scholarly journals Building better polymerases: Engineering the replication of expanded genetic alphabets

2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (50) ◽  
pp. 17046-17059
Author(s):  
Zahra Ouaray ◽  
Steven A. Benner ◽  
Millie M. Georgiadis ◽  
Nigel G. J. Richards
Keyword(s):  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Dna Polymerases ◽  
Amino Acid Substitutions ◽  
Klenow Fragment ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Specific Amino Acid ◽  
Rational Engineering ◽  
Performance Specifications ◽  
Insight Into

DNA polymerases are today used throughout scientific research, biotechnology, and medicine, in part for their ability to interact with unnatural forms of DNA created by synthetic biologists. Here especially, natural DNA polymerases often do not have the “performance specifications” needed for transformative technologies. This creates a need for science-guided rational (or semi-rational) engineering to identify variants that replicate unnatural base pairs (UBPs), unnatural backbones, tags, or other evolutionarily novel features of unnatural DNA. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the chemistry and properties of replicative DNA polymerases and their evolved variants, focusing on the Klenow fragment of Taq DNA polymerase (Klentaq). We describe comparative structural, enzymatic, and molecular dynamics studies of WT and Klentaq variants, complexed with natural or noncanonical substrates. Combining these methods provides insight into how specific amino acid substitutions distant from the active site in a Klentaq DNA polymerase variant (ZP Klentaq) contribute to its ability to replicate UBPs with improved efficiency compared with Klentaq. This approach can therefore serve to guide any future rational engineering of replicative DNA polymerases.

scholarly journals The Loop of the TPR1 Subdomain of Phi29 DNA Polymerase Plays a Pivotal Role in Primer-Terminus Stabilization at the Polymerization Active Site

Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 648
Author(s):  
del Prado ◽  
Santos ◽  
Lázaro ◽  
Salas ◽  
de Vega
Keyword(s):  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Binding Capacity ◽  
Dna Polymerases ◽  
Crystallographic Structure ◽  
Genome Replication ◽  
Terminal Protein ◽  
Phi29 Dna Polymerase

Bacteriophage Phi29 DNA polymerase belongs to the protein-primed subgroup of family B DNA polymerases that use a terminal protein (TP) as a primer to initiate genome replication. The resolution of the crystallographic structure showed that it consists of an N-terminal domain with the exonuclease activity and a C-terminal polymerization domain. It also has two subdomains specific of the protein-primed DNA polymerases; the TP Regions 1 (TPR1) that interacts with TP and DNA, and 2 (TPR2), that couples both processivity and strand displacement to the enzyme. The superimposition of the structures of the apo polymerase and the polymerase in the polymerase/TP heterodimer shows that the structural changes are restricted almost to the TPR1 loop (residues 304–314). In order to study the role of this loop in binding the DNA and the TP, we changed the residues Arg306, Arg308, Phe309, Tyr310, and Lys311 into alanine, and also made the deletion mutant Δ6 lacking residues Arg306–Lys311. The results show a defective TP binding capacity in mutants R306A, F309A, Y310A, and Δ6. The additional impaired primer-terminus stabilization at the polymerization active site in mutants Y310A and Δ6 allows us to propose a role for the Phi29 DNA polymerase TPR1 loop in the proper positioning of the DNA and TP-priming 3’-OH termini at the preinsertion site of the polymerase to enable efficient initiation and further elongation steps during Phi29 TP-DNA replication.

scholarly journals Polymerization activity of an alpha-like DNA polymerase requires a conserved 3'-5' exonuclease active site

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4786-4795
Author(s):  
J S Gibbs ◽  
K Weisshart ◽  
P Digard ◽  
A deBruynKops ◽  
D M Knipe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Dna Polymerases ◽  
Polymerase Activity ◽  
Cell Nuclei ◽  
Dna Polymerase I ◽  
Viral Dna ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Simplex Virus ◽  
Polymerase I

Most DNA polymerases are multifunctional proteins that possess both polymerizing and exonucleolytic activities. For Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I and its relatives, polymerase and exonuclease activities reside on distinct, separable domains of the same polypeptide. The catalytic subunits of the alpha-like DNA polymerase family share regions of sequence homology with the 3'-5' exonuclease active site of DNA polymerase I; in certain alpha-like DNA polymerases, these regions of homology have been shown to be important for exonuclease activity. This finding has led to the hypothesis that alpha-like DNA polymerases also contain a distinct 3'-5' exonuclease domain. We have introduced conservative substitutions into a 3'-5' exonuclease active site homology in the gene encoding herpes simplex virus DNA polymerase, an alpha-like polymerase. Two mutants were severely impaired for viral DNA replication and polymerase activity. The mutants were not detectably affected in the ability of the polymerase to interact with its accessory protein, UL42, or to colocalize in infected cell nuclei with the major viral DNA-binding protein, ICP8, suggesting that the mutation did not exert global effects on protein folding. The results raise the possibility that there is a fundamental difference between alpha-like DNA polymerases and E. coli DNA polymerase I, with less distinction between 3'-5' exonuclease and polymerase functions in alpha-like DNA polymerases.

scholarly journals Polymerization activity of an alpha-like DNA polymerase requires a conserved 3'-5' exonuclease active site.

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4786-4795 ◽  
Author(s):  
J S Gibbs ◽  
K Weisshart ◽  
P Digard ◽  
A deBruynKops ◽  
D M Knipe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Dna Polymerases ◽  
Polymerase Activity ◽  
Cell Nuclei ◽  
Dna Polymerase I ◽  
Viral Dna ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Simplex Virus ◽  
Polymerase I

Most DNA polymerases are multifunctional proteins that possess both polymerizing and exonucleolytic activities. For Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I and its relatives, polymerase and exonuclease activities reside on distinct, separable domains of the same polypeptide. The catalytic subunits of the alpha-like DNA polymerase family share regions of sequence homology with the 3'-5' exonuclease active site of DNA polymerase I; in certain alpha-like DNA polymerases, these regions of homology have been shown to be important for exonuclease activity. This finding has led to the hypothesis that alpha-like DNA polymerases also contain a distinct 3'-5' exonuclease domain. We have introduced conservative substitutions into a 3'-5' exonuclease active site homology in the gene encoding herpes simplex virus DNA polymerase, an alpha-like polymerase. Two mutants were severely impaired for viral DNA replication and polymerase activity. The mutants were not detectably affected in the ability of the polymerase to interact with its accessory protein, UL42, or to colocalize in infected cell nuclei with the major viral DNA-binding protein, ICP8, suggesting that the mutation did not exert global effects on protein folding. The results raise the possibility that there is a fundamental difference between alpha-like DNA polymerases and E. coli DNA polymerase I, with less distinction between 3'-5' exonuclease and polymerase functions in alpha-like DNA polymerases.

scholarly journals A polar filter in DNA polymerases prevents ribonucleotide incorporation

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (20) ◽  
pp. 10693-10705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary K Johnson ◽  
Jithesh Kottur ◽  
Deepak T Nair
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Mycobacterium Smegmatis ◽  
Dna Polymerases ◽  
Drastic Reduction ◽  
Equivalent Residue ◽  
Stringent Selection ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Dna Polymerase Iv

Abstract The presence of ribonucleotides in DNA can lead to genomic instability and cellular lethality. To prevent adventitious rNTP incorporation, the majority of the DNA polymerases (dPols) possess a steric filter. The dPol named MsDpo4 (Mycobacterium smegmatis) naturally lacks this steric filter and hence is capable of rNTP addition. The introduction of the steric filter in MsDpo4 did not result in complete abrogation of the ability of this enzyme to incorporate ribonucleotides. In comparison, DNA polymerase IV (PolIV) from Escherichia coli exhibited stringent selection for deoxyribonucleotides. A comparison of MsDpo4 and PolIV led to the discovery of an additional polar filter responsible for sugar selectivity. Thr43 represents the filter in PolIV and this residue forms interactions with the incoming nucleotide to draw it closer to the enzyme surface. As a result, the 2’-OH in rNTPs will clash with the enzyme surface, and therefore ribonucleotides cannot be accommodated in the active site in a conformation compatible with productive catalysis. The substitution of the equivalent residue in MsDpo4–Cys47, with Thr led to a drastic reduction in the ability of the mycobacterial enzyme to incorporate rNTPs. Overall, our studies evince that the polar filter serves to prevent ribonucleotide incorporation by dPols.

Investigating the active site of human trimethyllysine hydroxylase

2019 ◽  
Vol 476 (7) ◽  
pp. 1109-1119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yali Wang ◽  
Y. Vijayendar Reddy ◽  
Abbas H. K. Al Temimi ◽  
Hanka Venselaar ◽  
Frank H. T. Nelissen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Amino Acid Substitutions ◽  
Biosynthesis Pathway ◽  
Recognition Sites ◽  
Aromatic Cage ◽  
Basic Insight ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract The biologically important carnitine biosynthesis pathway in humans proceeds via four enzymatic steps. The first step in carnitine biosynthesis is catalyzed by trimethyllysine hydroxylase (TMLH), a non-heme Fe(II) and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenase, which catalyzes the stereospecific hydroxylation of (2S)-Nε-trimethyllysine to (2S,3S)-3-hydroxy-Nε-trimethyllysine. Here, we report biocatalytic studies on human TMLH and its 19 variants introduced through site-directed mutagenesis. Amino acid substitutions at the sites involved in binding of the Fe(II) cofactor, 2OG cosubstrate and (2S)-Nε-trimethyllysine substrate provide a basic insight into the binding requirements that determine an efficient TMLH-catalyzed conversion of (2S)-Nε-trimethyllysine to (2S,3S)-3-hydroxy-Nε-trimethyllysine. This work demonstrates the importance of the recognition sites that contribute to the enzymatic activity of TMLH: the Fe(II)-binding H242–D244–H389 residues, R391–R398 involved in 2OG binding and several residues (D231, N334 and the aromatic cage comprised of W221, Y217 and Y234) associated with binding of (2S)-Nε-trimethyllysine.

scholarly journals Genetic evidence for reconfiguration of DNA polymerase θ active site for error-free translesion synthesis in human cells

2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (18) ◽  
pp. 5918-5927
Author(s):  
Jung-Hoon Yoon ◽  
Robert E. Johnson ◽  
Louise Prakash ◽  
Satya Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Dna Polymerases ◽  
Translesion Synthesis ◽  
Human Cells ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Tyrosine Residues ◽  
Action Mechanisms ◽  
Hoogsteen Base Pairing

The action mechanisms revealed by the biochemical and structural analyses of replicative and translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases (Pols) are retained in their cellular roles. In this regard, DNA polymerase θ differs from other Pols in that whereas purified Polθ misincorporates an A opposite 1,N6-ethenodeoxyadenosine (ϵdA) using an abasic-like mode, Polθ performs predominantly error-free TLS in human cells. To test the hypothesis that Polθ adopts a different mechanism for replicating through ϵdA in human cells than in the purified Pol, here we analyze the effects of mutations in the two highly conserved tyrosine residues, Tyr-2387 and Tyr-2391, in the Polθ active site. Our findings that these residues are indispensable for TLS by the purified Pol but are not required in human cells, as well as other findings, provide strong evidence that the Polθ active site is reconfigured in human cells to stabilize ϵdA in the syn conformation for Hoogsteen base pairing with the correct nucleotide. The evidence that a DNA polymerase can configure its active site entirely differently in human cells than in the purified Pol establishes a new paradigm for DNA polymerase function.

Varied Active-Site Constraints in the Klenow Fragment ofE. coliDNA Polymerase I and the Lesion-Bypass Dbh DNA Polymerase

ChemBioChem ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1243-1250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janina Cramer ◽  
Gopinath Rangam ◽  
Andreas Marx ◽  
Tobias Restle
Keyword(s):  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Klenow Fragment ◽  
Lesion Bypass ◽  
Polymerase I

scholarly journals Synthetic Nucleotides as Probes of DNA Polymerase Specificity

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason M. Walsh ◽  
Penny J. Beuning
Keyword(s):  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Dna Polymerases ◽  
Polymerase Activity ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Dna Polymerase I ◽  
Mutagenic Potential ◽  
Natural Agents ◽  
Polymerase I ◽  
Y Family ◽  
Insight Into

The genetic code is continuously expanding with new nucleobases designed to suit specific research needs. These synthetic nucleotides are used to study DNA polymerase dynamics and specificity and may even inhibit DNA polymerase activity. The availability of an increasing chemical diversity of nucleotides allows questions of utilization by different DNA polymerases to be addressed. Much of the work in this area deals with the A family DNA polymerases, for example,Escherichia coliDNA polymerase I, which are DNA polymerases involved in replication and whose fidelity is relatively high, but more recent work includes other families of polymerases, including the Y family, whose members are known to be error prone. This paper focuses on the ability of DNA polymerases to utilize nonnatural nucleotides in DNA templates or as the incoming nucleoside triphosphates. Beyond the utility of nonnatural nucleotides as probes of DNA polymerase specificity, such entities can also provide insight into the functions of DNA polymerases when encountering DNA that is damaged by natural agents. Thus, synthetic nucleotides provide insight into how polymerases deal with nonnatural nucleotides as well as into the mutagenic potential of nonnatural nucleotides.

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