Colon cancer-associated mutator DNA polymerase δ variant causes expansion of dNTP pools increasing its own infidelity

Defects in DNA polymerases δ (Polδ) and ε (Polε) cause hereditary colorectal cancer and have been implicated in the etiology of some sporadic colorectal and endometrial tumors. We previously reported that the yeast pol3-R696W allele mimicking a human cancer-associated variant, POLD1-R689W, causes a catastrophic increase in spontaneous mutagenesis. Here, we describe the mechanism of this extraordinary mutator effect. We found that the mutation rate increased synergistically when the R696W mutation was combined with defects in Polδ proofreading or mismatch repair, indicating that pathways correcting DNA replication errors are not compromised in pol3-R696W mutants. DNA synthesis by purified Polδ-R696W was error-prone, but not to the extent that could account for the unprecedented mutator phenotype of pol3-R696W strains. In a search for cellular factors that augment the mutagenic potential of Polδ-R696W, we discovered that pol3-R696W causes S-phase checkpoint-dependent elevation of dNTP pools. Abrogating this elevation by strategic mutations in dNTP metabolism genes eliminated the mutator effect of pol3-R696W, whereas restoration of high intracellular dNTP levels restored the mutator phenotype. Further, the use of dNTP concentrations present in pol3-R696W cells for in vitro DNA synthesis greatly decreased the fidelity of Polδ-R696W and produced a mutation spectrum strikingly similar to the spectrum observed in vivo. The results support a model in which (i) faulty synthesis by Polδ-R696W leads to a checkpoint-dependent increase in dNTP levels and (ii) this increase mediates the hypermutator effect of Polδ-R696W by facilitating the extension of mismatched primer termini it creates and by promoting further errors that continue to fuel the mutagenic pathway.

Mutator and Antimutator Effects of the Bacteriophage P1 hot Gene Product

ABSTRACT The Hot (homolog of theta) protein of bacteriophage P1 can substitute for the Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III θ subunit, as evidenced by its stabilizing effect on certain dnaQ mutants that carry an unstable polymerase III ε proofreading subunit (antimutator effect). Here, we show that Hot can also cause an increase in the mutability of various E. coli strains (mutator effect). The hot mutator effect differs from the one caused by the lack of θ. Experiments using chimeric θ/Hot proteins containing various domains of Hot and θ along with a series of point mutants show that both N- and C-terminal parts of each protein are important for stabilizing the ε subunit. In contrast, the N-terminal part of Hot appears uniquely responsible for its mutator activity.

Mutator Phenotype Resulting from DNA Polymerase IV Overproduction in Escherichia coli: Preferential Mutagenesis on the Lagging Strand

ABSTRACT We investigated the mutator effect resulting from overproduction of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase IV. Using lac mutational targets in the two possible orientations on the chromosome, we observed preferential mutagenesis during lagging strand synthesis. The mutator activity likely results from extension of mismatches produced by polymerase III holoenzyme.

Lack of Strand Bias in UV-Induced Mutagenesis in Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT We have investigated whether UV-induced mutations are created with equal efficiency on the leading and lagging strands of DNA replication. We employed an assay system that permits measurement of mutagenesis in the lacZ gene in pairs of near-identical strains. Within each pair, the strains differ only in the orientation of the lacZ gene with respect to the origin of DNA replication. Depending on this orientation, any lacZ target sequence will be replicated in one orientation as a leading strand and as a lagging strand in the other orientation. In contrast to previous results obtained for mutations resulting from spontaneous replication errors or mutations resulting from the spontaneous SOS mutator effect, measurements of UV-induced mutagenesis in uvrA strains fail to show significant differences between the two target orientations. These data suggest that SOS-mediated mutagenic translesion synthesis on the Escherichia coli chromosome may occur with equal or similar probability on leading and lagging strands.

Pol32, a Subunit of Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA Polymerase δ, Suppresses Genomic Deletions and Is Involved in the Mutagenic Bypass Pathway

The Pol32 subunit of S. cerevisiae DNA polymerase (Pol) δ plays an important role in replication and mutagenesis. Here, by measuring the CAN1 forward mutation rate, we found that either POL32 or REV3 (which encodes the Pol ζ catalytic subunit) inactivation produces overlapping antimutator effects against rad mutators belonging to three epistasis groups. In contrast, the msh2Δ pol32Δ double mutant exhibits a synergistic mutator phenotype. Canr mutation spectrum analysis of pol32Δ strains revealed a substantial increase in the frequency of deletions and duplications (primarily deletions) of sequences flanked by short direct repeats, which appears to be RAD52 and RAD10 independent. To better understand the pol32Δ and rev3Δ antimutator effects in rad backgrounds and the pol32Δ mutator effect in a msh2Δ background, we determined Canr mutation spectra for rad5Δ, rad5Δ pol32Δ, rad5Δ rev3Δ, msh2Δ, msh2Δ pol32Δ, and msh2Δ rev3Δ strains. Both rad5Δ pol32Δ and rad5Δ rev3Δ mutants exhibit a reduction in frameshifts and base substitutions, attributable to antimutator effects conferred by the pol32Δ and rev3Δ mutations. In contrast, an increase in these two types of alterations is attributable to a synergistic mutator effect between the pol32Δ and msh2Δ mutations. Taken together, these observations indicate that Pol32 is important in ensuring genome stability and in mutagenesis.

Inactivation of DNA Mismatch Repair by Increased Expression of Yeast MLH1

ABSTRACT Inactivation of DNA mismatch repair by mutation or by transcriptional silencing of the MLH1 gene results in genome instability and cancer predisposition. We recently found (P. V. Shcherbakova and T. A. Kunkel, Mol. Cell. Biol. 19:3177–3183, 1999) that an elevated spontaneous mutation rate can also result from increased expression of yeast MLH1. Here we investigate the mechanism of this mutator effect. Hybridization of poly(A)+ mRNA to DNA microarrays containing 96.4% of yeast open reading frames revealed that MLH1overexpression did not induce changes in expression of other genes involved in DNA replication or repair. MLH1overexpression strongly enhanced spontaneous mutagenesis in yeast strains with defects in the 3′→5′ exonuclease activity of replicative DNA polymerases δ and ɛ but did not enhance the mutation rate in strains with deletions of MSH2, MLH1, orPMS1. This suggests that overexpression ofMLH1 inactivates mismatch repair of replication errors. Overexpression of the PMS1 gene alone caused a moderate increase in the mutation rate and strongly suppressed the mutator effect caused by MLH1 overexpression. The mutator effect was also reduced by a missense mutation in the MLH1 gene that disrupted Mlh1p-Pms1p interaction. Analytical ultracentrifugation experiments showed that purified Mlh1p forms a homodimer in solution, albeit with a K d of 3.14 μM, 36-fold higher than that for Mlh1p-Pms1p heterodimerization. These observations suggest that the mismatch repair defect in cells overexpressingMLH1 results from an imbalance in the levels of Mlh1p and Pms1p and that this imbalance might lead to formation of nonfunctional mismatch repair complexes containing Mlh1p homodimers.

Role of the dinB Gene Product in Spontaneous Mutation in Escherichia coli with an Impaired Replicative Polymerase

ABSTRACT We isolated several new mutator mutations of the Escherichia coli replicative polymerase dnaE subunit alpha and used them and a previously reported dnaE mutation to study spontaneous frameshift and base substitution mutations. Two of thesednaE strains produce many more mutants when grown on rich (Luria-Bertani) than on minimal medium. A differential effect of the medium was not observed when these dnaE mutations were combined with a mismatch repair mutation. The selection scheme for thednaE mutations required that they be able to complement a temperature-sensitive strain. However, the ability to complement is not related to the mutator effect for at least one of the mutants. Comparison of the mutation rates for frameshift and base substitution mutations in mutS and dnaE mutS strains suggests that the mismatch repair proteins respond differently to the two types of change. Deletion of dinB from both chromosome and plasmid resulted in a four- to fivefold decrease in the rate of frameshift and base substitution mutations in a dnaE mutSdouble mutant background. This reduction indicates that most mistakes in replication occur as a result of the action of the auxiliary rather than the replicative polymerase in this dnaE mutant. Deletion of dinB from strains carrying a wild-typednaE had a measurable effect, suggesting that a fraction of spontaneous mutations occur as a result of dinB polymerase action even in cells with a normal replicative polymerase.

Bacteriophage T4 rnh (RNase H) Null Mutations: Effects on Spontaneous Mutation and Epistatic Interaction withrII Mutations

ABSTRACT The bacteriophage T4 rnh gene encodes T4 RNase H, a relative of a family of flap endonucleases. T4 rnh null mutations reduce burst sizes, increase sensitivity to DNA damage, and increase the frequency of acriflavin resistance (Acr) mutations. Because mutations in the related Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD27 gene display a remarkable duplication mutator phenotype, we further explored the impact of rnh mutations upon the mutation process. We observed that most Acrmutants in an rnh + strain containac mutations, whereas only roughly half of the Acr mutants detected in an rnhΔ strain bearac mutations. In contrast to the mutational specificity displayed by most mutators, the DNA alterations of acmutations arising in rnhΔ andrnh + backgrounds are indistinguishable. Thus, the increase in Acr mutants in an rnhΔ background is probably not due to a mutator effect. This conclusion is supported by the lack of increase in the frequency of rImutations in an rnhΔ background. In a screen that detects mutations at both the rI locus and the much largerrII locus, the r frequency was severalfold lower in anrnhΔ background. This decrease was due to the phenotype of rnh rII double mutants, which display an r+plaque morphology but retain the characteristic inability ofrII mutants to grow on λ lysogens. Finally, we summarize those aspects of T4 forward-mutation systems which are relevant to optimal choices for investigating quantitative and qualitative aspects of the mutation process.

Mutator Phenotypes Conferred by MLH1Overexpression and by Heterozygosity for mlh1Mutations

ABSTRACT Loss of DNA mismatch repair due to mutation or diminished expression of the MLH1 gene is associated with genome instability and cancer. In this study, we used a yeast model system to examine three circumstances relevant to modulation of MLH1function. First, overexpression of wild-type MLH1 was found to cause a strong elevation of mutation rates at three different loci, similar to the mutator effect of MLH1 gene inactivation. Second, haploid yeast strains with any of six mlh1 missense mutations that mimic germ line mutations found in human cancer patients displayed a strong mutator phenotype consistent with loss of mismatch repair function. Five of these mutations affect amino acids that are homologous to residues suggested by recent crystal structure and biochemical analysis of Escherichia coli MutL to participate in ATP binding and hydrolysis. Finally, using a highly sensitive reporter gene, we detected a mutator phenotype of diploid yeast strains that are heterozygous for mlh1 mutations. Evidence suggesting that this mutator effect results not from reduced mismatch repair in the MLH1/mlh1 cells but rather from loss of the wild-type MLH1 allele in a fraction of cells is presented. Exposure to bleomycin or to UV irradiation strongly enhanced mutagenesis in the heterozygous strain but had little effect on the mutation rate in the wild-type strain. This damage-induced hypermutability may be relevant to cancer in humans with germ line mutations in only one MLH1 allele.

Examination of the Role of DNA Polymerase Proofreading in the Mutator Effect of Miscoding tRNAs

ABSTRACT We previously described Escherichia coli mutator tRNAs that insert glycine in place of aspartic acid and postulated that the elevated mutation rate results from generating a mutator polymerase. We suggested that the proofreading subunit of polymerase III, ɛ, is a likely target for the aspartic acid-to-glycine change that leads to a lowered fidelity of replication, since the altered ɛ subunits resulting from this substitution (approximately 1% of the time) are sufficient to create a mutator effect, based on several observations of mutDalleles. In the present work, we extended the study of specificmutD alleles and constructed 16 altered mutDgenes by replacing each aspartic acid codon, in series, with a glycine codon in the dnaQ gene that encodes ɛ. We show that three of these genes confer a strong mutator effect. We have also looked for new mutator tRNAs and have found one: a glycine tRNA that inserts glycine at histidine codons. We then replaced each of the seven histidine codons in the mutD gene with glycine codons and found that in two cases, a strong mutator phenotype results. These findings are consistent with the ɛ subunit playing a major role in the mutator effect of misreading tRNAs.