icosahedral capsids. This structural quasi-equivalence extends to function as Cre can bind to, cleave and perform strand transfer with a three-way Lox substrate. The structure explains the dual recognition of three and four-way junctions by site-specific recombinases as being due to shared structural features between the differently branched substrates and plasticity of the protein-protein interfaces. To our knowledge, this is the first direct demonstration of quasi-equivalence in both the assembly and function of an oligomeric enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- K C Woods
- Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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21
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Yoshikawa M, Iwasaki H, Shinagawa H. Evidence that phenylalanine 69 in Escherichia coli RuvC resolvase forms a stacking interaction during binding and destabilization of a Holliday junction DNA substrate. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:10432-6. [PMID: 11152689 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m010138200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli RuvC resolvase is a specific endonuclease that recognizes and cleaves Holliday junctions formed during homologous recombination and recombinational repair. This study examines the phenotype of RuvC mutants with amino acid substitutions at phenylalanine 69 (F69L, F69Y, F69W, and F69A), a catalytically important residue that faces the catalytic center of the enzyme. F69Y, but not the other three mutants, almost fully complements the UV sensitivity of a DeltaruvC strain and substantially resolves synthetic Holliday junctions in vitro. In the presence of 100 mm NaCl, RuvC F69A and F69L are defective in junction binding, but F69Y and F69W retain near wild-type binding activity during a gel shift binding assay. KMnO(4) was used to probe synthetic Holliday junction DNA in a complex with wild-type and mutant RuvC; F69A and F69L did not induce disruption of base pairing at the crossover to the same extent as wild-type RuvC. Thus, the aromatic ring of Phe-69 is involved in DNA binding, probably via a stacking interaction with a nucleotide base, and this interaction may induce a structural change in junction DNA that is required to form a catalytically competent complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Yoshikawa
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, and PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
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22
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Gonzalez S, Rosenfeld A, Szeto D, Wetmur JG. The ruv proteins of Thermotoga maritima: branch migration and resolution of Holliday junctions. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2000; 1494:217-25. [PMID: 11121578 DOI: 10.1016/s0167-4781(00)00226-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In homologous recombination in bacteria, the RuvAB Holliday junction-specific helicase catalyzes Holliday junction branch migration, and the RuvC Holliday junction resolvase catalyzes formation of spliced or patched structures. RuvAB and RuvC from the hyperthermophile Thermotoga maritima were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. An inverted repeat sequence with unique termini was produced by PCR, restriction endonuclease cleavage, and head-to-tail ligation. A second inverted repeat sequence was derived by amplification of a second template containing a three-nucleotide insertion. Reassociation products from a mixture of these two sequences were homoduplex linear molecules and heteroduplex heat-stable Holliday junctions, which acted as substrates for both T. maritima RuvAB and RuvC. The T. maritima RuvAB helicase catalyzed energy-dependent Holliday junction branch migration at 70 degrees C, leading to heteroduplex linear duplex molecules with two three-nucleotide loops. Either ATP or ATP gamma S hydrolysis served as the energy source. T. maritima RuvC resolved Holliday junctions at 70 degrees C. Remarkably, the cleavage site was identical to the preferred cleavage site for E. coli RuvC [(A/T)TT(downward arrow)(G/C)]. The conservation of function and the ease of purification of wild-type and mutant thermophilic proteins argues for the use of T. maritima proteins for additional biochemical and structural studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Gonzalez
- Department of Microbiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA
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23
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Komori K, Sakae S, Fujikane R, Morikawa K, Shinagawa H, Ishino Y. Biochemical characterization of the hjc holliday junction resolvase of Pyrococcus furiosus. Nucleic Acids Res 2000; 28:4544-51. [PMID: 11071944 PMCID: PMC113867 DOI: 10.1093/nar/28.22.4544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Hjc protein of Pyrococcus furiosus is an endonuclease that resolves Holliday junctions, the intermediates in homologous recombination. The amino acid sequence of Hjc is conserved in Archaea, however, it is not similar to any of the well-characterized Holliday junction resolvases. In order to investigate the similarity and diversity of the enzymatic properties of Hjc as a Holliday junction resolvase, highly purified Hjc produced in recombinant Escherichia coli was used for detailed biochemical characterizations. Hjc has specific binding activity to the Holliday-structured DNA, with an apparent dissociation constant (K:(d)) of 60 nM. The dimeric form of Hjc binds to the substrate DNA. The optimal reaction conditions were determined using a synthetic Holliday junction as substrate. Hjc required a divalent cation for cleavage activity and Mg(2+) at 5-10 mM was optimal. Mn(2+) could substitute for Mg(2+), but it was much less efficient than Mg(2+) as the cofactor. The cleavage reaction was stimulated by alkaline pH and KCl at approximately 200 mM. In addition to the high specific activity, Hjc was found to be extremely heat stable. In contrast to the case of SULFOLOBUS:, the Holliday junction resolving activity detected in P. furiosus cell extract thus far is only derived from Hjc.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Komori
- Department of Molecular Biology and Department of Structural Biology, Biomolecular Engineering Research Institute (BERI), 6-2-3 Furuedai, Suita, Osaka 565-0874, Japan
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24
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Abstract
The Holliday junction is a central intermediate in homologous recombination. It consists of a four-way structure that can be resolved by cleavage to give either the crossover or noncrossover products observed. We show here that the formation of these products is controlled by the E. coli resolvasome (RuvABC) in such way that double-strand break repair (DSBR) leads to crossing over and single-strand gap repair (SSGR) does not lead to crossing over. We argue that the positioning of the RuvABC complex and its consequent direction of junction-cleavage is not random. In fact, the action of the RuvABC complex avoids crossing over in the most commonly predicted situations where Holliday junctions are encountered in DNA replication and repair. Our observations suggest that the positioning of the resolvasome may provide a general biochemical mechanism by which cells can control crossing over in recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- G A Cromie
- Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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25
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Yoshikawa M, Iwasaki H, Kinoshita K, Shinagawa H. Two basic residues, Lys-107 and Lys-118, of RuvC resolvase are involved in critical contacts with the Holliday junction for its resolution. Genes Cells 2000; 5:803-13. [PMID: 11029656 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2443.2000.00371.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Crystallographic and mutational studies of Escherichia coli RuvC Holliday junction resolvase have revealed that a catalytic site of each subunit is composed of four acidic residues at the bottom of the putative DNA-binding cleft, whose surface contains eight basic residues. RESULTS To elucidate the functional roles of the basic residues on the cleft surface, we constructed a series of mutant ruvC genes and characterized their properties in vivo and in vitro. Among them, two RuvC mutants with a single alteration, K107A and K118A, were defective in UV-repair and showed a dominant negative effect. The purified K107A and K118A proteins showed reduced binding activity to the junction DNA in the presence of Mg2+ under high salt conditions. Mn2+ increased both the junction binding and cleaving activities of the mutant proteins. In the absence of a divalent cation, the wild-type, K107A and K118A proteins did not bind to junction DNA under high salt conditions, but the D7N mutant, with an alteration of the catalytic centre, was able to bind to the junction efficiently. CONCLUSION The results presented here, in conjunction with previous crystallographic studies, suggest that the catalytic complex which is formed through interactions of acidic residues, Mg2+ and a cleavable phosphodiester bond, is stabilized by Lys-107 and Lys-118 via electrostatic interactions with the DNA backbone, a process which is critically important for the cleavage reaction to take place. One or two basic residues near the catalytic centre have also been found in other RNase H superfamily proteins, indicating that this is the conserved reaction mechanism in this superfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Yoshikawa
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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26
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Abstract
The nucleases discussed in this review show little sequence specificity but instead recognize certain structural features of their respective DNA substrates. The level of their structural selectivity ranges from simple discrimination between single- and double-stranded DNA (nucleases P1 and S1), the recognition of helical parameters like groove width and flexibility (DNase I), the recognition of helical distortions caused by abasic sites (exonuclease III, HAP1), to the recognition of specialized structures like flap DNA (5'-nucleases of eukaryotes, phages, and eubacterial DNA polymerases) and four-way junctions (T4 endonuclease VII, RuvC). The discussion is focused on the structural basis of the recognition process. In most cases the available x-ray structures of the nucleases and/or their DNA complexes have revealed the presence of structural motifs explaining the observed structural selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Suck
- Structural Biology Programme, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
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27
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Hughes D. Co-evolution of the tuf genes links gene conversion with the generation of chromosomal inversions. J Mol Biol 2000; 297:355-64. [PMID: 10715206 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.2000.3587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The tufA and tufB genes in Salmonella typhimurium co-evolve by recombination and exchange of genetic material. A model is presented which predicts that co-evolution is achieved by gene conversions and chromosomal inversions. Analysis of recombinants reveals that conversion and inversion each occur with similar rates and each depends on RecBCD activity. The model predicts sequence structures for different classes of post-recombination tuf genes. Sequence analysis reveals the presence of each of these structures and classes, with a predicted bias in the absence of mismatch repair. An implication of these data is that co-evolution of gene families can be linked with the generation of chromosomal rearrangements.
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MESH Headings
- Alleles
- Bacterial Proteins/chemistry
- Bacterial Proteins/genetics
- Bacterial Proteins/physiology
- Base Pair Mismatch/genetics
- Chromosome Breakage/genetics
- Chromosome Inversion
- DNA Damage/genetics
- DNA Repair/genetics
- Drug Resistance, Microbial
- Evolution, Molecular
- Exodeoxyribonuclease V
- Exodeoxyribonucleases/genetics
- Exodeoxyribonucleases/metabolism
- Gene Conversion/genetics
- Genes, Bacterial/genetics
- Kinetics
- Models, Genetic
- Mutation/genetics
- Pyridones/pharmacology
- RNA, Bacterial/analysis
- RNA, Bacterial/genetics
- RNA, Bacterial/physiology
- RNA, Messenger/analysis
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/physiology
- Salmonella typhimurium/drug effects
- Salmonella typhimurium/enzymology
- Salmonella typhimurium/genetics
- Transcription, Genetic/drug effects
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Affiliation(s)
- D Hughes
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Biomedical Center Box 596, SE-751 24 Uppsala Sweden.
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28
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Kuzminov A. Recombinational repair of DNA damage in Escherichia coli and bacteriophage lambda. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 1999; 63:751-813, table of contents. [PMID: 10585965 PMCID: PMC98976 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.63.4.751-813.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 719] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although homologous recombination and DNA repair phenomena in bacteria were initially extensively studied without regard to any relationship between the two, it is now appreciated that DNA repair and homologous recombination are related through DNA replication. In Escherichia coli, two-strand DNA damage, generated mostly during replication on a template DNA containing one-strand damage, is repaired by recombination with a homologous intact duplex, usually the sister chromosome. The two major types of two-strand DNA lesions are channeled into two distinct pathways of recombinational repair: daughter-strand gaps are closed by the RecF pathway, while disintegrated replication forks are reestablished by the RecBCD pathway. The phage lambda recombination system is simpler in that its major reaction is to link two double-stranded DNA ends by using overlapping homologous sequences. The remarkable progress in understanding the mechanisms of recombinational repair in E. coli over the last decade is due to the in vitro characterization of the activities of individual recombination proteins. Putting our knowledge about recombinational repair in the broader context of DNA replication will guide future experimentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kuzminov
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA.
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29
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Pâques F, Haber JE. Multiple pathways of recombination induced by double-strand breaks in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 1999. [PMID: 10357855 DOI: 10.0000/pmid10357855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been the principal organism used in experiments to examine genetic recombination in eukaryotes. Studies over the past decade have shown that meiotic recombination and probably most mitotic recombination arise from the repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs). There are multiple pathways by which such DSBs can be repaired, including several homologous recombination pathways and still other nonhomologous mechanisms. Our understanding has also been greatly enriched by the characterization of many proteins involved in recombination and by insights that link aspects of DNA repair to chromosome replication. New molecular models of DSB-induced gene conversion are presented. This review encompasses these different aspects of DSB-induced recombination in Saccharomyces and attempts to relate genetic, molecular biological, and biochemical studies of the processes of DNA repair and recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Pâques
- Rosenstiel Center and Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454-9110, USA
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30
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Pâques F, Haber JE. Multiple pathways of recombination induced by double-strand breaks in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 1999; 63:349-404. [PMID: 10357855 PMCID: PMC98970 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.63.2.349-404.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1649] [Impact Index Per Article: 66.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been the principal organism used in experiments to examine genetic recombination in eukaryotes. Studies over the past decade have shown that meiotic recombination and probably most mitotic recombination arise from the repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs). There are multiple pathways by which such DSBs can be repaired, including several homologous recombination pathways and still other nonhomologous mechanisms. Our understanding has also been greatly enriched by the characterization of many proteins involved in recombination and by insights that link aspects of DNA repair to chromosome replication. New molecular models of DSB-induced gene conversion are presented. This review encompasses these different aspects of DSB-induced recombination in Saccharomyces and attempts to relate genetic, molecular biological, and biochemical studies of the processes of DNA repair and recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Pâques
- Rosenstiel Center and Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454-9110, USA
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31
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Raaijmakers H, Vix O, Törõ I, Golz S, Kemper B, Suck D. X-ray structure of T4 endonuclease VII: a DNA junction resolvase with a novel fold and unusual domain-swapped dimer architecture. EMBO J 1999; 18:1447-58. [PMID: 10075917 PMCID: PMC1171234 DOI: 10.1093/emboj/18.6.1447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Phage T4 endonuclease VII (Endo VII), the first enzyme shown to resolve Holliday junctions, recognizes a broad spectrum of DNA substrates ranging from branched DNAs to single base mismatches. We have determined the crystal structures of the Ca2+-bound wild-type and the inactive N62D mutant enzymes at 2.4 and 2.1 A, respectively. The Endo VII monomers form an elongated, highly intertwined molecular dimer exhibiting extreme domain swapping. The major dimerization elements are two pairs of antiparallel helices forming a novel 'four-helix cross' motif. The unique monomer fold, almost completely lacking beta-sheet structure and containing a zinc ion tetrahedrally coordinated to four cysteines, does not resemble any of the known junction-resolving enzymes, including the Escherichia coli RuvC and lambda integrase-type recombinases. The S-shaped dimer has two 'binding bays' separated by approximately 25 A which are lined by positively charged residues and contain near their base residues known to be essential for activity. These include Asp40 and Asn62, which function as ligands for the bound calcium ions. A pronounced bipolar charge distribution suggests that branched DNA substrates bind to the positively charged face with the scissile phosphates located near the divalent cations. A model for the complex with a four-way DNA junction is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Raaijmakers
- Structural Biology Programme, EMBL, Meyerhofstrasse 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
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32
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Ichiyanagi K, Iwasaki H, Hishida T, Shinagawa H. Mutational analysis on structure-function relationship of a holliday junction specific endonuclease RuvC. Genes Cells 1998; 3:575-86. [PMID: 9813108 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2443.1998.00213.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Escherichia coli RuvC protein is a specific endonuclease that resolves Holliday junctions during homologous recombination. For junction resolution, RuvC undergoes distinct steps such as dimerization, junction-specific binding and endonucleolytic cleavage. The crystal structure of RuvC has been revealed. RESULTS To identify functionally important residues, we isolated a large number of mutant ruvC genes created by random mutagenesis and characterized their properties in vivo and in vitro. The mutations which were isolated most frequently were mapped to the four acidic residues constituting the catalytic centre. Amongst the several mutant proteins affected in the dimer interface, only one could not form a dimer. The others were able to form a dimer but were defective in cleavage. F69L and K118R mutant proteins could not cleave the junction, but they were able to form a dimer and bind the junction DNA. CONCLUSIONS Random mutagenesis highlighted many structurally and functionally important residues of RuvC, most of which are highly conserved among RuvC homologues. Dimer formation and also conservation of intact interface interactions between the subunits are important for junction binding and subsequent cleavage. Phe-69 and Lys-118 are critically important for the interactions which lead to junction cleavage.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Ichiyanagi
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
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33
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Zerbib D, Mézard C, George H, West SC. Coordinated actions of RuvABC in Holliday junction processing. J Mol Biol 1998; 281:621-30. [PMID: 9710535 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1998.1959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The RuvA, RuvB and RuvC proteins of Escherichia coli process Holliday junctions during genetic recombination and DNA repair. Biochemical studies have shown that RuvA and RuvB promote branch migration whereas RuvC resolves junctions by endonucleolytic cleavage. Here we show that RuvAB stimulate Holliday junction resolution by RuvC. Elevated RuvC activity was dependent upon RuvAB-mediated ATP-hydrolysis. These results show that the three Ruv proteins work in a coordinated manner to promote Holliday junction resolution, and account for the resolvase-defective phenotype exhibited by ruvA, ruvB or ruvC mutant strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Zerbib
- Clare Hall Laboratories, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, South Mimms, Herts, EN6 3LD, UK
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34
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Hagan NF, Vincent SD, Ingleston SM, Sharples GJ, Bennett RJ, West SC, Lloyd RG. Sequence-specificity of Holliday junction resolution: identification of RuvC mutants defective in metal binding and target site recognition. J Mol Biol 1998; 281:17-29. [PMID: 9680472 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1998.1934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The RuvC protein of Escherichia coli resolves Holliday intermediates in recombination and DNA repair by a dual strand incision mechanism targeted to specific DNA sequences located symmetrically at the crossover. Two classes of amino acid substitutions are described that provide new insights into the sequence-specificity of the resolution reaction. The first includes D7N and G14S, which modify or eliminate metal binding and prevent catalysis. The second, defined by G114D, G114N, and A116T, interfere with the ability of RuvC to cleave at preferred sequences, but allow resolution at non-consensus target sites. All five mutant proteins bind junction DNA and impose an open conformation. D7N and G14S fail to induce hypersensitivity to hydroxyl radicals, a property of RuvC previously thought to reflect junction opening. A different mechanism is proposed whereby ferrous ions are co-ordinated in the complex to induce a high local concentration of radicals. The open structure imposed by wild-type RuvC in Mg2+ is similar to that observed previously using a junction with a different stacking preference. G114D and A116T impose slightly altered structures. This subtle change may be sufficient to explain the failure of these proteins to cleave the sequences normally preferred. Gly114 and Ala116 residues link two alpha-helices lining the wall of the catalytic cleft in each subunit of RuvC. We suggest that substitutions at these positions realign these helices and interfere with the ability to establish base-specific contacts at resolution hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- N F Hagan
- Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
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35
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Gopaul DN, Guo F, Van Duyne GD. Structure of the Holliday junction intermediate in Cre-loxP site-specific recombination. EMBO J 1998; 17:4175-87. [PMID: 9670032 PMCID: PMC1170750 DOI: 10.1093/emboj/17.14.4175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 233] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We have determined the X-ray crystal structures of two DNA Holliday junctions (HJs) bound by Cre recombinase. The HJ is a four-way branched structure that occurs as an intermediate in genetic recombination pathways, including site-specific recombination by the lambda-integrase family. Cre recombinase is an integrase family member that recombines 34 bp loxP sites in the absence of accessory proteins or auxiliary DNA sequences. The 2.7 A structure of Cre recombinase bound to an immobile HJ and the 2.5 A structure of Cre recombinase bound to a symmetric, nicked HJ reveal a nearly planar, twofold-symmetric DNA intermediate that shares features with both the stacked-X and the square conformations of the HJ that exist in the unbound state. The structures support a protein-mediated crossover isomerization of the junction that acts as the switch responsible for activation and deactivation of recombinase active sites. In this model, a subtle isomerization of the Cre recombinase-HJ quaternary structure dictates which strands are cleaved during resolution of the junction via a mechanism that involves neither branch migration nor helical restacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- D N Gopaul
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Johnson Research Foundation, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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36
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Bidnenko E, Ehrlich SD, Chopin MC. Lactococcus lactis phage operon coding for an endonuclease homologous to RuvC. Mol Microbiol 1998; 28:823-34. [PMID: 9643549 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2958.1998.00845.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The function of the Lactococcus lactis bacteriophage bIL66 middle time-expressed operon (M-operon), involved in sensitivity to the abortive infection mechanism AbiD1, was examined. Expression of the M-operon is detrimental to Escherichia coli cells, induces the SOS response and is lethal to recA and recBC E. coli mutants, which are both deficient in recombinational repair of chromosomal double-stranded breaks (DSBs). The use of an inducible expression system allowed us to demonstrate that the M-operon-encoded proteins generate a limited number of randomly distributed chromosomal DSBs that are substrates for ExoV-mediated DNA degradation. DSBs were also shown to occur upstream of the replication initiation point of unidirectionally theta-replicating plasmids. The characteristics of the DSBs lead us to propose that the endonucleolytic activity of the M-operon is not specific to DNA sequence, but rather to branched DNA structures. Genetic and physical analysis performed with different derivatives of the M-operon indicated that two orfs (orf2 and orf3) are needed for nucleolytic activity. The orf3 product has amino acid homology with the E. coli RuvC Holliday junction resolvase. By site-specific mutagenesis, we have shown that one of the amino acid residues constituting the active centre of RuvC enzyme (Glu-66) and conserved in ORF3 (Glu-67) is essential for the nucleolytic activity of the M-operon gene product(s). We therefore propose that orf2 and orf3 of the M-operon code for a structure-specific endonuclease (M-nuclease), which might be essential for phage multiplication.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Bidnenko
- INRA, Laboratoire de Génétique Microbienne, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
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37
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Abstract
The RuvA, RuvB, and RuvC proteins in Escherichia coli play important roles in the late stages of homologous genetic recombination and the recombinational repair of damaged DNA. Two proteins, RuvA and RuvB, form a complex that promotes ATP-dependent branch migration of Holliday junctions, a process that is important for the formation of heteroduplex DNA. Individual roles for each protein have been defined, with RuvA acting as a specificity factor that targets RuvB, the branch migration motor to the junction. Structural studies indicate that two RuvA tetramers sandwich the junction and hold it in an unfolded square-planar configuration. Hexameric rings of RuvB face each other across the junction and promote a novel dual helicase action that "pumps" DNA through the RuvAB complex, using the free energy provided by ATP hydrolysis. The third protein, RuvC endonuclease, resolves the Holliday junction by introducing nicks into two DNA strands. Genetic and biochemical studies indicate that branch migration and resolution are coupled by direct interactions between the three proteins, possibly by the formation of a RuvABC complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C West
- Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Clare Hall Laboratories, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
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38
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Oram M, Keeley A, Tsaneva I. Holliday junction resolvase in Schizosaccharomyces pombe has identical endonuclease activity to the CCE1 homologue YDC2. Nucleic Acids Res 1998; 26:594-601. [PMID: 9421521 PMCID: PMC147288 DOI: 10.1093/nar/26.2.594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
A novel Holliday junction resolving activity has been identified in fractionated cell extracts of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe . The enzyme catalyses endonucleolytic cleavage of Holliday junction-containing chi DNA and synthetic four-way DNA junctions. The activity cuts with high specificity a synthetic four-way junction containing a 12 bp core of homologous sequences but has no activity on another four-way junction (with a fixed crossover point), a three-way junction, linear duplex DNA or duplex DNA containing six mismatched nucleotides in the centre. The major cleavage sites map as single nicks in the vicinity of the crossover point, 3' of a thymidine residue. These data indicate that the activity has a strong DNA structure selectivity as well as a limited sequence preference; features similar to the Holliday junction resolving enzymes RuvC of Escherichia coli and the mitochondrial CCE1 (cruciform-cuttingenzyme 1) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A putative homologue of CCE1 in S.pombe (YDC2_SCHPO) has been identified through a search of the sequence database. The open reading frame of this gene has been cloned and the encoded protein, YDC2, expressed in E.coli . The purified recombinant YDC2 exhibits Holliday junction resolvase activity and is, therefore, a functional S.pombe homologue of CCE1. The resolvase YDC2 shows the same substrate specificity and produces identical cleavage sites as the activity obtained from S. pombe cells. Both YDC2 and the cellular activity cleave Holliday junctions in both orientations to give nicks that can be ligated in vitro. The partially purified Holliday junction resolving enzyme in fission yeast is biochemically indistinguishable from recombinant YDC2 and appears to be the same protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Oram
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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39
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Morikawa K. Crystallographic Studies of Proteins Involved in Recombinational Repair and Excision Repair. DNA Repair (Amst) 1998. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-48770-5_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
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40
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Grohmann E, Stanzer T, Schwab H. The ParB protein encoded by the RP4 par region is a Ca(2+)-dependent nuclease linearizing circular DNA substrates. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 1997; 143 ( Pt 12):3889-3898. [PMID: 9421913 DOI: 10.1099/00221287-143-12-3889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The parCBA operon, which together with the parDE operon constitutes an efficient stabilization system of the broad-host-range plasmid RP4, encodes a 20 kDa polypeptide (ParB), which exhibits sequence homology to nucleases. The ParB protein was overexpressed by means of an inducible tac-promoter system. Plate assays with herring sperm DNA as substrate provided evidence for nuclease activity. The ParB nuclease shows specificity for circular DNA substrates and linearizes them regardless of the presence in cis of parts of the RP4 partitioning region. The nuclease activity in vitro is stimulated by the presence of Ca2+ ions. EDTA (5 mM) completely inhibits nuclease activity. By restriction analysis of the ParB-linearized products, cleavage of circular DNA substrates taking place preferentially at specific sites was demonstrated. Run-off sequencing and primer extension analysis of ParB-linearized plasmid DNA revealed a specific target for ParB action adjacent to an AT-rich region containing palindromic sequence elements on a pBR322-derived plasmid.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Stanzer
- Institut f�r Biotechnologie, Arbeitsgruppe Genetik, Technische Universit�t Graz, Petersgasse 12, A-8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Helmut Schwab
- Institut f�r Biotechnologie, Arbeitsgruppe Genetik, Technische Universit�t Graz, Petersgasse 12, A-8010 Graz, Austria
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41
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Corre J, Cornet F, Patte J, Louarn JM. Unraveling a region-specific hyper-recombination phenomenon: genetic control and modalities of terminal recombination in Escherichia coli. Genetics 1997; 147:979-89. [PMID: 9383046 PMCID: PMC1208272 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/147.3.979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The propensity of the terminus of the Escherichia coli chromosome for recombination has been further explored, using a test based on the selectable loss of a lambda prophage inserted between repeated sequences from Tn10. Terminal recombination appears region-specific and unrelated to replication termination in a strain harboring a major chromosomal rearrangement. It requires RecBC(D) activity and must therefore occur between sister chromosomes, to conserve genomic integrity in spite of DNA degradation by RecBCD. Terminal recombination is maximal in the dif region and its intensity on either side of this recombination site depends on the orientation of the repeated sequences, probably because of the single chi site present in each repeat. Additional observations support the model that the crossover is initiated by single-strand invasion between sister chromosomes followed by RecBCD action as a consequence of DNA breakage due to the initial invasion event. Crossover location within repeats inserted at dif position supports the possibility that sister chromosomes are tightly paired in the centre of the terminal recombination zone. These data reinforce the model that postreplicative reconstruction of nucleoid organization creates a localized synapsis between the termini of sister chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Corre
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique moléculaires, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Toulouse, France
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42
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Whitby MC, Dixon J. A new Holliday junction resolving enzyme from Schizosaccharomyces pombe that is homologous to CCE1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Mol Biol 1997; 272:509-22. [PMID: 9325108 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1997.1286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The resolution of Holliday junctions is a critical stage in recombination. We describe the identification and initial biochemical characterisation of a new Holliday junction resolvase from Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Resolvase activity was initially detected in partially purified cell-free extracts of S. pombe. Resolution of X-junction DNA occurred by the introduction of symmetrical cuts in strands of the same polarity. All cuts occurred 3' of thymine nucleotides with a possible preference for cleavage one nucleotide 3' from the point of strand crossover. During the course of these studies, a potential S. pombe homologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cruciform Cutting Endonuclease I was identified in the database (SpCCE1). The gene was cloned by PCR, overexpressed in Escherichia coli and its product purified as a His-tagged fusion protein. Purified SpCCE1 binds to X-junctions in a structure-specific manner and resolves them to nicked linear duplex products that are repairable by DNA ligase. SpCCE1 cuts X-junctions in precisely the same way as the resolvase activity from partially purified extracts of S. pombe, indicating that they are probably the same. Finally, we show that SpCCE1 can function as a Holliday junction resolvase in vivo by its ability to complement a resolvase-deficient strain of E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Whitby
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, U.K
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43
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Hill DA, Reeves R. Competition between HMG-I(Y), HMG-1 and histone H1 on four-way junction DNA. Nucleic Acids Res 1997; 25:3523-31. [PMID: 9254714 PMCID: PMC146912 DOI: 10.1093/nar/25.17.3523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
High mobility group proteins HMG-I(Y) and HMG-1, as well as histone H1, all share the common property of binding to four-way junction DNA (4H), a synthetic substrate commonly used to study proteins involved in recognizing and resolving Holliday-type junctions formed during in vivo genetic recombination events. The structure of 4H has also been hypothesized to mimic the DNA crossovers occurring at, or near, the entrance and exit sites on the nucleosome. Furthermore, upon binding to either duplex DNA or chromatin, all three of these nuclear proteins share the ability to significantly alter the structure of bound substrates. In order to further elucidate their substrate binding abilities, electrophoretic mobility shift assays were employed to investigate the relative binding capabilities of HMG-I(Y), HMG-1 and H1 to 4H in vitro. Data indicate a definite hierarchy of binding preference by these proteins for 4H, with HMG-I(Y) having the highest affinity (Kd approximately 6.5 nM) when compared with either H1 (Kd approximately 16 nM) or HMG-1 (Kd approximately 80 nM). Competition/titration assays demonstrated that all three proteins bind most tightly to the same site on 4H. Hydroxyl radical footprinting identified the strongest site for binding of HMG-I(Y), and presumably for the other proteins as well, to be at the center of 4H. Together these in vitro results demonstrate that HMG-I(Y) and H1 are co-dominant over HMG-1 for binding to the central crossover region of 4H and suggest that in vivo both of these proteins may exert a dominant effect over HMG-1 in recognizing and binding to altered DNA structures, such as Holliday junctions, that have conformations similar to 4H.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Hill
- Department of Biochemistry/Biophysics, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4660, USA
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44
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Zerbib D, Colloms SD, Sherratt DJ, West SC. Effect of DNA topology on Holliday junction resolution by Escherichia coli RuvC and bacteriophage T7 endonuclease I. J Mol Biol 1997; 270:663-73. [PMID: 9245595 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1997.1157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Holliday junctions are key intermediates in homologous genetic recombination. Their resolution requires specialised nucleases that nick pairs of strands at the junction point, leading to the separation of mature recombinants. Resolution occurs in either of two orientations, according to which DNA strands are cut. We show that DNA topology can determine the efficiency and outcome of a recombination reaction. Using two Holliday junction resolvases, Escherichia coli RuvC protein and T7 endonuclease I, we observed that supercoiled figure-8 DNA molecules containing Holliday junctions were resolved with a specific orientation bias, and that this bias was reversed by the presence of a topological tether (catenation). In contrast, when all topological constraints were removed by restriction digestion, the recombination intermediates were resolved equally in the two orientations. These results show that topological constraints affecting Holliday junction structure influence the orientation of resolution by cellular resolvases.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Zerbib
- Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Clare Hall Laboratories, South Mimms, Herts, EN6 3LD, U.K
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45
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White MF, Giraud-Panis MJ, Pöhler JR, Lilley DM. Recognition and manipulation of branched DNA structure by junction-resolving enzymes. J Mol Biol 1997; 269:647-64. [PMID: 9223630 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1997.1097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The junction-resolving enzymes are a class of nucleases that introduce paired cleavages into four-way DNA junctions. They are important in DNA recombination and repair, and are found throughout nature, from eubacteria and their bacteriophages through to higher eukaryotes and their viruses. These enzymes exhibit structure-selective binding to DNA junctions; although cleavage may be more or less sequence-dependent, binding affinity is purely related to the branched structure of the DNA. Binding and cleavage events can be separated for a number of the enzymes by mutagenesis, and mutant proteins that are defective in cleavage while retaining normal junction-selective binding have been isolated. Critical acidic residues have been identified in several resolving enzymes, suggesting a role in the coordination of metal ions that probably deliver the hydrolytic water molecule. The resolving enzymes all bind to junctions in dimeric form, and the subunits introduce independent cleavages within the lifetime of the enzyme-junction complex to ensure resolution of the four-way junction. In addition to recognising the structure of the junction, recent data from four different junction-resolving enzymes indicate that they also manipulate the global structure. In some cases this results in severe distortion of the folded structure of the junction. Understanding the recognition and manipulation of DNA structure by these enzymes is a fascinating challenge in molecular recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- M F White
- CRC Nucleic Acid Structure Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, The University Dundee, UK
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46
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Arciszewska LK, Grainge I, Sherratt DJ. Action of site-specific recombinases XerC and XerD on tethered Holliday junctions. EMBO J 1997; 16:3731-43. [PMID: 9218814 PMCID: PMC1169997 DOI: 10.1093/emboj/16.12.3731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In Xer site-specific recombination, two related recombinases, XerC and XerD, mediate the formation of recombinant products using Holliday junction-containing DNA molecules as reaction intermediates. Each recombinase catalyses the exchange of one pair of specific strands. By using synthetic Holliday junction-containing recombination substrates in which two of the four arms are tethered in an antiparallel configuration by a nine thymine oligonucleotide, we show that XerD catalyses efficient strand exchange only when its substrate strands are 'crossed'. XerC also catalyses very efficient strand exchange when its substrate strands are 'crossed', though it also appears to be able to mediate strand exchange when its substrate strands are 'continuous'. By using chemical probes of Holliday junction structure in the presence and absence of bound recombinases, we show that recombinase binding induces unstacking of the bases in the centre of the recombination site, indicating that the junction branch point is positioned there and is distorted as a consequence of recombinase binding.
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47
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Chan SN, Harris L, Bolt EL, Whitby MC, Lloyd RG. Sequence specificity and biochemical characterization of the RusA Holliday junction resolvase of Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem 1997; 272:14873-82. [PMID: 9169457 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.272.23.14873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The RusA protein of Escherichia coli is an endonuclease that resolves Holliday intermediates in recombination and DNA repair. Analysis of its subunit structure revealed that the native protein is a dimer. Its resolution activity was investigated using synthetic X-junctions with homologous cores. Resolution occurs by dual strand incision predominantly 5' of CC dinucleotides located symmetrically. A junction lacking homology is not resolved. The efficiency of resolution is related inversely to the number of base pairs in the homologous core, which suggests that branch migration is rate-limiting. Inhibition of resolution at high ratios of protein to DNA suggests that binding of RusA may immobilize the junction point at non-cleavable sites. Resolution is stimulated by alkaline pH and by Mn2+. The protein is unstable in the absence of substrate DNA and loses approximately 80% of its activity within 1 min under standard reaction conditions. DNA binding stabilizes the activity. Junction resolution is inhibited in the presence of RuvA. This observation probably explains why RusA is unable to promote efficient recombination and DNA repair in ruvA+ strains unless it is expressed at a high level.
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Affiliation(s)
- S N Chan
- Department of Genetics, University of Nottingham, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
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48
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Giraud-Panis MJ, Lilley DM. Near-simultaneous DNA cleavage by the subunits of the junction-resolving enzyme T4 endonuclease VII. EMBO J 1997; 16:2528-34. [PMID: 9171365 PMCID: PMC1169852 DOI: 10.1093/emboj/16.9.2528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In common with a number of other DNA junction-resolving enzymes, endonuclease VII of bacteriophage T4 binds to a four-way DNA junction as a dimer, and cleaves two strands of the junction. We have used a supercoil-stabilized cruciform substrate to probe the simultaneity of cleavage at the two sites. Active endonuclease VII converts the supercoiled circular DNA directly into linear product, indicating that the two cleavage reactions must occur within the lifetime of the protein-junction complex. By contrast, a heterodimer of active enzyme and an inactive mutant endonuclease VII leads to the formation of nicked circular product, showing that the subunits operate fully independently.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Giraud-Panis
- CRC Nucleic Acid Structure Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, The University, Dundee, UK
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Shah R, Cosstick R, West SC. The RuvC protein dimer resolves Holliday junctions by a dual incision mechanism that involves base-specific contacts. EMBO J 1997; 16:1464-72. [PMID: 9135161 PMCID: PMC1169743 DOI: 10.1093/emboj/16.6.1464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The Escherichia coli RuvC protein resolves DNA intermediates produced during genetic recombination. In vitro, RuvC binds specifically to Holliday junctions and resolves them by the introduction of nicks into two strands of like polarity. In contrast to junction recognition, which occurs without regard for DNA sequence, resolution occurs preferentially at sequences that exhibit the consensus 5'-(A/T)TT/(G/C)-3' (where / indicates the site of incision). Synthetic Holliday junctions containing modified cleavage sequences have been used to investigate the mechanism of cleavage. The results indicate that specific DNA sequences are required for the correct docking of DNA into the two active sites of the RuvC dimer. In addition, using chemically modified oligonucleotides to introduce a hydrolysis-resistant 3'-S-phosphorothiolate linkage at the cleavage site, it was found that, as long as the sequence requirements are fulfilled, the two incisions could be uncoupled from each other. These results indicate that RuvC protein resolves Holliday junctions by a mechanism similar to that exhibited by certain restriction enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Shah
- Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Clare Hall Laboratories, South Mimms, UK
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White MF, Lilley DM. The resolving enzyme CCE1 of yeast opens the structure of the four-way DNA junction. J Mol Biol 1997; 266:122-34. [PMID: 9054975 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1996.0795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Junction-resolving enzymes exhibit structure-selective binding to DNA, but may also manipulate the DNA structure. CCE1 is a junction-resolving enzyme found in the yeast mitochondrion. To facilitate the analysis of the CCE1-junction interaction, we have exploited the sequence dependence of the cleavage reaction to devise a junction that is refractory to cleavage by this enzyme, even in the presence of magnesium ions. On binding to four-way DNA junctions, pure recombinant CCE1 opens the global structure into a 4-fold symmetrical configuration of arms with an open, chemically reactive centre. The structure of the CCE1-junction complex is independent of the sequence of the junction, and of the presence or absence of magnesium or other ions. This and other functional properties of CCE1 are strikingly similar to those of RuvC resolving enzyme of Escherichia coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- M F White
- Department of Biochemistry, University Dundee, UK
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