Activation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mlh1-Pms1 Endonuclease in a Reconstituted Mismatch Repair System

The Mlh1-Pms1 endonuclease uses ATP to preserve DNA discontinuities as strand discrimination signals to facilitate mismatch repair

In eukaryotic post-replicative mismatch repair, MutS homologs (MSH) detect mismatches and recruit MLH complexes to nick the newly replicated DNA strand upon activation by the replication processivity clamp, PCNA. This incision enables mismatch removal and DNA repair. Biasing MLH endonuclease activity to the newly replicated DNA strand is crucial for repair. In reconstituted in vitro assays, PCNA is loaded at pre-existing discontinuities and orients the major MLH endonuclease Mlh1-Pms1/MLH1-PMS2 (yeast/human) to nick the discontinuous strand. In vivo, newly replicated DNA transiently contains discontinuities which are critical for efficient mismatch repair. How these discontinuities are preserved as strand discrimination signals during the window of time where mismatch repair occurs is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that yeast Mlh1-Pms1 uses ATP binding to recognize DNA discontinuities. This complex does not efficiently interact with PCNA, which partially suppresses ATPase activity, and prevents dissociation from the discontinuity. These data suggest that in addition to initiating mismatch repair by nicking newly replicated DNA, Mlh1-Pms1 protects strand discrimination signals, aiding in maintaining its own strand discrimination signposts. Our findings also highlight the significance of Mlh1-Pms1's ATPase activity for inducing DNA dissociation, as mutant proteins deficient in this function become immobilized on DNA post-incision, explaining in vivo phenotypes.

Exploiting the distinctive properties of the bacterial and human MutS homolog sliding clamps on mismatched DNA

MutS homologs (MSHs) are highly conserved core components of DNA mismatch repair. Mismatch recognition provokes ATP-binding by MSH proteins that drives a conformational transition from a short-lived lesion-searching clamp to an extremely stable sliding clamp on the DNA. Here, we have expanded on previous bulk biochemical studies to examine the stability, lifetime, and kinetics of bacterial and human MSH sliding clamps on mismatched DNA using surface plasmon resonance and single-molecule analysis of fluorescently labeled proteins. We found that ATP-bound MSH complexes bound to blocked-end or very long mismatched DNAs were extremely stable over a range of ionic conditions. These observations underpinned the development of a high-throughput Förster resonance energy transfer system that specifically detects the formation of MSH sliding clamps on mismatched DNA. The Förster resonance energy transfer system is capable of distinguishing between HsMSH2-HsMSH3 and HsMSH2-HsMSH6 and appears suitable for chemical inhibitor screens. Taken together, our results provide additional insight into MSH sliding clamps as well as methods to distinguish their functions in mismatch repair.

The unstructured linker of Mlh1 contains a motif required for endonuclease function which is mutated in cancers

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) prevents mutations caused by DNA-replication errors and suppresses multiple types of cancers. During MMR, the Mlh1-Pms1 complex is recruited to mispair-containing DNA and nicks the newly replicated DNA strand, targeting it for degradation and resynthesis. Here, we identified an amino acid sequence within the unstructured linker of Mlh1 required for endonuclease activity. This sequence functioned when moved within the Mlh1 linker or when moved to the Pms1 linker. These results reveal a functional role for the intrinsically disordered region, which is conserved from yeast to humans and is mutated in cancer, suggesting that it organizes the catalytically active complex even though the required sequence can be distant from the active site.

Eukaryotic DNA mismatch repair (MMR) depends on recruitment of the Mlh1-Pms1 endonuclease (human MLH1-PMS2) to mispaired DNA. Both Mlh1 and Pms1 contain a long unstructured linker that connects the N- and carboxyl-terminal domains. Here, we demonstrated the Mlh1 linker contains a conserved motif (Saccharomyces cerevisiae residues 391–415) required for MMR. The Mlh1-R401A,D403A-Pms1 linker motif mutant protein was defective for MMR and endonuclease activity in vitro, even though the conserved motif could be >750 Å from the carboxyl-terminal endonuclease active site or the N-terminal adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding site. Peptides encoding this motif inhibited wild-type Mlh1-Pms1 endonuclease activity. The motif functioned in vivo at different sites within the Mlh1 linker and within the Pms1 linker. Motif mutations in human cancers caused a loss-of-function phenotype when modeled in S. cerevisiae. These results suggest that the Mlh1 motif promotes the PCNA-activated endonuclease activity of Mlh1-Pms1 via interactions with DNA, PCNA, RFC, or other domains of the Mlh1-Pms1 complex.

Mlh1 interacts with both Msh2 and Msh6 for recruitment during mismatch repair

Eukaryotic DNA mismatch repair (MMR) initiates through mispair recognition by the MutS homologs Msh2-Msh6 and Msh2-Msh3 and subsequent recruitment of the MutL homologs Mlh1-Pms1 (human MLH1-PMS2). In bacteria, MutL is recruited by interactions with the connector domain of one MutS subunit and the ATPase and core domains of the other MutS subunit. Analysis of the S. cerevisiae and human homologs have only identified an interaction between the Msh2 connector domain and Mlh1. Here we investigated whether a conserved Msh6 ATPase/core domain-Mlh1 interaction and an Msh2-Msh6 interaction with Pms1 also act in MMR. Mutations in MLH1 affecting interactions with both the Msh2 and Msh6 interfaces caused MMR defects, whereas equivalent pms1 mutations did not cause MMR defects. Mutant Mlh1-Pms1 complexes containing Mlh1 amino acid substitutions were defective for recruitment to mispaired DNA by Msh2-Msh6, did not support MMR in reconstituted Mlh1-Pms1-dependent MMR reactions in vitro, but were proficient in Msh2-Msh6-independent Mlh1-Pms1 endonuclease activity. These results indicate that Mlh1, the common subunit of the Mlh1-Pms1, Mlh1-Mlh2, and Mlh1-Mlh3 complexes, but not Pms1, is recruited by Msh2-Msh6 through interactions with both of its subunits.

MutS recognition of mismatches within primed DNA replication intermediates

MutS initiates mismatch repair by recognizing mismatches in newly replicated DNA. Specific interactions between MutS and mismatches within double-stranded DNA promote ADP-ATP exchange and a conformational change into a sliding clamp. Here, we demonstrated that MutS from Pseudomonas aeruginosa associates with primed DNA replication intermediates. The predicted structure of this MutS-DNA complex revealed a new DNA binding site, in which Asn 279 and Arg 272 appeared to directly interact with the 3'-OH terminus of primed DNA. Mutation of these residues resulted in a noticeable defect in the interaction of MutS with primed DNA substrates. Remarkably, MutS interaction with a mismatch within primed DNA induced a compaction of the protein structure and impaired the formation of an ATP-bound sliding clamp. Our findings reveal a novel DNA binding mode, conformational change and intramolecular signaling for MutS recognition of mismatches within primed DNA structures.

MutL binds to 3' resected DNA ends and blocks DNA polymerase access

DNA mismatch repair removes mis-incorporated bases after DNA replication and reduces the error rate a 100–1000-fold. After recognition of a mismatch, a large section of up to a thousand nucleotides is removed from the daughter strand followed by re-synthesis. How these opposite activities are coordinated is poorly understood. Here we show that the Escherichia coli MutL protein binds to the 3′ end of the resected strand and blocks access of Pol I and Pol III. The cryo-EM structure of an 85-kDa MutL-DNA complex, determined to 3.7 Å resolution, reveals a unique DNA binding mode that positions MutL at the 3′ end of a primer-template, but not at a 5′ resected DNA end or a blunt DNA end. Hence, our work reveals a novel role for MutL in the final stages of mismatch repair by preventing premature DNA synthesis during removal of the mismatched strand.

The nuclease activity of DNA2 promotes exonuclease 1-independent mismatch repair

The DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system is a major DNA repair system that corrects DNA replication errors. In eukaryotes, the MMR system functions via mechanisms both dependent on and independent of exonuclease 1 (EXO1), an enzyme that has multiple roles in DNA metabolism. Although the mechanism of EXO1-dependent MMR is well understood, less is known about EXO1-independent MMR. Here, we provide genetic and biochemical evidence that the DNA2 nuclease/helicase has a role in EXO1-independent MMR. Biochemical reactions reconstituted with purified human proteins demonstrated that the nuclease activity of DNA2 promotes an EXO1-independent MMR reaction via a mismatch excision-independent mechanism that involves DNA polymerase δ. We show that DNA polymerase ε is not able to replace DNA polymerase δ in the DNA2-promoted MMR reaction. Unlike its nuclease activity, the helicase activity of DNA2 is dispensable for the ability of the protein to enhance the MMR reaction. Further examination established that DNA2 acts in the EXO1-independent MMR reaction by increasing the strand-displacement activity of DNA polymerase δ. These data reveal a mechanism for EXO1-independent mismatch repair.

Rad27 and Exo1 function in different excision pathways for mismatch repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Eukaryotic DNA Mismatch Repair (MMR) involves redundant exonuclease 1 (Exo1)-dependent and Exo1-independent pathways, of which the Exo1-independent pathway(s) is not well understood. The exo1Δ440-702 mutation, which deletes the MutS Homolog 2 (Msh2) and MutL Homolog 1 (Mlh1) interacting peptides (SHIP and MIP boxes, respectively), eliminates the Exo1 MMR functions but is not lethal in combination with rad27Δ mutations. Analyzing the effect of different combinations of the exo1Δ440-702 mutation, a rad27Δ mutation and the pms1-A99V mutation, which inactivates an Exo1-independent MMR pathway, demonstrated that each of these mutations inactivates a different MMR pathway. Furthermore, it was possible to reconstitute a Rad27- and Msh2-Msh6-dependent MMR reaction in vitro using a mispaired DNA substrate and other MMR proteins. Our results demonstrate Rad27 defines an Exo1-independent eukaryotic MMR pathway that is redundant with at least two other MMR pathways.

Defects in DNA mismatch repair (MMR) have been linked to inherited and sporadic cancers. Here the authors demonstrate that the DNA repair protein Rad27 (human FEN1) functions in one of three redundant mispair excision pathways, where its flap endonuclease activity catalyzes mispair excision.

Strand discrimination in DNA mismatch repair

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) corrects non-Watson-Crick basepairs generated by replication errors, recombination intermediates, and some forms of chemical damage to DNA. In MutS and MutL homolog-dependent MMR, damaged bases do not identify the error-containing daughter strand that must be excised and resynthesized. In organisms like Escherichia coli that use methyl-directed MMR, transient undermethylation identifies the daughter strand. For other organisms, growing in vitro and in vivo evidence suggest that strand discrimination is mediated by DNA replication-associated daughter strand nicks that direct asymmetric loading of the replicative clamp (the β-clamp in bacteria and the proliferating cell nuclear antigen, PCNA, in eukaryotes). Structural modeling suggests that replicative clamps mediate strand specificity either through the ability of MutL homologs to recognize the fixed orientation of the daughter strand relative to one face of the replicative clamps or through parental strand-specific diffusion of replicative clamps on DNA, which places the daughter strand in the MutL homolog endonuclease active site. Finally, identification of bacteria that appear to lack strand discrimination mediated by a replicative clamp and a pre-existing nick suggest that other strand discrimination mechanisms exist or that these organisms perform MMR by generating a double-stranded DNA break intermediate, which may be analogous to NucS-mediated MMR.

Cyclin N-Terminal Domain-Containing-1 Coordinates Meiotic Crossover Formation with Cell-Cycle Progression in a Cyclin-Independent Manner

During mammalian meiotic prophase I, programmed DNA double-strand breaks are repaired by non-crossover or crossover events, the latter predominantly occurring via the class I crossover pathway and requiring the cyclin N-terminal domain-containing 1(CNTD1) protein. Using an epitope-tagged Cntd1 allele, we detect a short isoform of CNTD1 in vivo that lacks a predicted N-terminal cyclin domain and does not bind cyclin-dependent kinases. Instead, we find that the short-form CNTD1 variant associates with components of the replication factor C (RFC) machinery to facilitate crossover formation, and with the E2 ubiquitin conjugating enzyme, CDC34, to regulate ubiquitylation and subsequent degradation of the WEE1 kinase, thereby modulating cell-cycle progression. We propose that these interactions facilitate a role for CNTD1 as a stop-go regulator during prophase I, ensuring accurate and complete crossover formation before allowing metaphase progression and the first meiotic division.

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CNTD1 associates with sites of crossing over in meiosis, co-localizing with MutLγ

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In the testis, CNTD1 does not interact with CDKs or with known crossover regulators

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CNTD1 regulates crossing over via interactions with the replication factor C complex

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CNTD1 regulates cell-cycle progression via interactions with the SCF complex

Ligation of newly replicated DNA controls the timing of DNA mismatch repair

Mismatch repair (MMR) safeguards genome stability through recognition and excision of DNA replication errors.^1–4 How eukaryotic MMR targets the newly replicated strand in vivo has not been established. MMR reactions reconstituted in vitro are directed to the strand containing a preexisting nick or gap,^5–8 suggesting that strand discontinuities could act as discrimination signals. Another candidate is the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) that is loaded at replication forks and is required for the activation of Mlh1-Pms1 endonuclease.^7–9 Here, we discovered that overexpression of DNA ligase I (Cdc9) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae causes elevated mutation rates and increased chromatin-bound PCNA levels and accumulation of Pms1 foci that are MMR intermediates, suggesting that premature ligation of replication-associated nicks interferes with MMR. We showed that yeast Pms1 expression is mainly restricted to S phase, in agreement with the temporal coupling between MMR and DNA replication.¹⁰ Restricting Pms1 expression to the G2/M phase caused a mutator phenotype that was exacerbated in the absence of the exonuclease Exo1. This mutator phenotype was largely suppressed by increasing the lifetime of replication-associated DNA nicks, either by reducing or delaying Cdc9 ligase activity in vivo. Therefore, Cdc9 dictates a window of time for MMR determined by transient DNA nicks that direct the Mlh1-Pms1 in a strand-specific manner. Because DNA nicks occur on both newly synthesized leading and lagging strands,¹¹ these results establish a general mechanism for targeting MMR to the newly synthesized DNA, thus preventing the accumulation of mutations that underlie the development of human cancer.

The correction of DNA replication errors by the mismatch repair (MMR) machinery requires the discrimination between parental and daughter DNA strands. Reyes et al. provide evidence that DNA replication-associated nicks are used as MMR strand discrimination signals and that DNA ligase I (Cdc9) activity dictates a window of time for MMR.

Intrinsically disordered regions regulate both catalytic and non-catalytic activities of the MutLα mismatch repair complex

Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are present in at least 30% of the eukaryotic proteome and are enriched in chromatin-associated proteins. Using a combination of genetics, biochemistry and single-molecule biophysics, we characterize how IDRs regulate the functions of the yeast MutLα (Mlh1-Pms1) mismatch repair (MMR) complex. Shortening or scrambling the IDRs in both subunits ablates MMR in vivo. Mlh1-Pms1 complexes with shorter IDRs that disrupt MMR retain wild-type DNA binding affinity but are impaired for diffusion on both naked and nucleosome-coated DNA. Moreover, the IDRs also regulate the adenosine triphosphate hydrolysis and nuclease activities that are encoded in the structured N- and C-terminal domains of the complex. This combination of phenotypes underlies the catastrophic MMR defect seen with the mutant MutLα in vivo. More broadly, this work highlights an unanticipated multi-functional role for IDRs in regulating both facilitated diffusion on chromatin and nucleolytic processing of a DNA substrate.

The properties of Msh2-Msh6 ATP binding mutants suggest a signal amplification mechanism in DNA mismatch repair

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) corrects mispaired DNA bases and small insertion/deletion loops generated by DNA replication errors. After binding a mispair, the eukaryotic mispair recognition complex Msh2–Msh6 binds ATP in both of its nucleotide-binding sites, which induces a conformational change resulting in the formation of an Msh2–Msh6 sliding clamp that releases from the mispair and slides freely along the DNA. However, the roles that Msh2–Msh6 sliding clamps play in MMR remain poorly understood. Here, using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we created Msh2 and Msh6 Walker A nucleotide–binding site mutants that have defects in ATP binding in one or both nucleotide-binding sites of the Msh2–Msh6 heterodimer. We found that these mutations cause a complete MMR defect in vivo. The mutant Msh2–Msh6 complexes exhibited normal mispair recognition and were proficient at recruiting the MMR endonuclease Mlh1–Pms1 to mispaired DNA. At physiological (2.5 mm) ATP concentration, the mutant complexes displayed modest partial defects in supporting MMR in reconstituted Mlh1–Pms1-independent and Mlh1–Pms1-dependent MMR reactions in vitro and in activation of the Mlh1–Pms1 endonuclease and showed a more severe defect at low (0.1 mm) ATP concentration. In contrast, five of the mutants were completely defective and one was mostly defective for sliding clamp formation at high and low ATP concentrations. These findings suggest that mispair-dependent sliding clamp formation triggers binding of additional Msh2–Msh6 complexes and that further recruitment of additional downstream MMR proteins is required for signal amplification of mispair binding during MMR.

Identification of Exo1-Msh2 interaction motifs in DNA mismatch repair and new Msh2-binding partners

Eukaryotic DNA mismatch repair (MMR) involves both exonuclease 1 (Exo1)-dependent and Exo1-independent pathways. We found that the unstructured C-terminal domain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Exo1 contains two MutS homolog 2 (Msh2)-interacting peptide (SHIP) boxes downstream from the MutL homolog 1 (Mlh1)-interacting peptide (MIP) box. These three sites were redundant in Exo1-dependent MMR in vivo and could be replaced by a fusion protein between an N-terminal fragment of Exo1 and Msh6. The SHIP-Msh2 interactions were eliminated by the msh2^M470I mutation, and wild-type but not mutant SHIP peptides eliminated Exo1-dependent MMR in vitro. We identified two S. cerevisiae SHIP-box-containing proteins and three candidate human SHIP-box-containing proteins. One of these, Fun30, had a small role in Exo1-dependent MMR in vivo. The Remodeling of the Structure of Chromatin (Rsc) complex also functioned in both Exo1-dependent and Exo1-independent MMR in vivo. Our results identified two modes of Exo1 recruitment and a peptide module that mediates interactions between Msh2 and other proteins, and they support a model in which Exo1 functions in MMR by being tethered to the Msh2-Msh6 complex.

Involvement of DNA mismatch repair in the maintenance of heterochromatic DNA stability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Heterochromatin contains a significant part of nuclear DNA. Little is known about the mechanisms that govern heterochromatic DNA stability. We show here that in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (i) DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is required for the maintenance of heterochromatic DNA stability, (ii) MutLα (Mlh1-Pms1 heterodimer), MutSα (Msh2-Msh6 heterodimer), MutSβ (Msh2-Msh3 heterodimer), and Exo1 are involved in MMR at heterochromatin, (iii) Exo1-independent MMR at heterochromatin frequently leads to the formation of Pol ζ-dependent mutations, (iv) MMR cooperates with the proofreading activity of Pol ε and the histone acetyltransferase Rtt109 in the maintenance of heterochromatic DNA stability, (v) repair of base-base mismatches at heterochromatin is less efficient than repair of base-base mismatches at euchromatin, and (vi) the efficiency of repair of 1-nt insertion/deletion loops at heterochromatin is similar to the efficiency of repair of 1-nt insertion/deletion loops at euchromatin.

Eukaryotic mismatch repair is an important intracellular process that defends DNA against mutations. Inactivation of mismatch repair in human cells strongly increases the risk of cancer initiation and development. Although significant progress has been made in understanding mismatch repair at euchromatin, mismatch repair at heterochromatin is not well understood. Baker’s yeast is a key model organism to study mismatch repair. We determined that in baker’s yeast (1) mismatch repair protects heterochromatic DNA from mutations, (2) the MutLα, MutSα, MutSβ, and Exo1 proteins play important roles in mismatch repair at heterochromatin, (3) Exo1-independent mismatch repair at heterochromatin is an error-prone process; (4) mismatch repair cooperates with two other intracellular processes to protect the stability of heterochromatic DNA; and (5) the efficiency of repair of base-base mismatches at heterochromatin is lower than the efficiency of repair of base-base mismatches at euchromatin, but the efficiency of 1-nt insertion/deletion loop repair at heterochromatin is similar to the efficiency of 1-nt insertion/deletion loop repair at euchromatin.

The Different Mechanisms of Cancer Drug Resistance: A Brief Review

Anticancer drugs resistance is a complex process that arises from altering in the drug targets. Advances in the DNA microarray, proteomics technology and the development of targeted therapies provide the new strategies to overcome the drug resistance. Although a design of the new chemotherapy agents is growing quickly, effective chemotherapy agent has not been discovered against the advanced stage of cancer (such as invasion and metastasis). The cancer cell resistance against the anticancer agents can be due to many factors such as the individual's genetic differences, especially in tumoral somatic cells. Also, the cancer drug resistance is acquired, the drug resistance can be occurred by different mechanisms, including multi-drug resistance, cell death inhibiting (apoptosis suppression), altering in the drug metabolism, epigenetic and drug targets, enhancing DNA repair and gene amplification. In this review, we outlined the mechanisms of cancer drug resistance and in following, the treatment failures by common chemotherapy agents in the different type of cancers.

Reconstitution of Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase ε-dependent mismatch repair with purified proteins

Mammalian and Saccharomyces cerevisiae mismatch repair (MMR) proteins catalyze two MMR reactions in vitro. In one, mispair binding by either the MutS homolog 2 (Msh2)-MutS homolog 6 (Msh6) or the Msh2-MutS homolog 3 (Msh3) stimulates 5' to 3' excision by exonuclease 1 (Exo1) from a single-strand break 5' to the mispair, excising the mispair. In the other, Msh2-Msh6 or Msh2-Msh3 activate the MutL homolog 1 (Mlh1)-postmeiotic segregation 1 (Pms1) endonuclease in the presence of a mispair and a nick 3' to the mispair, to make nicks 5' to the mispair, allowing Exo1 to excise the mispair. DNA polymerase δ (Pol δ) is thought to catalyze DNA synthesis to fill in the gaps resulting from mispair excision. However, colocalization of the S. cerevisiae mispair recognition proteins with the replicative DNA polymerases during DNA replication has suggested that DNA polymerase ε (Pol ε) may also play a role in MMR. Here we describe the reconstitution of Pol ε-dependent MMR using S. cerevisiae proteins. A mixture of Msh2-Msh6 (or Msh2-Msh3), Exo1, RPA, RFC-Δ1N, PCNA, and Pol ε was found to catalyze both short-patch and long-patch 5' nick-directed MMR of a substrate containing a +1 (+T) mispair. When the substrate contained a nick 3' to the mispair, a mixture of Msh2-Msh6 (or Msh2-Msh3), Exo1, RPA, RFC-Δ1N, PCNA, and Pol ε was found to catalyze an MMR reaction that required Mlh1-Pms1. These results demonstrate that Pol ε can act in eukaryotic MMR in vitro.

Repair of Oxidative DNA Damage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Malfunction of enzymes that detoxify reactive oxygen species leads to oxidative attack on biomolecules including DNA and consequently activates various DNA repair pathways. The nature of DNA damage and the cell cycle stage at which DNA damage occurs determine the appropriate repair pathway to rectify the damage. Oxidized DNA bases are primarily repaired by base excision repair and nucleotide incision repair. Nucleotide excision repair acts on lesions that distort DNA helix, mismatch repair on mispaired bases, and homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining on double stranded breaks. Post-replication repair that overcomes replication blocks caused by DNA damage also plays a crucial role in protecting the cell from the deleterious effects of oxidative DNA damage. Mitochondrial DNA is also prone to oxidative damage and is efficiently repaired by the cellular DNA repair machinery. In this review, we discuss the DNA repair pathways in relation to the nature of oxidative DNA damage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The Major Replicative Histone Chaperone CAF-1 Suppresses the Activity of the DNA Mismatch Repair System in the Cytotoxic Response to a DNA-methylating Agent

The DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system corrects DNA mismatches in the genome. It is also required for the cytotoxic response of O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT)-deficient mammalian cells and yeast mgt1Δ rad52Δ cells to treatment with S_n1-type methylating agents, which produce cytotoxic O⁶-methylguanine (O⁶-mG) DNA lesions. Specifically, an activity of the MMR system causes degradation of irreparable O⁶-mG-T mispair-containing DNA, triggering cell death; this process forms the basis of treatments of MGMT-deficient cancers with S_n1-type methylating drugs. Recent research supports the view that degradation of irreparable O⁶-mG-T mispair-containing DNA by the MMR system and CAF-1-dependent packaging of the newly replicated DNA into nucleosomes are two concomitant processes that interact with each other. Here, we studied whether CAF-1 modulates the activity of the MMR system in the cytotoxic response to S_n1-type methylating agents. We found that CAF-1 suppresses the activity of the MMR system in the cytotoxic response of yeast mgt1Δ rad52Δ cells to the prototypic S_n1-type methylating agent N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. We also report evidence that in human MGMT-deficient cell-free extracts, CAF-1-dependent packaging of irreparable O⁶-mG-T mispair-containing DNA into nucleosomes suppresses its degradation by the MMR system. Taken together, these findings suggest that CAF-1-dependent incorporation of irreparable O⁶-mG-T mispair-containing DNA into nucleosomes suppresses its degradation by the MMR system, thereby defending the cell against killing by the S_n1-type methylating agent.

Structural Features and Functional Dependency on β-Clamp Define Distinct Subfamilies of Bacterial Mismatch Repair Endonuclease MutL

In early reactions of DNA mismatch repair, MutS recognizes mismatched bases and activates MutL endonuclease to incise the error-containing strand of the duplex. DNA sliding clamp is responsible for directing the MutL-dependent nicking to the newly synthesized/error-containing strand. In Bacillus subtilis MutL, the β-clamp-interacting motif (β motif) of the C-terminal domain (CTD) is essential for both in vitro direct interaction with β-clamp and in vivo repair activity. A large cluster of negatively charged residues on the B. subtilis MutL CTD prevents nonspecific DNA binding until β clamp interaction neutralizes the negative charge. We found that there are some bacterial phyla whose MutL endonucleases lack the β motif. For example, the region corresponding to the β motif is completely missing in Aquifex aeolicus MutL, and critical amino acid residues in the β motif are not conserved in Thermus thermophilus MutL. We then revealed the 1.35 Å-resolution crystal structure of A. aeolicus MutL CTD, which lacks the β motif but retains the metal-binding site for the endonuclease activity. Importantly, there was no negatively charged cluster on its surface. It was confirmed that CTDs of β motif-lacking MutLs, A. aeolicus MutL and T. thermophilus MutL, efficiently incise DNA even in the absence of β-clamp and that β-clamp shows no detectable enhancing effect on their activity. In contrast, CTD of Streptococcus mutans, a β motif-containing MutL, required β-clamp for the digestion of DNA. We propose that MutL endonucleases are divided into three subfamilies on the basis of their structural features and dependence on β-clamp.

Acetylation regulates DNA repair mechanisms in human cells

The p300-mediated acetylation of enzymes involved in DNA repair and replication has been previously shown to stimulate or inhibit their activities in reconstituted systems. To explore the role of acetylation on DNA repair in cells we constructed plasmid substrates carrying inactivating damages in the EGFP reporter gene, which should be repaired in cells through DNA mismatch repair (MMR) or base excision repair (BER) mechanisms. We analyzed efficiency of repair within these plasmid substrates in cells exposed to deacetylase and acetyltransferase inhibitors, and also in cells deficient in p300 acetyltransferase. Our results indicate that protein acetylation improves DNA mismatch repair in MMR-proficient HeLa cells and also in MMR-deficient HCT116 cells. Moreover, results suggest that stimulated repair of mismatches in MMR-deficient HCT116 cells is done though a strand-displacement synthesis mechanism described previously for Okazaki fragments maturation and also for the EXOI-independent pathway of MMR. Loss of p300 reduced repair of mismatches in MMR-deficient cells, but did not have evident effects on BER mechanisms, including the long patch BER pathway. Hypoacetylation of the cells in the presence of acetyltransferase inhibitor, garcinol generally reduced efficiency of BER of 8-oxoG damage, indicating that some steps in the pathway are stimulated by acetylation.

Endonuclease activities of MutLα and its homologs in DNA mismatch repair

MutLα is a key component of the DNA mismatch repair system in eukaryotes. The DNA mismatch repair system has several genetic stabilization functions. Of these functions, DNA mismatch repair is the major one. The loss of MutLα abolishes DNA mismatch repair, thereby predisposing humans to cancer. MutLα has an endonuclease activity that is required for DNA mismatch repair. The endonuclease activity of MutLα depends on the DQHA(X)2E(X)4E motif which is a part of the active site of the nuclease. This motif is also present in many bacterial MutL and eukaryotic MutLγ proteins, DNA mismatch repair system factors that are homologous to MutLα. Recent studies have shown that yeast MutLγ and several MutL proteins containing the DQHA(X)2E(X)4E motif possess endonuclease activities. Here, we review the endonuclease activities of MutLα and its homologs in the context of DNA mismatch repair.