scholarly journals Defective processing of methylated single-stranded DNA by E. coli alkB mutants

2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 2097-2105
Author(s):  
Suneet Dinglay ◽  
Sarah C. Trewick ◽  
Tomas Lindahl ◽  
Barbara Sedgwick
Keyword(s):  
Dna Repair ◽  
Replication Forks ◽  
Human Homolog ◽  
Γ Irradiation ◽  
Single Stranded Dna ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Double Stranded Dna ◽  
The Subject ◽  
M13 Phage ◽  
Methylating Agents

Escherichia coli alkB mutants are very sensitive to DNA methylating agents. Despite these mutants being the subject of many studies, no DNA repair or other function has been assigned to the AlkB protein or to its human homolog. Here, we report that reactivation of methylmethanesulfonate (MMS)-treated single-stranded DNA phages, M13, f1, and G4, was decreased dramatically in alkB mutants. No such decrease occurred when using methylated λ phage or M13 duplex DNA. These data show that alkB mutants have a marked defect in processing methylation damage in single-stranded DNA. Recombinant AlkB protein bound more efficiently to single- than double-stranded DNA. The single-strand damage processed by AlkB was primarily cytotoxic and not mutagenic and was induced by SN2 methylating agents, MMS, DMS, and MeI but not by SN1 agentN-methyl-N-nitrosourea or by γ irradiation. Strains lacking other DNA repair activities, alkA tag, xth nfo, uvrA, mutS, and umuC, were not defective in reactivation of methylated M13 phage and did not enhance the defect of an alkB mutant. ArecA mutation caused a small but additive defect. Thus, AlkB functions in a novel pathway independent of these activities. We propose that AlkB acts on alkylated single-stranded DNA in replication forks or at transcribed regions. Consistent with this theory, stationary phase alkB cells were less MMS sensitive than rapidly growing cells.

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.

scholarly journals Replication Fork Breakage and Restart inEscherichia coli

2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bénédicte Michel ◽  
Anurag K. Sinha ◽  
David R. F. Leach
Keyword(s):  
Replication Fork ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Replication Forks ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Dsb Repair ◽  
Replicative Helicase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Double Stranded Dna ◽  
Replication Restart

SUMMARYIn 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 forEscherichia coliand 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 inE. coli. Next, we recall our recent studies showing that in wild-typeE. 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 therecBmutant, 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.

scholarly journals E. coli primase and DNA polymerase III holoenzyme are able to bind concurrently to a primed template during DNA replication

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Bogutzki ◽  
Natalie Naue ◽  
Lidia Litz ◽  
Andreas Pich ◽  
Ute Curth
Keyword(s):  
Dna Replication ◽  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Dna Polymerase Iii ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Single Stranded Dna ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Polymerase Iii ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Pol Iii

Abstract During DNA replication in E. coli, a switch between DnaG primase and DNA polymerase III holoenzyme (pol III) activities has to occur every time when the synthesis of a new Okazaki fragment starts. As both primase and the χ subunit of pol III interact with the highly conserved C-terminus of single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB), it had been proposed that the binding of both proteins to SSB is mutually exclusive. Using a replication system containing the origin of replication of the single-stranded DNA phage G4 (G4ori) saturated with SSB, we tested whether DnaG and pol III can bind concurrently to the primed template. We found that the addition of pol III does not lead to a displacement of primase, but to the formation of higher complexes. Even pol III-mediated primer elongation by one or several DNA nucleotides does not result in the dissociation of DnaG. About 10 nucleotides have to be added in order to displace one of the two primase molecules bound to SSB-saturated G4ori. The concurrent binding of primase and pol III is highly plausible, since even the SSB tetramer situated directly next to the 3′-terminus of the primer provides four C-termini for protein-protein interactions.

scholarly journals Nuclear cGAS: sequestration and beyond

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juli Bai ◽  
Feng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Innate Immune ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Type I ◽  
Replication Forks ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Nuclear Function ◽  
Double Stranded Dna ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Established Role ◽  
Dependent Signaling Pathway

AbstractThe cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS) has been identified as a cytosolic double stranded DNA sensor that plays a pivotal role in the type I interferon and inflammation responses via the STING-dependent signaling pathway. In the past several years, a growing body of evidence has revealed that cGAS is also localized in the nucleus where it is associated with distinct nuclear substructures such as nucleosomes, DNA replication forks, the double-stranded breaks, and centromeres, suggesting that cGAS may have other functions in addition to its role in DNA sensing. However, while the innate immune function of cGAS is well established, the non-canonical nuclear function of cGAS remains poorly understood. Here, we review our current understanding of the complex nature of nuclear cGAS and point to open questions on the novel roles and the mechanisms of action of this protein as a key regulator of cell nuclear function, beyond its well-established role in dsDNA sensing and innate immune response.

A Requirement for Recombinational Repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Is Caused by DNA Replication Defects of mec1 Mutants

Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 153 (2) ◽  
pp. 595-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley J Merrill ◽  
Connie Holm
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Dna Replication ◽  
Dna Synthesis ◽  
Synthetic Lethality ◽  
Velocity Sedimentation ◽  
Recombinational Repair ◽  
Repair Pathway ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
Single Stranded Dna ◽  
Double Stranded Dna

Abstract To examine the role of the RAD52 recombinational repair pathway in compensating for DNA replication defects in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we performed a genetic screen to identify mutants that require Rad52p for viability. We isolated 10 mec1 mutations that display synthetic lethality with rad52. These mutations (designated mec1-srf for synthetic lethality with rad-fifty-two) simultaneously cause two types of phenotypes: defects in the checkpoint function of Mec1p and defects in the essential function of Mec1p. Velocity sedimentation in alkaline sucrose gradients revealed that mec1-srf mutants accumulate small single-stranded DNA synthesis intermediates, suggesting that Mec1p is required for the normal progression of DNA synthesis. sml1 suppressor mutations suppress both the accumulation of DNA synthesis intermediates and the requirement for Rad52p in mec1-srf mutants, but they do not suppress the checkpoint defect in mec1-srf mutants. Thus, it appears to be the DNA replication defects in mec1-srf mutants that cause the requirement for Rad52p. By using hydroxyurea to introduce similar DNA replication defects, we found that single-stranded DNA breaks frequently lead to double-stranded DNA breaks that are not rapidly repaired in rad52 mutants. Taken together, these data suggest that the RAD52 recombinational repair pathway is required to prevent or repair double-stranded DNA breaks caused by defective DNA replication in mec1-srf mutants.

scholarly journals MiR223-3p promotes synthetic lethality in BRCA1-deficient cancers

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (35) ◽  
pp. 17438-17443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayathri Srinivasan ◽  
Elizabeth A. Williamson ◽  
Kimi Kong ◽  
Aruna S. Jaiswal ◽  
Guangcun Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Repair ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Synthetic Lethality ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Nonhomologous End Joining ◽  
Chromosomal Translocations ◽  
Replication Forks ◽  
Repair Pathway ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Parp1 Inhibitors

Defects in DNA repair give rise to genomic instability, leading to neoplasia. Cancer cells defective in one DNA repair pathway can become reliant on remaining repair pathways for survival and proliferation. This attribute of cancer cells can be exploited therapeutically, by inhibiting the remaining repair pathway, a process termed synthetic lethality. This process underlies the mechanism of the Poly-ADP ribose polymerase-1 (PARP1) inhibitors in clinical use, which target BRCA1 deficient cancers, which is indispensable for homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair. HR is the major repair pathway for stressed replication forks, but when BRCA1 is deficient, stressed forks are repaired by back-up pathways such as alternative nonhomologous end-joining (aNHEJ). Unlike HR, aNHEJ is nonconservative, and can mediate chromosomal translocations. In this study we have found that miR223-3p decreases expression of PARP1, CtIP, and Pso4, each of which are aNHEJ components. In most cells, high levels of microRNA (miR) 223–3p repress aNHEJ, decreasing the risk of chromosomal translocations. Deletion of the miR223 locus in mice increases PARP1 levels in hematopoietic cells and enhances their risk of unprovoked chromosomal translocations. We also discovered that cancer cells deficient in BRCA1 or its obligate partner BRCA1-Associated Protein-1 (BAP1) routinely repress miR223-3p to permit repair of stressed replication forks via aNHEJ. Reconstituting the expression of miR223-3p in BRCA1- and BAP1-deficient cancer cells results in reduced repair of stressed replication forks and synthetic lethality. Thus, miR223-3p is a negative regulator of the aNHEJ DNA repair and represents a therapeutic pathway for BRCA1- or BAP1-deficient cancers.

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