Pnk1, a DNA kinase/phosphatase required for normal response to DNA damage by gamma-radiation or camptothecin in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Site-specific acetylation of polynucleotide kinase 3'-phosphatase regulates its distinct role in DNA repair pathways

Mammalian polynucleotide kinase 3'-phosphatase (PNKP), a DNA end-processing enzyme with 3'-phosphatase and 5'-kinase activities, is involved in multiple DNA repair pathways, including base excision (BER), single-strand break (SSBR), and double-strand break repair (DSBR). However, little is known as to how PNKP functions in such diverse repair processes. Here we report that PNKP is acetylated at K142 (AcK142) by p300 constitutively but at K226 (AcK226) by CBP, only after DSB induction. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis using AcK142 or AcK226 PNKP-specific antibodies showed that AcK142-PNKP associates only with BER/SSBR, and AcK226 PNKP with DSBR proteins. Despite the modest effect of acetylation on PNKP's enzymatic activity in vitro, cells expressing non-acetylable PNKP (K142R or K226R) accumulated DNA damage in transcribed genes. Intriguingly, in striatal neuronal cells of a Huntington's Disease (HD)-based mouse model, K142, but not K226, was acetylated. This is consistent with the reported degradation of CBP, but not p300, in HD cells. Moreover, transcribed genomes of HD cells progressively accumulated DSBs. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated the association of Ac-PNKP with the transcribed genes, consistent with PNKP's role in transcription-coupled repair. Thus, our findings demonstrate that acetylation at two lysine residues, located in different domains of PNKP, regulates its distinct role in BER/SSBR versus DSBR.

Nanofluidic sensing platform for PNK assay using nonlinear hybridization chain reaction and its application in DNA logic circuit

In this study, a polyethyleneimine (PEI)/Zr4+-functionalized nanofluidic sensing platform based on nonlinear hybridization chain reaction (NHCR) was developed for PNK activity assay. With the existence of PNK, the hairpin HPNK was cleaved by λ exonuclease, liberating the initiator T-DNA. Then T-DNA triggered the nonlinear HCR in solution and the reaction products were absorbed onto the nanopore, which changed the surface charge of nanofluidic device and could be detected by current-voltage characteristic curves. Compared to traditional linear HCR, the nonlinear HCR exhibits a higher sensitivity and order of growth kinetics, making it a powerful signal amplifier in bioanalysis. Due to the powerful amplification efficiency of nonlinear HCR, high sensitivity of the nanopore and specific recognition site of PNK/λ-Exo, an ultrasensitive and selective PNK sensing approach had been developed and applied to precisely quantitate the PNK activity with a LOD of 0.0001 U/mL. Moreover, utilizing this nanofluidic system as a foundation, we constructed a logic circuit that utilized PNK, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and (NH4)2SO4 as input elements. ADP and (NH4)2SO4 had a crucial function in facilitating the PNK to regulate the DNA logic gate. By modifying the target and inhibitors, the nanofluidic device could detect a variety of stimuli and execute more advanced logical operations.

Site-specific acetylation of polynucleotide kinase 3'-phosphatase (PNKP) regulates its distinct role in DNA repair pathways

Mammalian polynucleotide kinase 3'-phosphatase (PNKP) is a dual-function DNA end-processing enzyme with 3'-phosphatase and 5'-kinase activities, which generate 3'-OH and 5'-phosphate termini respectively, as substrates for DNA polymerase and DNA ligase to complete DNA repair. PNKP is thus involved in multiple DNA repair pathways, including base excision (BER), single-strand break (SSBR), and double-strand break repair (DSBR). However, little is known as to how PNKP functions in such diverse repair processes, which involve distinct sets of proteins. In this study, we report that PNKP is acetylated at two lysine (K142 and K226) residues. While K142 (AcK142) is constitutively acetylated by p300, CBP acetylates K226 (AcK226) only after DSB induction. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis using antibodies specific for PNKP peptides containing AcK142 or AcK226 of PNKP showed that AcK142-PNKP associates only with BER/SSBR, and AcK226 PNKP only with DSBR proteins. Although acetylation at these residues did not significantly affect the enzymatic activity of PNKP in vitro, cells expressing nonacetylable PNKP (K142R or K226R) accumulated DNA damage, specifically in transcribed genes. Intriguingly, in striatal neuronal cells of a Huntington's Disease (HD)-based mouse model, K142, but not K226, was acetylated. This observation is consistent with the reported degradation of CBP but not p300 in HD cells. Moreover, genomes of HD cells progressively accumulated DSBs specifically in the transcribed genes. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation analysis using anti-AcK142 or anti-AcK226 antibodies demonstrated an association of Ac-PNKP with the transcribed genes, consistent with PNKP's role in transcription-coupled repair. Thus, our findings collectively demonstrate that acetylation at two lysine residues located in different domains of PNKP regulates its functionally distinct role in BER/SSBR vs. DSBR.

Functional analysis of a conserved site mutation in the DNA end processing enzyme PNKP leading to ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 4 in humans

Polynucleotide kinase 3'-phosphatase (PNKP), an essential DNA end-processing enzyme in mammals with 3'-phosphatase and 5'-kinase activities, plays a pivotal role in multiple DNA repair pathways. Its functional deficiency has been etiologically linked to various neurological disorders. Recent reports have shown that mutation at a conserved glutamine (Gln) in PNKP leads to late-onset ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 4 (AOA4) in humans and embryonic lethality in pigs. However, the molecular mechanism underlying such phenotypes remains elusive. Here, we report that the enzymatic activities of the mutant versus WT PNKP are comparable; however, cells expressing mutant PNKP and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of AOA4 patients showed a significant amount of DNA double-strand break accumulation and consequent activation of the DNA damage response. Further investigation revealed that the nuclear localization of mutant PNKP is severely abrogated, and the mutant proteins remain primarily in the cytoplasm. Western blot analysis of AOA4 patient-derived PBMCs also revealed the presence of mutated PNKP predominantly in the cytoplasm. To understand the molecular determinants, we identified that mutation at a conserved Gln residue impedes the interaction of PNKP with importin alpha but not with importin beta, two highly conserved proteins that mediate the import of proteins from the cytoplasm into the nucleus. Collectively, our data suggest that the absence of PNKP in the nucleus leads to constant activation of the DNA damage response due to persistent accumulation of double-strand breaks in the mutant cells, triggering death of vulnerable brain cells-a potential cause of neurodegeneration in AOA4 patients.

A label-free fluorescent biosensor for amplified detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity based on rolling circle amplification and catalytic hairpin assembly

T4 polynucleotide kinase (PNK) plays a key role in maintaining genome integrity and repairing DNA damage. In this paper, we proposed a label-free fluorescent biosensor for amplified detection of T4 PNK activity based on rolling circle amplification (RCA) and catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA). Firstly, we designed a padlock probe with a 5'-hydroxyl terminus for phosphorylation reaction, a complementary sequence of the primer for initiating RCA, and a complementary sequence of the trigger for triggering CHA. T4 PNK catalyzed the phosphorylation reaction by adding a phosphate group to the 5'-hydroxyl terminus of padlock probe, generating a phosphorylated padlock probe. Then it hybridized with the primer to generate a circular probe under the action of ligase. Subsequently, the primer initiated an RCA reaction along the circular probe to synthesize a large molecular weight product with repetitive trigger sequences. The triggers then triggered the cyclic assembly reactions between hairpin probe 1 and hairpin probe 2 to generate a large amount of complexes with free G-rich sequences. The free G-rich sequences folded into G-quadruplex structures, and the N-methylmesoporphyrin IXs were inserted into them to produce an amplified fluorescent signal. Benefiting from high amplification efficiency of RCA and CHA, this fluorescent biosensor could detect T4 PNK as low as 6.63 × 10^-4 U mL^-1, and was successfully applied to detect its activity in HeLa cell lysates. Moreover, this fluorescent biosensor could effectively distinguish T4 PNK from other alternatives and evaluate the inhibitory effect of inhibitor, indicating that it had great potential in drug screening and disease treatment.

An Autocatalytic DNA Circuit Based on Hybridization Chain Assembly for Intracellular Imaging of Polynucleotide Kinase

Polynucleotide kinase (PNK) plays an essential role in various cellular events by regulating phosphorylation processes, and abnormal homeostasis of PNK could cause many human diseases. Herein, we proposed an autocatalytic hybridization system (AHS) through the elaborate integration of hybridization chain assembly (HCA) and catalytic DNA assembly (CDA) that enables a highly efficient positive feedback amplification. The PNK-targeting AHS biosensor is composed of three modules: a recognition module, an HCA amplification module, and a CDA autocatalytic module. In the presence of PNK, the recognition module could transform the PNK input into an exposed nucleic acid initiator (I). Then the initiator strand I could trigger the autonomous HCA process in the amplification module, and the resulted HCA products could reassemble the split CDA trigger strand T, subsequently inducing the CDA process in the autocatalytic module to form abundant DNA duplex products. Consequently, the embedded initiator strand I was liberated from the CDA duplex product to autonomously trigger the new rounds of HCA circuit. The rational integration and cooperative cross-activation between the HCA and CDA module could prominently accelerate the reaction and realize the exponential amplification efficiency by initiator regeneration. As a result, the self-sustainable AHS amplifier could implement the sensitive detection of PNK in vitro and in biological samples and further fulfill accurate monitoring of the intracellular PNK activity and the effective screening of PNK inhibitors. This work paves a way for exploiting highly efficient artificial DNA circuits to analyze low-abundance biomarkers, holding great potential in biochemical research and clinical diagnosis.

A highly sensitive fluorescence method for the detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase phosphatase based on polydopamine nanotubes

T4 polynucleotide kinase phosphatase (T4 PNKP) plays a critical role in various cellular events, such as DNA damage repair, replication, and recombination. Here, we have described a novel biosensor to detect the activity of T4 PNKP based on polydopamine nanotubes (PDANTs) mediated fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). A FAM-labelled (6-carboxyl-fluorescein) hairpin DNA probe with 3'-phosphoryl terminal was designed as the substrate for T4 PNKP. With the addition of PDANTs, the fluorescence of FAM-labelled hairpin DNA probe could be quenched because of the high adsorption of hairpin DNA on PDANTs. When T4 PNKP dephosphorylated the DNA probe, a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) product was obtained by Klenow fragment polymerase (KF polymerase) on its 3'-hydroxyl terminal, which could retain most of the fluorescence due to the week adsorption of dsDNA on PDANTs. The developed method demonstrates the sensitivity for T4 PNKP assay in the range from 0.05 to 1.5 U mL^-1 with the detection limit of 0.005 U mL^-1, which endows the proposed strategy with high enough sensitivity for practical detection in cell lysates. With the advantages mentioned above, this novel sensitive strategy has the potential in the study of DNA damage repair mechanisms.

Electrochemical detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity based on magnetic Fe3O4@TiO2 nanoparticles triggered by a rolling circle amplification strategy

An ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of the activity and inhibition of T4 polynucleotide kinase (T4 PNK) was developed by using magnetic Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ core-shell nanoparticles, which was triggered by a rolling circle amplification strategy (Fe₃O₄@TiO₂-RCA). We used Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ as a substrate to anchor a DNA primer. DNA S1 with 5'-OH termini was phosphorylated in the presence of T4 PNK and ATP, which was adsorbed on the surface of Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ NPs and served as the primer for subsequent RCA reactions. After adding circular template DNA S2, RCA was initiated in the presence of phi29 DNA polymerase and dNTPs. Then, Fc-labeled DNA S3 (Fc-S3) was hybridized with RCA. The obtained Fe₃O₄@TiO₂-RCA was adsorbed on the surface of a magnetic gold electrode (MGE) by magnetic enrichment, resulting in an enhanced electrochemical signal. The T4 PNK activity can be monitored by measuring the electrochemical signal generated. This electrochemical assay is sensitive to the activity of T4 PNK with a dynamic linear range of 0.00001-20 U/mL and a low detection limit of 3.0 × 10^-6 U/mL. The proposed strategy can be used to screen the T4 PNK inhibitors, so it has great potential in the discovery of nucleotide kinase-target drug and early clinical diagnosis of cancer.

Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease 2 (APE2): An ancillary enzyme for contextual base excision repair mechanisms to preserve genome stability

The genome of living organisms frequently undergoes various types of modifications which are recognized and repaired by the relevant repair mechanisms. These repair pathways are increasingly being deciphered to understand the mechanisms. Base excision repair (BER) is indispensable to maintain genome stability. One of the enigmatic repair proteins of BER, Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease 2 (APE2), like APE1, is truly multifunctional and demonstrates the independent and non-redundant function in maintaining the genome integrity. APE2 is involved in ATR-Chk1 mediated DNA damage response. It also resolves topoisomerase1 mediated cleavage complex intermediate which is formed while repairing misincorporated ribonucleotides in the absence of functional RNase H2 mediated excision repair pathway. BER participates in the demethylation pathway and the role of Arabidopsis thaliana APE2 is demonstrated in this process. Moreover, APE2 is synthetically lethal to BRCA1, BRCA2, and RNase H2, and its homolog, APE1 fails to complement the function. Hence, the role of APE2 is not just an alternate to the repair mechanisms but has implications in diverse functional pathways related to the maintenance of genome integrity. This review analyses genomic features of APE2 and delineates its enzyme function as error-prone as well as efficient and accurate repair protein based on the studies on mammalian or its homolog proteins from model systems such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Trypanosoma curzi, Xenopus laevis, Danio rerio, Mus musculus, and Homo sapiens.

The FHA domain of PNKP is essential for its recruitment to DNA damage sites and maintenance of genome stability

Polynucleotide kinase phosphatase (PNKP) has dual enzymatic activities as kinase and phosphatase for DNA ends, which are the prerequisite for the ligation, and thus is involved in base excision repair, single-strand break repair and non-homologous end joining for double-strand break (DSB) repair. In this study, we examined mechanisms for the recruitment of PNKP to DNA damage sites by laser micro-irradiation and live-cell imaging analysis using confocal microscope. We show that the forkhead-associated (FHA) domain of PNKP is essential for the recruitment of PNKP to DNA damage sites. Arg35 and Arg48 within the FHA domain are required for interactions with XRCC1 and XRCC4. PNKP R35A/R48A mutant failed to accumulate on the laser track and siRNA-mediated depletion of XRCC1 and/or XRCC4 reduced PNKP accumulation on the laser track, indicating that PNKP is recruited to DNA damage sites via the interactions between its FHA domain and XRCC1 or XRCC4. Furthermore, cells expressing PNKP R35A/R48A mutant exhibited increased sensitivity toward ionizing radiation in association with delayed SSB and DSB repair and genome instability, represented by micronuclei and chromosome bridges. Taken together, these findings revealed the importance of PNKP recruitment to DNA damage sites via its FHA domain for DNA repair and maintenance of genome stability.

Untangling trapped topoisomerases with tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterases

DNA topoisomerases alleviate the torsional stress that is generated by processes that are central to genome metabolism such as transcription and DNA replication. To do so, these enzymes generate an enzyme intermediate known as the cleavage complex in which the topoisomerase is covalently linked to the termini of a DNA single- or double-strand break. Whilst cleavage complexes are normally transient they can occasionally become abortive, creating protein-linked DNA breaks that threaten genome stability and cell survival; a process promoted and exploited in the cancer clinic by the use of topoisomerase 'poisons'. Here, we review the consequences to genome stability and human health of abortive topoisomerase-induced DNA breakage and the cellular pathways that cells have adopted to mitigate them, with particular focus on an important class of enzymes known as tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterases.

Isothermal cross-boosting extension–nicking reaction mediated exponential signal amplification for ultrasensitive detection of polynucleotide kinase

A novel nucleic acid-based isothermal signal amplification strategy, named cross-boosting extension–nicking reaction (CBENR) is developed and successfully used for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of polynucleotide kinase (PNK) activity.

Ratio fluorescence analysis of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity based on the formation of a graphene quantum dot-copper nanocluster nanohybrid

In this work, a ratio fluorescence method was developed for T4 polynucleotide kinase (PNK) activity analysis based on the formation of a dual-emitting graphene quantum dot-copper nanocluster (GQD-CuNC) nanohybrid. An amino capped single-strand DNA (ssDNA) was firstly used to modify GQDs (GQD-ssDNA) and then hybridize with its complementary DNA strand to form double-stranded DNA functionalized GQDs (GQD-dsDNA). The dsDNA of GQD-dsDNA can act as an effective template for the preparation of CuNCs with fluorescence emission at 594 nm. When the dsDNA of GQD-dsDNA was phosphorylated through T4 PNK and subsequently degraded via λ exonuclease (λ exo) to produce mononucleotides and GQD-ssDNA, the formation of fluorescence CuNCs in GQD-CuNCs was blocked due to the lack of an effective dsDNA substrate, during which the fluorescence of GQDs at 446 nm in the nanohybrid was mostly not influenced. Thus, with the CuNCs serving as the reporter and GQDs as the reference signal, T4 PNK activity can be monitored through the change in the fluorescence intensity ratio (F₅₉₄/F₄₄₆) in the range of 0.01-10 U mL^-1 with a detection limit (LOD) of 0.0037 U mL^-1. Furthermore, the practicality of this T4 PNK activity analysis strategy in a complex sample was tested in cell lysates.

A novel microchip electrophoresis laser induced fluorescence detection method for the assay of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity and inhibitors

T4 polynucleotide kinase (T4 PNK) may catalyze the phosphorylation of 5'-hydroxyl termini in nucleic acids, which play a crucial role in DNA recombination, replication and damage repair. Here, a microchip electrophoresis laser induced fluorescence (MCE-LIF) method based on biochemical reaction was developed for the detection of T4 PNK activity and inhibitors. In this method, the single strand DNA (ssDNA) was hybridized with the 5-carboxyfluorescein (FAM) labeled single strand DNA (ssDNA-FAM) to form FAM labeled double-stranded DNA (dsDNA-FAM). In the presence of T4 PNK and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), T4 PNK catalyzes the transfer of γ-phosphate residues from ATP to the 5-hydroxyl terminal of dsDNA-FAM. The phosphorylated dsDNA-FAM can be gradually hydrolyzed by λexo to produce a FAM labeled single nucleotide fragment. Then the FAM labeled single nucleotide fragment and the unhydrolyzed dsDNA-FAM were separated by MCE, and two electrophoresis peaks appeared in the electrophoretogram. The detection of T4 PNK activity and inhibitors was realized by measuring the peak height of the FAM labeled single nucleotide fragment in electrophoretogram. This assay is very sensitive with a limit of detection of 0.002 U/mL, and it can be further used to screen the T4 PNK inhibitors.

Fluorogenic probes for disease-relevant enzymes

Traditional biochemical methods for enzyme detection are mainly based on antibody-based immunoassays, which lack the ability to monitor the spatiotemporal distribution and, in particular, the in situ activity of enzymes in live cells and in vivo. In this review, we comprehensively summarize recent progress that has been made in the development of small-molecule as well as material-based fluorogenic probes for sensitive detection of the activities of enzymes that are related to a number of human diseases. The principles utilized to design these probes as well as their applications are reviewed. Specific attention is given to fluorogenic probes that have been developed for analysis of the activities of enzymes including oxidases and reductases, those that act on biomacromolecules including DNAs, proteins/peptides/amino acids, carbohydrates and lipids, and those that are responsible for translational modifications. We envision that this review will serve as an ideal reference for practitioners as well as beginners in relevant research fields.

New method for detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase phosphatase activity through isothermal EXPonential amplification reaction

A new method has been developed for the sensitive detection of T4 PNKP activity based on the isothermal EXPonential amplification reaction.

Deinococcus radiodurans HD-Pnk, a Nucleic Acid End-Healing Enzyme, Abets Resistance to Killing by Ionizing Radiation and Mitomycin C

5'- and 3'-end healing are key steps in nucleic acid break repair in which 5'-OH and 3'-PO₄ or 2',3'-cyclic-PO₄ ends are converted to 5'-PO₄ and 3'-OH termini suitable for sealing by polynucleotide ligases. Here, we characterize Deinococcus radiodurans HD-Pnk as a bifunctional end-healing enzyme composed of N-terminal HD (histidine-aspartate) phosphoesterase and C-terminal P-loop polynucleotide kinase (Pnk) domains. HD-Pnk phosphorylates 5'-OH DNA in the presence of ATP and magnesium. HD-Pnk has 3'-phosphatase and 2',3'-cyclic-phosphodiesterase activity in the presence of transition metals, optimally cobalt or copper, and catalyzes copper-dependent hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylphosphate. HD-Pnk is encoded by the LIG-PARG-HD-Pnk three-gene operon, which includes polynucleotide ligase and poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase genes. We show that whereas HD-Pnk is inessential for Deinococcus growth, its absence sensitizes by 80-fold bacteria to killing by 9 kGy of ionizing radiation (IR). HD-Pnk protein is depleted during early stages of post-IR recovery and then replenished at 15 h, after reassembly of the genome from shattered fragments. ΔHD-Pnk mutant cells are competent for genome reassembly, as gauged by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Our findings suggest a role for HD-Pnk in repairing residual single-strand gaps or nicks in the reassembled genome. HD-Pnk-Ala mutations that ablate kinase or phosphoesterase activity sensitize Deinococcus to killing by mitomycin C.IMPORTANCE End healing is a process whereby nucleic acid breaks with "dirty" 3'-PO₄ or 2',3'-cyclic-PO₄ and 5'-OH ends are converted to 3'-OH and 5'-PO₄ termini that are amenable to downstream repair reactions. Deinococcus radiodurans is resistant to massive doses of ionizing radiation (IR) that generate hundreds of dirty DNA double-strand breaks and thousands of single-strand breaks. This study highlights Deinococcus HD-Pnk as a bifunctional 3'- and 5'-end-healing enzyme that helps protect against killing by IR. HD-Pnk appears to act late in the process of post-IR recovery, subsequent to genome reassembly from shattered fragments. HD-Pnk also contributes to resistance to killing by mitomycin C. These findings are significant in that they establish a role for end-healing enzymes in bacterial DNA damage repair.

Dual enzyme-assisted one-step isothermal real-time amplification assay for ultrasensitive detection of polynucleotide kinase activity

A novel, simple, one-step and one-tube detection method for polynucleotide kinase (PNK) activity based on isothermal real-time amplification assay was proposed.

A sensitive electrochemical assay for T4 polynucleotide kinase activity based on titanium dioxide nanotubes and a rolling circle amplification strategy

An ultrasensitive electrochemical biosensor was developed for detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase (T4 PNK) activity based on titanium dioxide nanotubes (TiO₂ NTs) and a rolling circle amplification (RCA) strategy. In this study, the immobilized T4 PNK substrate probe with a 5′ terminus hydroxyl was phosphorylated by T4 PNK in the presence of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and the resulting 5-phosphoryl can be linked with the TiO₂ NTs and further conjugated with the phosphate-labeled primer. RCA was initiated by adding circular template, phi29 DNA polymerase and deoxyribonucleoside 5-triphosphate mixture (dNTPs). Biotin-labeled probes are chosen as a signal indicator by strong biotin–streptavidin interaction and the high loading of horseradish peroxidase–streptavidin (HRP–SA) for electrochemical signal generation and amplification. A dual-signaling amplification strategy has been established, which exhibited an excellent performance with a wide linear range from 0.0001–15 U mL⁻¹ and a low detection limit of 0.00003 U mL⁻¹ for T4 PNK detection. The inhibition effect of (NH₄)₂SO₄ on the activity of T4 PNK is also evaluated. This new dual-signaling electrochemical biosensor can be used for the detection of the activity and inhibition of other nucleic acid enzymes.

An ultrasensitive electrochemical biosensor was developed for detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity based on titanium dioxide nanotubes and a rolling circle amplification strategy.

Lingering single-strand breaks trigger Rad51-independent homology-directed repair of collapsed replication forks in the polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase mutant of fission yeast

The DNA repair enzyme polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase (PNKP) protects genome integrity by restoring ligatable 5'-phosphate and 3'-hydroxyl termini at single-strand breaks (SSBs). In humans, PNKP mutations underlie the neurological disease known as MCSZ, but these individuals are not predisposed for cancer, implying effective alternative repair pathways in dividing cells. Homology-directed repair (HDR) of collapsed replication forks was proposed to repair SSBs in PNKP-deficient cells, but the critical HDR protein Rad51 is not required in PNKP-null (pnk1Δ) cells of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Here, we report that pnk1Δ cells have enhanced requirements for Rad3 (ATR/Mec1) and Chk1 checkpoint kinases, and the multi-BRCT domain protein Brc1 that binds phospho-histone H2A (γH2A) at damaged replication forks. The viability of pnk1Δ cells depends on Mre11 and Ctp1 (CtIP/Sae2) double-strand break (DSB) resection proteins, Rad52 DNA strand annealing protein, Mus81-Eme1 Holliday junction resolvase, and Rqh1 (BLM/WRN/Sgs1) DNA helicase. Coupled with increased sister chromatid recombination and Rad52 repair foci in pnk1Δ cells, these findings indicate that lingering SSBs in pnk1Δ cells trigger Rad51-independent homology-directed repair of collapsed replication forks. From these data, we propose models for HDR-mediated tolerance of persistent SSBs with 3' phosphate in pnk1Δ cells.

A cobalt oxyhydroxide nanoflake-based nanoprobe for the sensitive fluorescence detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity and inhibition

Phosphorylation of nucleic acids with 5'-OH termini catalyzed by polynucleotide kinase (PNK) is an inevitable process and has been implicated in many important cellular events. Here, we found for the first time that there was a significant difference in the adsorbent ability of cobalt oxyhydroxide (CoOOH) nanoflakes between single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), which resulted in the fluorescent dye-labeled dsDNA still retaining strong fluorescence emission, while the fluorescence signal of ssDNA was significantly quenched by CoOOH nanoflakes. Based on this discovery, we developed a CoOOH nanoflake-based nanoprobe for the fluorescence sensing of T4 PNK activity and its inhibition by combining it with λ exonuclease cleavage reaction. In the presence of T4 PNK, dye-labeled dsDNA was phosphorylated and then cleaved by λ exonuclease to generate ssDNA, which could adsorb on the CoOOH nanoflakes and whose fluorescence was quenched by CoOOH nanoflakes. Due to the high quenching property of CoOOH nanoflakes as an efficient energy acceptor, a sensitive and selective sensing approach with satisfactory performance for T4 PNK sensing in a complex biological matrix has been successfully constructed and applied to the screening of inhibitors. The developed approach may potentially provide a new platform for further research, clinical diagnosis, and drug discovery of nucleotide kinase related diseases.

A label-free cyclic assembly of G-quadruplex nanowires for cascade amplification detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity and inhibition

Several fluorescence methods have been developed for sensitive detection of PNK activity based on signal amplification techniques, but they need fluorescently labeled DNA probes and superabundant assistant enzymes. We have addressed these limitations and report here a label-free and enzyme-free amplification strategy for sensitively and specifically studying PNK activity and inhibition via hybridization chain reaction (HCR). First, the phosphorylation of hairpin DNA H1 by T4 PNK makes it be specifically digested by lambda exonuclease (λ exo) from 5' to 3' direction to generate a single-stranded initiator which can successively open hairpins H2 and H3 to trigger an autonomous assembly of long DNA nanowires. Meanwhile, an intermolecular G-quadruplex is formed between H2 and H3, thereby providing fluorescence enhancement of N-methyl mesoporphyrin IX (NMM) which is a highly quadruplex-selective fluorophore. So, the PNK activity can be facilely and sensitively detected by using NMM as a signal probe which provides a low background signal to improve the overall sensitivity, resulting in the detection limit of 3.37 × 10(-4) U mL(-1). More importantly, its successful application for detecting PNK activity in a complex biological matrix and studying the inhibition effects of PNK inhibitors demonstrated that it provides a promising platform for screening PNK inhibitors as well as detecting PNK activity. Therefore, it is a highly sensitive, specific, reliable and cost-effective strategy which shows great potential for biological process research, drug discovery, and clinical diagnostics.

Evidence of recent interspecies horizontal gene transfer regarding nucleopolyhedrovirus infection of Spodoptera frugiperda

BACKGROUND

Baculoviruses are insect-associated viruses carrying large, circular double-stranded-DNA genomes with significant biotechnological applications such as biological pest control, recombinant protein production, gene delivery in mammals and as a model of DNA genome evolution. These pathogens infect insects from the orders Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera, and have high species diversity which is expressed in their diverse biological properties including morphology, virulence or pathogenicity. Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), the fall armyworm, represents a significant pest for agriculture in America; it is a host for baculoviruses such as the Spodoptera frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SfMNPV) (Colombia strain, genotype A) having been classified as a Group II alphabaculovirus making it a very attractive target for bioinsecticidal use.

RESULTS

Genome analysis by pyrosequencing revealed that SfMNPV ColA has 145 ORFs, 2 of which were not present in the other sequenced genotypes of the virus (SfMNPV-NicB, SfMNPV-NicG, SfMNPV-19 and SfMNPV-3AP2). An in-depth bioinformatics study showed that ORF023 and ORF024 were acquired by a recent homologous recombination process between Spodoptera frugiperda and Spodoptera litura (the Oriental leafworm moth) nucleopolyhedroviruses. Auxiliary genes are numerous in the affected locus which has a homologous region (hr3), a repetitive sequence associated with genome replication which became lost in SfColA along with 1 ORF. Besides, the mRNAs associated with two acquired genes appeared in the virus' life-cycle during the larval stage. Predictive studies concerning the theoretical proteins identified that ORF023 protein would be a phosphatase involved in DNA repair and that the ORF024 protein would be a membrane polypeptide associated with cell transport.

CONCLUSIONS

The SfColA genome was thus revealed to be a natural recombinant virus showing evidence of recent horizontal gene transfer between different baculovirus species occurring in nature. This feature could be the cause of its high insecticidal power and therefore SfColA becomes a great candidate for bioinsecticide formulations.

The complete sequence of the first Spodoptera frugiperda Betabaculovirus genome: a natural multiple recombinant virus

Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a major pest in maize crops in Colombia, and affects several regions in America. A granulovirus isolated from S. frugiperda (SfGV VG008) has potential as an enhancer of insecticidal activity of previously described nucleopolyhedrovirus from the same insect species (SfMNPV). The SfGV VG008 genome was sequenced and analyzed showing circular double stranded DNA of 140,913 bp encoding 146 putative ORFs that include 37 Baculoviridae core genes, 88 shared with betabaculoviruses, two shared only with betabaculoviruses from Noctuide insects, two shared with alphabaculoviruses, three copies of own genes (paralogs) and the other 14 corresponding to unique genes without representation in the other baculovirus species. Particularly, the genome encodes for important virulence factors such as 4 chitinases and 2 enhancins. The sequence analysis revealed the existence of eight homologous regions (hrs) and also suggests processes of gene acquisition by horizontal transfer including the SfGV VG008 ORFs 046/047 (paralogs), 059, 089 and 099. The bioinformatics evidence indicates that the genome donors of mentioned genes could be alpha- and/or betabaculovirus species. The previous reported ability of SfGV VG008 to naturally co-infect the same host with other virus show a possible mechanism to capture genes and thus improve its fitness.

Phosphorylation-induced hybridization chain reaction on beads: an ultrasensitive flow cytometric assay for the detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity

A versatile flow cytometric bead assay (FCBA) has been developed for an ultrasensitive detection of T4 PNK activity.

A sensitive immobilization-free electrochemical assay for T4PNK activity based on exonuclease III-assisted recycling

This work develops a novel, immobilization-free, simple and sensitive electrochemical platform for the detection of T4PNK activity based on λ-exo and exonuclease III-assisted signal amplification.

Highly sensitive fluorescence assay of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity and inhibition via enzyme-assisted signal amplification

DNA phosphorylation catalyzed by polynucleotide kinase (PNK) is an indispensable process in the repair, replication, and recombination of nucleic acids. Here, an enzyme-assisted amplification strategy was developed for the ultrasensitive monitoring activity and inhibition of T4 PNK. A hairpin oligonucleotide (hpDNA) was designed as a probe whose stem can be degraded from the 5' to 3' direction by lambda exonuclease (λ exo) when its 5' end is phosphorylated by PNK. So, the 3' stem and loop part of hpDNA was released as an initiator strand to open a molecular beacon (MB) that was designed as a fluorescence reporter, leading to a fluorescence restoration. Then, the initiator strand was released again by the nicking endonuclease (Nt.BbvCI) to hybridize with another MB, resulting in a cyclic reaction and accumulation of fluorescence signal. Based on enzyme-assisted amplification, PNK activity can be sensitively and rapidly detected with a detection limit of 1.0×10(-4)U/ml, which is superior to those of most existing approaches. Furthermore, the application of the proposed strategy for screening PNK inhibitors also demonstrated satisfactory results. Therefore, it provided a promising platform for monitoring activity and inhibition of PNK as well as for studying the activity of other nucleases.

Amplified detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity by the coupled λ exonuclease cleavage reaction and catalytic assembly of bimolecular beacons

The phosphorylation of nucleic acid catalyzed by polynucleotide kinase is an indispensible procedure involved in many vital cellular activities such as DNA recombination and DNA repair. Herein, a novel strategy for the sensitive determination of T4 polynucleotide kinase (PNK) activity and inhibition was proposed, which combined exonuclease enzyme reaction and bimolecular beacons (bi-MBs)-based signal amplification. A hairpin probe (HP) with 5'-hydroxyl termini and two different types of molecular beacons (MBs), MB1 and MB2, is designed. Taking advantage of the efficient enzyme reactions, namely the phosphorylation of HP by PNK and the λ exonuclease cleavage reaction, the trigger DNA fragment can be released from HP and is used to trigger the catalytic assembly of bimolecular beacons, resulting in a remarkably amplified fluorescence signal toward PNK activity detection. The detection limit of this method toward PNK was obtained as 1 mU/mL, which was superior or comparable with the reported methods. Furthermore, the facile and sensitive method can also be used to screen the inhibition effects toward several common inhibitors. It provides a promising platform for sensitive determination of nucleotide kinase activity and inhibition, and also shows great potential for biological process research, drug discovery, and clinic diagnostics.

One-step highly sensitive florescence detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity and biological small molecules by ligation-nicking coupled reaction-mediated signal amplification

DNA phosphorylation, catalyzed by polynucleotide kinase (PNK), plays significant regulatory roles in many biological events. Herein, using T4 PNK as a model target, we describe a one-step, highly sensitive, simple and rapid fluorescence approach for monitoring its activity and inhibition. This innovative strategy is inspired by the great amplification capability of ligation-nicking coupled reaction-mediated signal amplification. In the presence of T4 PNK, one of two short oligonucleotides complementary to the loop sequence of molecular beacon (MB) are phosphorylated, and then ligated with the other by DNA ligase. Upon formation of the stable duplex between the ligated DNA and MB, the fluorescence is restored and further significantly amplified through nicking endonuclease assisted cleavage of multiple MBs. Meanwhile, the cleavage of MBs will also generate new nicks to initiate the ligation reaction. Eventually, a maximum fluorescence enhancement is obtained when the ligation and nicking process reached a dynamic equilibrium. As compared to those of the existing approaches except for the assay based on single nanoparticle counting, all limited to 1:1 signal transduction function, the sensitivity (0.00001U/mL) of the proposed strategy is 100-1700 times higher. The application of the sensing system in complex biological matrix and screening of T4 PNK inhibition are demonstrated with satisfactory results. Moreover, this approach is also successfully used to detect biological small molecules such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and can be further extended for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) detection.

Sensitive nanochannel biosensor for T4 polynucleotide kinase activity and inhibition detection

5'-Polynucleotide kinase is a crucial class of enzyme that catalyzes the phosphorylation of nucleic acids with 5'-hydroxyl termini. This process regulates many important cellular events, especially DNA repair during strand damage and interruption. The activity and inhibition of nucleotide kinase have proven to be an evident effect on cellular nucleic acid regulation and metabolism. Here, we describe a novel nanochannel biosensor for monitoring the activity and inhibition of T4 polynucleotide kinase (PNK), a famous member of the 5'-kinase family playing a major role in the cellular responses to DNA damage. On the basis of the functionalized nanochannel system and coupled λ exonuclease cleavage reaction, the nanochannel-sensing platform exhibits high sensitivity and convenience toward kinase analysis. Biotin-labeled dsDNA effectively blocks the streptavidin-modified nanochannel through forming a closely packed arrangement of DNA structure inside the channel. When dsDNA is phosphorylated by PNK and then immediately cleaved by λ exonuclease, the pore-blocking effect almost disappears. This PNK-induced microstructural distinctness can be directly and accurately monitored by the nanochannel system, which benefits from its high sensitivity to the change of the effective pore size. Furthermore, modification convenience and mechanical robustness also ensure the stability of the test platform. This as-proposed strategy exhibits excellent analytical performance in both PNK activity analysis and inhibition evaluation. The simple and sensitive nanochannel biosensor shows great potential in developing on-chip, high-throughput assays for fundamental biochemical process research, molecular-target therapies, and clinic diagnostics.

An electronic channel switching-based aptasensor for ultrasensitive protein detection

Due to the ubiquity and essential of the proteins in all living organisms, the identification and quantification of disease-specific proteins are particularly important. Because the conformational change of aptamer upon its target or probe/target/probe sandwich often is the primary prerequisite for the design of an electrochemical aptameric assay system, it is extremely difficult to construct the electrochemical aptasensor for protein assay because the corresponding aptamers cannot often meet the requirement. To circumvent the obstacles mentioned, an electronic channel switching-based (ECS) aptasensor for ultrasensitive protein detection is developed. The essential achievement made is that an innovative sensing concept is proposed: the hairpin structure of aptamer is designed to pull electroactive species toward electrode surface and makes the surface-immobilized IgE serve as a barrier that separates enzyme from its substrate. It seemingly ensures that the ECS aptasensor exhibits most excellent assay features, such as, a detection limit of 4.44×10(-6)μg mL(-1) (22.7fM, 220zmol in 10-μL sample) (demonstrating a 5 orders of magnitude improvement in detection sensitivity compared with classical electronic aptasensors) and dynamic response range from 4.44×10(-6) to 4.44×10(-1)μg mL(-1). We believe that the described sensing concept here might open a new avenue for the detection of proteins and other biomacromolecules.

Polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase, Pnk1, is involved in base excision repair in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

We previously reported that Schizosaccharomyces pombe pnk1 cells are more sensitive than wild-type cells to γ-radiation and camptothecin, indicating that Pnk1 is required for DNA repair. Here, we report that pnk1pku70 and pnk1rhp51 double mutants are more sensitive to γ-radiation than single mutants, from which we infer that Pnk1's primary role is independent of either homologous recombination or non-homologous end joining mechanisms. We also report that pnk1 cells are more sensitive than wild-type cells to oxidizing and alkylating agents, suggesting that Pnk1 is involved in base excision repair. Mutational analysis of Pnk1 revealed that the DNA 3'-phosphatase activity is necessary for repair of DNA damage, whereas the 5'-kinase activity is dispensable. A role for Pnk1 in base excision repair is supported by genetic analyses which revealed that pnk1apn2 is synthetically lethal, suggesting that Pnk1 and Apn2 may function in parallel pathways essential for the repair of endogenous DNA damage. Furthermore, the nth1pnk1apn2 and tdp1pnk1apn2 triple mutants are viable, implying that single-strand breaks with 3'-blocked termini produced by Nth1 and Tdp1 contribute to synthetic lethality. We also examined the sensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate of all single and double mutant combinations of nth1, apn2, tdp1 and pnk1. Together, our results support a model where Tdp1 and Pnk1 act in concert in an Apn2-independent base excision repair pathway to repair 3'-blocked termini produced by Nth1; and they also provide evidence that Pnk1 has additional roles in base excision repair.

Role of polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase in mitochondrial DNA repair

Mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are implicated in a broad range of human diseases and in aging. Compared to nuclear DNA, mtDNA is more highly exposed to oxidative damage due to its proximity to the respiratory chain and the lack of protection afforded by chromatin-associated proteins. While repair of oxidative damage to the bases in mtDNA through the base excision repair pathway has been well studied, the repair of oxidatively induced strand breaks in mtDNA has been less thoroughly examined. Polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase (PNKP) processes strand-break termini to render them chemically compatible for the subsequent action of DNA polymerases and ligases. Here, we demonstrate that functionally active full-length PNKP is present in mitochondria as well as nuclei. Downregulation of PNKP results in an accumulation of strand breaks in mtDNA of hydrogen peroxide-treated cells. Full restoration of repair of the H₂O₂-induced strand breaks in mitochondria requires both the kinase and phosphatase activities of PNKP. We also demonstrate that PNKP contains a mitochondrial-targeting signal close to the C-terminus of the protein. We further show that PNKP associates with the mitochondrial protein mitofilin. Interaction with mitofilin may serve to translocate PNKP into mitochondria.

AP endonuclease independent repair of abasic sites in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Abasic (AP) sites are formed spontaneously and are inevitably intermediates during base excision repair of DNA base damages. AP sites are both mutagenic and cytotoxic and key enzymes for their removal are AP endonucleases. However, AP endonuclease independent repair initiated by DNA glycosylases performing β,δ-elimination cleavage of the AP sites has been described in mammalian cells. Here, we describe another AP endonuclease independent repair pathway for removal of AP sites in Schizosaccharomyces pombe that is initiated by a bifunctional DNA glycosylase, Nth1 and followed by cleavage of the baseless sugar residue by tyrosyl phosphodiesterase Tdp1. We propose that repair is completed by the action of a polynucleotide kinase, a DNA polymerase and finally a DNA ligase to seal the gap. A fission yeast double mutant of the major AP endonuclease Apn2 and Tdp1 shows synergistic increase in MMS sensitivity, substantiating that Apn2 and Tdp1 process the same substrate. These results add new knowledge to the complex cellular response to AP sites, which could be exploited in chemotherapy where synthetic lethality is a key strategy of treatment.

Sensitive and rapid screening of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity and inhibition based on coupled exonuclease reaction and graphene oxide platform

Phosphorylation of DNA with 5'-hydroxyl termini plays a critical role in a majority of normal cellular events, including DNA recombination, DNA replication, and repair of DNA during strand interruption. Determination of nucleotide kinase activity and inhibition is under intense development due to its importance in regulating nucleic acid metabolism. Here, by using T4 polynucleotide kinase (PNK) as a model, which plays an essential role in cellular nucleic acid metabolism, particularly in the cellular responses to DNA damage, we describe a strategy for simply and accurately determining nucleotide kinase activity and inhibition by means of a coupled λ exonuclease cleavage reaction and graphene oxide (GO) based platform. The dye attached dsDNA preserves most of the fluorescence when mixed with GO. While dsDNA is phosphorylated by PNK and then immediately cleaved by λ exonuclease, fluorescence is greatly quenched. Because of the super quenching ability and the high specific surface area of GO, the as-proposed platform presents an excellent performance with wide linear range and low detection limit in the cell extracts environment. Additionally, inhibition effects of adenosine diphosphate, ammonium sulfate, and sodium hydrogen phosphate have also been investigated. The method not only provides a universal platform for monitoring activity and inhibition of nucleotide kinase but also shows great potential in biological process researches, drug discovery, and clinic diagnostics.