Biochemical properties and base excision repair complex formation of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease from Pyrococcus furiosus

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Endonuclease VIII 2 (Nei2) forms a prereplicative BER complex with DnaN: Identification, characterization, and disruption of complex formation

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Nei2 (Rv3297) is a BER glycosylase that removes oxidized base lesions from ssDNA and replication fork-mimicking substrates. We show that Endonuclease VIII 2 (Nei2) forms a BER complex with the β-clamp (DnaN, Rv0002) with a K_D of 170 nM. The Nei2-β-clamp interactions enhance Nei2's activities up to several folds. SEC analysis shows that one molecule of Nei2 binds to a single β-clamp dimer. Nei2 interacts with subsites I and II of the β-clamp via a noncanonical ²²³ QGCRRCGTLIAY²³⁹ Clamp Interacting Protein (CIP) motif in the C-terminal zinc-finger domain, which was previously shown by us to be dispensable for intrinsic Nei2 activity. The 12-mer peptide alone exhibited a K_D of 10.28 nM, suggesting that the motif is a key mediator of Nei2-β-clamp interactions. Finally, we identified inhibitors of Nei2-β-clamp interactions using rational methods, in vitro disruption, and SPR assays after querying a database of natural products. We found that Tubulosine, Fumitremorgin C, Toyocamycin, and Aleuritic acid exhibit IC₅₀ values of 94.47, 83.49, 109.7, and 71.49 µM, respectively. They act by disrupting Nei2-β-clamp interactions and do not affect intrinsic Nei2 activity. Among other things, the present study gives insights into the role of Nei2 in bacterial prereplicative BER.

Studies on DNA-related enzymes to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying genetic information processing and their application in genetic engineering

Recombinant DNA technology, in which artificially "cut and pasted" DNA in vitro is introduced into living cells, contributed extensively to the rapid development of molecular biology over the past 5 decades since the latter half of the 20^th century. Although the original technology required special experiences and skills, the development of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has greatly eased in vitro genetic manipulation for various experimental methods. The current development of a simple genome-editing technique using CRISPR-Cas9 gave great impetus to molecular biology. Genome editing is a major technique for elucidating the functions of many unknown genes. Genetic manipulation technologies rely on enzymes that act on DNA. It involves artificially synthesizing, cleaving, and ligating DNA strands by making good use of DNA-related enzymes present in organisms to maintain their life activities. In this review, I focus on key enzymes involved in the development of genetic manipulation technologies.

M. tuberculosis class II apurinic/ apyrimidinic-endonuclease/3'-5' exonuclease (XthA) engages with NAD+-dependent DNA ligase A (LigA) to counter futile cleavage and ligation cycles in base excision repair

Class-II AP-endonuclease (XthA) and NAD⁺-dependent DNA ligase (LigA) are involved in initial and terminal stages of bacterial DNA base excision repair (BER), respectively. XthA acts on abasic sites of damaged DNA to create nicks with 3′OH and 5′-deoxyribose phosphate (5′-dRP) moieties. Co-immunoprecipitation using mycobacterial cell-lysate, identified MtbLigA-MtbXthA complex formation. Pull-down experiments using purified wild-type, and domain-deleted MtbLigA mutants show that LigA-XthA interactions are mediated by the BRCT-domain of LigA. Small-Angle-X-ray scattering, ¹⁵N/¹H-HSQC chemical shift perturbation experiments and mutational analysis identified the BRCT-domain region that interacts with a novel ₁₀₄DGQPSWSGKP₁₁₃ motif on XthA for complex-formation. Isothermal-titration calorimetry experiments show that a synthetic peptide with this sequence interacts with MtbLigA and disrupts XthA–LigA interactions. In vitro assays involving DNA substrate and product analogs show that LigA can efficiently reseal 3′OH and 5′dRP DNA termini created by XthA at abasic sites. Assays and SAXS experiments performed in the presence and absence of DNA, show that XthA inhibits LigA by specifically engaging with the latter's BRCT-domain to prevent it from encircling substrate DNA. Overall, the study suggests a coordinating function for XthA whereby it engages initially with LigA to prevent the undesirable consequences of futile cleavage and ligation cycles that might derail bacterial BER.

Biochemical reconstitution and genetic characterization of the major oxidative damage base excision DNA repair pathway in Thermococcus kodakarensis

Reactive oxygen species drive the oxidation of guanine to 8-oxoguanine (8oxoG), which threatens genome integrity. The repair of 8oxoG is carried out by base excision repair enzymes in Bacteria and Eukarya, however, little is known about archaeal 8oxoG repair. This study identifies a member of the Ogg-subfamily archaeal GO glycosylase (AGOG) in Thermococcus kodakarensis, an anaerobic, hyperthermophilic archaeon, and delineates its mechanism, kinetics, and substrate specificity. TkoAGOG is the major 8oxoG glycosylase in T. kodakarensis, but is non-essential. In addition to TkoAGOG, the major apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease (TkoEndoIV) required for archaeal base excision repair and cell viability was identified and characterized. Enzymes required for the archaeal oxidative damage base excision repair pathway were identified and the complete pathway was reconstituted. This study illustrates the conservation of oxidative damage repair across all Domains of life.

Thermococcus Eurythermalis Endonuclease IV Can Cleave Various Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Site Analogues in ssDNA and dsDNA

Endonuclease IV (EndoIV) is a DNA damage-specific endonuclease that mainly hydrolyzes the phosphodiester bond located at 5' of an apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) site in DNA. EndoIV also possesses 3'-exonuclease activity for removing 3'-blocking groups and normal nucleotides. Here, we report that Thermococcus eurythermalis EndoIV (TeuendoIV) shows AP endonuclease and 3'-exonuclease activities. The effect of AP site structures, positions and clustered patterns on the activity was characterized. The AP endonuclease activity of TeuendoIV can incise DNA 5' to various AP site analogues, including the alkane chain Spacer and polyethylene glycol Spacer. However, the short Spacer C2 strongly inhibits the AP endonuclease activity. The kinetic parameters also support its preference to various AP site analogues. In addition, the efficient cleavage at AP sites requires ≥2 normal nucleotides existing at the 5'-terminus. The 3'-exonuclease activity of TeuendoIV can remove one or more consecutive AP sites at the 3'-terminus. Mutations on the residues for substrate recognition show that binding AP site-containing or complementary strand plays a key role for the hydrolysis of phosphodiester bonds. Our results provide a comprehensive biochemical characterization of the cleavage/removal of AP site analogues and some insight for repairing AP sites in hyperthermophile cells.

DNA repair in the archaea-an emerging picture

There has long been a fascination in the DNA repair pathways of archaea, for two main reasons. Firstly, many archaea inhabit extreme environments where the rate of physical damage to DNA is accelerated. These archaea might reasonably be expected to have particularly robust or novel DNA repair pathways to cope with this. Secondly, the archaea have long been understood to be a lineage distinct from the bacteria, and to share a close relationship with the eukarya, particularly in their information processing systems. Recent discoveries suggest the eukarya arose from within the archaeal domain, and in particular from lineages related to the TACK superphylum and Lokiarchaea. Thus, archaeal DNA repair proteins and pathways can represent a useful model system. This review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of archaeal DNA repair processes including base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair, mismatch repair and double-strand break repair. These advances are discussed in the context of the emerging picture of the evolution and relationship of the three domains of life.

The mesophilic archaeon Methanosarcina acetivorans counteracts uracil in DNA with multiple enzymes: EndoQ, ExoIII, and UDG

Cytosine deamination into uracil is one of the most prevalent and pro-mutagenic forms of damage to DNA. Base excision repair is a well-known process of uracil removal in DNA, which is achieved by uracil DNA glycosylase (UDG) that is found in all three domains of life. However, other strategies for uracil removal seem to have been evolved in Archaea. Exonuclease III (ExoIII) from the euryarchaeon Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus has been described to exhibit endonuclease activity toward uracil-containing DNA. Another uracil-acting protein, endonuclease Q (EndoQ), was recently identified from the euryarchaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. Here, we describe the uracil-counteracting system in the mesophilic euryarchaeon Methanosarcina acetivorans through genomic sequence analyses and biochemical characterizations. Three enzymes, UDG, ExoIII, and EndoQ, from M. acetivorans exhibited uracil cleavage activities in DNA with a distinct range of substrate specificities in vitro, and the transcripts for these three enzymes were detected in the M. acetivorans cells. Thus, this organism appears to conduct uracil repair using at least three distinct pathways. Distribution of the homologs of these uracil-targeting proteins in Archaea showed that this tendency is not restricted to M. acetivorans, but is prevalent and diverse in most Archaea. This work further underscores the importance of uracil-removal systems to maintain genome integrity in Archaea, including 'UDG lacking' organisms.

Crystal structure of the crenarchaeal ExoIII AP endonuclease SisExoIII reveals a conserved disulfide bond endowing the protein with thermostability

AP endonuclease recognizes and cleaves apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites and plays a critical role in base excision repair. Many ExoIII and EndoIV family AP endonucleases have been characterized both biochemically and structurally in Eukaryote and Bacteria. However, relatively fewer have been studied in Euryarchaeota and there is no such report on an AP endonuclease from Crenarchaeota. Here we report, for the first time, the crystal structure of a crenarchaeal ExoIII AP endonuclease, SisExoIII, from Sulfolobus islandicus REY15A. SisExoIII comprises a two-layer core formed by 10 β-sheets and a shell formed by 9 surrounding α-helices. A disulfide bond connecting β8 and β9 is formed by Cys142 and Cys215. This intra-molecular linkage is conserved among crenarchaeal ExoIII homologs and site-directed mutagenesis revealed that it endows the protein with thermostability, however, disruption of the disulfide bond only has a slight effect on the AP endonuclease activity. We also observed that several key residues within the catalytic center including conserved Glu35 and Asn9 show different conformation compared with known ExoIII proteins and form various intra-molecular salt bridges. The protein possesses three putative DNA binding loops with higher flexibility and hydrophobicity than those of ExoIIIs from other organisms. These features may result in low AP endonuclease activity and defect of exonuclease activity of SisExoIII. The study has deepened our understanding in the structural basis of crenarchaeal ExoIII catalysis and clarified a role of the disulfide bond in maintaining protein thermostability.

A functional endonuclease Q exists in the bacterial domain: identification and characterization of endonuclease Q from Bacillus pumilus

DNA base deamination occurs spontaneously under physiological conditions and is promoted by high temperature. Therefore, hyperthermophiles are expected to have efficient repair systems of the deaminated bases in their genomes. Endonuclease Q (EndoQ) was originally identified from the hyperthermophlic archaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus, as a hypoxanthine-specific endonuclease recently. Further biochemical analyses revealed that EndoQ also recognizes uracil, xanthine, and the AP site in DNA, and is probably involved in a specific repair process for damaged bases. Initial phylogenetic analysis showed that an EndoQ homolog is found only in the Thermococcales and some of the methanogens in Archaea, and is not present in most members of the domains Bacteria and Eukarya. A better understanding of the distribution of the EndoQ-mediated repair system is, therefore, of evolutionary interest. We showed here that an EndoQ-like polypeptide from Bacillus pumilus, belonging to the bacterial domain, is functional and has similar properties with the archaeal EndoQs.

Distinct catalytic activity and in vivo roles of the ExoIII and EndoIV AP endonucleases from Sulfolobus islandicus

AP endonuclease cleaves the phosphodiester bond 5'- to the AP (apurinic or apyrimidinic) sites and is one of the major enzymes involved in base excision repair. So far, the properties of several archaeal AP endonuclease homologues have been characterized in vitro, but little is known about their functions in vivo. Herein, we report on the biochemical and genetic analysis of two AP endonucleases, SisExoIII and SisEndoIV, from the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus islandicus REY15A. Both SisExoIII and SisEndoIV exhibit AP endonuclease activity, but neither of them has 3'-5' exonuclease activity. SisExoIII and SisEndoIV have similar K M values on the substrate containing an AP site, but the latter cleaves the AP substrate at a dramatically higher catalytic rate than the former. Unlike other AP endonucleases identified in archaea, SisExoIII and SisEndoIV do not exhibit any cleavage activity on DNA having oxidative damage (8-oxo-dG) or uracil. Genetic analysis revealed that neither gene is essential for cell viability, and the growth of ∆SiRe_2666 (endoIV), ∆SiRe_0100 (exoIII), and ∆SiRe_0100∆SiRe_2666 is not affected under normal growth conditions. However, ∆SiRe_2666 exhibits higher sensitivity to the alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) than ∆SiRe_0100. Over-expression of SiRe_0100 can partially complement the sensitivity of ∆SiRe_2666 to MMS, suggesting a backup role of SisExoIII in AP site processing in vivo. Intriguingly, over-expression of SisEndoIV renders the strain more sensitive to MMS than the control. Taken together, we conclude that SisEndoIV, but not SisExoIII, is the main AP endonuclease that participates directly in base excision repair in S. islandicus.

PCNA is involved in the EndoQ-mediated DNA repair process in Thermococcales

To maintain genome integrity for transfer to their offspring, and to maintain order in cellular processes, all living organisms have DNA repair systems. Besides the well-conserved DNA repair machineries, organisms thriving in extreme environments are expected to have developed efficient repair systems. We recently discovered a novel endonuclease, which cleaves the 5′ side of deoxyinosine, from the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus. The novel endonuclease, designated as Endonulcease Q (EndoQ), recognizes uracil, abasic site and xanthine, as well as hypoxanthine, and cuts the phosphodiester bond at their 5′ sides. To understand the functional process involving EndoQ, we searched for interacting partners of EndoQ and identified Proliferating Cell Nuclear Angigen (PCNA). The EndoQ activity was clearly enhanced by addition of PCNA in vitro. The physical interaction between the two proteins through a PIP-motif of EndoQ and the toroidal structure of PCNA are critical for the stimulation of the endonuclease activity. These findings provide us a clue to elucidate a unique DNA repair system in Archaea.

Recombinant expression library of Pyrococcus furiosus constructed by high-throughput cloning: a useful tool for functional and structural genomics

Hyperthermophile Pyrococcus furiosus grows optimally near 100°C and is an important resource of many industrial and molecular biological enzymes. To study the structure and function of P. furiosus proteins at whole genome level, we constructed expression plasmids of each P. furiosus gene using a ligase-independent cloning method, which was based on amplifying target gene and vector by PCR using phosphorothioate-modified primers and digesting PCR products by λ exonuclease. Our cloning method had a positive clone percentage of ≥ 80% in 96-well plate cloning format. Small-scale expression experiment showed that 55 out of 80 genes were efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli Strain Rosetta 2(DE3)pLysS. In summary, this recombinant expression library of P. furiosus provides a platform for functional and structural studies, as well as developing novel industrial enzymes. Our cloning scheme is adaptable to constructing recombinant expression library of other sequenced organisms.

EndoQ and EndoV work individually for damaged DNA base repair in Pyrococcus furiosus

Base deamination is a typical form of DNA damage, and it must be repaired quickly to maintain the genome integrity of living organisms. Endonuclease Q (EndoQ), recently found in the hyperthermophilic archaea, is an enzyme that cleaves the phosphodiester bond 5' from the damaged nucleotide in the DNA strand, and may primarily function to start the repair process for the damaged bases. Endonuclease V (EndoV) also hydrolyzes the second phosphodiester bond 3' from the damaged nucleotide, although the hyperthermophilic archaeal EndoV is a strictly hypoxanthine-specific endonuclease. To understand the relationships of the EndoQ and EndoV functions in hyperthermophilic archaea, we analyzed their interactions in hypoxanthine repair. EndoQ and EndoV do not directly interact with each other in either the presence or absence of DNA. However, EndoQ and EndoV individually worked on deoxyinosine (dI)-containing DNA at each cleavage site. EndoQ has higher affinity to dI-containing DNA than EndoV, and cells produce higher amounts of EndoQ, as compared to EndoV. These data support the proposal that EndoQ primarily functions for, at least, dI-containing DNA.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis class II apurinic/apyrimidinic-endonuclease/3'-5' exonuclease III exhibits DNA regulated modes of interaction with the sliding DNA β-clamp

The class-II AP-endonuclease (XthA) acts on abasic sites of damaged DNA in bacterial base excision repair. We identified that the sliding DNA β-clamp forms in vivo and in vitro complexes with XthA in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A novel 239 QLRFPKK245 motif in the DNA-binding domain of XthA was found to be important for the interactions. Likewise, the peptide binding-groove (PBG) and the C-terminal of β-clamp located on different domains interact with XthA. The β-clamp-XthA complex can be disrupted by clamp binding peptides and also by a specific bacterial clamp inhibitor that binds at the PBG. We also identified that β-clamp stimulates the activities of XthA primarily by increasing its affinity for the substrate and its processivity. Additionally, loading of the β-clamp onto DNA is required for activity stimulation. A reduction in XthA activity stimulation was observed in the presence of β-clamp binding peptides supporting that direct interactions between the proteins are necessary to cause stimulation. Finally, we found that in the absence of DNA, the PBG located on the second domain of the β-clamp is important for interactions with XthA, while the C-terminal domain predominantly mediates functional interactions in the substrate's presence.

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

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

A novel endonuclease that may be responsible for damaged DNA base repair in Pyrococcus furiosus

DNA is constantly damaged by endogenous and environmental influences. Deaminated adenine (hypoxanthine) tends to pair with cytosine and leads to the A:T→G:C transition mutation during DNA replication. Endonuclease V (EndoV) hydrolyzes the second phosphodiester bond 3′ from deoxyinosine in the DNA strand, and was considered to be responsible for hypoxanthine excision repair. However, the downstream pathway after EndoV cleavage remained unclear. The activity to cleave the phosphodiester bond 5′ from deoxyinosine was detected in a Pyrococcus furiosus cell extract. The protein encoded by PF1551, obtained from the mass spectrometry analysis of the purified fraction, exhibited the corresponding cleavage activity. A putative homolog from Thermococcus kodakarensis (TK0887) showed the same activity. Further biochemical analyses revealed that the purified PF1551 and TK0887 proteins recognize uracil, xanthine and the AP site, in addition to hypoxanthine. We named this endonuclease Endonuclease Q (EndoQ), as it may be involved in damaged base repair in the Thermococcals of Archaea.

Loss of loop adenines alters human telomere d[AG3(TTAG3)3] quadruplex folding

Abasic (AP) lesions are the most frequent type of damages occurring in cellular DNA. Here we describe the conformational effects of AP sites substituted for 2′-deoxyadenosine in the first (ap7), second (ap13) or third (ap19) loop of the quadruplex formed in K⁺ by the human telomere DNA 5′-d[AG₃(TTAG₃)₃]. CD spectra and electrophoresis reveal that the presence of AP sites does not hinder the formation of intramolecular quadruplexes. NMR spectra show that the structural heterogeneity is substantially reduced in ap7 and ap19 as compared to that in the wild-type. These two (ap7 and ap19) sequences are shown to adopt the hybrid-1 and hybrid-2 quadruplex topology, respectively, with AP site located in a propeller-like loop. All three studied sequences transform easily into parallel quadruplex in dehydrating ethanol solution. Thus, the AP site in any loop region facilitates the formation of the propeller loop. Substitution of all adenines by AP sites stabilizes the parallel quadruplex even in the absence of ethanol. Whereas guanines are the major determinants of quadruplex stability, the presence or absence of loop adenines substantially influences quadruplex folding. The naturally occurring adenine-lacking sites in the human telomere DNA can change the quadruplex topology in vivo with potentially vital biological consequences.

Base excision repair in Archaea: back to the future in DNA repair

Together with Bacteria and Eukarya, Archaea represents one of the three domain of life. In contrast with the morphological difference existing between Archaea and Eukarya, these two domains are closely related. Phylogenetic analyses confirm this evolutionary relationship showing that most of the proteins involved in DNA transcription and replication are highly conserved. On the contrary, information is scanty about DNA repair pathways and their mechanisms. In the present review the most important proteins involved in base excision repair, namely glycosylases, AP lyases, AP endonucleases, polymerases, sliding clamps, flap endonucleases, and ligases, will be discussed and compared with bacterial and eukaryotic ones. Finally, possible applications and future perspectives derived from studies on Archaea and their repair pathways, will be taken into account.

Biochemical characterization of endonuclease V from the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus

Endonuclease V (Endo V) is a DNA repair enzyme that recognizes deoxyinosine and cleaves the second phosphodiester bond on the 3' side of the deaminated base lesion. A database search revealed the presence of homologous genes for Endo V in most archaeal species, but the absence in some methanogenic species. We cloned a gene encoding the sequence homologous to Escherichia coli Endo V from the genome of the hyperthermophilic euryarchaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus and purified gene product (PfuEndoV) to homogeneity. In vitro characterization showed that PfuEndoV possesses specific endonuclease activity for the deoxyinosine-containing DNA strand. The activity of the enzyme was maximal at 90°C. Stable complex formation between PfuEndoV and nicked DNA produced by the cleavage reaction was detected by gel mobility shift assays. The molecular mechanisms of the inosine repair pathway including Endo V in the archaeal cells are discussed. Interestingly, PfuEndoV cleaved inosine-containing RNA strands as well as DNA substrates. PfuEndoV may also be involved in RNA metabolism.

Coordination of multiple enzyme activities by a single PCNA in archaeal Okazaki fragment maturation

In vitro reconstitution of Okazaki fragment processing shows that DNA polymerase, flap endonuclease and DNA ligase need to simultaneously bind to the same PCNA-sliding clamp molecule during DNA lagging strand replication.

Chromosomal DNA replication requires one daughter strand—the lagging strand—to be synthesised as a series of discontinuous, RNA-primed Okazaki fragments, which must subsequently be matured into a single covalent DNA strand. Here, we describe the reconstitution of Okazaki fragment maturation in vitro using proteins derived from the archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus. Six proteins are necessary and sufficient for coupled DNA synthesis, RNA primer removal and DNA ligation. PolB1, Fen1 and Lig1 provide the required catalytic activities, with coordination of their activities dependent upon the DNA sliding clamp, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). S. solfataricus PCNA is a heterotrimer, with each subunit having a distinct specificity for binding PolB1, Fen1 or Lig1. Our data demonstrate that the most efficient coupling of activities occurs when a single PCNA ring organises PolB1, Fen1 and Lig1 into a complex.

Characterization of family IV UDG from Aeropyrum pernix and its application in hot-start PCR by family B DNA polymerase

Recombinant uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG) from Aeropyrum pernix (A. pernix) was expressed in E. coli. The biochemical characteristics of A. pernix UDG (ApeUDG) were studied using oligonucleotides carrying a deoxyuracil (dU) base. The optimal temperature range and pH value for dU removal by ApeUDG were 55-65°C and pH 9.0, respectively. The removal of dU was inhibited by the divalent ions of Zn, Cu, Co, Ni, and Mn, as well as a high concentration of NaCl. The opposite base in the complementary strand affected the dU removal by ApeUDG as follows: U/C≈U/G>U/T≈U/AP≈U/->U/U≈U/I>U/A. The phosphorothioate around dU strongly inhibited dU removal by ApeUDG. Based on the above biochemical characteristics and the conservation of amino acid residues, ApeUDG was determined to belong to the IV UDG family. ApeUDG increased the yield of PCR by Pfu DNA polymerase via the removal of dU in amplified DNA. Using the dU-carrying oligonucleotide as an inhibitor and ApeUDG as an activator of Pfu DNA polymerase, the yield of undesired DNA fragments, such as primer-dimer, was significantly decreased, and the yield of the PCR target fragment was increased. This strategy, which aims to amplify the target gene with high specificity and yield, can be applied to all family B DNA polymerases.

Molecular machines in archaeal DNA replication

The archaeal DNA replication apparatus is a simplified version of that of eukaryotes and has attracted attention as a tractable model system for the orthologous, but significantly more complex eukaryal machinery. A variety of archaeal model organisms have been investigated with strong emphasis on structural and biochemical analyses of replication-associated proteins. In this review we will describe recent advances in understanding the properties of the replicative helicase, the MCM complex, and the role of the sliding clamp, PCNA, in mediating a range of protein-DNA transactions. Although both complexes form ring shaped assemblies, they play very distinct roles at the leading and trailing edges of the replication fork machinery respectively.

The information transfer system of halophilic archaea

Information transfer is fundamental to all life forms. In the third domain of life, the archaea, many of the genes functioning in these processes are similar to their eukaryotic counterparts, including DNA replication and repair, basal transcription, and translation genes, while many transcriptional regulators and the overall genome structure are more bacterial-like. Among halophilic (salt-loving) archaea, the genomes commonly include extrachromosomal elements, many of which are large megaplasmids or minichromosomes. With the sequencing of genomes representing ten different genera of halophilic archaea and the availability of genetic systems in two diverse models, Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 and Haloferax volcanii, a large number of genes have now been annotated, classified, and studied. Here, we review the comparative genomic, genetic, and biochemical work primarily aimed at the information transfer system of halophilic archaea, highlighting gene conservation and differences in the chromosomes and the large extrachromosomal elements among these organisms.

Fidelity in archaeal information processing

A key element during the flow of genetic information in living systems is fidelity. The accuracy of DNA replication influences the genome size as well as the rate of genome evolution. The large amount of energy invested in gene expression implies that fidelity plays a major role in fitness. On the other hand, an increase in fidelity generally coincides with a decrease in velocity. Hence, an important determinant of the evolution of life has been the establishment of a delicate balance between fidelity and variability. This paper reviews the current knowledge on quality control in archaeal information processing. While the majority of these processes are homologous in Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryotes, examples are provided of nonorthologous factors and processes operating in the archaeal domain. In some instances, evidence for the existence of certain fidelity mechanisms has been provided, but the factors involved still remain to be identified.