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Lee KZ, Mechikoff MA, Parasa MK, Rankin TJ, Pandolfi P, Fitzgerald KS, Hillman ET, Solomon KV. Repurposing the Homing Endonuclease I-SceI for Positive Selection and Development of Gene-Editing Technologies. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:53-60. [PMID: 35007422 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Prokaryote genomes encode diverse programmable DNA endonucleases with significant potential for biotechnology and gene editing. However, these endonucleases differ significantly in their properties, which must be screened and measured. While positive selection screens based on ccdB and barnase have been developed to evaluate such proteins, their high levels of toxicity make them challenging to use. Here, we develop and validate a more robust positive selection screen based on the homing endonuclease I-SceI. Candidate endonucleases target and cure the I-SceI expression plasmid preventing induction of I-SceI-mediated double strand DNA breaks that lead to cell death in E. coli. We validated this screen to measure the relative activity of SpCas9, xCas9, and eSpCas9 and demonstrated an ability to enrich for more active endonuclease variants from a mixed population. This system may be applied in high throughput to rapidly characterize novel programmable endonucleases and be adapted for directed evolution of endonuclease function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kok Zhi Lee
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, 225 South University Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2093, United States
| | - Michael A. Mechikoff
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, 225 South University Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2093, United States
| | - Mrugesh Krishna Parasa
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, 206 S Martin Jischke Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2093, United States
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Tyler J. Rankin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, 915 West State Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2054, United States
| | - Paula Pandolfi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, 915 West State Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2054, United States
| | - Kevin S. Fitzgerald
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, 225 South University Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2093, United States
| | - Ethan T. Hillman
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, 225 South University Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2093, United States
- Purdue University Interdisciplinary Life Science Program (PULSe), Purdue University, 155 South Grant Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Kevin V. Solomon
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, 225 South University Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2093, United States
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
- Purdue University Interdisciplinary Life Science Program (PULSe), Purdue University, 155 South Grant Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
- Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering (LORRE), Purdue University, 500 Central Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2022, United States
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McSweeney MA, Styczynski MP. Effective Use of Linear DNA in Cell-Free Expression Systems. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:715328. [PMID: 34354989 PMCID: PMC8329657 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.715328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-free expression systems (CFEs) are cutting-edge research tools used in the investigation of biological phenomena and the engineering of novel biotechnologies. While CFEs have many benefits over in vivo protein synthesis, one particularly significant advantage is that CFEs allow for gene expression from both plasmid DNA and linear expression templates (LETs). This is an important and impactful advantage because functional LETs can be efficiently synthesized in vitro in a few hours without transformation and cloning, thus expediting genetic circuit prototyping and allowing expression of toxic genes that would be difficult to clone through standard approaches. However, native nucleases present in the crude bacterial lysate (the basis for the most affordable form of CFEs) quickly degrade LETs and limit expression yield. Motivated by the significant benefits of using LETs in lieu of plasmid templates, numerous methods to enhance their stability in lysate-based CFEs have been developed. This review describes approaches to LET stabilization used in CFEs, summarizes the advancements that have come from using LETs with these methods, and identifies future applications and development goals that are likely to be impactful to the field. Collectively, continued improvement of LET-based expression and other linear DNA tools in CFEs will help drive scientific discovery and enable a wide range of applications, from diagnostics to synthetic biology research tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan A McSweeney
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Mark P Styczynski
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Mutational Analysis of Residues in PriA and PriC Affecting Their Ability To Interact with SSB in Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol 2020; 202:JB.00404-20. [PMID: 32900829 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00404-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli PriA and PriC recognize abandoned replication forks and direct reloading of the DnaB replicative helicase onto the lagging-strand template coated with single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB). Both PriA and PriC have been shown by biochemical and structural studies to physically interact with the C terminus of SSB. In vitro, these interactions trigger remodeling of the SSB on ssDNA. priA341(R697A) and priC351(R155A) negated the SSB remodeling reaction in vitro Plasmid-carried priC351(R155A) did not complement priC303::kan, and priA341(R697A) has not yet been tested for complementation. Here, we further studied the SSB-binding pockets of PriA and PriC by placing priA341(R697A), priA344(R697E), priA345(Q701E), and priC351(R155A) on the chromosome and characterizing the mutant strains. All three priA mutants behaved like the wild type. In a ΔpriB strain, the mutations caused modest increases in SOS expression, cell size, and defects in nucleoid partitioning (Par-). Overproduction of SSB partially suppressed these phenotypes for priA341(R697A) and priA344(R697E). The priC351(R155A) mutant behaved as expected: there was no phenotype in a single mutant, and there were severe growth defects when this mutation was combined with ΔpriB Analysis of the priBC mutant revealed two populations of cells: those with wild-type phenotypes and those that were extremely filamentous and Par- and had high SOS expression. We conclude that in vivo, priC351(R155A) identified an essential residue and function for PriC, that PriA R697 and Q701 are important only in the absence of PriB, and that this region of the protein may have a complicated relationship with SSB.IMPORTANCE Escherichia coli PriA and PriC recruit the replication machinery to a collapsed replication fork after it is repaired and needs to be restarted. In vitro studies suggest that the C terminus of SSB interacts with certain residues in PriA and PriC to recruit those proteins to the repaired fork, where they help remodel it for restart. Here, we placed those mutations on the chromosome and tested the effect of mutating these residues in vivo The priC mutation completely abolished function. The priA mutations had no effect by themselves. They did, however, display modest phenotypes in a priB-null strain. These phenotypes were partially suppressed by SSB overproduction. These studies give us further insight into the reactions needed for replication restart.
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Üstüntanır Dede AF, Arslanyolu M. Construction and dynamic characterization of a Tetrahymena thermophila macronuclear artificial chromosome. Gene 2020; 748:144697. [PMID: 32325092 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2020.144697] [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] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Artificial chromosomes were previously generated for use in bacteria, protists, yeast and human cells. A Tetrahymena thermophila artificial chromosome could serve as a versatile platform to study diverse aspects of Tetrahymena biology and beyond. Here, we placed a C3-type rDNA replication origin and telomere sequences from T. thermophila into a pNeo4 vector, producing the first T. thermophila macronuclear artificial chromosome (TtAC1). Circular or linear forms of TtAC1 can be stably transformed into both vegetative and conjugative T. thermophila cells. Linear TtAC1 was stably double in copy number under antibiotic selection, but its copy number was dropping without antibiotic selection pressure. Southern blot, Real-Time PCR and E. coli retransformation analyses together showed that TtAC1 vector did not integrate into the macronuclear genome, and was maintained as a linear or a circular chromosome in T. thermophila macronucleus under antibiotic selection. The use of TtAC1 for recombinant protein production was demonstrated by western blot analysis of a secreted 27 kDa TtsfGFP-12XHis protein. We present the first macronuclear artificial chromosome with species-specific chromosomal elements for use in T. thermophila studies and to aid broad recombinant biotechnology applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayça Fulya Üstüntanır Dede
- Department of Biology, Institute of Graduate Programs, Eskisehir Technical University, Yunusemre Campus, Eskisehir 26470, Turkey
| | - Muhittin Arslanyolu
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Eskisehir Technical University, Yunusemre Campus, Eskisehir 26470, Turkey.
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Sinha AK, Possoz C, Leach DRF. The Roles of Bacterial DNA Double-Strand Break Repair Proteins in Chromosomal DNA Replication. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2020; 44:351-368. [PMID: 32286623 PMCID: PMC7326373 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuaa009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
It is well established that DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair is required to underpin chromosomal DNA replication. Because DNA replication forks are prone to breakage, faithful DSB repair and correct replication fork restart are critically important. Cells, where the proteins required for DSB repair are absent or altered, display characteristic disturbances to genome replication. In this review, we analyze how bacterial DNA replication is perturbed in DSB repair mutant strains and explore the consequences of these perturbations for bacterial chromosome segregation and cell viability. Importantly, we look at how DNA replication and DSB repair processes are implicated in the striking recent observations of DNA amplification and DNA loss in the chromosome terminus of various mutant Escherichia coli strains. We also address the mutant conditions required for the remarkable ability to copy the entire E. coli genome, and to maintain cell viability, even in the absence of replication initiation from oriC, the unique origin of DNA replication in wild type cells. Furthermore, we discuss the models that have been proposed to explain these phenomena and assess how these models fit with the observed data, provide new insights and enhance our understanding of chromosomal replication and termination in bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag Kumar Sinha
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, Copenhagen, 2200, Denmark
| | - Christophe Possoz
- Evolution and maintenance of circular chromosomes, Genome biology department, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 1 avenue de la Terrasse Building 26, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - David R F Leach
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, United Kingdom
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6
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Abstract
In all organisms, replication impairments are an important source of genome rearrangements, mainly because of the formation of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) ends at inactivated replication forks. Three reactions for the formation of dsDNA ends at replication forks were originally described for Escherichia coli and became seminal models for all organisms: the encounter of replication forks with preexisting single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) interruptions, replication fork reversal, and head-to-tail collisions of successive replication rounds. Here, we first review the experimental evidence that now allows us to know when, where, and how these three different reactions occur in E. coli. Next, we recall our recent studies showing that in wild-type E. coli, spontaneous replication fork breakage occurs in 18% of cells at each generation. We propose that it results from the replication of preexisting nicks or gaps, since it does not involve replication fork reversal or head-to-tail fork collisions. In the recB mutant, deficient for double-strand break (DSB) repair, fork breakage triggers DSBs in the chromosome terminus during cell division, a reaction that is heritable for several generations. Finally, we recapitulate several observations suggesting that restart from intact inactivated replication forks and restart from recombination intermediates require different sets of enzymatic activities. The finding that 18% of cells suffer replication fork breakage suggests that DNA remains intact at most inactivated forks. Similarly, only 18% of cells need the helicase loader for replication restart, which leads us to speculate that the replicative helicase remains on DNA at intact inactivated replication forks and is reactivated by the replication restart proteins.
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Sinha AK, Possoz C, Durand A, Desfontaines JM, Barre FX, Leach DRF, Michel B. Broken replication forks trigger heritable DNA breaks in the terminus of a circular chromosome. PLoS Genet 2018. [PMID: 29522563 PMCID: PMC5862497 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
It was recently reported that the recBC mutants of Escherichia coli, deficient for DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, have a decreased copy number of their terminus region. We previously showed that this deficit resulted from DNA loss after post-replicative breakage of one of the two sister-chromosome termini at cell division. A viable cell and a dead cell devoid of terminus region were thus produced and, intriguingly, the reaction was transmitted to the following generations. Using genome marker frequency profiling and observation by microscopy of specific DNA loci within the terminus, we reveal here the origin of this phenomenon. We observed that terminus DNA loss was reduced in a recA mutant by the double-strand DNA degradation activity of RecBCD. The terminus-less cell produced at the first cell division was less prone to divide than the one produced at the next generation. DNA loss was not heritable if the chromosome was linearized in the terminus and occurred at chromosome termini that were unable to segregate after replication. We propose that in a recB mutant replication fork breakage results in the persistence of a linear DNA tail attached to a circular chromosome. Segregation of the linear and circular parts of this "σ-replicating chromosome" causes terminus DNA breakage during cell division. One daughter cell inherits a truncated linear chromosome and is not viable. The other inherits a circular chromosome attached to a linear tail ending in the chromosome terminus. Replication extends this tail, while degradation of its extremity results in terminus DNA loss. Repeated generation and segregation of new σ-replicating chromosomes explains the heritability of post-replicative breakage. Our results allow us to determine that in E. coli at each generation, 18% of cells are subject to replication fork breakage at dispersed, potentially random, chromosomal locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag Kumar Sinha
- Bacterial DNA stability, Genome biology department, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- * E-mail: (AKS); (BM)
| | - Christophe Possoz
- Evolution and maintenance of circular chromosomes, Genome biology department, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Adeline Durand
- Bacterial DNA stability, Genome biology department, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jean-Michel Desfontaines
- Evolution and maintenance of circular chromosomes, Genome biology department, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - François-Xavier Barre
- Evolution and maintenance of circular chromosomes, Genome biology department, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - David R. F. Leach
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Bénédicte Michel
- Bacterial DNA stability, Genome biology department, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- * E-mail: (AKS); (BM)
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8
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Abstract
This chapter presents a historical overview of the development and changes in scientific approaches to classifying members of the Agrobacterium genus. We also describe the changes in the inference of evolutionary relationships among Agrobacterium biovars and Agrobacterium strains from using the 16S rRNA marker to recA genes and to the use of multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA). Further, the impacts of the genomic era enabling low cost and rapid whole genome sequencing on Agrobacterium phylogeny are reviewed with a focus on the use of new and sophisticated bioinformatics approaches to refine phylogenetic inferences. An updated genome-based phylogeny of ninety-seven Agrobacterium tumefaciens complex isolates representing ten known genomic species is presented, providing additional support to the monophyly of the Agrobacterium clade. Additional taxon sampling within Agrobacterium genomovar G3 indicates potential exceptions to interpretation of the concept of bacterial genomics species as ecological species because the genomovar G3 genomic cluster, which initially includes clinical strains, now also includes plant-associated and cave isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Ming Gan
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
| | - Michael A Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA.
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Pedersen IB, Helgesen E, Flåtten I, Fossum-Raunehaug S, Skarstad K. SeqA structures behind Escherichia coli replication forks affect replication elongation and restart mechanisms. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:6471-6485. [PMID: 28407100 PMCID: PMC5499823 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The SeqA protein binds hemi-methylated GATC sites and forms structures that sequester newly replicated origins and trail the replication forks. Cells that lack SeqA display signs of replication fork disintegration. The broken forks could arise because of over-initiation (the launching of too many forks) or lack of dynamic SeqA structures trailing the forks. To confirm one or both of these possible mechanisms, we compared two seqA mutants with the oriCm3 mutant. The oriCm3 mutant over-initiates because of a lack of origin sequestration but has wild-type SeqA protein. Cells with nonfunctional SeqA, but not oriCm3 mutant cells, had problems with replication elongation, were highly dependent on homologous recombination, and exhibited extensive chromosome fragmentation. The results indicate that replication forks frequently break in the absence of SeqA function and that the broken forks are rescued by homologous recombination. We suggest that SeqA may act in two ways to stabilize replication forks: (i) by enabling vital replication fork repair and restarting reactions and (ii) by preventing replication fork rear-end collisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Benedikte Pedersen
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital, P.O. Box 4950, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Emily Helgesen
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital, P.O. Box 4950, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Ingvild Flåtten
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital, P.O. Box 4950, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Solveig Fossum-Raunehaug
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital, P.O. Box 4950, 0424 Oslo, Norway.,School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 4950, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Kirsten Skarstad
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital, P.O. Box 4950, 0424 Oslo, Norway.,School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 4950, 0424 Oslo, Norway
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Phenotypes of dnaXE145A Mutant Cells Indicate that the Escherichia coli Clamp Loader Has a Role in the Restart of Stalled Replication Forks. J Bacteriol 2017; 199:JB.00412-17. [PMID: 28947673 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00412-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The Escherichia colidnaXE145A mutation was discovered in connection with a screen for multicopy suppressors of the temperature-sensitive topoisomerase IV mutation parE10 The gene for the clamp loader subunits τ and γ, dnaX, but not the mutant dnaXE145A , was found to suppress parE10(Ts) when overexpressed. Purified mutant protein was found to be functional in vitro, and few phenotypes were found in vivo apart from problems with partitioning of DNA in rich medium. We show here that a large number of the replication forks that initiate at oriC never reach the terminus in dnaXE145A mutant cells. The SOS response was found to be induced, and a combination of the dnaXE145A mutation with recBC and recA mutations led to reduced viability. The mutant cells exhibited extensive chromosome fragmentation and degradation upon inactivation of recBC and recA, respectively. The results indicate that the dnaXE145A mutant cells suffer from broken replication forks and that these need to be repaired by homologous recombination. We suggest that the dnaX-encoded τ and γ subunits of the clamp loader, or the clamp loader complex itself, has a role in the restart of stalled replication forks without extensive homologous recombination.IMPORTANCE The E. coli clamp loader complex has a role in coordinating the activity of the replisome at the replication fork and loading β-clamps for lagging-strand synthesis. Replication forks frequently encounter obstacles, such as template lesions, secondary structures, and tightly bound protein complexes, which will lead to fork stalling. Some pathways of fork restart have been characterized, but much is still unknown about the actors and mechanisms involved. We have in this work characterized the dnaXE145A clamp loader mutant. We find that the naturally occurring obstacles encountered by a replication fork are not tackled in a proper way by the mutant clamp loader and suggest a role for the clamp loader in the restart of stalled replication forks.
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11
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The transcription fidelity factor GreA impedes DNA break repair. Nature 2017; 550:214-218. [PMID: 28976965 PMCID: PMC5654330 DOI: 10.1038/nature23907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Homologous recombination repairs DNA double-strand breaks and must function even on actively transcribed DNA. Because break repair prevents chromosome loss, the completion of repair is expected to outweigh the transcription of broken templates. Yet, the interplay between DNA break repair and transcription processivity is unclear. Here we show that the transcription factor GreA inhibits break repair in Escherichia coli. GreA restarts backtracked RNA polymerase (RNAP) and hence promotes transcription fidelity. We report that removal of GreA results in dramatically enhanced break repair via the classical RecBCD-RecA pathway. Using a deep-sequencing method to measure chromosomal exonucleolytic degradation (XO-Seq), we demonstrate that the absence of GreA limits RecBCD-mediated resection. Our findings suggest that increased RNAP backtracking promotes break repair by instigating RecA loading by RecBCD, without the influence of canonical Chi signals. The idea that backtracked RNAP can stimulate recombination presents a DNA transaction conundrum: a transcription fidelity factor compromises genomic integrity.
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12
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Đermić E, Zahradka D, Vujaklija D, Ivanković S, Đermić D. 3'-Terminated Overhangs Regulate DNA Double-Strand Break Processing in Escherichia coli. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2017; 7:3091-3102. [PMID: 28710290 PMCID: PMC5592934 DOI: 10.1534/g3.117.043521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are lethal DNA lesions, which are repaired by homologous recombination in Escherichia coli To study DSB processing in vivo, we induced DSBs into the E. coli chromosome by γ-irradiation and measured chromosomal degradation. We show that the DNA degradation is regulated by RecA protein concentration and its rate of association with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). RecA decreased DNA degradation in wild-type, recB, and recD strains, indicating that it is a general phenomenon in E. coli On the other hand, DNA degradation was greatly reduced and unaffected by RecA in the recB1080 mutant (which produces long overhangs) and in a strain devoid of four exonucleases that degrade a 3' tail (ssExos). 3'-5' ssExos deficiency is epistatic to RecA deficiency concerning DNA degradation, suggesting that bound RecA is shielding the 3' tail from degradation by 3'-5' ssExos. Since 3' tail preservation is common to all these situations, we infer that RecA polymerization constitutes a subset of mechanisms for preserving the integrity of 3' tails emanating from DSBs, along with 3' tail's massive length, or prevention of their degradation by inactivation of 3'-5' ssExos. Thus, we conclude that 3' overhangs are crucial in controlling the extent of DSB processing in E. coli This study suggests a regulatory mechanism for DSB processing in E. coli, wherein 3' tails impose a negative feedback loop on DSB processing reactions, specifically on helicase reloading onto dsDNA ends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edyta Đermić
- Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
| | - Davor Zahradka
- Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dušica Vujaklija
- Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Siniša Ivanković
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Damir Đermić
- Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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13
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du Lac M, Scarpelli AH, Younger AKD, Bates DG, Leonard JN. Predicting the Dynamics and Heterogeneity of Genomic DNA Content within Bacterial Populations across Variable Growth Regimes. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:1131-1139. [PMID: 27689718 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.5b00217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
For many applications in microbial synthetic biology, optimizing a desired function requires careful tuning of the degree to which various genes are expressed. One challenge for predicting such effects or interpreting typical characterization experiments is that in bacteria such as E. coli, genome copy number varies widely across different phases and rates of growth, which also impacts how and when genes are expressed from different loci. While such phenomena are relatively well-understood at a mechanistic level, our quantitative understanding of such processes is essentially limited to ideal exponential growth. In contrast, common experimental phenomena such as growth on heterogeneous media, metabolic adaptation, and oxygen restriction all cause substantial deviations from ideal exponential growth, particularly as cultures approach the higher densities at which industrial biomanufacturing and even routine screening experiments are conducted. To meet the need for predicting and explaining how gene dosage impacts cellular functions outside of exponential growth, we here report a novel modeling strategy that leverages agent-based simulation and high performance computing to robustly predict the dynamics and heterogeneity of genomic DNA content within bacterial populations across variable growth regimes. We show that by feeding routine experimental data, such as optical density time series, into our heterogeneous multiphasic growth simulator, we can predict genomic DNA distributions over a range of nonexponential growth conditions. This modeling strategy provides an important advance in the ability of synthetic biologists to evaluate the role of genomic DNA content and heterogeneity in affecting the performance of existing or engineered microbial functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melchior du Lac
- Warwick
Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Declan G. Bates
- Warwick
Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
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14
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Badrinarayanan A, Le TBK, Spille JH, Cisse II, Laub MT. Global analysis of double-strand break processing reveals in vivo properties of the helicase-nuclease complex AddAB. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006783. [PMID: 28489851 PMCID: PMC5443536 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In bacteria, double-strand break (DSB) repair via homologous recombination is thought to be initiated through the bi-directional degradation and resection of DNA ends by a helicase-nuclease complex such as AddAB. The activity of AddAB has been well-studied in vitro, with translocation speeds between 400–2000 bp/s on linear DNA suggesting that a large section of DNA around a break site is processed for repair. However, the translocation rate and activity of AddAB in vivo is not known, and how AddAB is regulated to prevent excessive DNA degradation around a break site is unclear. To examine the functions and mechanistic regulation of AddAB inside bacterial cells, we developed a next-generation sequencing-based approach to assay DNA processing after a site-specific DSB was introduced on the chromosome of Caulobacter crescentus. Using this assay we determined the in vivo rates of DSB processing by AddAB and found that putative chi sites attenuate processing in a RecA-dependent manner. This RecA-mediated regulation of AddAB prevents the excessive loss of DNA around a break site, limiting the effects of DSB processing on transcription. In sum, our results, taken together with prior studies, support a mechanism for regulating AddAB that couples two key events of DSB repair–the attenuation of DNA-end processing and the initiation of homology search by RecA–thereby helping to ensure that genomic integrity is maintained during DSB repair. Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are a threat to genome integrity and are faithfully repaired via homologous recombination. The initial processing of DSB ends that prepares them for recombination has been well-studied in vitro, but is less well characterized in vivo. We describe a deep sequencing-based assay for assessing the early steps of DSB processing in bacterial cells by the helicase-nuclease complex AddAB. We find that a combination of chi site recognition and RecA loading is required to attenuate AddAB activity. In the absence of RecA, the chromosome is excessively degraded with a concomitant loss in transcription. Our results, along with prior studies, support a model for how chi recognition and RecA together regulate AddAB to maintain genome integrity and facilitate recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjana Badrinarayanan
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Tung B. K. Le
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Jan-Hendrik Spille
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Ibrahim I. Cisse
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Michael T. Laub
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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15
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Suzuki S, Kaidow A, Meya T, Masuya A, Shiina T. Phenotypic difference between Δ(srl-recA)306 and ΔrecA::Km elucidated by next-generation sequencing combined with a long-PCR system. J GEN APPL MICROBIOL 2017; 63:22-27. [PMID: 27990000 DOI: 10.2323/jgam.2016.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Many significant gene mutations in E. coli have contributed to the development of genetics. Among these, a commonly used recA mutation, Δ(srl-recA)306 has been sequenced by a next-generation sequencer combined with a long PCR. An original report described that Δ(srl-recA)306 cells were deleted from srlR to recA genes in their genome. The next-generation sequencer enables more accurate details to be determined. We ask whether both surrounding genes from hypF to norV for srlR and alaS for recA is there first. The long PCR was carried out with primers, norR and alaS, and amplified DNA fragments differed in length from wild to Δ(srl-recA)306 cells, suggesting that an entire Δ(srl-recA)306 mutation was included. Sequences of those DNA fragments indicated that 9147 bp, from srlR to recA including 10 genes, were replaced by a Tn10 DNA sequence. Junction points at both srlR-Tn10 and Tn10-recA were determined precisely. The results indicate that the first 97% of recA gene sequences were lost with a downstream recX gene remaining intact. The phenotypic difference between Δ(srl-recA)306 and ΔrecA::Km is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shingo Suzuki
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Division of Basic Medical Science and Molecular Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine
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16
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Syeda AH, Atkinson J, Lloyd RG, McGlynn P. The Balance between Recombination Enzymes and Accessory Replicative Helicases in Facilitating Genome Duplication. Genes (Basel) 2016; 7:genes7080042. [PMID: 27483323 PMCID: PMC4999830 DOI: 10.3390/genes7080042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 07/12/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Accessory replicative helicases aid the primary replicative helicase in duplicating protein-bound DNA, especially transcribed DNA. Recombination enzymes also aid genome duplication by facilitating the repair of DNA lesions via strand exchange and also processing of blocked fork DNA to generate structures onto which the replisome can be reloaded. There is significant interplay between accessory helicases and recombination enzymes in both bacteria and lower eukaryotes but how these replication repair systems interact to ensure efficient genome duplication remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the DNA content defects of Escherichia coli cells lacking the strand exchange protein RecA are driven primarily by conflicts between replication and transcription, as is the case in cells lacking the accessory helicase Rep. However, in contrast to Rep, neither RecA nor RecBCD, the helicase/exonuclease that loads RecA onto dsDNA ends, is important for maintaining rapid chromosome duplication. Furthermore, RecA and RecBCD together can sustain viability in the absence of accessory replicative helicases but only when transcriptional barriers to replication are suppressed by an RNA polymerase mutation. Our data indicate that the minimisation of replisome pausing by accessory helicases has a more significant impact on successful completion of chromosome duplication than recombination-directed fork repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aisha H Syeda
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - John Atkinson
- School of Medical Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.
| | - Robert G Lloyd
- Centre for Genetics and Genomics, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
| | - Peter McGlynn
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK.
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17
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Benoit RM, Ostermeier C, Geiser M, Li JSZ, Widmer H, Auer M. Seamless Insert-Plasmid Assembly at High Efficiency and Low Cost. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153158. [PMID: 27073895 PMCID: PMC4830597 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Seamless cloning methods, such as co-transformation cloning, sequence- and ligation-independent cloning (SLIC) or the Gibson assembly, are essential tools for the precise construction of plasmids. The efficiency of co-transformation cloning is however low and the Gibson assembly reagents are expensive. With the aim to improve the robustness of seamless cloning experiments while keeping costs low, we examined the importance of complementary single-stranded DNA ends for co-transformation cloning and the influence of single-stranded gaps in circular plasmids on SLIC cloning efficiency. Most importantly, our data show that single-stranded gaps in double-stranded plasmids, which occur in typical SLIC protocols, can drastically decrease the efficiency at which the DNA transforms competent E. coli bacteria. Accordingly, filling-in of single-stranded gaps using DNA polymerase resulted in increased transformation efficiency. Ligation of the remaining nicks did not lead to a further increase in transformation efficiency. These findings demonstrate that highly efficient insert-plasmid assembly can be achieved by using only T5 exonuclease and Phusion DNA polymerase, without Taq DNA ligase from the original Gibson protocol, which significantly reduces the cost of the reactions. We successfully used this modified Gibson assembly protocol with two short insert-plasmid overlap regions, each counting only 15 nucleotides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger M. Benoit
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (MA); (RMB)
| | | | - Martin Geiser
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Julia Su Zhou Li
- The Kellog School of Science and Technology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, United States of America
| | - Hans Widmer
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Manfred Auer
- University of Edinburgh, School of Biological Sciences (CSE) and School of Biomedical Sciences (CMVM), Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (MA); (RMB)
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18
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Repar J, Briški N, Buljubašić M, Zahradka K, Zahradka D. Exonuclease VII is involved in "reckless" DNA degradation in UV-irradiated Escherichia coli. Mutat Res 2012; 750:96-104. [PMID: 23123979 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2012.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2012] [Revised: 09/17/2012] [Accepted: 10/10/2012] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The recA mutants of Escherichia coli exhibit an abnormal DNA degradation that starts at sites of double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs), and is mediated by RecBCD exonuclease (ExoV). This "reckless" DNA degradation occurs spontaneously in exponentially growing recA cells, and is stimulated by DNA-damaging agents. We have previously found that the xonA and sbcD mutations, which inactivate exonuclease I (ExoI) and SbcCD nuclease, respectively, markedly suppress "reckless" DNA degradation in UV-irradiated recA cells. In the present work, we show that inactivation of exonuclease VII (ExoVII) by an xseA mutation contributes to attenuation of DNA degradation in UV-irradiated recA mutants. The xseA mutation itself has only a weak effect, however, it acts synergistically with the xonA or sbcD mutations in suppressing "reckless" DNA degradation. The quadruple xseA xonA sbcD recA mutants show no sign of DNA degradation during post-irradiation incubation, suggesting that ExoVII, together with ExoI and SbcCD, plays a crucial role in regulating RecBCD-catalyzed chromosome degradation. We propose that these nucleases act on DSBs to create blunt DNA ends, the preferred substrates for the RecBCD enzyme. In addition, our results show that in UV-irradiated recF recA(+) cells, the xseA, xonA, and sbcD mutations do not affect RecBCD-mediated DNA repair, suggesting that ExoVII, ExoI and SbcCD nucleases are not essential for the initial targeting of RecBCD to DSBs. It is possible that the DNA-blunting activity provided by ExoVII, ExoI and SbcCD is required for an exchange of RecBCD molecules on dsDNA ends during ongoing "reckless" DNA degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Repar
- Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička, Zagreb, Croatia
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19
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RecG protein and single-strand DNA exonucleases avoid cell lethality associated with PriA helicase activity in Escherichia coli. Genetics 2010; 186:473-92. [PMID: 20647503 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.110.120691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Replication of the Escherichia coli chromosome usually initiates at a single origin (oriC) under control of DnaA. Two forks are established and move away in opposite directions. Replication is completed when these meet in a broadly defined terminus area half way around the circular chromosome. RecG appears to consolidate this arrangement by unwinding D-loops and R-loops that PriA might otherwise exploit to initiate replication at other sites. It has been suggested that without RecG such replication generates 3' flaps as the additional forks collide and displace nascent leading strands, providing yet more potential targets for PriA. Here we show that, to stay alive, cells must have either RecG or a 3' single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) exonuclease, which can be exonuclease I, exonuclease VII, or SbcCD. Cells lacking all three nucleases are inviable without RecG. They also need RecA recombinase and a Holliday junction resolvase to survive rapid growth, but SOS induction, although elevated, is not required. Additional requirements for Rep and UvrD are identified and linked with defects in DNA mismatch repair and with the ability to cope with conflicts between replication and transcription, respectively. Eliminating PriA helicase activity removes the requirement for RecG. The data are consistent with RecG and ssDNA exonucleases acting to limit PriA-mediated re-replication of the chromosome and the consequent generation of linear DNA branches that provoke recombination and delay chromosome segregation.
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20
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Budke B, Kuzminov A. Production of clastogenic DNA precursors by the nucleotide metabolism in Escherichia coli. Mol Microbiol 2009; 75:230-45. [PMID: 19943897 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06994.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
RdgB is a bacterial dNTPase with a strong in vitro preference for non-canonical DNA precursors dHapTP, dXTP and dITP that contain deaminated or aminogroup-modified purines. Utilization of these nucleotides by replisomes in rdgB mutants of Escherichia coli produces modified DNA, on which EndoV nicking near the base analogues initiates excision repair. Some EndoV-initiated excision events cause chromosomal fragmentation, which becomes inhibitory if recombinational repair is also inactivated (the rdgB recA co-inhibition). To reveal the sources and the identities of the non-canonical DNA precursors, intercepted by RdgB in E. coli, we characterized 17 suppressors of the rdgB recA co-inhibition. Ten suppressors affect genes of the RNA/DNA precursor metabolism, identifying the source of non-canonical DNA precursors. Comparing chromosomal fragmentation with the density of EndoV-recognized DNA modifications distinguishes three mechanisms of suppression: (i) reduction of the non-canonical dNTP production, (ii) inhibition of the base analogue excision from DNA and (iii) enhancement of the cell tolerance to chromosomal fragmentation. The suppressor analysis suggests IMP as the key intermediate in the synthesis of the clastogenic DNA precursor, most likely dITP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Budke
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801-3709, USA
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21
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Rotman E, Bratcher P, Kuzminov A. Reduced lipopolysaccharide phosphorylation in Escherichia coli lowers the elevated ori/ter ratio in seqA mutants. Mol Microbiol 2009; 72:1273-92. [PMID: 19432803 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06725.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The seqA defect in Escherichia coli increases the ori/ter ratio and causes chromosomal fragmentation, making seqA mutants dependent on recombinational repair (the seqA recA colethality). To understand the nature of this chromosomal fragmentation, we characterized DeltaseqA mutants and isolated suppressors of the DeltaseqA recA lethality. We demonstrate that our DeltaseqA alleles have normal function of the downstream pgm gene and normal ratios of the major phospholipids in the membranes, but increased surface lipopolysaccharide (LPS) phosphorylation. The predominant class of DeltaseqA recA suppressors disrupts the rfaQGP genes, reducing phosphorylation of the inner core region of LPS. The rfaQGP suppressors also reduce the elevated ori/ter ratio of the DeltaseqA mutants but, unexpectedly, the suppressed mutants still exhibit the high levels of chromosomal fragmentation and SOS induction, characteristic of the DeltaseqA mutants. We also found that colethality of rfaP with defects in the production of acidic phospholipids is suppressed by alternative initiation of chromosomal replication, suggesting that LPS phosphorylation stimulates replication initiation. The rfaQGP suppression of the seqA recA lethality provides genetic support for the surprising physical evidence that the oriC DNA forms complexes with the outer membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ella Rotman
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
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22
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RecBCD enzyme and the repair of double-stranded DNA breaks. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2009; 72:642-71, Table of Contents. [PMID: 19052323 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00020-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 404] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The RecBCD enzyme of Escherichia coli is a helicase-nuclease that initiates the repair of double-stranded DNA breaks by homologous recombination. It also degrades linear double-stranded DNA, protecting the bacteria from phages and extraneous chromosomal DNA. The RecBCD enzyme is, however, regulated by a cis-acting DNA sequence known as Chi (crossover hotspot instigator) that activates its recombination-promoting functions. Interaction with Chi causes an attenuation of the RecBCD enzyme's vigorous nuclease activity, switches the polarity of the attenuated nuclease activity to the 5' strand, changes the operation of its motor subunits, and instructs the enzyme to begin loading the RecA protein onto the resultant Chi-containing single-stranded DNA. This enzyme is a prototypical example of a molecular machine: the protein architecture incorporates several autonomous functional domains that interact with each other to produce a complex, sequence-regulated, DNA-processing machine. In this review, we discuss the biochemical mechanism of the RecBCD enzyme with particular emphasis on new developments relating to the enzyme's structure and DNA translocation mechanism.
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23
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Roles of ExoI and SbcCD nucleases in "reckless" DNA degradation in recA mutants of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol 2008; 191:1677-87. [PMID: 19074388 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01877-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Exponentially growing recA mutant cells of Escherichia coli display pronounced DNA degradation that starts at the sites of DNA damage and depends on RecBCD nuclease (ExoV) activity. As a consequence of this "reckless" DNA degradation, populations of recA mutants contain a large proportion of anucleate cells. We have found that both DNA degradation and anucleate-cell production are efficiently suppressed by mutations in the xonA (sbcB) and sbcD genes. The suppressive effects of these mutations were observed in normally grown, as well as in UV-irradiated, recA cells. The products of the xonA and sbcD genes are known to code for the ExoI and SbcCD nucleases, respectively. Since both xonA and sbcD mutations are required for strong suppression of DNA degradation while individual mutations have only a weak suppressive effect, we infer that ExoI and SbcCD play partially redundant roles in regulating DNA degradation in recA cells. We suggest that their roles might be in processing (blunting) DNA ends, thereby producing suitable substrates for RecBCD binding.
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24
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Synthetic lethality with the dut defect in Escherichia coli reveals layers of DNA damage of increasing complexity due to uracil incorporation. J Bacteriol 2008; 190:5841-54. [PMID: 18586941 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00711-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic lethality is inviability of a double-mutant combination of two fully viable single mutants, commonly interpreted as redundancy at an essential metabolic step. The dut-1 defect in Escherichia coli inactivates dUTPase, causing increased uracil incorporation in DNA and known synthetic lethalities [SL(dut) mutations]. According to the redundancy logic, most of these SL(dut) mutations should affect nucleotide metabolism. After a systematic search for SL(dut) mutants, we did identify a single defect in the DNA precursor metabolism, inactivating thymidine kinase (tdk), that confirmed the redundancy explanation of synthetic lethality. However, we found that the bulk of mutations interacting genetically with dut are in DNA repair, revealing layers of damage of increasing complexity that uracil-DNA incorporation sends through the chromosomal metabolism. Thus, we isolated mutants in functions involved in (i) uracil-DNA excision (ung, polA, and xthA); (ii) double-strand DNA break repair (recA, recBC, and ruvABC); and (iii) chromosomal-dimer resolution (xerC, xerD, and ftsK). These mutants in various DNA repair transactions cannot be redundant with dUTPase and instead reveal "defect-damage-repair" cycles linking unrelated metabolic pathways. In addition, two SL(dut) inserts (phoU and degP) identify functions that could act to support the weakened activity of the Dut-1 mutant enzyme, suggesting the "compensation" explanation for this synthetic lethality. We conclude that genetic interactions with dut can be explained by redundancy, by defect-damage-repair cycles, or as compensation.
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25
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Rotman E, Kuzminov A. The mutT defect does not elevate chromosomal fragmentation in Escherichia coli because of the surprisingly low levels of MutM/MutY-recognized DNA modifications. J Bacteriol 2007; 189:6976-88. [PMID: 17616589 PMCID: PMC2045204 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00776-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleotide pool sanitizing enzymes Dut (dUTPase), RdgB (dITPase), and MutT (8-oxo-dGTPase) of Escherichia coli hydrolyze noncanonical DNA precursors to prevent incorporation of base analogs into DNA. Previous studies reported dramatic AT-->CG mutagenesis in mutT mutants, suggesting a considerable density of 8-oxo-G in DNA that should cause frequent excision and chromosomal fragmentation, irreparable in the absence of RecBCD-catalyzed repair and similar to the lethality of dut recBC and rdgB recBC double mutants. In contrast, we found mutT recBC double mutants viable with no signs of chromosomal fragmentation. Overproduction of the MutM and MutY DNA glycosylases, both acting on DNA containing 8-oxo-G, still yields no lethality in mutT recBC double mutants. Plasmid DNA, extracted from mutT mutM double mutant cells and treated with MutM in vitro, shows no increased relaxation, indicating no additional 8-oxo-G modifications. Our DeltamutT allele elevates the AT-->CG transversion rate 27,000-fold, consistent with published reports. However, the rate of AT-->CG transversions in our mutT(+) progenitor strain is some two orders of magnitude lower than in previous studies, which lowers the absolute rate of mutagenesis in DeltamutT derivatives, translating into less than four 8-oxo-G modifications per genome equivalent, which is too low to cause the expected effects. Introduction of various additional mutations in the DeltamutT strain or treatment with oxidative agents failed to increase the mutagenesis even twofold. We conclude that, in contrast to the previous studies, there is not enough 8-oxo-G in the DNA of mutT mutants to cause elevated excision repair that would trigger chromosomal fragmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ella Rotman
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801-3709, USA
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26
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Abstract
Endonuclease V, encoded by the nfi gene, initiates removal of the base analogs hypoxanthine and xanthine from DNA, acting to prevent mutagenesis from purine base deamination within the DNA. On the other hand, the RdgB nucleotide hydrolase in Escherichia coli is proposed to prevent hypoxanthine and xanthine incorporation into DNA by intercepting the noncanonical DNA precursors dITP and dXTP. Because many base analogs are mutagenic when incorporated into DNA, it is intuitive to think of RdgB as acting to prevent similar mutagenesis from deaminated purines in the DNA precursor pools. To test this idea, we used a set of Claire Cupples' strains to detect changes in spontaneous mutagenesis spectra, as well as in nitrous acid-induced mutagenesis spectra, in wild-type cells and in rdgB single, nfi single, and rdgB nfi double mutants. We found neither a significant increase in spontaneous mutagenesis in rdgB and nfi single mutants or the double mutant nor any changes in nitrous acid-induced mutagenesis for rdgB mutant strains. We conclude that incorporation of deaminated purines into DNA is nonmutagenic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Budke
- B103 C&LSL, 601 South Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801-3709, USA
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27
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Kouzminova EA, Kuzminov A. Fragmentation of Replicating Chromosomes Triggered by Uracil in DNA. J Mol Biol 2006; 355:20-33. [PMID: 16297932 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2005.10.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2005] [Revised: 10/11/2005] [Accepted: 10/17/2005] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The dut mutants of Escherichia coli fail to hydrolyze dUTP and thus incorporate uracil into their DNA, suffering from chromosomal fragmentation. The postulated mechanism for the double-strand DNA breaks is clustered uracil excision, which requires high density of DNA-uracils. However, we did not find enough uracil residues or excision nicks in the DNA of dut mutants to account for clustered uracil excision. Using a dut recBC(Ts) mutant of E.coli to inquire into the mechanism of uracil-triggered chromosomal fragmentation, we show that this fragmentation requires DNA replication and, in turn, inhibits replication of the chromosomal terminus. As a result, origin-containing sub-chromosomal fragments accumulate in dut recBC conditions, indicating preferential demise of replication bubbles. We propose that the basic mechanism of the uracil-triggered chromosomal fragmentation is replication fork collapse at uracil-excision nicks. Possible explanations for the low level terminus fragmentation are also considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena A Kouzminova
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 601 South Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801-3709, USA
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28
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Chen Z, Zhao H. A highly sensitive selection method for directed evolution of homing endonucleases. Nucleic Acids Res 2005; 33:e154. [PMID: 16214805 PMCID: PMC1253837 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gni148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Homing endonucleases are enzymes that catalyze DNA sequence specific double-strand breaks and can significantly stimulate homologous recombination at these breaks. These enzymes have great potential for applications such as gene correction in gene therapy or gene alteration in systems biology and metabolic engineering. However, homing endonucleases have a limited natural repertoire of target sequences, which severely hamper their applications. Here we report the development of a highly sensitive selection method for the directed evolution of homing endonucleases that couples enzymatic DNA cleavage with the survival of host cells. Using I-SceI as a model homing endonuclease, we have demonstrated that cells with wild-type I-SceI showed a high cell survival rate of 80–100% in the presence of the original I-SceI recognition site, whereas cells without I-SceI showed a survival rate <0.003%. This system should also be readily applicable for directed evolution of other DNA cleavage enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhilei Chen
- Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of IllinoisUrbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Huimin Zhao
- Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of IllinoisUrbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of IllinoisUrbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of IllinoisUrbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of IllinoisUrbana, IL 61801, USA
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of IllinoisUrbana, IL 61801, USA
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 217 333 2631; Fax: +1 217 333 5052;
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29
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Dermić D, Halupecki E, Zahradka D, Petranović M. RecBCD enzyme overproduction impairs DNA repair and homologous recombination in Escherichia coli. Res Microbiol 2005; 156:304-11. [PMID: 15808933 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2004.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2004] [Revised: 09/03/2004] [Accepted: 10/06/2004] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The Escherichia coli RecBCD enzyme is a powerful helicase and nuclease that processes DNA molecules containing blunt double-strand DNA end. Mutants deprived of RecBCD enzyme functions are extremely sensitive to DNA-damaging agents, poorly viable and severely deficient in homologous recombination. Remarkably, such important cellular functions rely on only about 10 molecules of RecBCD present in a cell. To determine the effect of an increased concentration of RecBCD enzyme and its derivatives on cellular processes that depend on the enzyme, we introduced wild-type and mutant alleles of recBCD genes on a low-copy-number plasmid into recB and wild-type bacteria and assessed their capacity for DNA repair and homologous recombination. We found that the overproduction of RecBCD enzyme, as well as RecBC and their nuclease-deficient derivatives, impairs both DNA repair and homologous recombination in E. coli. We also show that chromosomal degradation was increased in gamma-irradiated bacteria overproducing RecBCD but not in those overproducing RecBC enzyme, indicating that the increased nuclease activity is not the reason for defective DNA repair and homologous recombination observed in those cells. Our collective results suggest that DNA binding and processive helicase activities of the overproduced RecBCD enzyme, or its derivates, impair DNA repair and homologous recombination in E. coli. The cells control these activities of RecBCD by maintaining its extremely low concentration, thereby allowing efficient DNA repair and homologous recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damir Dermić
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ruder Bosković Institute, Bijenicka 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
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30
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Abstract
Bacterial RecA protein is required for repair of two-strand DNA lesions that disable whole chromosomes. recA mutants are viable, suggesting a considerable cellular capacity to avoid these chromosome-disabling lesions. recA-dependent mutants reveal chromosomal lesion avoidance pathways. Here we characterize one such mutant, rdgB/yggV, deficient in a putative inosine/xanthosine triphosphatase, conserved throughout kingdoms of life. The rdgB recA lethality is suppressed by inactivation of endonuclease V (gpnfi) specific for DNA-hypoxanthines/xanthines, suggesting that RdgB either intercepts improper DNA precursors dITP/dXTP or works downstream of EndoV in excision repair of incorporated hypoxathines/xanthines. We find that DNA isolated from rdgB mutants contains EndoV-recognizable modifications, whereas DNA from nfi mutants does not, substantiating the dITP/dXTP interception by RdgB. rdgB recBC cells are inviable, whereas rdgB recF cells are healthy, suggesting that chromosomes in rdgB mutants suffer double-strand breaks. Chromosomal fragmentation is indeed observed in rdgB recBC mutants and is suppressed in rdgB recBC nfi mutants. Thus, one way to avoid chromosomal lesions is to prevent hypoxanthine/xanthine incorporation into DNA via interception of dITP/dXTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill S Bradshaw
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B103 C&LSL, 601 South Goodwin Ave., 61801-3709, USA
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31
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Miranda A, Kuzminov A. Chromosomal lesion suppression and removal in Escherichia coli via linear DNA degradation. Genetics 2003; 163:1255-71. [PMID: 12702673 PMCID: PMC1462524 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/163.4.1255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
RecBCD is a DNA helicase/exonuclease implicated in degradation of foreign linear DNA and in RecA-dependent recombinational repair of chromosomal lesions in E. coli. The low viability of recA recBC mutants vs. recA mutants indicates the existence of RecA-independent roles for RecBCD. To distinguish among possible RecA-independent roles of the RecBCD enzyme in replication, repair, and DNA degradation, we introduced wild-type and mutant combinations of the recBCD chromosomal region on a low-copy-number plasmid into a DeltarecA DeltarecBCD mutant and determined the viability of resulting strains. Our results argue against ideas that RecBCD is a structural element in the replication factory or is involved in RecA-independent repair of chromosomal lesions. We found that RecBCD-catalyzed DNA degradation is the only activity important for the recA-independent viability, suggesting that degradation of linear tails of sigma-replicating chromosomes could be one of the RecBCD's roles. However, since the weaker DNA degradation capacity due a combination of the RecBC helicase and ssDNA-specific exonucleases restores viability of the DeltarecA DeltarecBCD mutant to a significant extent, we favor suppression of chromosomal lesions via linear DNA degradation at reversed replication forks as the major RecA-independent role of the RecBCD enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anabel Miranda
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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32
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Gruen M, Chang K, Serbanescu I, Liu DR. An in vivo selection system for homing endonuclease activity. Nucleic Acids Res 2002; 30:e29. [PMID: 11917035 PMCID: PMC101853 DOI: 10.1093/nar/30.7.e29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2001] [Revised: 01/08/2002] [Accepted: 01/25/2002] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Homing endonucleases are enzymes that catalyze the highly sequence-specific cleavage of DNA. We have developed an in vivo selection in Escherichia coli that links cell survival with homing endonuclease-mediated DNA cleavage activity and sequence specificity. Using this selection, wild-type and mutant variants of three homing endonucleases were characterized without requiring protein purification and in vitro analysis. This selection system may facilitate the study of sequence-specific DNA cleaving enzymes, and selections based on this work may enable the evolution of homing endonucleases with novel activities or specificities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathias Gruen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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33
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Chédin F, Kowalczykowski SC. A novel family of regulated helicases/nucleases from Gram-positive bacteria: insights into the initiation of DNA recombination. Mol Microbiol 2002; 43:823-34. [PMID: 11929535 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2002.02785.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Chédin
- Sections of Microbiology and of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8665, USA
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34
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Balashov S, Humayun MZ. Mistranslation induced by streptomycin provokes a RecABC/RuvABC-dependent mutator phenotype in Escherichia coli cells. J Mol Biol 2002; 315:513-27. [PMID: 11812126 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.2001.5273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Translational stress-induced mutagenesis (TSM) refers to the mutator phenotype observed in Escherichia coli cells expressing a mutant allele (mutA or mutC) of the glycine tRNA gene glyV (or glyW). Because of an anticodon mutation, expression of the mutA allele results in low levels of Asp-->Gly mistranslation. The mutA phenotype does not require lexA-regulated SOS mutagenesis functions, and appears to be suppressed in cells defective for RecABC-dependent homologous recombination functions. To test the hypothesis that the TSM response is mediated by non-specific mistranslation rather than specific Asp-->Gly misreading, we asked if streptomycin (Str), an aminoglycoside antibiotic known to promote mistranslation, can provoke a mutator phenotype. We report that Str induces a strong mutator phenotype in cells bearing certain alleles of rpsL, the gene encoding S12, an essential component of the ribosomal 30 S subunit. The phenotype is strikingly similar to that observed in mutA cells in its mutational specificity, as well as in its requirement for RecABC-mediated homologous recombination functions. Expression of Str-inducible mutator phenotype correlates with mistranslation efficiency in response to Str. Thus, mistranslation in general is able to induce the TSM response. The Str-inducible mutator phenotype described here defines a new functional class of rpsL alleles, and raises interesting questions on the mechanism of action of Str, and on bacterial response to antibiotic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Balashov
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UMDNJ - New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
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35
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Abstract
Double-strand breaks and other lesions in DNA can stimulate homologous genetic recombination in two quite different ways: by promoting recombination near the break (roughly within a kb) or far from the break. Recent emphasis on the repair aspect of recombination has focused attention on DNA interactions and recombination near breaks. Here I review evidence for recombination far from DNA breaks in bacteria and fungi and discuss mechanisms by which this can occur. These mechanisms include entry of a traveling entity ("recombination machine") at a break, formation of long heteroduplex DNA, priming of DNA replication by a broken end, and induction of recombination potential in trans. Special emphasis is placed on contrasting views of how the RecBCD enzyme of Escherichia coli promotes recombination far (tens of kb) from a double-strand break. The occurrence of recombination far from DNA breaks and of correlated recombination events far apart suggests that "action at a distance" during recombination is a widespread feature among diverse organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- G R Smith
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA.
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36
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Cox MM. Historical overview: searching for replication help in all of the rec places. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2001; 98:8173-80. [PMID: 11459950 PMCID: PMC37418 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.131004998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
For several decades, research into the mechanisms of genetic recombination proceeded without a complete understanding of its cellular function or its place in DNA metabolism. Many lines of research recently have coalesced to reveal a thorough integration of most aspects of DNA metabolism, including recombination. In bacteria, the primary function of homologous genetic recombination is the repair of stalled or collapsed replication forks. Recombinational DNA repair of replication forks is a surprisingly common process, even under normal growth conditions. The new results feature multiple pathways for repair and the involvement of many enzymatic systems. The long-recognized integration of replication and recombination in the DNA metabolism of bacteriophage T4 has moved into the spotlight with its clear mechanistic precedents. In eukaryotes, a similar integration of replication and recombination is seen in meiotic recombination as well as in the repair of replication forks and double-strand breaks generated by environmental abuse. Basic mechanisms for replication fork repair can now inform continued research into other aspects of recombination. This overview attempts to trace the history of the search for recombination function in bacteria and their bacteriophages, as well as some of the parallel paths taken in eukaryotic recombination research.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Cox
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, 433 Babcock Drive, Madison, WI 53706-1544, USA.
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37
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Bredèche MF, Ehrlich SD, Michel B. Viability of rep recA mutants depends on their capacity to cope with spontaneous oxidative damage and on the DnaK chaperone protein. J Bacteriol 2001; 183:2165-71. [PMID: 11244053 PMCID: PMC95120 DOI: 10.1128/jb.183.7.2165-2171.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Replication arrests due to the lack or the inhibition of replicative helicases are processed by recombination proteins. Consequently, cells deficient in the Rep helicase, in which replication pauses are frequent, require the RecBCD recombination complex for growth. rep recA mutants are viable and display no growth defect at 37 or 42 degrees C. The putative role of chaperone proteins in rep and rep recA mutants was investigated by testing the effects of dnaK mutations. dnaK756 and dnaK306 mutations, which allow growth of otherwise wild-type Escherichia coli cells at 40 degrees C, are lethal in rep recA mutants at this temperature. Furthermore, they affect the growth of rep mutants, and to a lesser extent, that of recA mutants. We conclude that both rep and recA mutants require DnaK for optimal growth, leading to low viability of the triple (rep recA dnaK) mutant. rep recA mutant cells form colonies at low efficiency when grown to exponential phase at 30 degrees C. Although the plating defect is not observed at a high temperature, it is not suppressed by overexpression of heat shock proteins at 30 degrees C. The plating defect of rep recA mutant cells is suppressed by the presence of catalase in the plates. The cryosensitivity of rep recA mutants therefore results from an increased sensitivity to oxidative damage upon propagation at low temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- M F Bredèche
- Laboratoire de Génétique Microbienne, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Domaine de Vilvert, F-78352 Jouy en Josas Cedex, France
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38
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Ren L, Al Mamun AA, Humayun MZ. Requirement for homologous recombination functions for expression of the mutA mistranslator tRNA-induced mutator phenotype in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol 2000; 182:1427-31. [PMID: 10671469 PMCID: PMC94434 DOI: 10.1128/jb.182.5.1427-1431.2000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression of the Escherichia coli mutA mutator phenotype requires recA, recB, recC, ruvA, and ruvC gene, but not recD, recF, recO, or recR genes. Thus, the recBCD-dependent homologous recombination system is a component of the signal pathway that activates an error-prone DNA polymerase in mutA cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Ren
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey 07103-2714, USA
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39
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Rothstein R, Michel B, Gangloff S. Replication fork pausing and recombination or “gimme a break”. Genes Dev 2000. [DOI: 10.1101/gad.14.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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40
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Kuzminov A. Recombinational repair of DNA damage in Escherichia coli and bacteriophage lambda. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 1999; 63:751-813, table of contents. [PMID: 10585965 PMCID: PMC98976 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.63.4.751-813.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 719] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although homologous recombination and DNA repair phenomena in bacteria were initially extensively studied without regard to any relationship between the two, it is now appreciated that DNA repair and homologous recombination are related through DNA replication. In Escherichia coli, two-strand DNA damage, generated mostly during replication on a template DNA containing one-strand damage, is repaired by recombination with a homologous intact duplex, usually the sister chromosome. The two major types of two-strand DNA lesions are channeled into two distinct pathways of recombinational repair: daughter-strand gaps are closed by the RecF pathway, while disintegrated replication forks are reestablished by the RecBCD pathway. The phage lambda recombination system is simpler in that its major reaction is to link two double-stranded DNA ends by using overlapping homologous sequences. The remarkable progress in understanding the mechanisms of recombinational repair in E. coli over the last decade is due to the in vitro characterization of the activities of individual recombination proteins. Putting our knowledge about recombinational repair in the broader context of DNA replication will guide future experimentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kuzminov
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA.
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41
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Kuzminov A, Stahl FW. Double-strand end repair via the RecBC pathway in Escherichia coli primes DNA replication. Genes Dev 1999; 13:345-56. [PMID: 9990858 PMCID: PMC316432 DOI: 10.1101/gad.13.3.345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
To study the relationship between homologous recombination and DNA replication in Escherichia coli, we monitored the behavior of phage lambda chromosomes, repressed or not for lambda gene activities. Recombination in our system is stimulated both by DNA replication and by experimentally introduced double-strand ends, supporting the idea that DNA replication generates occasional double-strand ends. We report that the RecBC recombinational pathway of E. coli uses double-strand ends to prime DNA synthesis, implying a circular relationship between DNA replication and recombination and suggesting that the primary role of recombination is in the repair of disintegrated replication forks arising during vegetative reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kuzminov
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1229
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42
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Cousineau B, Smith D, Lawrence-Cavanagh S, Mueller JE, Yang J, Mills D, Manias D, Dunny G, Lambowitz AM, Belfort M. Retrohoming of a bacterial group II intron: mobility via complete reverse splicing, independent of homologous DNA recombination. Cell 1998; 94:451-62. [PMID: 9727488 DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81586-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The mobile group II intron of Lactococcus lactis, Ll.LtrB, provides the opportunity to analyze the homing pathway in genetically tractable bacterial systems. Here, we show that Ll.LtrB mobility occurs by an RNA-based retrohoming mechanism in both Escherichia coli and L. lactis. Surprisingly, retrohoming occurs efficiently in the absence of RecA function, with a relaxed requirement for flanking exon homology and without coconversion of exon markers. These results lead to a model for bacterial retrohoming in which the intron integrates into recipient DNA by complete reverse splicing and serves as the template for cDNA synthesis. The retrohoming reaction is completed in unprecedented fashion by a DNA repair event that is independent of homologous recombination between the alleles. Thus, Ll.LtrB has many features of retrotransposons, with practical and evolutionary implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Cousineau
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, and School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, 12201-2002, USA
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43
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Stahl MM, Thomason L, Poteete AR, Tarkowski T, Kuzminov A, Stahl FW. Annealing vs. invasion in phage lambda recombination. Genetics 1997; 147:961-77. [PMID: 9383045 PMCID: PMC1208271 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/147.3.961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic recombination catalyzed by lambda's Red pathway was studied in rec+ and recA mutant bacteria by examining both intracellular lambda DNA and mature progeny particles. Recombination of nonreplicating phage chromosomes was induced by double-strand breaks delivered at unique sites in vivo. In rec+ cells, cutting only one chromosome gave nearly maximal stimulation of recombination; the recombinants formed contained relatively short hybrid regions, suggesting strand invasion. In contrast, in recA mutant cells, cutting the two parental chromosomes at non-allelic sites was required for maximal stimulation; the recombinants formed tended to be hybrid over the entire region between the two cuts, implying strand annealing. We conclude that, in the absence of RecA and the presence of non-allelic DNA ends, the Red pathway of lambda catalyzes recombination primarily by annealing.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Stahl
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene 97403-1229, USA
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44
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Kuzminov A, Schabtach E, Stahl FW. Study of plasmid replication in Escherichia coli with a combination of 2D gel electrophoresis and electron microscopy. J Mol Biol 1997; 268:1-7. [PMID: 9149135 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1997.0955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
We studied theta-mode DNA replication in p15A-based Escherichia coli plasmids by analyzing their replication intermediates using a combination of neutral agarose 2D gel electrophoresis and electron microscopy. Our analysis: (1) confirms the original assignment of various features of the 2D gel pattern; (2) shows that while one replication fork progresses around the plasmid DNA, the other is immobile, as if the replication were unidirectional; and (3) reveals that termination often occurs at a location away from the replication origin, suggesting that the replication of our plasmids is, in fact, bidirectional, the two forks being active at different times.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kuzminov
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene 97403, USA
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