scholarly journals Two-subunit DNA escort mechanism and inactive subunit bypass in an ultra-fast ring ATPase

eLife ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ninning Liu ◽  
Gheorghe Chistol ◽  
Carlos Bustamante
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Base Pair ◽  
Step Size ◽  
Single Motor ◽  
Translocation Mechanism ◽  
Atp Analogs ◽  
Flexible Mechanism ◽  
Dna Strand

SpoIIIE is a homo-hexameric dsDNA translocase responsible for completing chromosome segregation in Bacillus subtilis. Here, we use a single-molecule approach to monitor SpoIIIE translocation when challenged with neutral-backbone DNA and non-hydrolyzable ATP analogs. We show that SpoIIIE makes multiple essential contacts with phosphates on the 5'→3' strand in the direction of translocation. Using DNA constructs with two neutral-backbone segments separated by a single charged base pair, we deduce that SpoIIIE’s step size is 2 bp. Finally, experiments with non-hydrolyzable ATP analogs suggest that SpoIIIE can operate with non-consecutive inactive subunits. We propose a two-subunit escort translocation mechanism that is strict enough to enable SpoIIIE to track one DNA strand, yet sufficiently compliant to permit the motor to bypass inactive subunits without arrest. We speculate that such a flexible mechanism arose for motors that, like SpoIIIE, constitute functional bottlenecks where the inactivation of even a single motor can be lethal for the cell.

scholarly journals Hexameric helicase G40P unwinds DNA in single base pair steps

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Schlierf ◽  
Ganggang Wang ◽  
Xiaojiang S Chen ◽  
Taekjip Ha
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Base Pair ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Thermal Fluctuation ◽  
Dna Unwinding ◽  
Single Molecule Fluorescence ◽  
Step Size ◽  
Structural Investigations ◽  
Single Base ◽  
Single Base Pair

Most replicative helicases are hexameric, ring-shaped motor proteins that translocate on and unwind DNA. Despite extensive biochemical and structural investigations, how their translocation activity is utilized chemo-mechanically in DNA unwinding is poorly understood. We examined DNA unwinding by G40P, a DnaB-family helicase, using a single-molecule fluorescence assay with a single base pair resolution. The high-resolution assay revealed that G40P by itself is a very weak helicase that stalls at barriers as small as a single GC base pair and unwinds DNA with the step size of a single base pair. Binding of a single ATPγS could stall unwinding, demonstrating highly coordinated ATP hydrolysis between six identical subunits. We observed frequent slippage of the helicase, which is fully suppressed by the primase DnaG. We anticipate that these findings allow a better understanding on the fine balance of thermal fluctuation activation and energy derived from hydrolysis.

scholarly journals Non-catalytic motor domains enable processive movement and functional diversification of the kinesin-14 Kar3

eLife ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Mieck ◽  
Maxim I Molodtsov ◽  
Katarzyna Drzewicka ◽  
Babet van der Vaart ◽  
Gabriele Litos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Motor Proteins ◽  
Catalytic Domain ◽  
Functional Diversification ◽  
Translocation Mechanism ◽  
Microtubule Networks

Motor proteins of the conserved kinesin-14 family have important roles in mitotic spindle organization and chromosome segregation. Previous studies have indicated that kinesin-14 motors are non-processive enzymes, working in the context of multi-motor ensembles that collectively organize microtubule networks. In this study, we show that the yeast kinesin-14 Kar3 generates processive movement as a heterodimer with the non-motor proteins Cik1 or Vik1. By analyzing the single-molecule properties of engineered motors, we demonstrate that the non-catalytic domain has a key role in the motility mechanism by acting as a ‘foothold’ that allows Kar3 to bias translocation towards the minus end. This mechanism rivals the speed and run length of conventional motors, can support transport of the Ndc80 complex in vitro and is critical for Kar3 function in vivo. Our findings provide an example for a non-conventional translocation mechanism and can explain how Kar3 substitutes for key functions of Dynein in the yeast nucleus.

scholarly journals Hexameric helicase G40P unwinds DNA in single base pair steps

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Schlierf ◽  
Ganggang Wang ◽  
Xiaojiang S. Chen ◽  
Taekjip Ha
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Base Pair ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Thermal Fluctuation ◽  
Dna Unwinding ◽  
Single Molecule Fluorescence ◽  
Step Size ◽  
Structural Investigations ◽  
Single Base ◽  
Single Base Pair

AbstractMost replicative helicases are hexameric, ring-shaped motor proteins that translocate on and unwind DNA. Despite extensive biochemical and structural investigations, how their translocation activity is utilized chemo-mechanically in DNA unwinding is poorly understood. We examined DNA unwinding by G40P, a DnaB-family helicase, using a single-molecule fluorescence assay with a single base pair resolution. The high-resolution assay revealed that G40P by itself is a very weak helicase that stalls at barriers as small as a single GC base pair and unwinds DNA with the step size of a single base pair. Single ATPγS binding could stall unwinding, demonstrating highly coordinated ATP hydrolysis between the six identical subunits. We observed frequent slippage of the helicase, which is fully suppressed by the primase DnaG. We anticipate that these findings allow a better understanding on the fine balance of thermal fluctuation activation and energy derived from hydrolysis.

scholarly journals Cell division protein DivIB influences the Spo0J/Soj system of chromosome segregation in Bacillus subtilis

2004 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonçalo Real ◽  
Sabine Autret ◽  
Elizabeth J. Harry ◽  
Jeffery Errington ◽  
Adriano O. Henriques
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Cell Division Protein

scholarly journals Single–motor mechanics and models of the myosin motor

2000 ◽  
Vol 355 (1396) ◽  
pp. 441-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Yanagida ◽  
S. Esaki ◽  
A. Hikikoshi Iwane ◽  
Y. Inoue ◽  
A. Ishijima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Accurate Determination ◽  
Step Size ◽  
Single Molecule Level ◽  
Detection Techniques ◽  
Myosin Motor ◽  
Mechanochemical Coupling ◽  
Chemical Events

Recent progress in single–molecule detection techniques is remarkable. These techniques have allowed the accurate determination of myosin–head–induced displacements and how mechanical cycles are coupled to ATP hydrolysis, by measuring individual mechanical events and chemical events of actomyosin directly at the single–molecule level. Here we review our recent work in which we have made detailed measurements of myosin step size and mechanochemical coupling, and propose a model of the myosin motor.

scholarly journals Spo0A-Dependent Activation of an Extended −10 Region Promoter in Bacillus subtilis

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (4) ◽  
pp. 1411-1418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangnan Chen ◽  
Amrita Kumar ◽  
Travis H. Wyman ◽  
Charles P. Moran
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Base Pair ◽  
Promoter Activity ◽  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Dna Binding Protein ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Dnase I Footprinting ◽  
Level Of Activity ◽  
High Level ◽  
Activity Dependent

ABSTRACT At the onset of endospore formation in Bacillus subtilis the DNA-binding protein Spo0A directly activates transcription from promoters of about 40 genes. One of these promoters, Pskf, controls expression of an operon encoding a killing factor that acts on sibling cells. AbrB-mediated repression of Pskf provides one level of security ensuring that this promoter is not activated prematurely. However, Spo0A also appears to activate the promoter directly, since Spo0A is required for Pskf activity in a ΔabrB strain. Here we investigate the mechanism of Pskf activation. DNase I footprinting was used to determine the locations at which Spo0A bound to the promoter, and mutations in these sites were found to significantly reduce promoter activity. The sequence near the −10 region of the promoter was found to be similar to those of extended −10 region promoters, which contain a TRTGn motif. Mutational analysis showed that this extended −10 region, as well as other base pairs in the −10 region, is required for Spo0A-dependent activation of the promoter. We found that a substitution of the consensus base pair for the nonconsensus base pair at position −9 of Pskf produced a promoter that was active constitutively in both ΔabrB and Δspo0A ΔabrB strains. Therefore, the base pair at position −9 of Pskf makes its activity dependent on Spo0A binding, and the extended −10 region motif of the promoter contributes to its high level of activity.

scholarly journals Meiosis-specific recombinase Dmc1 is a potent inhibitor of the Srs2 antirecombinase

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (43) ◽  
pp. E10041-E10048 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Brooks Crickard ◽  
Kyle Kaniecki ◽  
Youngho Kwon ◽  
Patrick Sung ◽  
Eric C. Greene
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Potent Inhibitor ◽  
Chromosomal Rearrangements ◽  
Motor Protein ◽  
Product Formation ◽  
Gross Chromosomal Rearrangements ◽  
Strand Annealing ◽  
Hydrolysis Activity

Cross-over recombination products are a hallmark of meiosis because they are necessary for accurate chromosome segregation and they also allow for increased genetic diversity during sexual reproduction. However, cross-overs can also cause gross chromosomal rearrangements and are therefore normally down-regulated during mitotic growth. The mechanisms that enhance cross-over product formation upon entry into meiosis remain poorly understood. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Superfamily 1 (Sf1) helicase Srs2, which is an ATP hydrolysis-dependent motor protein that actively dismantles recombination intermediates, promotes synthesis-dependent strand annealing, the result of which is a reduction in cross-over recombination products. Here, we show that the meiosis-specific recombinase Dmc1 is a potent inhibitor of Srs2. Biochemical and single-molecule assays demonstrate that Dmc1 acts by inhibiting Srs2 ATP hydrolysis activity, which prevents the motor protein from undergoing ATP hydrolysis-dependent translocation on Dmc1-bound recombination intermediates. We propose a model in which Dmc1 helps contribute to cross-over formation during meiosis by antagonizing the antirecombinase activity of Srs2.

scholarly journals Kinetic and structural mechanism for DNA unwinding by a non-hexameric helicase

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean P. Carney ◽  
Wen Ma ◽  
Kevin D. Whitley ◽  
Haifeng Jia ◽  
Timothy M. Lohman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Tweezers ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Variable Step Size ◽  
Dna Unwinding ◽  
Step Size ◽  
Structural Mechanism ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

AbstractUvrD, a model for non-hexameric Superfamily 1 helicases, utilizes ATP hydrolysis to translocate stepwise along single-stranded DNA and unwind the duplex. Previous estimates of its step size have been indirect, and a consensus on its stepping mechanism is lacking. To dissect the mechanism underlying DNA unwinding, we use optical tweezers to measure directly the stepping behavior of UvrD as it processes a DNA hairpin and show that UvrD exhibits a variable step size averaging ~3 base pairs. Analyzing stepping kinetics across ATP reveals the type and number of catalytic events that occur with different step sizes. These single-molecule data reveal a mechanism in which UvrD moves one base pair at a time but sequesters the nascent single strands, releasing them non-uniformly after a variable number of catalytic cycles. Molecular dynamics simulations point to a structural basis for this behavior, identifying the protein-DNA interactions responsible for strand sequestration. Based on structural and sequence alignment data, we propose that this stepping mechanism may be conserved among other non-hexameric helicases.

Topoisomerase II inhibition prevents anaphase chromatid segregation in mammalian cells independently of the generation of DNA strand breaks

1993 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 563-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.J. Clarke ◽  
R.T. Johnson ◽  
C.S. Downes
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Topoisomerase Ii ◽  
Dna Strand Breaks ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Dna Topoisomerase ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Temperature Sensitive Mutants ◽  
Chromatid Segregation ◽  
Dna Strand

Yeast temperature-sensitive mutants of DNA topoisomerase II are incapable of chromosome condensation and anaphase chromatid segregation. In mammalian cells, topoisomerase II inhibitors such as etoposide (VP-16-123) have similar effects. Unfortunately, conclusions drawn from work with mammalian cells have been limited by the fact that the standard inhibitors of topoisomerase II also generate DNA strand breaks, which when produced by other agents (e.g. ionizing radiation) are known to affect progression into and through mitosis. Here we show that the anti-tumour agent ICRF-193, recently identified as a topoisomerase II inhibitor operating by a non-standard mechanism, generates neither covalent complexes between topoisomerase II and DNA, nor adjacent DNA strand breaks, in mitotic HeLa. However, the drug does prevent anaphase segregation in HeLa and PtK2 cells, with effects similar to those of etoposide. We therefore conclude that topoisomerase II function is required for anaphase chromosome segregation in mammalian cells, as it is in yeast.

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