Mutational analysis of ERCC3, which is involved in DNA repair and transcription initiation: identification of domains essential for the DNA repair function

Identification of genes involved in low aminoglycoside-induced SOS response in Vibrio cholerae: a role for transcription stalling and Mfd helicase

Sub-inhibitory concentrations (sub-MIC) of antibiotics play a very important role in selection and development of resistances. Unlike Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae induces its SOS response in presence of sub-MIC aminoglycosides. A role for oxidized guanine residues was observed, but the mechanisms of this induction remained unclear. To select for V. cholerae mutants that do not induce low aminoglycoside-mediated SOS induction, we developed a genetic screen that renders induction of SOS lethal. We identified genes involved in this pathway using two strategies, inactivation by transposition and gene overexpression. Interestingly, we obtained mutants inactivated for the expression of proteins known to destabilize the RNA polymerase complex. Reconstruction of the corresponding mutants confirmed their specific involvement in induction of SOS by low aminoglycoside concentrations. We propose that DNA lesions formed on aminoglycoside treatment are repaired through the formation of single-stranded DNA intermediates, inducing SOS. Inactivation of functions that dislodge RNA polymerase leads to prolonged stalling on these lesions, which hampers SOS induction and repair and reduces viability under antibiotic stress. The importance of these mechanisms is illustrated by a reduction of aminoglycoside sub-MIC. Our results point to a central role for transcription blocking at DNA lesions in SOS induction, so far underestimated.

Frequent alteration of the tumor suppressor gene APC in sporadic canine colorectal tumors

Sporadic canine colorectal cancers (CRCs) should make excellent models for studying the corresponding human cancers. To molecularly characterize canine CRC, we investigated exonic sequence mutations of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), the best known tumor suppressor gene of human CRC, in 23 sporadic canine colorectal tumors, including 8 adenomas and 15 adenocarcinomas, via exon-resequencing analysis. As a comparison, we also performed the same sequencing analysis on 10 other genes, either located at human 5q22 (the same locus as APC) or 18q21 (also frequently altered in human CRC), or known to play a role in human carcinogenesis. We noted that APC was the most significantly mutated gene in both canine adenomas and adenocarcinomas among the 11 genes examined. Significantly, we detected large deletions of ≥10 bases, many clustered near the mutation cluster region, as well as single or two base deletions in ∼70% canine tumors of both subtypes. These observations indicate that like in the human, APC is also frequently altered in sporadic colorectal tumors in the dog and its alteration is an early event in canine colorectal tumorigenesis. Our study provides further evidence demonstrating the molecular similarity in pathogenesis between sporadic human and canine CRCs. This work, along with our previous copy number abnormality study, supports that sporadic canine CRCs are valid models of human CRCs at the molecular level.

Molecular insights into the recruitment of TFIIH to sites of DNA damage

XPB and XPD subunits of TFIIH are central genome caretakers involved in nucleotide excision repair (NER), although their respective role within this DNA repair pathway remains difficult to delineate. To obtain insight into the function of XPB and XPD, we studied cell lines expressing XPB or XPD ATPase-deficient complexes. We show the involvement of XPB, but not XPD, in the accumulation of TFIIH to sites of DNA damage. Recruitment of TFIIH occurs independently of the helicase activity of XPB, but requires two recently identified motifs, a R-E-D residue loop and a Thumb-like domain. Furthermore, we show that these motifs are specifically involved in the DNA-induced stimulation of the ATPase activity of XPB. Together, our data demonstrate that the recruitment of TFIIH to sites of damage is an active process, under the control of the ATPase motifs of XPB and suggest that this subunit functions as an ATP-driven hook to stabilize the binding of the TFIIH to damaged DNA.

Phosphorylation of XPB helicase regulates TFIIH nucleotide excision repair activity

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) removes damage from DNA in a tightly regulated multiprotein process. The xeroderma pigmentosum group B (XPB) helicase subunit of TFIIH functions in NER and transcription. The serine 751 (S751) residue of XPB was found to be phosphorylated in vivo. This phosphorylation inhibits NER and the microinjection of a phosphomimicking XPB-S751E mutant is unable to correct the NER defect of XP-B cells. Conversely, XPB-S751 dephosphorylation or its substitution with alanine (S751A) restores NER both in vivo and in vitro. Surprisingly, phospho/dephosphorylation of S751 spares TFIIH-dependent transcription. Finally, the phosphorylation of XPB-S751 does not impair the TFIIH unwinding of the DNA around the lesion, but rather prevents the 5' incision triggered by the ERCC1-XPF endonuclease. These data support an additional role for XPB in promoting the incision of the damaged fragment and reveal a point of NER regulation on TFIIH without interference in its transcription activity.

Functions of yeast helicase Ssl2p that are essential for viability are also involved in protection from the toxicity of adriamycin

We have found that, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, overexpression of the DNA helicase Ssl2p confers resistance to adriamycin. Ssl2p is involved, as a subunit of the basic transcription factor TFIIH, in the initiation of transcription and in nucleotide-excision repair (NER), and this helicase is essential for the survival of yeast cells. An examination of the relationship between the known functions of Ssl2p and adriamycin resistance indicated that overexpression of Ssl2p caused little or no increase in the rate of RNA synthesis and in NER. The absence of any involvement of NER in adriamycin resistance was supported by the finding that yeast cells that overexpressed the mutant form of Ssl2p that lacked the carboxy-terminal region, which is necessary for NER, remained resistant to adriamycin. When we examined the effects of overexpression in yeast of other mutant forms of Ssl2p with various deletions, we found that, of the 843 amino acids of Ssl2p, the entire amino acid sequence from position 81 to position 750 was necessary for adriamycin resistance. This region is identical to the region of Ssl2p that is necessary for the survival of yeast cells. Although this region contains helicase motifs, the overexpression of other yeast helicases, such as Rad3 and Sgs1, had little or no effect on adriamycin resistance, indicating that a mere increase in the intracellular level of helicases does not result in adriamycin resistance. Our results suggest that the functions of Ssl2p that are essential for yeast survival are also required for protection against adriamycin toxicity.

Different dynamics in nuclear entry of subunits of the repair/transcription factor TFIIH

We report here the different ways in which four subunits of the basal transcription/repair factor TFIIH (XPB, XPD, p62 and p44) and the damage recognition XPC repair protein can enter the nucleus. We examined their nuclear localization by transiently expressing the gene products tagged with the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in transfected 3T3 cells. In agreement with the identification of more than one putative nuclear localization signal (NLS) in their protein sequences, XPB, XPC, p62 and p44 chimeras were rapidly sorted to the nucleus. In contrast, the XPD-EGFP chimeras appeared mainly localized in the cytoplasm, with a minor fraction of transfectants showing the EGFP-based fluorescence also in the nucleus. The ability of the XPD chimeras to enter the nucleus was confirmed by western blotting on fractionated cell extracts and by functional complementation of the repair defect in the UV5 rodent cells, mutated in the XPD homologous gene. By deletion mutagenesis, we were unable to identify any sequence specific for nuclear localization. In particular, deletion of the putative NLS failed to affect subcellular localization and, conversely, the C-terminal part of XPD containing the putative NLS showed no specific nuclear accumulation. These findings suggest that the nuclear entry of XPD depends on its complexation with other proteins in the cytoplasm, possibly other components of the TFIIH complex.

Molecular characterization of mutant alleles of the DNA repair/basal transcription factor haywire/ERCC3 in Drosophila

The haywire gene of Drosophila encodes a putative helicase essential for transcription and nucleotide excision repair. A haywire allele encoding a dominant acting poison product, lethal alleles, and viable but UV-sensitive alleles isolated as revertants of the dominant acting poison allele were molecularly characterized. Sequence analysis of lethal haywire alleles revealed the importance of the nucleotide-binding domain, suggesting an essential role for ATPase activity. The viable haync2 allele, which encodes a poison product, has a single amino acid change in conserved helicase domain VI. This mutation results in accumulation of a 68-kD polypeptide that is much more abundant than the wild-type haywire protein.

The BCR-ABL oncoprotein potentially interacts with the xeroderma pigmentosum group B protein

The previously uncharacterized CDC24 homology domain of BCR, which is missing in the P185 BCR-ABL oncogene of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1)-positive acute lymphocytic leukemia but is retained in P210 BCR-ABL of chronic myelogeneous leukemia, was found to bind to the xeroderma pigmentosum group B protein (XPB). The binding appeared to be required for XPB to be tyrosine-phosphorylated by BCR-ABL. The interaction not only reduced both the ATPase and the helicase activities of XPB purified in the baculovirus system but also impaired XPB-mediated cross-complementation of the repair deficiency in rodent UV-sensitive mutants of group 3. The persistent dysfunction of XPB may in part underlie genomic instability in blastic crisis.

Mechanism of open complex and dual incision formation by human nucleotide excision repair factors

During nucleotide excision repair in human cells, a damaged DNA strand is cleaved by two endonucleases, XPG on the 3' side of the lesion and ERCC1-XPF on the 5' side. These structure-specific enzymes act at junctions between duplex and single-stranded DNA. ATP-dependent formation of an open DNA structure of approximately 25 nt around the adduct precedes this dual incision. We investigated the mechanism of open complex formation and find that mutations in XPB or XPD, the DNA helicase subunits of the transcription and repair factor TFIIH, can completely prevent opening and dual incision in cell-free extracts. A deficiency in XPC protein also prevents opening. The absence of RPA, XPA or XPG activities leads to an intermediate level of strand separation. In contrast, XPF or ERCC1-defective extracts open normally and generate a 3' incision, but fail to form the 5' incision. This same repair defect was observed in extracts from human xeroderma pigmentosum cells with an alteration in the C-terminal domain of XPB, suggesting that XPB has an additional role in facilitating 5' incision by ERCC1-XPF nuclease. These data support a mechanism in which TFIIH-associated helicase activity and XPC protein catalyze initial formation of the key open intermediate, with full extension to the cleavage sites promoted by the other core nucleotide excision repair factors. Opening is followed by dual incision, with the 3' cleavage made first.

The XPB subunit of repair/transcription factor TFIIH directly interacts with SUG1, a subunit of the 26S proteasome and putative transcription factor

Mutations in the basal transcription initiation/DNA repair factor TFIIH are responsible for three human disorders: xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), cockayne syndrome (CS) and trichothiodystrophy (TTD). The non-repair features of CS and TTD are thought to be due to a partial inactivation of the transcription function of the complex. To search for proteins whose interaction with TFIIH subunits is disturbed by mutations in patients we used the yeast two-hybrid system and report the isolation of a novel XPB interacting protein, SUG1. The interaction was validated in vivo and in vitro in the following manner. (i) SUG1 interacts with XPB but not with the other core TFIIH subunits in the two-hybrid assay. (ii) Physical interaction is observed in a baculovirus co-expression system. (iii) In fibroblasts under non-overexpression conditions a portion of SUG1 is bound to the TFIIH holocomplex as deduced from co-purification, immunopurification and nickel-chelate affinity chromatography using functional tagged TFIIH. Furthermore, overexpression of SUG1 in normal fibroblasts induced arrest of transcription and a chromatin collapse in vivo. Interestingly, the interaction was diminished with a mutant form of XPB, thus providing a potential link with the clinical features of XP-B patients. Since SUG1 is an integral component of the 26S proteasome and may be part of the mediator, our findings disclose a SUG1-dependent link between TFIIH and the cellular machinery involved in protein modelling/degradation.

Ultraviolet-induced movement of the human DNA repair protein, Xeroderma pigmentosum type G, in the nucleus

Xeroderma pigmentosum type G (XPG) is a human genetic disease exhibiting extreme sensitivity to sunlight. XPG patients are defective XPG endonuclease, which is an enzyme essential for DNA repair of the major kinds of solar ultraviolet (UV)-induced DNA damages. Here we describe a novel dynamics of this protein within the cell nucleus after UV irradiation of human cells. Using confocal microscopy, we have localized the immunofluorescent, antigenic signal of XPG protein to foci throughout the cell nucleus. Our biochemical studies also established that XPG protein forms a tight association with nuclear structure(s). In human skin fibroblast cells, the number of XPG foci decreased within 2 h after UV irradiation, whereas total nuclear XPG fluorescence intensity remained constant, suggesting redistribution of XPG from a limited number of nuclear foci to the nucleus overall. Within 8 h after UV, most XPG antigenic signal was found as foci. Using beta-galactosidase-XPG fusion constructs (beta-gal-XPG) transfected into HeLa cells, we have identified a single region of XPG that is evidently responsible both for foci formation and for the UV dynamic response. The fusion protein carrying the C terminus of XPG (amino acids 1146-1185) localized beta-gal specific antigenic signal to foci and to the nucleolus regions. After UV irradiation, antigenic beta-gal translocated reversibly from the subnuclear structures to the whole nucleus with kinetics very similar to the movements of XPG protein. These findings lead us to propose a model in which distribution of XPG protein may regulate the rate of DNA repair within transcriptionally active and inactive compartments of the cell nucleus.

The 62- and 80-kDa subunits of transcription factor IIH mediate the interaction with Epstein-Barr virus nuclear protein 2

EBNA 2 (Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2) is an acidic transactivator essential for EBV transformation of B lymphocytes. We show that EBNA 2 directly interacts with general transcription factor IIH. Glutathione S-transferase (GST)-EBNA 2 acidic domain fusion protein depleted transcription factor IIH activity from a TFIIH nuclear fraction. The p89 (ERCC3), p80 (ERCC2), and p62 subunits of TFIIH were among the proteins retained by GST-EBNA 2. Eluates from the GST-EBNA 2 beads reconstituted activity in a TFIIH-dependent in vitro transcription assay. The p62 and p80 subunits of TFIIH independently bound to GST-EBNA 2, whereas the p34 subunit of TFIIH only bound in the presence of p62. A Trp-->Thr mutation in the EBNA 2 acidic domain abolishes EBNA 2 transactivation in vivo and greatly compromised EBNA 2 association with TFIIH activity and with the p62 and p80 subunits, providing a link between EBNA 2 transactivation and these interactions. Antibodies directed against the p62 subunit of TFIIH coimmunoprecipitated EBNA 2 from EBV-transformed B lymphocytes, indicating that EBNA 2 associates with TFIIH in vivo.

The xeroderma pigmentosum group B protein ERCC3 produced in the baculovirus system exhibits DNA helicase activity

The XPB/ERCC3 gene corrects the nucleotide excision-repair defect in the human hereditary disease xeroderma pigmentosum group B and encodes the largest subunit of the basal transcription factor BTF2/TFIIH. The primary sequence of the XPB/ERCC3 protein features the hallmarks of seven helicase motifs found in many known and putative helicases or helicase-related proteins. Recently, the multiprotein BTF2/TFIIH complex has been found to be associated with DNA helicase activity. To explore the properties and functions of XPB/ERCC3, we have used the baculovirus/insect-cell expression system to produce recombinant protein. We report here the construction and analysis of recombinant baculovirus expressing XPB/ERCC3. The XPB/ERCC3 protein is synthesized at a relatively high level in baculovirus-infected insect cells. While the majority of XPB/ERCC3 end up in the insoluble fraction of insect cell lysates, a minor fraction of recombinant protein is present in soluble form which can be purified under native conditions. We have found that a DNA helicase activity is associated with the purified XPB/ERCC3 protein, suggesting that XPB/ERCC3 may function as a DNA helicase in local unwinding of DNA template both in the context of transcription and nucleotide excision repair.