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Ahmad S, Ali SF, Iftikhar S, Rashid N. Engineering a DNA polymerase from Pyrobaculum calidifontis for improved activity, processivity and extension rate. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 233:123545. [PMID: 36740112 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Positively charged amino acids in the DNA polymerase domain are important for interaction with DNA. Two potential residues in the palm domain of Pca-Pol, a DNA polymerase from Pyrobaculum calidifontis, were identified and mutated to arginine in order to improve the properties of this enzyme. The mutant proteins were heterologously produced in Escherichia coli. Biochemical characterization revealed that there was no significant difference in pH, metal ion, buffer preferences, 3' - 5' exonuclease activity and error rate of the wild-type and the mutant enzymes. However, the specific activity, processivity and extension rate of the mutant enzymes increased significantly. Specific activity of one of the mutants (G522R-E555R) was nearly 9-fold higher than that of the wild-type enzyme. These properties make G522R-E555R mutant enzyme a potential candidate for commercial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shazeel Ahmad
- School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Syed Farhat Ali
- KAM-School of Life Sciences, Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Ferozepur Road, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
| | - Saima Iftikhar
- School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Naeem Rashid
- School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore 54590, Pakistan.
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Rietmeyer L, Li De La Sierra-Gallay I, Schepers G, Dorchêne D, Iannazzo L, Patin D, Touzé T, van Tilbeurgh H, Herdewijn P, Ethève-Quelquejeu M, Fonvielle M. Amino-acyl tXNA as inhibitors or amino acid donors in peptide synthesis. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:11415-11425. [PMID: 36350642 PMCID: PMC9723616 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Xenobiotic nucleic acids (XNAs) offer tremendous potential for synthetic biology, biotechnology, and molecular medicine but their ability to mimic nucleic acids still needs to be explored. Here, to study the ability of XNA oligonucleotides to mimic tRNA, we synthesized three L-Ala-tXNAs analogs. These molecules were used in a non-ribosomal peptide synthesis involving a bacterial Fem transferase. We compared the ability of this enzyme to use amino-acyl tXNAs containing 1',5'-anhydrohexitol (HNA), 2'-fluoro ribose (2'F-RNA) and 2'-fluoro arabinose. L-Ala-tXNA containing HNA or 2'F-RNA were substrates of the Fem enzyme. The synthesis of peptidyl-XNA and the resolution of their structures in complex with the enzyme show the impact of the XNA on protein binding. For the first time we describe functional tXNA in an in vitro assay. These results invite to test tXNA also as substitute for tRNA in translation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Guy Schepers
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Rega Institute for Biomedical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, Box 1041, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Delphine Dorchêne
- INSERM UMR-S 1138, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité, F-75006 Paris, France
| | - Laura Iannazzo
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8601, Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, F-75006Paris, France
| | - Delphine Patin
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Thierry Touzé
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Herman van Tilbeurgh
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Piet Herdewijn
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Rega Institute for Biomedical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, Box 1041, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mélanie Ethève-Quelquejeu
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8601, Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, F-75006Paris, France
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Hajjar M, Chim N, Liu C, Herdewijn P, Chaput J. Crystallographic analysis of engineered polymerases synthesizing phosphonomethylthreosyl nucleic acid. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:9663-9674. [PMID: 36124684 PMCID: PMC9508818 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Xeno-nucleic acids (XNAs) are synthetic genetic polymers with backbone structures composed of non-ribose or non-deoxyribose sugars. Phosphonomethylthreosyl nucleic acid (pTNA), a type of XNA that does not base pair with DNA or RNA, has been suggested as a possible genetic material for storing synthetic biology information in cells. A critical step in this process is the synthesis of XNA episomes using laboratory-evolved polymerases to copy DNA information into XNA. Here, we investigate the polymerase recognition of pTNA nucleotides using X-ray crystallography to capture the post-catalytic complex of engineered polymerases following the sequential addition of two pTNA nucleotides onto the 3'-end of a DNA primer. High-resolution crystal structures reveal that the polymerase mediates Watson-Crick base pairing between the extended pTNA adducts and the DNA template. Comparative analysis studies demonstrate that the sugar conformation and backbone position of pTNA are structurally more similar to threose nucleic acid than DNA even though pTNA and DNA share the same six-atom backbone repeat length. Collectively, these findings provide new insight into the structural determinants that guide the enzymatic synthesis of an orthogonal genetic polymer, and may lead to the discovery of new variants that function with enhanced activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Hajjar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3958, USA
| | - Nicholas Chim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3958, USA
| | - Chao Liu
- Medicinal Chemistry, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Piet Herdewijn
- Medicinal Chemistry, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - John C Chaput
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3958, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3958, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3958, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3958, USA
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Flamme M, Katkevica D, Pajuste K, Katkevics M, Sabat N, Hanlon S, Marzuoli I, Püntener K, Sladojevich F, Hollenstein M. Benzoyl and pivaloyl as efficient protecting groups for controlled enzymatic synthesis of DNA and XNA oligonucleotides. ASIAN J ORG CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ajoc.202200384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marie Flamme
- Institut Pasteur Structrual Biology and Chemistry FRANCE
| | - Dace Katkevica
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis: Latvijas Organiskas sintezes instituts Chemistry LATVIA
| | - Karlis Pajuste
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis: Latvijas Organiskas sintezes instituts Chemistry LATVIA
| | - Martins Katkevics
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis: Latvijas Organiskas sintezes instituts Chemistry LATVIA
| | - Nazarii Sabat
- Institut Pasteur Structural Biology and Chemistry FRANCE
| | - Steven Hanlon
- Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd Synthetic Molecules Technical Development SWITZERLAND
| | - Irene Marzuoli
- Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd Synthetic Molecules Technical Development SWITZERLAND
| | - Kurt Püntener
- Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd Synthetic Molecules Technical Development SWITZERLAND
| | | | - Marcel Hollenstein
- Institut Pasteur Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry 28 Rue du Dr. Roux 75015 Paris FRANCE
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Czernecki D, Hu H, Romoli F, Delarue M. Structural dynamics and determinants of 2-aminoadenine specificity in DNA polymerase DpoZ of vibriophage ϕVC8. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:11974-11985. [PMID: 34751404 PMCID: PMC8599892 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
All genetic information in cellular life is stored in DNA copolymers composed of four basic building blocks (ATGC-DNA). In contrast, a group of bacteriophages belonging to families Siphoviridae and Podoviridae has abandoned the usage of one of them, adenine (A), replacing it with 2-aminoadenine (Z). The resulting ZTGC-DNA is more stable than its ATGC-DNA counterpart, owing to the additional hydrogen bond present in the 2-aminoadenine:thymine (Z:T) base pair, while the additional amino group also confers resistance to the host endonucleases. Recently, two classes of replicative proteins found in ZTGC-DNA-containing phages were characterized and one of them, DpoZ from DNA polymerase A (PolA) family, was shown to possess significant Z-vs-A specificity. Here, we present the crystallographic structure of the apo form of DpoZ of vibriophage ϕVC8, composed of the 3′-5′ exonuclease and polymerase domains. We captured the enzyme in two conformations that involve the tip of the thumb subdomain and the exonuclease domain. We highlight insertions and mutations characteristic of ϕVC8 DpoZ and its close homologues. Through mutagenesis and functional assays we suggest that the preference of ϕVC8 DpoZ towards Z relies on a polymerase backtracking process, more efficient when the nascent base pair is A:T than when it is Z:T.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dariusz Czernecki
- Unit of Architecture and Dynamics of Biological Macromolecules, CNRS UMR 3528, 25-28 rue du Docteur Roux, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Collège Doctoral, ED 515, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Haidai Hu
- Unit of Architecture and Dynamics of Biological Macromolecules, CNRS UMR 3528, 25-28 rue du Docteur Roux, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Filippo Romoli
- Unit of Architecture and Dynamics of Biological Macromolecules, CNRS UMR 3528, 25-28 rue du Docteur Roux, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Marc Delarue
- Unit of Architecture and Dynamics of Biological Macromolecules, CNRS UMR 3528, 25-28 rue du Docteur Roux, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
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Medina E, Yik EJ, Herdewijn P, Chaput JC. Functional Comparison of Laboratory-Evolved XNA Polymerases for Synthetic Biology. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:1429-1437. [PMID: 34029459 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Artificial genetic polymers (XNAs) have enormous potential as new materials for synthetic biology, biotechnology, and molecular medicine; yet, very little is known about the biochemical properties of XNA polymerases that have been developed to synthesize and reverse-transcribe XNA polymers. Here, we compare the substrate specificity, thermal stability, reverse transcriptase activity, and fidelity of laboratory-evolved polymerases that were established to synthesize RNA, 2'-fluoroarabino nucleic acid (FANA), arabino nucleic acid (ANA), hexitol nucleic acid (HNA), threose nucleic acid (TNA), and phosphonomethylthreosyl nucleic acid (PMT). We find that the mutations acquired to facilitate XNA synthesis increase the tolerance of the enzymes for sugar-modified substrates with some sacrifice to protein-folding stability. Bst DNA polymerase was found to have weak reverse transcriptase activity on ANA and uncontrolled reverse transcriptase activity on HNA, differing from its known recognition of FANA and TNA templates. These data benchmark the activity of current XNA polymerases and provide opportunities for generating new polymerase variants that function with greater activity and substrate specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Piet Herdewijn
- KU Leuven, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Herestraat 49-bus 1041, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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Abstract
Genomes can be viewed as constantly updated memory systems where information propagated in cells is refined over time by natural selection. This process, commonly known as heredity and evolution, has been the sole domain of DNA since the origin of prokaryotes. Now, some 3.5 billion years later, the pendulum of discovery has swung in a new direction, with carefully trained practitioners enabling the replication and evolution of "xeno-nucleic acids" or "XNAs"-synthetic genetic polymers in which the natural sugar found in DNA and RNA has been replaced with a different type of sugar moiety. XNAs have attracted significant attention as new polymers for synthetic biology, biotechnology, and medicine because of their unique physicochemical properties that may include increased biological stability, enhanced chemical stability, altered helical geometry, or even elevated thermodynamics of Watson-Crick base pairing.This Account describes our contribution to the field of synthetic biology, where chemical synthesis and polymerase engineering have allowed my lab and others to extend the concepts of heredity and evolution to synthetic genetic polymers with backbone structures that are distinct from those found in nature. I will begin with a discussion of α-l-threofuranosyl nucleic acid (TNA), a specific type of XNA that was chosen as a model system to represent any XNA system. I will then proceed to discuss advances in organic chemistry that were made to enable the synthesis of gram quantities of TNA phosphoramidites and nucleoside triphosphates, the monomers used for solid-phase and polymerase-mediated TNA synthesis, respectively. Next, I will recount our development of droplet-based optical sorting (DrOPS), a single-cell microfluidic technique that was established to evolve XNA polymerases in the laboratory. This section will conclude with structural insights that have been gained by solving X-ray crystal structures of a laboratory-evolved TNA polymerase and a natural DNA polymerase that functions with general reverse transcriptase activity on XNA templates.The final passage of this Account will examine the role that XNAs have played in synthetic biology by highlighting examples in which engineered polymerases have enabled the evolution of biologically stable affinity reagents (aptamers) and catalysts (XNAzymes) as well as the storage and retrieval of binary information encoded in electronic word and picture file formats. Because these examples provide only a glimpse of what the future may have in store for XNA, I will conclude the Account with my thoughts on how synthetic genetic polymers could help drive new innovations in synthetic biology and molecular medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C. Chaput
- Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3958, United States
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