Methyl-directed repair of mismatched small heterologous sequences in cell extracts from Escherichia coli

DNA adenine methylation modulates pathogenicity of Klebsiella pneumoniae genotype K1

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Klebsiella pneumoniae genotype K1 is a highly virulent pathogen that causes liver abscess and metastatic endophthalmitis/meningitis. Whether its pathogenicity is controlled by DNA adenine methylase (Dam), an epigenetic regulator of bacterial virulence gene expression, is yet unknown. We aimed to study the role of DNA adenine methylation in the pathogenicity of K. pneumoniae genotype K1.

METHODS

We identified the dam gene in the prototype tissue-invasive strain (NTUH-K2044) of K. pneumoniae genotype K1, using the strain's complete genome sequence in GenBank. We constructed a dam^- mutant and compared it with the wild type, in terms of in vitro serum resistance and in vivo BALB/cByl mice inoculation.

RESULTS

Loss of Dam activity in the mutant was verified by MboI restriction digestion of the genomic DNA and a 1000-fold increase in spontaneous mutation rate. The dam mutant lost at least 68% of serum resistance when compared with the wild type (survival ratio at 1 hour: 2.6 ± 0.4 vs. 8.2 ± 1.9; at 2 hours: 3.9 ± 1.6 vs. 17.4 ± 3.6; p values < 0.05). Likewise, virulence to mice decreased by 40-fold in an intraperitoneal injection model [lethal dose, 50% (LD₅₀): 2 × 10³ colony-forming units (CFUs) vs. 5 × 10¹ CFUs] and by sixfold in a gastric ingestion model (LD₅₀: 3 × 10⁴ CFUs vs. 5 × 10³ CFUs). Attenuation of the dam mutant was not attributable to its growth rate, which was similar to that of the wild type.

CONCLUSION

Our results support the view that DNA adenine methylation plays an important role in modulating the pathogenicity of K. pneumoniae genotype K1. The incomplete attenuation indicates the existence of other regulatory factors.

Deoxyinosine repair in nuclear extracts of human cells

BACKGROUND

Deamination of adenine can occur spontaneously under physiological conditions generating the highly mutagenic lesion, hypoxanthine. This process is enhanced by ROS from exposure of DNA to ionizing radiation, UV light, nitrous acid, or heat. Hypoxanthine in DNA can pair with cytosine which results in A:T to G:C transition mutations after DNA replication. In Escherichia coli, deoxyinosine (hypoxanthine deoxyribonucleotide, dI) is removed through an alternative excision repair pathway initiated by endonuclease V. However, the correction of dI in mammalian cells appears more complex and was not fully understood.

RESULTS

All four possible dI-containing heteroduplex DNAs, including A-I, C-I, G-I, and T-I were introduced to repair reactions containing extracts from human cells. The repair reaction requires magnesium, dNTPs, and ATP as cofactors. We found G-I was the best substrate followed by T-I, A-I and C-I, respectively. Moreover, judging from the repair requirements and sensitivity to specific polymerase inhibitors, there were overlapping repair activities in processing of dI in DNA. Indeed, a hereditable non-polyposis colorectal cancer cell line (HCT116) demonstrated lower dI repair activity that was partially attributed to lack of mismatch repair.

CONCLUSIONS

A plasmid-based convenient and non-radioisotopic method was created to study dI repair in human cells. Mutagenic dI lesions processed in vitro can be scored by restriction enzyme cleavage to evaluate the repair. The repair assay described in this study provides a good platform for further investigation of human repair pathways involved in dI processing and their biological significance in mutation prevention.

Critical determinants for substrate recognition and catalysis in the M. tuberculosis class II AP-endonuclease/3'-5' exonuclease III

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis AP-endonuclease/3'-5' exodeoxyribonuclease (MtbXthA) is an important player in DNA base excision repair (BER). We demonstrate that the enzyme has robust apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease activity, 3'-5' exonuclease, phosphatase, and phosphodiesterase activities. The enzyme functions as an AP-endonuclease at high ionic environments, while the 3'-5'-exonuclease activity is predominant at low ionic environments. Our molecular modelling and mutational experiments show that E57 and D251 are critical for catalysis. Although nicked DNA and gapped DNA are fair substrates of MtbXthA, the gap-size did not affect the excision activity and furthermore, a substrate with a recessed 3'-end is preferred. To understand the determinants of abasic-site recognition, we examined the possible roles of (i) the base opposite the abasic site, (ii) the abasic ribose ring itself, (iii) local distortions in the AP-site, and (iv) conserved residues located near the active site. Our experiments demonstrate that the first three determinants do not play a role in MtbXthA, and in fact the enzyme exhibits robust endonucleolytic activity against single-stranded AP DNA also. Regarding the fourth determinant, it is known that the catalytic-site of AP endonucleases is surrounded by conserved aromatic residues and intriguingly, the exact residues that are directly involved in abasic site recognition vary with the individual proteins. We therefore, used a combination of mutational analysis, kinetic assays, and structure-based modelling, to identify that Y237, supported by Y137, mediates the formation of the MtbXthA-AP-DNA complex and AP-site incision.

Structural insights into DNA repair by RNase T--an exonuclease processing 3' end of structured DNA in repair pathways

DNA repair mechanisms are essential for preservation of genome integrity. However, it is not clear how DNA are selected and processed at broken ends by exonucleases during repair pathways. Here we show that the DnaQ-like exonuclease RNase T is critical for Escherichia coli resistance to various DNA-damaging agents and UV radiation. RNase T specifically trims the 3' end of structured DNA, including bulge, bubble, and Y-structured DNA, and it can work with Endonuclease V to restore the deaminated base in an inosine-containing heteroduplex DNA. Crystal structure analyses further reveal how RNase T recognizes the bulge DNA by inserting a phenylalanine into the bulge, and as a result the 3' end of blunt-end bulge DNA can be digested by RNase T. In contrast, the homodimeric RNase T interacts with the Y-structured DNA by a different binding mode via a single protomer so that the 3' overhang of the Y-structured DNA can be trimmed closely to the duplex region. Our data suggest that RNase T likely processes bulge and bubble DNA in the Endonuclease V-dependent DNA repair, whereas it processes Y-structured DNA in UV-induced and various other DNA repair pathways. This study thus provides mechanistic insights for RNase T and thousands of DnaQ-like exonucleases in DNA 3'-end processing.

Assessing diversity of DNA structure-related sequence features in prokaryotic genomes

Prokaryotic genomes are diverse in terms of their nucleotide and oligonucleotide composition as well as presence of various sequence features that can affect physical properties of the DNA molecule. We present a survey of local sequence patterns which have a potential to promote non-canonical DNA conformations (i.e. different from standard B-DNA double helix) and interpret the results in terms of relationships with organisms' habitats, phylogenetic classifications, and other characteristics. Our present work differs from earlier similar surveys not only by investigating a wider range of sequence patterns in a large number of genomes but also by using a more realistic null model to assess significant deviations. Our results show that simple sequence repeats and Z-DNA-promoting patterns are generally suppressed in prokaryotic genomes, whereas palindromes and inverted repeats are over-represented. Representation of patterns that promote Z-DNA and intrinsic DNA curvature increases with increasing optimal growth temperature (OGT), and decreases with increasing oxygen requirement. Additionally, representations of close direct repeats, palindromes and inverted repeats exhibit clear negative trends with increasing OGT. The observed relationships with environmental characteristics, particularly OGT, suggest possible evolutionary scenarios of structural adaptation of DNA to particular environmental niches.

The excision of 3' penultimate errors by DNA polymerase I and its role in endonuclease V-mediated DNA repair

Deamination of adenine can occur spontaneously under physiological conditions, and is enhanced by exposure of DNA to ionizing radiation, UV light, nitrous acid, or heat, generating the highly mutagenic lesion of deoxyinosine in DNA. Such DNA lesions tends to generate A:T to G:C transition mutations if unrepaired. In Escherichia coli, deoxyinosine is primarily removed through a repair pathway initiated by endonuclease V (endo V). In this study, we compared the repair of three mutagenic deoxyinosine lesions of A-I, G-I, and T-I using E. coli cell-free extracts as well as reconstituted protein system. We found that 3'-5' exonuclease activity of DNA polymerase I (pol I) was very important for processing all deoxyinosine lesions. To understand the nature of pol I in removing damaged nucleotides, we systemically analyzed its proofreading to 12 possible mismatches 3'-penultimate of a nick, a configuration that represents a repair intermediate generated by endo V. The results showed all mismatches as well as deoxyinosine at the 3' penultimate site were corrected with similar efficiency. This study strongly supports for the idea that the 3'-5' exonuclease activity of E. coli pol I is the primary exonuclease activity for removing 3'-penultimate deoxyinosines derived from endo V nicking reaction.

Programmable in vivo selection of arbitrary DNA sequences

The extraordinary fidelity, sensory and regulatory capacity of natural intracellular machinery is generally confined to their endogenous environment. Nevertheless, synthetic bio-molecular components have been engineered to interface with the cellular transcription, splicing and translation machinery in vivo by embedding functional features such as promoters, introns and ribosome binding sites, respectively, into their design. Tapping and directing the power of intracellular molecular processing towards synthetic bio-molecular inputs is potentially a powerful approach, albeit limited by our ability to streamline the interface of synthetic components with the intracellular machinery in vivo. Here we show how a library of synthetic DNA devices, each bearing an input DNA sequence and a logical selection module, can be designed to direct its own probing and processing by interfacing with the bacterial DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system in vivo and selecting for the most abundant variant, regardless of its function. The device provides proof of concept for programmable, function-independent DNA selection in vivo and provides a unique example of a logical-functional interface of an engineered synthetic component with a complex endogenous cellular system. Further research into the design, construction and operation of synthetic devices in vivo may lead to other functional devices that interface with other complex cellular processes for both research and applied purposes.

Endonuclease V-mediated deoxyinosine excision repair in vitro

Deoxyinosine (dI) in DNA can arise from hydrolytic or nitrosative deamination of deoxyadenosine. It is excised in a repair pathway that is initiated by endonuclease V, the nfi gene product, in Escherichia coli. Repair was studied in vitro using M13mp18 derived heteroduplexes containing a site-specific deoxyinosine. Unpaired dI/G mismatch resides within the recognition site for XhoI restriction endonucleases, permitting evaluation of repair occurring on deoxyinosine-containing DNA strand. Our results show that dI lesions were efficiently repaired in nfi(+)E. coli extracts but the repair level was much reduced in nfi mutant extracts. We subjected the deoxyinosine-containing heteroduplex to a purified system consisting of soluble endonuclease V fusion protein, DNA polymerase I, and DNA ligase, along with the four deoxynucleoside triphosphates. Interestingly we found these three proteins alone are sufficient to process the dI lesion efficiently. We also found that the 3'-exonuclease activity of DNA polymerase I is sufficient to remove the dI lesion in this minimum reconstituted assay.

Partial reconstitution of DNA large loop repair with purified proteins from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Small looped mispairs are corrected by DNA mismatch repair. In addition, a distinct process called large loop repair (LLR) corrects heteroduplexes up to several hundred nucleotides in bacteria, yeast and human cells, and in cell-free extracts. Only some LLR protein components are known, however. Previous studies with neutralizing antibodies suggested a role for yeast DNA polymerase δ (Pol δ), RFC and PCNA in LLR repair synthesis. In the current study, biochemical fractionation studies identified FEN1 (Rad27) as another required LLR component. In the presence of purified FEN1, Pol δ, RFC and PCNA, repair occurred on heteroduplexes with loops ranging from 8 to 216 nt. Repair utilized a 5′ nick, with correction directed to the nicked strand, irrespective of which strand contained the loop. In contrast, repair of a G/T mismatch occurred at low levels, suggesting specificity of the reconstituted system for looped mispairs. The presence of RPA enhanced reactivity on some looped substrates, but RPA was not required for activity. Although additional LLR factors remain to be identified, the excision and resynthesis steps of LLR from a 5′ nick can be reconstituted in a purified system with FEN1 and Pol δ, together with PCNA and its loader RFC.

Deletion mutations caused by DNA strand slippage in Acinetobacter baylyi

Short nucleotide sequence repetitions in DNA can provide selective benefits and also can be a source of genetic instability arising from deletions guided by pairing between misaligned strands. These findings raise the question of how the frequency of deletion mutations is influenced by the length of sequence repetitions and by the distance between them. An experimental approach to this question was presented by the heat-sensitive phenotype conferred by pcaG1102, a 30-bp deletion in one of the structural genes for Acinetobacter baylyi protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase, which is required for growth with quinate. The original pcaG1102 deletion appears to have been guided by pairing between slipped DNA strands from nearby repeated sequences in wild-type pcaG. Placement of an in-phase termination codon between the repeated sequences in pcaG prevents growth with quinate and permits selection of sequence-guided deletions that excise the codon and permit quinate to be used as a growth substrate at room temperature. Natural transformation facilitated introduction of 68 different variants of the wild-type repeat structure within pcaG into the A. baylyi chromosome, and the frequency of deletion between the repetitions was determined with a novel method, precision plating. The deletion frequency increases with repeat length, decreases with the distance between repeats, and requires a minimum amount of similarity to occur at measurable rates. Deletions occurred in a recA-deficient background. Their frequency was unaffected by deficiencies in mutS and was increased by inactivation of recG.

Nick-directed repair of palindromic loop mismatches in human cell extracts

Palindromic sequences present in DNA may form secondary structures that block DNA replication and transcription causing adverse effects on genome stability. It has been suggested that hairpin structures containing mispaired bases could stimulate the repair systems in human cells. In this study, processing of variable length of palindromic loops in the presence or absence of single-base mismatches was investigated in human cell extracts. Our results showed that hairpin structures were efficiently processed through a nick-directed mechanism. In a similar sequence context, mismatch-containing hairpins have higher repair efficiencies. We also found that shorter hairpins are generally better repaired. A strand break located either 3' or 5' to the loop is sufficient to activate hairpin repair on the nicked strand. The reaction requires Mg(2+), the four dNTPs and hydrolysis of ATP for efficient repair on both palindromic loop insertions and deletions. Correction of each of these heteroduplexes was abolished by aphidicolin but was relatively insensitive to the presence of ddTTP, suggesting involvement of polymerase(s) alpha and/or delta. These findings are most consistent with the nick-directed loop repair pathway being responsible for processing hairpin heterologies in human cells.

Escherichia coli mutator (Delta)polA is defective in base mismatch correction: the nature of in vivo DNA replication errors

We constructed a set of Escherichia coli strains containing deletions in genes encoding three SOS polymerases, and defective in MutS and DNA polymerase I (PolI) mismatch repair, and estimated the rate and specificity of spontaneous endogenous tonB(+)-->tonB- mutations. The rate and specificity of mutations in strains proficient or deficient in three SOS polymerases was compared and found that there was no contribution of SOS polymerases to the chromosomal tonB mutations. MutS-deficient strains displayed elevated spontaneous mutation rates, consisting of dominantly minus frameshifts and transitions. Minus frameshifts are dominated by warm spots at run-bases. Among 57 transitions (both G:C-->A:T and A:T-->G:C), 35 occurred at two hotspot sites. PolI-deficient strains possessed an increased rate of deletions and frameshifts, because of a deficiency in postreplicative deletion and frameshift mismatch corrections. Frameshifts in PolI-deficient strains occurred within the entire tonB gene at non-run and run sequences. MutS and PolI double deficiency indicated a synergistic increase in the rate of deletions, frameshifts and transitions. In this case, mutS-specific hotspots for frameshifts and transitions disappeared. The results suggested that, unlike the case previously known pertaining to postreplicative MutS mismatch repair for frameshifts and transitions and PolI mismatch repair for frameshifts and deletions, PolI can recognize and correct transition mismatches. Possible mechanisms for distinct MutS and PolI mismatch repair are discussed. A strain containing deficiencies in three SOS polymerases, MutS mismatch repair and PolI mismatch repair was also constructed. The spectrum of spontaneous mutations in this strain is considered to represent the spectrum of in vivo DNA polymerase III replication errors. The mutation rate of this strain was 219x10(-8), about a 100-fold increase relative to the wild-type strain. Uncorrected polymerase III replication errors were predominantly frameshifts and base substitutions followed by deletions.

Characterization of palindromic loop mismatch repair tracts in mammalian cells

Single- and multi-base (loop) mismatches can arise in DNA by replication errors, during recombination, and by chemical modification of DNA. Single-base and loop mismatches of several nucleotides are efficiently repaired in mammalian cells by a nick-directed, MSH2-dependent mechanism. Larger loop mismatches (> or =12 bases) are repaired by an MSH2-independent mechanism. Prior studies have shown that 12- and 14-base palindromic loops are repaired with bias toward loop retention, and that repair bias is eliminated when five single-base mismatches flank the loop mismatch. Here we show that one single-base mismatch near a 12-base palindromic loop is sufficient to eliminate loop repair bias in wild-type, but not MSH2-defective mammalian cells. We also show that palindromic loop and single-base mismatches separated by 12 bases are repaired independently at least 10% of the time in wild-type cells, and at least 30% of the time in MSH2-defective cells. Palindromic loop and single-base mismatches separated by two bases were never repaired independently. These and other data indicate that loop repair tracts are variable in length. All tracts extend at least 2 bases, some extend <12 bases, and others >12 bases, on one side of the loop. These properties distinguish palindromic loop mismatch repair from the three known excision repair pathways: base excision repair which has one to six base tracts, nucleotide excision repair which has approximately 30 base tracts, and MSH2-dependent mismatch repair, which has tracts that extend for several hundred bases.

DNA polymerase delta, RFC and PCNA are required for repair synthesis of large looped heteroduplexes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Small looped mispairs are corrected by DNA mismatch repair (MMR). In addition, a distinct process called large loop repair (LLR) corrects loops up to several hundred nucleotides in extracts of bacteria, yeast or human cells. Although LLR activity can be readily demonstrated, there has been little progress in identifying its protein components. This study identified some of the yeast proteins responsible for DNA repair synthesis during LLR. Polyclonal antisera to either Pol31 or Pol32 subunits of polymerase delta efficiently inhibited LLR in extracts by blocking repair just prior to gap filling. Gap filling was inhibited regardless of whether the loop was retained or removed. These experiments suggest polymerase delta is uniquely required in yeast extracts for LLR-associated synthesis. Similar results were obtained with antisera to the clamp loader proteins Rfc3 and Rfc4, and to PCNA, i.e. LLR was inhibited just prior to gap filling for both loop removal and loop retention. Thus PCNA and RFC seem to act in LLR only during repair synthesis, in contrast to their roles at both pre- and post-excision steps of MMR. These biochemical experiments support the idea that yeast polymerase delta, RFC and PCNA are required for large loop DNA repair synthesis.

High frequency of mitochondrial complex I mutations in Parkinson’s disease and aging

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) involves a systemic loss of activity of complex I of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. This biochemical lesion plays a key pathogenic role. Transfer of PD mitochondrial DNA recapitulates this loss of activity and several other pathogenic features of PD suggesting that this lesion may arise, at least in part, from mitochondrial DNA. We investigated this possibility by an extensive clonal sequencing of the seven mitochondrial genes encoding complex I subunits in PD and age-matched control frontal cortex. Each gene was completely sequenced an average of 94.4 times for each subject. Aminoacid-changing mutations were found at the frequency of 59.3 per million bases in both PD and controls, corresponding to approximately 32% of the mitochondrial genomes in the average sample having at least one mutation in a complex I gene. Individual low frequency mutations had an abundance of 1-10%. Significant interindividual variation in mutation frequency was observed. Several aminoacid-changing mutations were identified and multiple PD brains but not in controls. Genetic algorithm analysis detected areas in ND genes with a higher mutation frequency in PD that allowed differentiation of PD from controls. Total mutational burden due to low-abundance heteroplasmy is high and may play a role in human disease.

Interaction of Nick-directed DNA Mismatch Repair and Loop Repair in Human Cells

In human cells, large DNA loop heterologies are repaired through a nick-directed pathway independent of mismatch repair. However, a 3'-nick generated by bacteriophage fd gene II protein heterology is not capable of stimulating loop repair. To evaluate the possibility that a mismatch near a loop could induce both repair types in human cell extracts, we constructed and tested a set of DNA heteroduplexes, each of which contains a combination of mismatches and loops. We have demonstrated that a strand break generated by restriction endonucleases 3' to a large loop is capable of provoking and directing loop repair. The repair of 3'-heteroduplexes in human cell extracts is very similar to that of 5'-heteroduplex repair, being strand-specific and highly biased to the nicked strand. This observation suggests that the loop repair pathway possesses bidirectional repair capability similar to that of the bacterial loop repair system. We also found that a nick 5' to a coincident mismatch and loop can apparently stimulate the repair of both. In contrast, 3'-nick-directed repair of a G-G mismatch was reduced when in the vicinity of a loop (33 or 46 bp between two sites). Increasing the distance separating the G-G mismatch and loop by 325 bp restored the efficiency of repair to the level of a single base-base mismatch. This observation suggests interference between 3'-nick-directed large loop repair and conventional mismatch repair systems when a mispair is near a loop. We propose a model in which DNA repair systems avoid simultaneous repair at adjacent sites to avoid the creation of double-stranded DNA breaks.

DNA loop repair by Escherichia coli cell extracts

The nick-directed DNA repair efficiency of a set of M13mp18-derived heteroduplexes containing 8-, 12-, 16-, 22-, 27-, 45-, and 429-nucleotide loops was determined by in vitro assay. Unpaired nucleotides of each heteroduplex reside within overlapping recognition sites for two restriction endonucleases, permitting independent evaluation of repair occurring on either DNA strand. Our results show that a strand break located either 3' or 5' to the loop is sufficient to direct heterology repair to the nicked strand in Escherichia coli extracts. Strand-specific repair by this system requires Mg2+ and the four dNTPs and is equally efficient on insertions and deletions. This activity is distinct from the MutHLS mismatch repair pathway. Strand specificity and repair efficiency are largely independent of the GATC methylation state of the DNA and presence of the products of mismatch repair genes mutH, mutL, and mutS. This study provides evidence for a loop repair pathway in E. coli that is distinct from conventional mismatch repair.

Bi-directional processing of DNA loops by mismatch repair-dependent and -independent pathways in human cells

Previous work has shown that small DNA loop heterologies are repaired not only through the mismatch repair (MMR) pathway but also via an MMR-independent pathway in human cells. However, how DNA loop repair is partitioned between these pathways and how the MMR-independent repair is processed are not clear. Using a novel construct that completely and specifically inhibits MMR in HeLa extracts, we demonstrate here that although MMR is capable of bi-directionally processing DNA loops of 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, or 12 nucleotides in length, the repair activity decreases with the increase of the loop size. Evidence is presented that the largest loop that the MMR system can process is 16 nucleotides. We also show that strand-specific MMR-independent loop repair occurs for all looped substrates tested and rigorously demonstrate that this repair is bi-directional. Analysis of repair intermediates generated by the MMR-independent pathway revealed that although the processing of looped substrates with a strand break 5' to the heterology occurred similarly to MMR (i.e. excision is conducted by exonucleases from the pre-existing strand break to the heterology), the processing of the heterology in substrates with a 3' strand break is consistent with the involvement of endonucleases.

Redundant exonuclease involvement in Escherichia coli methyl-directed mismatch repair

Previous biochemical analysis of Escherichia coli methyl-directed mismatch repair implicates three redundant single-strand DNA-specific exonucleases (RecJ, ExoI, and ExoVII) and at least one additional unknown exonuclease in the excision reaction (Cooper, D. L., Lahue, R. S., and Modrich, P. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 11823-11829). We show here that ExoX also participates in methyl-directed mismatch repair. Analysis of the reaction with crude extracts and purified components demonstrated that ExoX can mediate repair directed from a strand signal 3' of a mismatch. Whereas extracts of all possible single, double, and triple exonuclease mutants displayed significant residual mismatch repair, extracts deficient in RecJ, ExoI, ExoVII, and ExoX exonucleases were devoid of normal repair activity. The RecJ(-) ExoVII(-) ExoI(-) ExoX(-) strain displayed a 7-fold increase in mutation rate, a significant increase, but less than that observed for other blocks of the mismatch repair pathway. This elevation is epistatic to deficiency for MutS, suggesting an effect via the mismatch repair pathway. Our other work (Burdett, V., Baitinger, C., Viswanathan, M., Lovett, S. T., and Modrich, P. (2001) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 98, 6765-6770) suggests that mutants are under-recovered in the exonuclease-deficient strain due to loss of viability that is triggered by mismatched base pairs in this genetic background. The availability of any one exonuclease is enough to support full mismatch correction, as evident from the normal mutation rates of all triple mutants. Because three of these exonucleases possess a strict polarity of digestion, this suggests that mismatch repair can occur exclusively from a 3' or a 5' direction to the mismatch, if necessary.

Correction of large mispaired DNA loops by extracts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Single base mispairs and small loops are corrected by DNA mismatch repair, but little is known about the correction of large loops. In this paper, large loop repair was examined in nuclear extracts of yeast. Biochemical assays showed that repair activity occurred on loops of 16, 27, and 216 bases, whereas a G-T mispair and an 8-base loop were poorly corrected under these conditions. Two modes of loop repair were revealed by comparison of heteroduplexes that contained a site-specific nick or were covalently closed. A nick-stimulated repair mode directs correction to the discontinuous strand, regardless of which strand contains the loop. An alternative mode is nick-independent and preferentially removes the loop. Both outcomes of repair were largely eliminated when DNA replication was inhibited, suggesting a requirement for repair synthesis. Excision tracts of 100-200 nucleotides, spanning the position of the loop, were observed on each strand under conditions of limited DNA repair synthesis. Both repair modes were independent of the mismatch correction genes MSH2, MSH3, MLH1, and PMS1, as judged by activity in mutant extracts. Together the loop specificity and mutant results furnish evidence for a large loop repair pathway in yeast that is distinct from mismatch repair.

Repair of large insertion/deletion heterologies in human nuclear extracts is directed by a 5' single-strand break and is independent of the mismatch repair system

The repair of 12-, 27-, 62-, and 216-nucleotide unpaired insertion/deletion heterologies has been demonstrated in nuclear extracts of human cells. When present in covalently closed circular heteroduplexes or heteroduplexes containing a single-strand break 3' to the heterology, such structures are subject to a low level repair reaction that occurs with little strand bias. However, the presence of a single-strand break 5' to the insertion/deletion heterology greatly increases the efficiency of rectification and directs repair to the incised DNA strand. Because nick direction of repair is independent of the strand in which a particular heterology is placed, the observed strand bias is not due to asymmetry imposed on the heteroduplex by the extrahelical DNA segment. Strand-specific repair by this system requires ATP and the four dNTPs and is inhibited by aphidicolin. Repair is independent of the mismatch repair proteins MSH2, MSH6, MLH1, and PMS2 and occurs by a mechanism that is distinct from that of the conventional mismatch repair system. Large heterology repair in nuclear extracts of human cells is also independent of the XPF gene product, and extracts of Chinese hamster ovary cells deficient in the ERCC1 and ERCC4 gene products also support the reaction.