1
|
Behrmann M, Perera H, Welikala M, Matthews J, Butterworth L, Trakselis M. Dysregulated DnaB unwinding induces replisome decoupling and daughter strand gaps that are countered by RecA polymerization. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:6977-6993. [PMID: 38808668 PMCID: PMC11229327 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
The replicative helicase, DnaB, is a central component of the replisome and unwinds duplex DNA coupled with immediate template-dependent DNA synthesis by the polymerase, Pol III. The rate of helicase unwinding is dynamically regulated through structural transitions in the DnaB hexamer between dilated and constricted states. Site-specific mutations in DnaB enforce a faster more constricted conformation that dysregulates unwinding dynamics, causing replisome decoupling that generates excess ssDNA and induces severe cellular stress. This surplus ssDNA can stimulate RecA recruitment to initiate recombinational repair, restart, or activation of the transcriptional SOS response. To better understand the consequences of dysregulated unwinding, we combined targeted genomic dnaB mutations with an inducible RecA filament inhibition strategy to examine the dependencies on RecA in mitigating replisome decoupling phenotypes. Without RecA filamentation, dnaB:mut strains had reduced growth rates, decreased mutagenesis, but a greater burden from endogenous damage. Interestingly, disruption of RecA filamentation in these dnaB:mut strains also reduced cellular filamentation but increased markers of double strand breaks and ssDNA gaps as detected by in situ fluorescence microscopy and FACS assays, TUNEL and PLUG, respectively. Overall, RecA plays a critical role in strain survival by protecting and processing ssDNA gaps caused by dysregulated helicase activity in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Megan S Behrmann
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7348, USA
| | - Himasha M Perera
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7348, USA
| | - Malisha U Welikala
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7348, USA
| | - Jacquelynn E Matthews
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7348, USA
| | - Lauren J Butterworth
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7348, USA
| | - Michael A Trakselis
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7348, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Łazowski K, Woodgate R, Fijalkowska IJ. Escherichia coli DNA replication: the old model organism still holds many surprises. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2024; 48:fuae018. [PMID: 38982189 PMCID: PMC11253446 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuae018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Research on Escherichia coli DNA replication paved the groundwork for many breakthrough discoveries with important implications for our understanding of human molecular biology, due to the high level of conservation of key molecular processes involved. To this day, it attracts a lot of attention, partially by virtue of being an important model organism, but also because the understanding of factors influencing replication fidelity might be important for studies on the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Importantly, the wide access to high-resolution single-molecule and live-cell imaging, whole genome sequencing, and cryo-electron microscopy techniques, which were greatly popularized in the last decade, allows us to revisit certain assumptions about the replisomes and offers very detailed insight into how they work. For many parts of the replisome, step-by-step mechanisms have been reconstituted, and some new players identified. This review summarizes the latest developments in the area, focusing on (a) the structure of the replisome and mechanisms of action of its components, (b) organization of replisome transactions and repair, (c) replisome dynamics, and (d) factors influencing the base and sugar fidelity of DNA synthesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Krystian Łazowski
- Laboratory of DNA Replication and Genome Stability, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Roger Woodgate
- Laboratory of Genomic Integrity, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-3371, United States
| | - Iwona J Fijalkowska
- Laboratory of DNA Replication and Genome Stability, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Whinn KS, Sharma N, van Oijen AM, Ghodke H. Single-Molecule Fluorescence Imaging of DNA Replication Stalling at Sites of Nucleoprotein Complexes. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2694:215-234. [PMID: 37824007 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3377-9_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
DNA replication in cells occurs on crowded and often damaged template DNA, forming potentially deleterious roadblocks to the progressing replication fork. Numerous tools have been developed to investigate the mechanisms of DNA replication and the fate of stalled replication forks. Here, we describe single-molecule fluorescence imaging methods to visualize processive DNA replication and replication fork stalling at site-specific nucleoprotein complexes. Using dCas9 as a protein barrier and rolling-circle DNA templates, we visualize effective, stable, and site-specific blocking of the Escherichia coli replisome. Additionally, we present a protocol to produce an 18-kb rolling-circle DNA template that provides increased spatial resolution in imaging the interplay between replisomes and roadblocks. These methods can be used to investigate encounters of the replisome with nucleoprotein complexes at the single-molecule level, providing important mechanistic details of replisome stalling and downstream rescue or restart pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey S Whinn
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Nischal Sharma
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Antoine M van Oijen
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
| | - Harshad Ghodke
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lewis JS, van Oijen AM, Spenkelink LM. Embracing Heterogeneity: Challenging the Paradigm of Replisomes as Deterministic Machines. Chem Rev 2023; 123:13419-13440. [PMID: 37971892 PMCID: PMC10790245 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
The paradigm of cellular systems as deterministic machines has long guided our understanding of biology. Advancements in technology and methodology, however, have revealed a world of stochasticity, challenging the notion of determinism. Here, we explore the stochastic behavior of multi-protein complexes, using the DNA replication system (replisome) as a prime example. The faithful and timely copying of DNA depends on the simultaneous action of a large set of enzymes and scaffolding factors. This fundamental cellular process is underpinned by dynamic protein-nucleic acid assemblies that must transition between distinct conformations and compositional states. Traditionally viewed as a well-orchestrated molecular machine, recent experimental evidence has unveiled significant variability and heterogeneity in the replication process. In this review, we discuss recent advances in single-molecule approaches and single-particle cryo-EM, which have provided insights into the dynamic processes of DNA replication. We comment on the new challenges faced by structural biologists and biophysicists as they attempt to describe the dynamic cascade of events leading to replisome assembly, activation, and progression. The fundamental principles uncovered and yet to be discovered through the study of DNA replication will inform on similar operating principles for other multi-protein complexes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob S. Lewis
- Macromolecular
Machines Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Antoine M. van Oijen
- Molecular
Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Lisanne M. Spenkelink
- Molecular
Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Chakraborty UK, Park Y, Sengupta K, Jung W, Joshi CP, Francis DH, Chen P. A 'through-DNA' mechanism for metal uptake-vs.-efflux regulation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.05.570191. [PMID: 38105935 PMCID: PMC10723295 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.05.570191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Transition metals like Zn are essential for all organisms including bacteria, but fluctuations of their concentrations in the cell can be lethal. Organisms have thus evolved complex mechanisms for cellular metal homeostasis. One mechanistic paradigm involves pairs of transcription regulators sensing intracellular metal concentrations to regulate metal uptake and efflux. Here we report that Zur and ZntR, a prototypical pair of regulators for Zn uptake and efflux in E. coli , respectively, can coordinate their regulation through DNA, besides sensing cellular Zn 2+ concentrations. Using a combination of live-cell single-molecule tracking and in vitro single-molecule FRET measurements, we show that unmetallated ZntR can enhance the unbinding kinetics of Zur from DNA by directly acting on Zur-DNA complexes, possibly through forming heteromeric ternary and quaternary complexes that involve both protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions. This 'through-DNA' mechanism may functionally facilitate the switching in Zn uptake regulation when bacteria encounter changing Zn environments; it could also be relevant for regulating the uptake-vs.-efflux of various metals across different bacterial species and yeast.
Collapse
|
6
|
Radford HM, Toft CJ, Sorenson AE, Schaeffer PM. Inhibition of Replication Fork Formation and Progression: Targeting the Replication Initiation and Primosomal Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108802. [PMID: 37240152 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Over 1.2 million deaths are attributed to multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria each year. Persistence of MDR bacteria is primarily due to the molecular mechanisms that permit fast replication and rapid evolution. As many pathogens continue to build resistance genes, current antibiotic treatments are being rendered useless and the pool of reliable treatments for many MDR-associated diseases is thus shrinking at an alarming rate. In the development of novel antibiotics, DNA replication is still a largely underexplored target. This review summarises critical literature and synthesises our current understanding of DNA replication initiation in bacteria with a particular focus on the utility and applicability of essential initiation proteins as emerging drug targets. A critical evaluation of the specific methods available to examine and screen the most promising replication initiation proteins is provided.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Holly M Radford
- Molecular and Cell Biology, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Casey J Toft
- Molecular and Cell Biology, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Alanna E Sorenson
- Molecular and Cell Biology, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Patrick M Schaeffer
- Molecular and Cell Biology, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, QLD 4811, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Blaine HC, Simmons LA, Stallings CL. Diverse Mechanisms of Helicase Loading during DNA Replication Initiation in Bacteria. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0048722. [PMID: 36877032 PMCID: PMC10128896 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00487-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Initiation of DNA replication is required for cell viability and passage of genetic information to the next generation. Studies in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis have established ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities (AAA+) as essential proteins required for loading of the replicative helicase at replication origins. AAA+ ATPases DnaC in E. coli and DnaI in B. subtilis have long been considered the paradigm for helicase loading during replication in bacteria. Recently, it has become increasingly clear that most bacteria lack DnaC/DnaI homologs. Instead, most bacteria express a protein homologous to the newly described DciA (dnaC/dnaI antecedent) protein. DciA is not an ATPase, and yet it serves as a helicase operator, providing a function analogous to that of DnaC and DnaI across diverse bacterial species. The recent discovery of DciA and of other alternative mechanisms of helicase loading in bacteria has changed our understanding of DNA replication initiation. In this review, we highlight recent discoveries, detailing what is currently known about the replicative helicase loading process across bacterial species, and we discuss the critical questions that remain to be investigated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helen C. Blaine
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- Center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Lyle A. Simmons
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Christina L. Stallings
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- Center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Berger MB, Cisneros GA. Distal Mutations in the β-Clamp of DNA Polymerase III* Disrupt DNA Orientation and Affect Exonuclease Activity. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:3478-3490. [PMID: 36745735 PMCID: PMC10237177 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c11713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
DNA polymerases are responsible for the replication and repair of DNA found in all DNA-based organisms. DNA Polymerase III is the main replicative polymerase of E. coli and is composed of over 10 proteins. A subset of these proteins (Pol III*) includes the polymerase (α), exonuclease (ϵ), clamp (β), and accessory protein (θ). Mutations of residues in, or around the active site of the catalytic subunits (α and ϵ), can have a significant impact on catalysis. However, the effects of distal mutations in noncatalytic subunits on the activity of catalytic subunits are less well-characterized. Here, we investigate the effects of two Pol III* variants, β-L82E/L82'E and β-L82D/L82'D, on the proofreading reaction catalyzed by ϵ. MD simulations reveal major changes in the dynamics of Pol III*, which extend throughout the complex. These changes are mostly induced by a shift in the position of the DNA substrate inside the β-clamp, although no major structural changes are observed in the protein complex. Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations indicate that the β-L82D/L82'D variant has reduced catalytic proficiency due to highly endoergic reaction energies resulting from structural changes in the active site and differences in the electric field at the active site arising from the protein and substrate. Conversely, the β-L82E/L82'E variant is predicted to maintain proofreading activity, exhibiting a similar reaction barrier for nucleotide excision compared with the WT system. However, significant differences in the reaction mechanism are obtained due to the changes induced by the mutations on the β-clamp.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Madison B Berger
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Jia X, Li Y, Wang T, Bi L, Guo L, Chen Z, Zhang X, Ye S, Chen J, Yang B, Sun B. Discrete RNA-DNA hybrid cleavage by the EXD2 exonuclease pinpoints two rate-limiting steps. EMBO J 2023; 42:e111703. [PMID: 36326837 PMCID: PMC9811613 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2022111703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
EXD2 is a recently identified exonuclease that cleaves RNA and DNA in double-stranded (ds) forms. It thus serves as a model system for investigating the similarities and discrepancies between exoribonuclease and exodeoxyribonuclease activities and for understanding the nucleic acid (NA) unwinding-degradation coordination of an exonuclease. Here, using a single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) approach, we show that despite stable binding to both substrates, EXD2 barely cleaves dsDNA and yet displays both exoribonuclease and exodeoxyribonuclease activities toward RNA-DNA hybrids with a cleavage preference for RNA. Unexpectedly, EXD2-mediated hybrid cleavage proceeds in a discrete stepwise pattern, wherein a sudden 4-bp duplex unwinding increment and the subsequent dwell constitute a complete hydrolysis cycle. The relatively weak exodeoxyribonuclease activity of EXD2 partially originates from frequent hybrid rewinding. Importantly, kinetic analysis and comparison of the dwell times under varied conditions reveal two rate-limiting steps of hybrid unwinding and nucleotide excision. Overall, our findings help better understand the cellular functions of EXD2, and the cyclic coupling between duplex unwinding and exonucleolytic degradation may be generalizable to other exonucleases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinshuo Jia
- School of Life Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yanan Li
- School of Life Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Teng Wang
- School of Life Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Lulu Bi
- School of Life Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Lijuan Guo
- School of Life Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Ziting Chen
- School of Life Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Xia Zhang
- School of Life Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Shasha Ye
- School of Life Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
- Present address:
ZJU‐Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation CenterZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Jia Chen
- School of Life Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Bei Yang
- School of Life Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical StudiesShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Bo Sun
- School of Life Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Ozaki S, Wang D, Wakasugi Y, Itani N, Katayama T. The Caulobacter crescentus DciA promotes chromosome replication through topological loading of the DnaB replicative helicase at replication forks. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:12896-12912. [PMID: 36484102 PMCID: PMC9825169 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The replicative DNA helicase translocates on single-stranded DNA to drive replication forks during chromosome replication. In most bacteria the ubiquitous replicative helicase, DnaB, co-evolved with the accessory subunit DciA, but how they function remains incompletely understood. Here, using the model bacterium Caulobacter crescentus, we demonstrate that DciA plays a prominent role in DNA replication fork maintenance. Cell cycle analyses using a synchronized Caulobacter cell population showed that cells devoid of DciA exhibit a severe delay in fork progression. Biochemical characterization revealed that the DnaB helicase in its default state forms a hexamer that inhibits self-loading onto single-stranded DNA. We found that upon binding to DciA, the DnaB hexamer undergoes conformational changes required for encircling single-stranded DNA, thereby establishing the replication fork. Further investigation of the functional structure of DciA revealed that the C-terminus of DciA includes conserved leucine residues responsible for DnaB binding and is essential for DciA in vivo functions. We propose that DciA stimulates loading of DnaB onto single strands through topological isomerization of the DnaB structure, thereby ensuring fork progression. Given that the DnaB-DciA modules are widespread among eubacterial species, our findings suggest that a common mechanism underlies chromosome replication.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Naoto Itani
- Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Katayama
- Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Blaine HC, Burke JT, Ravi J, Stallings CL. DciA Helicase Operators Exhibit Diversity across Bacterial Phyla. J Bacteriol 2022; 204:e0016322. [PMID: 35880876 PMCID: PMC9380583 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00163-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
A fundamental requirement for life is the replication of an organism's DNA. Studies in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis have set the paradigm for DNA replication in bacteria. During replication initiation in E. coli and B. subtilis, the replicative helicase is loaded onto the DNA at the origin of replication by an ATPase helicase loader. However, most bacteria do not encode homologs to the helicase loaders in E. coli and B. subtilis. Recent work has identified the DciA protein as a predicted helicase operator that may perform a function analogous to the helicase loaders in E. coli and B. subtilis. DciA proteins, which are defined by the presence of a DUF721 domain (termed the DciA domain herein), are conserved in most bacteria but have only been studied in mycobacteria and gammaproteobacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Vibrio cholerae). Sequences outside the DciA domain in Mycobacterium tuberculosis DciA are essential for protein function but are not conserved in the P. aeruginosa and V. cholerae homologs, raising questions regarding the conservation and evolution of DciA proteins across bacterial phyla. To comprehensively define the DciA protein family, we took a computational evolutionary approach and analyzed the domain architectures and sequence properties of DciA domain-containing proteins across the tree of life. These analyses identified lineage-specific domain architectures among DciA homologs, as well as broadly conserved sequence-structural motifs. The diversity of DciA proteins represents the evolution of helicase operation in bacterial DNA replication and highlights the need for phylum-specific analyses of this fundamental biological process. IMPORTANCE Despite the fundamental importance of DNA replication for life, this process remains understudied in bacteria outside Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. In particular, most bacteria do not encode the helicase-loading proteins that are essential in E. coli and B. subtilis for DNA replication. Instead, most bacteria encode a DciA homolog that likely constitutes the predominant mechanism of helicase operation in bacteria. However, it is still unknown how DciA structure and function compare across diverse phyla that encode DciA proteins. In this study, we performed computational evolutionary analyses to uncover tremendous diversity among DciA homologs. These studies provide a significant advance in our understanding of an essential component of the bacterial DNA replication machinery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helen C. Blaine
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- Center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Joseph T. Burke
- Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Genomics and Molecular Genetics Undergraduate Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Janani Ravi
- Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Christina L. Stallings
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- Center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Kaur G, Spenkelink LM, Lewis JS, Jergic S, Dixon NE, van Oijen AM. Production of long linear DNA substrates with site-specific chemical lesions for single-molecule replisome studies. Methods Enzymol 2022; 672:299-315. [PMID: 35934481 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Single-molecule imaging studies using long linear DNA substrates have revealed unanticipated insights into the dynamics of multi-protein systems. The use of long DNA substrates allows for the study of protein-DNA interactions with observation of the movement and behavior of proteins over distances accessible by fluorescence microscopy. Generalized methods can be exploited to generate and optimize a variety of linear DNA substrates with plasmid DNA as a simple starting point using standard biochemical techniques. Here, we present protocols to produce high-quality plasmid-based 36-kb linear DNA substrates that support DNA replication by the Escherichia coli replisome and that contain chemical lesions at well-defined positions. These substrates can be used to visualize replisome-lesion encounters at the single-molecule level, providing mechanistic details of replisome stalling and dynamics occurring during replication rescue and restart.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gurleen Kaur
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Lisanne M Spenkelink
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Jacob S Lewis
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Slobodan Jergic
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Nicholas E Dixon
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Antoine M van Oijen
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Periago J, Mason C, Griep MA. Theoretical Development of DnaG Primase as a Novel Narrow-Spectrum Antibiotic Target. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:8420-8428. [PMID: 35309427 PMCID: PMC8928506 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c05928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The widespread use of antibiotics to treat infections is one of the reasons that global mortality rates have fallen over the past 80 years. However, antibiotic use is also responsible for the concomitant rise in antibiotic resistance because it results in dysbiosis in which commensal and pathogenic bacteria are both greatly reduced. Therefore, narrow-range antibiotics are a promising direction for reducing antibiotic resistance because they are more discriminate. As a step toward addressing this problem, the goal of this study was to identify sites on DnaG primase that are conserved within Gram-positive bacteria and different from the equivalent sites in Gram-negative bacteria. Based on sequence and structural analysis, the primase C-terminal helicase-binding domain (CTD) was identified as most promising. Although the primase CTD sequences are very poorly conserved, they have highly conserved protein folds, and Gram-positive bacterial primases fold into a compact state that creates a small molecule binding site adjacent to a groove. The small molecule would stabilize the protein in its compact state, which would interfere with the helicase binding. This is important because primase CTD must be in its open conformation to bind to its cognate helicase at the replication fork.
Collapse
|
14
|
Spinks RR, Spenkelink LM, Dixon NE, van Oijen AM. Single-Molecule Insights Into the Dynamics of Replicative Helicases. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:741718. [PMID: 34513934 PMCID: PMC8426354 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.741718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Helicases are molecular motors that translocate along single-stranded DNA and unwind duplex DNA. They rely on the consumption of chemical energy from nucleotide hydrolysis to drive their translocation. Specialized helicases play a critically important role in DNA replication by unwinding DNA at the front of the replication fork. The replicative helicases of the model systems bacteriophages T4 and T7, Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been extensively studied and characterized using biochemical methods. While powerful, their averaging over ensembles of molecules and reactions makes it challenging to uncover information related to intermediate states in the unwinding process and the dynamic helicase interactions within the replisome. Here, we describe single-molecule methods that have been developed in the last few decades and discuss the new details that these methods have revealed about replicative helicases. Applying methods such as FRET and optical and magnetic tweezers to individual helicases have made it possible to access the mechanistic aspects of unwinding. It is from these methods that we understand that the replicative helicases studied so far actively translocate and then passively unwind DNA, and that these hexameric enzymes must efficiently coordinate the stepping action of their subunits to achieve unwinding, where the size of each step is prone to variation. Single-molecule fluorescence microscopy methods have made it possible to visualize replicative helicases acting at replication forks and quantify their dynamics using multi-color colocalization, FRAP and FLIP. These fluorescence methods have made it possible to visualize helicases in replication initiation and dissect this intricate protein-assembly process. In a similar manner, single-molecule visualization of fluorescent replicative helicases acting in replication identified that, in contrast to the replicative polymerases, the helicase does not exchange. Instead, the replicative helicase acts as the stable component that serves to anchor the other replication factors to the replisome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard R Spinks
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Lisanne M Spenkelink
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Nicholas E Dixon
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Antoine M van Oijen
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Bianco PR, Sale JE, Reyes-Lamothe R. Editorial: Single-molecule studies of DNA-protein interactions collection 2021. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:6005-6006. [PMID: 34153108 PMCID: PMC8216273 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Piero R Bianco
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6025, USA
| | - Julian E Sale
- Division of Protein & Nucleic Acid Chemistry, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Rodrigo Reyes-Lamothe
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 3649 Sir William Osler, Montreal, QC H3G 0B1, Canada
| |
Collapse
|