Eukaryotic DNA ligases

Recent studies on eukaryotic DNA ligases are briefly reviewed. The two distinguishable enzymes from mammalian cells, DNA ligase I and DNA ligase II, have been purified to homogeneity and characterized biochemically. Two distinct DNA ligases have also been identified in Drosophila melanogaster embryos. The genes encoding DNA ligases from Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and vaccinia virus have been cloned and sequenced. These 3 proteins exhibit about 30% amino acid sequence identity; the 2 yeast enzymes share 53% amino acid sequence identity or conserved changes. Altered DNA ligase I activity has been found in cell lines from patients with Bloom's syndrome, although a causal link between the enzyme deficiency and the disease has not yet been proven.     

Vaccinia virus encodes a polypeptide with DNA ligase activity.

Vaccinia virus gene SalF 15R potentially encodes a polypeptide of 63 kD which shares 30% amino acid identity with S. pombe and S. cerevisiae DNA ligases. DNA ligase proteins can be identified by incubation with alpha-(32P)ATP, resulting in the formation of a covalent DNA ligase-AMP adduct, an intermediate in the enzyme reaction. A novel radio-labelled polypeptide of approximately 61 kD appears in extracts from vaccinia virus infected cells after incubation with alpha-(32P)ATP. This protein is present throughout infection and is a DNA ligase as the radioactivity is discharged in the presence of either DNA substrate or pyrophosphate. DNA ligase assays show an increase in enzyme activity in cell extracts after vaccinia virus infection. A rabbit antiserum, raised against a bacterial fusion protein of beta-galactosidase and a portion of SalF 15R, immune-precipitates polypeptides of 61 and 54 kD from extracts of vaccinia virus-infected cells. This antiserum also immune-precipitates the novel DNA ligase-AMP adduct, thus proving that the observed DNA ligase is encoded by SalF 15R.     

Vaccinia DNA ligase complements Saccharomyces cerevisiae cdc9, localizes in cytoplasmic factories and affects virulence and virus sensitivity to DNA damaging agents.

The functional compatibility of vaccinia virus DNA ligase with eukaryotic counterparts was demonstrated by its ability to complement Saccharomyces cerevisiae cdc9. The vaccinia DNA ligase is a 63 kDa protein expressed early during infection that is non-essential for virus DNA replication and recombination in cultured cells. This implies complementation by a mammalian DNA ligase, yet no obvious recruitment of host DNA ligase I from the nucleus to the cytoplasm was observed during infection. An antiserum raised against a peptide conserved in eukaryotic DNA ligases identified the virus enzyme in discrete cytoplasmic 'factories', the sites of virus DNA synthesis, demonstrating immunological cross-reactivity between host DNA ligase I and the vaccinia enzyme. DNA ligase was not detected in the factories of a mutant virus lacking the ligase gene. Despite this, no difference in growth between wild-type (WT) and mutant virus was detectable even in Bloom's syndrome cells which have reduced DNA ligase I activity. However, DNA ligase negative virus showed an increased sensitivity to UV or bleomycin in cultured cells, and the importance of DNA ligase for virus virulence in vivo was demonstrated by the attenuated phenotype of the deletion mutant in intranasally infected mice.     

Domain structure of vaccinia DNA ligase.

The 552 amino acid vaccinia virus DNA ligase consists of three structural domains defined by partial proteolysis: (i) an amino-terminal 175 amino acid segment that is susceptible to digestion with chymotrypsin and trypsin; (ii) a protease-resistant central domain that contains the active site of nucleotidyl transfer (Lys-231); (iii) a protease-resistant carboxyl domain. The two protease-resistant domains are separated by a protease-sensitive interdomain bridge from positions 296 to 307. Adenylyltransferase and DNA ligation activities are preserved when the N-terminal 200 amino acids are deleted. However, the truncated form of vaccinia ligase has a reduced catalytic rate in strand joining and a lower affinity for DNA than does the full-sized enzyme. The 350 amino acid catalytic core of the vaccinia ligase is similar in size and protease-sensitivity to the full-length bacteriophage T7 DNA ligase.     

Cloning, molecular characterization and expression of a DNA-ligase from a new bacteriophage: Phax1

DNA ligases join 3′ hydroxyl and 5′ phosphate ends in double stranded DNA and are necessary for maintaining the integrity of genome. The gene encoding a new Escherichia phage (Phax1) DNA ligase was cloned and sequenced. The gene contains an open reading frame with 1,428 base pairs, encoding 475 amino acid residues. Alignment of the entire amino acid sequence showed that Phax1 DNA ligase has a high degree of sequence homology with ligases from Escherichia (vB_EcoM_CBA120), Salmonella (PhiSH19 and SFP10), Shigella (phiSboM-AG3), and Deftia (phiW-14) phages. The Phax1 DNA ligase gene was expressed under the control of the T7lac promoter on the pET-16b (+) in Escherichia coli Rossetta gami. The enzyme was then homogeneously purified by a metal affinity column. Enzymatic activity of the recombinant DNA ligase was assayed by an in-house PCR-based method.     

Vaccinia virus encodes a thymidylate kinase gene: sequence and transcriptional mapping

The nucleotide sequence and deduced amino acid sequence of a vaccinia virus gene from the SalI F fragment are shown. The predicted polypeptide shares 42% amino acid identity over a 200 amino acid region with Saccharomyces cerevisiae thymidylate kinase (TmpK) and has low homology with herpes simplex virus deoxypyrimidine kinase. Northern blotting and S1 nuclease protection showed that the TmpK gene is transcribed early during infection and mapped the mRNA 5' end to immediately upstream of the second inframe ATG codon of the open reading frame (ORF). The encoded polypeptide is predicted to be 204 amino acids long (23.2 kD) and is almost colinear with yeast TmpK. Vaccinia virus possesses genes for TK and TmpK, separated by 57 kilobases of DNA, which are co-ordinately expressed and the encoded enzymes perform sequential steps in the same biochemical pathway.     

Characterization of a Baculovirus-Encoded ATP-Dependent DNA Ligase

Sequence analysis of the Lymantria dispar multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (LdMNPV) genome identified an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a 548-amino-acid (62-kDa) protein that showed 35% amino acid sequence identity with vaccinia virus ATP-dependent DNA ligase. Ligase homologs have not been reported from other baculoviruses. The ligase ORF was cloned and expressed as an N-terminal histidine-tagged fusion protein. Incubation of the purified protein with [α-³²P]ATP resulted in formation of a covalent enzyme-adenylate intermediate which ran as a 62-kDa labeled band on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel. Loss of the radiolabeled band occurred upon incubation of the intermediate with pyrophosphate, poly(dA) · poly(dT)_12–18, or poly(rA) · poly(dT)_12–18, characteristics of a DNA ligase II or III. The protein was able to ligate a double-stranded synthetic DNA substrate containing a single nick and inefficiently ligated a 1-nucleotide (nt) gap but did not ligate a 2-nt gap. It was able to ligate short, complementary overhangs but not blunt-ended double-stranded DNA. In a transient DNA replication assay employing six plasmids containing the LdMNPV homologs of the essential baculovirus replication genes, a plasmid containing the DNA ligase gene was neither essential nor stimulatory. All of these results are consistent with the activity of type III DNA ligases, which have been implicated in DNA repair and recombination.     

Mammalian DNA ligases. Catalytic domain and size of DNA ligase I.

DNA ligase I is the major DNA ligase activity in proliferating mammalian cells. The protein has been purified to apparent homogeneity from calf thymus. It has a monomeric structure and a blocked N-terminal residue. DNA ligase I is a 125-kDa polypeptide as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis and by gel chromatography under denaturing conditions, whereas hydrodynamic measurements indicate that the enzyme is an asymmetric 98-kDa protein. Immunoblotting with rabbit polyclonal antibodies to the enzyme revealed a single polypeptide of 125 kDa in freshly prepared crude cell extracts of calf thymus. Limited digestion of the purified DNA ligase I with several reagent proteolytic enzymes generated a relatively protease-resistant 85-kDa fragment. This domain retained full catalytic activity. Similar results were obtained with partially purified human DNA ligase I. The active large fragment represents the C-terminal part of the intact protein, and contains an epitope conserved between mammalian DNA ligase I and yeast and vaccinia virus DNA ligases. The function of the N-terminal region of DNA ligase I is unknown.     

Biochemical properties of a high fidelity DNA ligase from Thermus species AK16D.

NAD+-dependent DNA ligases from thermophilic bacteria Thermus species are highly homologous with amino acid sequence identities ranging from 85 to 98%. Thermus species AK16D ligase, the most divergent of the seven Thermus isolates collected worldwide, was cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. This Thermus ligase is similar to Thermus thermophilus HB8 ligase with respect to pH, salt, NAD+, divalent cation profiles and steady-state kinetics.However, the former is more discriminative toward T/G mismatches at the 3'-side of the ligation junction, as judged by the ratios of initial ligation rates of matched and mismatched substrates. The two wild-type Thermus ligases and a Tth ligase mutant (K294R) demonstrate 1-2 orders of magnitude higher fidelity than viral T4 DNA ligase. Both Thermus ligases are active with either the metal cofactor Mg2+, Mn2+or Ca2+but not with Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+or Zn2+. While the nick closure step with Ca2+becomes rate-limiting which results in the accumulation of DNA-adenylate intermediate, Ni2+only supports intermediate formation to a limited extent. Both Thermus ligases exhibit enhanced mismatch ligation when Mn2+is substituted for Mg2+, but the Tsp. AK16D ligase remains more specific toward perfectly matched substrate.     

表达人乳头瘤病毒58型L1、L2壳蛋白的非复制型重组痘苗病毒疫苗株的构建

采用PCR定点突变方法,对HPV581L1基因中痘苗病毒早期基因转录终止信号TTTTTNT结构进行修饰,并保留氨基酸不变.选用非复制型重组痘苗病毒为载体,将修饰的L1基因1.5kb和L2基因1.4kb分别插入痘苗病毒表达载体pJSD的7.5k和H6早期启动子之后,使之与非复制型重组痘苗病毒在TK区重组.经单斑筛选纯化,获得共表达HPV58L1、L2晚期蛋白的非复制型重组痘苗病毒疫苗实验株.该病毒在CEF细胞上连续传至第15代,经斑点杂交分析,重组痘苗病毒基因组中有L1和L2基因插入;经Western blot检测,重组病毒能稳定表达HPV581L1及L2蛋白.此结果为HPV58型非复制型重组痘苗病毒疫苗人用株的研究打下了基础.     

Cloning, nucleotide sequence, and engineered expression of Thermus thermophilus DNA ligase, a homolog of Escherichia coli DNA ligase.

We have cloned and sequenced the gene for DNA ligase from Thermus thermophilus. A comparison of this sequence and those of other ligases reveals significant homology only with that of Escherichia coli. The overall amino acid composition of the thermophilic ligase and the pattern of amino acid substitutions between the two proteins are consistent with compositional biases in other thermophilic enzymes. We have engineered the expression of the T. thermophilus gene in Escherichia coli, and we show that E. coli proteins may be substantially removed from the thermostable ligase by a simple heat precipitation step.