scholarly journals Three Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen-Like Proteins Found in the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Aeropyrum pernix: Interactions with the Two DNA Polymerases

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (3) ◽  
pp. 687-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsuya Daimon ◽  
Yutaka Kawarabayasi ◽  
Hisashi Kikuchi ◽  
Yoshihiko Sako ◽  
Yoshizumi Ishino

ABSTRACT Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is an essential component in the eukaryotic DNA replication machinery, in which it works for tethering DNA polymerases on the DNA template to accomplish processive DNA synthesis. The PCNA also interacts with many other proteins in important cellular processes, including cell cycle control, DNA repair, and an apoptotic pathway in the domain Eucarya. We identified three genes encoding PCNA-like sequences in the genome of Aeropyrum pernix, a crenarchaeal archaeon. We cloned and expressed these genes in Escherichia coli and analyzed the gene products. All three PCNA homologs stimulated the primer extension activities of the two DNA polymerases, polymerase I (Pol I) and Pol II, identified in A. pernix to various extents, among which A. pernix PCNA 3 (ApePCNA3) provided a most remarkable effect on both Pol I and Pol II. The three proteins were confirmed to exist in the A. pernix cells. These results suggest that the three PCNAs work as the processivity factor of DNA polymerases in A. pernix cells under different conditions. In Eucarya, three checkpoint proteins, Hus1, Rad1, and Rad9, have been proposed to form a PCNA-like ring structure and may work as a sliding clamp for the translesion DNA polymerases. Therefore, it is very interesting that three active PCNAs were found in one archaeal cell. Further analyses are necessary to determine whether each PCNA has specific roles, and moreover, how they reveal different functions in the cells.

1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (21) ◽  
pp. 6591-6599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac K. O. Cann ◽  
Sonoko Ishino ◽  
Ikuko Hayashi ◽  
Kayoko Komori ◽  
Hiroyuki Toh ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is an essential component of the DNA replication and repair machinery in the domainEucarya. We cloned the gene encoding a PCNA homolog (PfuPCNA) from an euryarchaeote, Pyrococcus furiosus, expressed it in Escherichia coli, and characterized the biochemical properties of the gene product. The protein PfuPCNA stimulated the in vitro primer extension abilities of polymerase (Pol) I and Pol II, which are the two DNA polymerases identified in this organism to date. An immunological experiment showed that PfuPCNA interacts with both Pol I and Pol II. Pol I is a single polypeptide with a sequence similar to that of family B (α-like) DNA polymerases, while Pol II is a heterodimer. PfuPCNA interacted with DP2, the catalytic subunit of the heterodimeric complex. These results strongly support the idea that the PCNA homolog works as a sliding clamp of DNA polymerases in P. furiosus, and the basic mechanism for the processive DNA synthesis is conserved in the domainsBacteria, Eucarya, and Archaea. The stimulatory effect of PfuPCNA on the DNA synthesis was observed by using a circular DNA template without the clamp loader (replication factor C [RFC]) in both Pol I and Pol II reactions in contrast to the case of eukaryotic organisms, which are known to require the RFC to open the ring structure of PCNA prior to loading onto a circular DNA. Because RFC homologs have been found in the archaeal genomes, they may permit more efficient stimulation of DNA synthesis by archaeal DNA polymerases in the presence of PCNA. This is the first stage in elucidating the archaeal DNA replication mechanism.


2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 5193-5202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Sabbioneda ◽  
Audrey M. Gourdin ◽  
Catherine M. Green ◽  
Angelika Zotter ◽  
Giuseppina Giglia-Mari ◽  
...  

Y-family DNA polymerases carry out translesion synthesis past damaged DNA. DNA polymerases (pol) η and ι are usually uniformly distributed through the nucleus but accumulate in replication foci during S phase. DNA-damaging treatments result in an increase in S phase cells containing polymerase foci. Using photobleaching techniques, we show that polη is highly mobile in human fibroblasts. Even when localized in replication foci, it is only transiently immobilized. Although ubiquitination of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is not required for the localization of polη in foci, it results in an increased residence time in foci. polι is even more mobile than polη, both when uniformly distributed and when localized in foci. Kinetic modeling suggests that both polη and polι diffuse through the cell but that they are transiently immobilized for ∼150 ms, with a larger proportion of polη than polι immobilized at any time. Treatment of cells with DRAQ5, which results in temporary opening of the chromatin structure, causes a dramatic immobilization of polη but not polι. Our data are consistent with a model in which the polymerases are transiently probing the DNA/chromatin. When DNA is exposed at replication forks, the polymerase residence times increase, and this is further facilitated by the ubiquitination of PCNA.


2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (15) ◽  
pp. 5652-5657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuo Tori ◽  
Megumi Kimizu ◽  
Sonoko Ishino ◽  
Yoshizumi Ishino

ABSTRACT Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is the sliding clamp that is essential for the high processivity of DNA synthesis during DNA replication. Pyrococcus furiosus, a hyperthermophilic archaeon, has at least two DNA polymerases, polymerase BI (PolBI) and PolD. Both of the two DNA polymerases interact with the archaeal P. furiosus PCNA (PfuPCNA) and perform processive DNA synthesis in vitro. This phenomenon, in addition to the fact that both enzymes display 3′-5′ exonuclease activity, suggests that both DNA polymerases work in replication fork progression. We demonstrated here that both PolBI and PolD functionally interact with PfuPCNA at their C-terminal PIP boxes. The mutant PolBI and PolD enzymes lacking the PIP-box sequence do not respond to the PfuPCNA at all in an in vitro primer extension reaction. This is the first experimental evidence that the PIP-box motif, located at the C termini of the archaeal DNA polymerases, is actually critical for PCNA binding to form a processive DNA-synthesizing complex.


2008 ◽  
Vol 364 (1517) ◽  
pp. 621-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Langerak ◽  
Peter H.L Krijger ◽  
Marinus R Heideman ◽  
Paul C.M van den Berk ◽  
Heinz Jacobs

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) encircles DNA as a ring-shaped homotrimer and, by tethering DNA polymerases to their template, PCNA serves as a critical replication factor. In contrast to high-fidelity DNA polymerases, the activation of low-fidelity translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases seems to require damage-inducible monoubiquitylation (Ub) of PCNA at lysine residue 164 (PCNA-Ub). TLS polymerases can tolerate DNA damage, i.e. they can replicate across DNA lesions. The lack of proofreading activity, however, renders TLS highly mutagenic. The advantage is that B cells use mutagenic TLS to introduce somatic mutations in immunoglobulin (Ig) genes to generate high-affinity antibodies. Given the critical role of PCNA-Ub in activating TLS and the role of TLS in establishing somatic mutations in immunoglobulin genes, we analysed the mutation spectrum of somatically mutated immunoglobulin genes in B cells from PCNA K164R knock-in mice. A 10-fold reduction in A/T mutations is associated with a compensatory increase in G/C mutations—a phenotype similar to Polη and mismatch repair-deficient B cells. Mismatch recognition, PCNA-Ub and Polη probably act within one pathway to establish the majority of mutations at template A/T. Equally relevant, the G/C mutator(s) seems largely independent of PCNA K164 modification.


1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (19) ◽  
pp. 5984-5992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac K. O. Cann ◽  
Sonoko Ishino ◽  
Norimichi Nomura ◽  
Yoshihiko Sako ◽  
Yoshizumi Ishino

ABSTRACT DNA polymerase activities in fractionated cell extract ofAeropyrum pernix, a hyperthermophilic crenarchaeote, were investigated. Aphidicolin-sensitive (fraction I) and aphidicolin-resistant (fraction II) activities were detected. The activity in fraction I was more heat stable than that in fraction II. Two different genes (polA and polB) encoding family B DNA polymerases were cloned from the organism by PCR using degenerated primers based on the two conserved motifs (motif A and B). The deduced amino acid sequences from their entire coding regions contained all of the motifs identified in family B DNA polymerases for 3′→5′ exonuclease and polymerase activities. The product ofpolA gene (Pol I) was aphidicolin resistant and heat stable up to 80°C. In contrast, the product of polB gene (Pol II) was aphidicolin sensitive and stable at 95°C. These properties of Pol I and Pol II are similar to those of fractions II and I, respectively, and moreover, those of Pol I and Pol II ofPyrodictium occultum. The deduced amino acid sequence ofA. pernix Pol I exhibited the highest identities to archaeal family B DNA polymerase homologs found only in the crenarchaeotes (group I), while Pol II exhibited identities to homologs found in both euryarchaeotes and crenarchaeotes (group II). These results provide further evidence that the subdomainCrenarchaeota has two family B DNA polymerases. Furthermore, at least two DNA polymerases work in the crenarchaeal cells, as found in euryarchaeotes, which contain one family B DNA polymerase and one heterodimeric DNA polymerase of a novel family.


BioEssays ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 967-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zophonías O. Jónsson ◽  
Ulrich Hübscher

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