scholarly journals Single-molecule visualization of RecQ helicase reveals DNA melting, nucleation, and assembly are required for processive DNA unwinding

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (50) ◽  
pp. E6852-E6861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Behzad Rad ◽  
Anthony L. Forget ◽  
Ronald J. Baskin ◽  
Stephen C. Kowalczykowski
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Fluorescent Sensor ◽  
Holliday Junctions ◽  
Dna Unwinding ◽  
Recq Helicase ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
Dna Helicases ◽  
Double Stranded Dna ◽  
Functional Forms ◽  
And Migration

DNA helicases are motor proteins that unwind double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) to reveal single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) needed for many biological processes. The RecQ helicase is involved in repairing damage caused by DNA breaks and stalled replication forks via homologous recombination. Here, the helicase activity of RecQ was visualized on single molecules of DNA using a fluorescent sensor that directly detects ssDNA. By monitoring the formation and progression of individual unwinding forks, we observed that both the frequency of initiation and the rate of unwinding are highly dependent on RecQ concentration. We establish that unwinding forks can initiate internally by melting dsDNA and can proceed in both directions at up to 40–60 bp/s. The findings suggest that initiation requires a RecQ dimer, and that continued processive unwinding of several kilobases involves multiple monomers at the DNA unwinding fork. We propose a distinctive model wherein RecQ melts dsDNA internally to initiate unwinding and subsequently assembles at the fork into a distribution of multimeric species, each encompassing a broad distribution of rates, to unwind DNA. These studies define the species that promote resection of DNA, proofreading of homologous pairing, and migration of Holliday junctions, and they suggest that various functional forms of RecQ can be assembled that unwind at rates tailored to the diverse biological functions of RecQ helicase.

scholarly journals Mechanism of RPA-Facilitated Processive DNA Unwinding by the Eukaryotic CMG Helicase

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazal B. Kose ◽  
Sherry Xie ◽  
George Cameron ◽  
Melania S. Strycharska ◽  
Hasan Yardimci
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Replication Fork ◽  
Double Helix ◽  
Dna Unwinding ◽  
Helicase Activity ◽  
Replicative Helicase ◽  
Double Stranded Dna ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Dna Strand ◽  
Dna Double Helix

AbstractThe DNA double helix is unwound by the Cdc45/Mcm2-7/GINS (CMG) complex at the eukaryotic replication fork. While isolated CMG unwinds duplex DNA very slowly, its fork unwinding rate is stimulated by an order of magnitude by single-stranded DNA binding protein, RPA. However, the molecular mechanism by which RPA enhances CMG helicase activity remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate that engagement of CMG with parental double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) at the replication fork impairs its helicase activity, explaining the slow DNA unwinding by isolated CMG. Using single-molecule and ensemble biochemistry, we show that binding of RPA to the excluded DNA strand prevents duplex engagement by the helicase and speeds up CMG-mediated DNA unwinding. When stalled due to dsDNA interaction, DNA rezipping-induced helicase backtracking re-establishes productive helicase-fork engagement underscoring the significance of plasticity in helicase action. Together, our results elucidate the dynamics of CMG at the replication fork and reveal how other replisome components can mediate proper DNA engagement by the replicative helicase to achieve efficient fork progression.

scholarly journals RecA and RecB: probing complexes of DNA repair proteins with mitomycin C in live Escherichia coli with single-molecule sensitivity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex L. Payne-Dwyer ◽  
Aisha H. Syeda ◽  
Jack W. Shepherd ◽  
Lewis Frame ◽  
Mark. C. Leake
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Dna Damage ◽  
Dna Repair ◽  
Mitomycin C ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Reca Protein ◽  
Live Cells ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
Fluorescent Reporters ◽  
Double Stranded Dna

AbstractThe RecA protein and RecBCD complex are key bacterial components for the maintenance and repair of DNA, RecBCD a helicase-nuclease that uses homologous recombination to resolve double-stranded DNA breaks and also facilitating decoration of single-stranded DNA with RecA to form RecA filaments, a vital step in the double-stranded break DNA repair pathway. However, questions remain about the mechanistic roles of RecA and RecBCD in live cells. Here, we use millisecond super-resolved fluorescence microscopy to pinpoint the spatial localization of fluorescent reporters of RecA and the RecB at physiological levels of expression in individual live Escherichia coli cells. By introducing the DNA crosslinker mitomycin C, we induce DNA damage and quantify the resulting changes in stoichiometry, copy number and molecular mobilities of RecA and RecB. We find that both proteins accumulate in molecular hotspots to effect repair, resulting in RecA filamental stoichiometries equivalent to several hundred molecules that act largely in RecA tetramers before DNA damage, but switch to approximately hexameric subunits when mature filaments are formed. Unexpectedly, we find that the physiologically predominant form of RecB is a dimer.

scholarly journals Molecular characteristics of reiterative DNA unwinding by the Caenorhabditis elegans RecQ helicase

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (18) ◽  
pp. 9708-9720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seoyun Choi ◽  
Seung-Won Lee ◽  
Hajin Kim ◽  
Byungchan Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Premature Aging ◽  
Molecular Characteristics ◽  
Dna Unwinding ◽  
Recq Helicase ◽  
Recq Helicases

Abstract The RecQ family of helicases is highly conserved both structurally and functionally from bacteria to humans. Defects in human RecQ helicases are associated with genetic diseases that are characterized by cancer predisposition and/or premature aging. RecQ proteins exhibit 3′-5′ helicase activity and play critical roles in genome maintenance. Recent advances in single-molecule techniques have revealed the reiterative unwinding behavior of RecQ helicases. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in this process remain unclear, with contradicting reports. Here, we characterized the unwinding dynamics of the Caenorhabditis elegans RecQ helicase HIM-6 using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements. We found that HIM-6 exhibits reiterative DNA unwinding and the length of DNA unwound by the helicase is sharply defined at 25–31 bp. Experiments using various DNA substrates revealed that HIM-6 utilizes the mode of ‘sliding back’ on the translocated strand, without strand-switching for rewinding. Furthermore, we found that Caenorhabditis elegans replication protein A, a single-stranded DNA binding protein, suppresses the reiterative behavior of HIM-6 and induces unidirectional, processive unwinding, possibly through a direct interaction between the proteins. Our findings shed new light on the mechanism of DNA unwinding by RecQ family helicases and their co-operation with RPA in processing DNA.

scholarly journals sbcB15 and ΔsbcB Mutations Activate Two Types of RecF Recombination Pathways in Escherichia coli

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (21) ◽  
pp. 7562-7571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ksenija Zahradka ◽  
Sanela Šimić ◽  
Maja Buljubašić ◽  
Mirjana Petranović ◽  
Damir Đermić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Recq Helicase ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
Γ Irradiation ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Exonuclease I ◽  
Double Stranded Dna ◽  
Recombination Processes ◽  
Recf Pathway ◽  
Recombination Reactions

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli cells with mutations in recBC genes are defective for the main RecBCD pathway of recombination and have severe reductions in conjugational and transductional recombination, as well as in recombinational repair of double-stranded DNA breaks. This phenotype can be corrected by suppressor mutations in sbcB and sbcC(D) genes, which activate an alternative RecF pathway of recombination. It was previously suggested that sbcB15 and ΔsbcB mutations, both of which inactivate exonuclease I, are equally efficient in suppressing the recBC phenotype. In the present work we reexamined the effects of sbcB15 and ΔsbcB mutations on DNA repair after UV and γ irradiation, on conjugational recombination, and on the viability of recBC (sbcC) cells. We found that the sbcB15 mutation is a stronger recBC suppressor than ΔsbcB, suggesting that some unspecified activity of the mutant SbcB15 protein may be favorable for recombination in the RecF pathway. We also showed that the xonA2 mutation, a member of another class of ExoI mutations, had the same effect on recombination as ΔsbcB, suggesting that it is an sbcB null mutation. In addition, we demonstrated that recombination in a recBC sbcB15 sbcC mutant is less affected by recF and recQ mutations than recombination in recBC ΔsbcB sbcC and recBC xonA2 sbcC strains is, indicating that SbcB15 alleviates the requirement for the RecFOR complex and RecQ helicase in recombination processes. Our results suggest that two types of sbcB-sensitive RecF pathways can be distinguished in E. coli, one that is activated by the sbcB15 mutation and one that is activated by sbcB null mutations. Possible roles of SbcB15 in recombination reactions in the RecF pathway are discussed.

Single-Molecule Imaging of Active Mitochondrial Nitroreductases using a Photo-Crosslinking Fluorescent Sensor

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zacharias Thiel ◽  
Pablo Rivera-Fuentes
Keyword(s):  
Subcellular Localization ◽  
Fluorescent Probe ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Fluorescent Sensor ◽  
Biological Functions ◽  
Localization Microscopy ◽  
Drug Activation ◽  
Nitroreductase Activity ◽  
Single Molecule Localization Microscopy

Many biomacromolecules are known to cluster in microdomains with specific subcellular localization. In the case of enzymes, this clustering greatly defines their biological functions. Nitroreductases are enzymes capable of reducing nitro groups to amines and play a role in detoxification and pro-drug activation. Although nitroreductase activity has been detected in mammalian cells, the subcellular localization of this activity remains incompletely characterized. Here, we report a fluorescent probe that enables super-resolved imaging of pools of nitroreductase activity within mitochondria. This probe is activated sequentially by nitroreductases and light to give a photo-crosslinked adduct of active enzymes. In combination with a general photoactivatable marker of mitochondria, we performed two-color, threedimensional, single-molecule localization microscopy. These experiments allowed us to image the sub-mitochondrial organization of microdomains of nitroreductase activity.<br>

Single-Molecule Imaging of Active Mitochondrial Nitroreductases using a Photo-Crosslinking Fluorescent Sensor

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zacharias Thiel ◽  
Pablo Rivera-Fuentes
Keyword(s):  
Subcellular Localization ◽  
Fluorescent Probe ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Fluorescent Sensor ◽  
Biological Functions ◽  
Localization Microscopy ◽  
Drug Activation ◽  
Nitroreductase Activity ◽  
Single Molecule Localization Microscopy

Many biomacromolecules are known to cluster in microdomains with specific subcellular localization. In the case of enzymes, this clustering greatly defines their biological functions. Nitroreductases are enzymes capable of reducing nitro groups to amines and play a role in detoxification and pro-drug activation. Although nitroreductase activity has been detected in mammalian cells, the subcellular localization of this activity remains incompletely characterized. Here, we report a fluorescent probe that enables super-resolved imaging of pools of nitroreductase activity within mitochondria. This probe is activated sequentially by nitroreductases and light to give a photo-crosslinked adduct of active enzymes. In combination with a general photoactivatable marker of mitochondria, we performed two-color, threedimensional, single-molecule localization microscopy. These experiments allowed us to image the sub-mitochondrial organization of microdomains of nitroreductase activity.<br>

scholarly journals DHX9-dependent recruitment of BRCA1 to RNA promotes DNA end resection in homologous recombination

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prasun Chakraborty ◽  
Kevin Hiom
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
Double Stranded Dna ◽  
Recombination Repair ◽  
Dna End Resection ◽  
End Resection ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii Transcription

AbstractDouble stranded DNA Breaks (DSB) that occur in highly transcribed regions of the genome are preferentially repaired by homologous recombination repair (HR). However, the mechanisms that link transcription with HR are unknown. Here we identify a critical role for DHX9, a RNA helicase involved in the processing of pre-mRNA during transcription, in the initiation of HR. Cells that are deficient in DHX9 are impaired in the recruitment of RPA and RAD51 to sites of DNA damage and fail to repair DSB by HR. Consequently, these cells are hypersensitive to treatment with agents such as camptothecin and Olaparib that block transcription and generate DSB that specifically require HR for their repair. We show that DHX9 plays a critical role in HR by promoting the recruitment of BRCA1 to RNA as part of the RNA Polymerase II transcription complex, where it facilitates the resection of DSB. Moreover, defects in DHX9 also lead to impaired ATR-mediated damage signalling and an inability to restart DNA replication at camptothecin-induced DSB. Together, our data reveal a previously unknown role for DHX9 in the DNA Damage Response that provides a critical link between RNA, RNA Pol II and the repair of DNA damage by homologous recombination.

scholarly journals DisA Limits RecG Activities at Stalled or Reversed Replication Forks

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1357
Author(s):  
Rubén Torres ◽  
Carolina Gándara ◽  
Begoña Carrasco ◽  
Ignacio Baquedano ◽  
Silvia Ayora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Holliday Junctions ◽  
Genome Integrity ◽  
Stable Complex ◽  
Dna Unwinding ◽  
Replication Forks ◽  
Dna Structures ◽  
Checkpoint Protein

The DNA damage checkpoint protein DisA and the branch migration translocase RecG are implicated in the preservation of genome integrity in reviving haploid Bacillus subtilis spores. DisA synthesizes the essential cyclic 3′, 5′-diadenosine monophosphate (c‑di-AMP) second messenger and such synthesis is suppressed upon replication perturbation. In vitro, c-di-AMP synthesis is suppressed when DisA binds DNA structures that mimic stalled or reversed forks (gapped forks or Holliday junctions [HJ]). RecG, which does not form a stable complex with DisA, unwinds branched intermediates, and in the presence of a limiting ATP concentration and HJ DNA, it blocks DisA-mediated c-di-AMP synthesis. DisA pre-bound to a stalled or reversed fork limits RecG-mediated ATP hydrolysis and DNA unwinding, but not if RecG is pre-bound to stalled or reversed forks. We propose that RecG-mediated fork remodeling is a genuine in vivo activity, and that DisA, as a molecular switch, limits RecG-mediated fork reversal and fork restoration. DisA and RecG might provide more time to process perturbed forks, avoiding genome breakage.

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