Early dissociation of nuclear factor I from the origin during initiation of adenovirus DNA replication studied by origin immobilization.

The DNA-binding domain of Nuclear Factor I (NFIBD) enhances initiation of adenovirus DNA replication up to 50-fold by binding to the auxiliary region of the origin and positioning the viral DNA polymerase. To study if and when NFIBD dissociates from the template, we immobilized origin DNA to glutathione-agarose beads by means of a GST-NFIBD fusion protein. This immobilized template is active in replication. By analyzing the release of prelabeled templates from the beads under different conditions, we show that NFIBD dissociates already early during initiation. During preinitiation NFIBD remains bound, but as soon as dCTP, dATP or dTTP are added, efficient dissociation occurs. A much lower dissociation level was induced by addition of dGTP. Since dCTP, dATP and dTTP are required for formation of a pTP-CAT initiation intermediate, we explain our results by conformational changes occurring in the polymerase during initiation leading to disruption of both the interaction between the polymerase and NFI as well as the interaction between NFI and the DNA.     

DNA-loop formation on nucleosomes shown by in situ scanning force microscopy of supercoiled DNA

The flexibility of the chromatin structure, necessary for the processing of the genomic DNA, is controlled by a number of factors where flexibility and mobility of the nucleosomes is essential. Here, the influence of DNA supercoiling on the structure of single nucleosomes is investigated. Circular supercoiled plasmid DNA sub-saturated with histones was visualized by scanning force microscopy (SFM) in aqueous solution. SFM-imaging compared with topological analysis indicates instability of nucleosomes when the salt concentration is raised from 10 mM to 100 mM NaCl. Nucleosomes were observed after the deposition to the used scanning surface, i.e. mica coated with polylysine. On the images, the nucleosomes appear with a high probability in end-loops near the apices of the superhelices. In 100 mM NaCl but not in 10 mM NaCl, a significant number of complexes present the nucleosomes on superhelical crossings mainly located adjacent to an end-loop. The morphology of these structures and statistical analysis suggest that DNA loops were formed on the histone octamers, where the loop size distribution shows a pronounced peak at 50 nm. Recently, the formation and diffusion of loops on octamers has been discussed as a mechanism of translocations of nucleosomes along DNA. The presented data likely confirm the occurrence of loops, which may be stabilized by supercoiling. Analysis of the structure of regular nucleosomes not located on crossings indicates that reducing the salt concentration leads to more conformations, where DNA is partially unwrapped from the distal ends of the octamer.     

A second origin of DNA plus-strand synthesis is required for optimal human immunodeficiency virus replication.

We recently reported that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) unintegrated linear DNA displays a discontinuity in its plus strand, precisely defined by a second copy of the polypurine tract (PPT) located near the middle of the genome (P. Charneau and F. Clavel, J. Virol. 65:2415-2421, 1991). This central PPT appears to determine a second initiation site for retrovirus DNA plus-strand synthesis. We show here that mutations replacing purines by pyrimidines in the HIV-1 central PPT, which do not modify the overlapping amino acid sequence, are able to significantly slow down viral growth as they reduce plus-strand origin at the center of the genome. One of these mutations, introducing four pyrimidines, results in a 2-week delay in viral growth in CEM cells and abolishes plus-strand origin at the central PPT. The introduction in this mutant of a wild-type copy of the PPT at a different site creates a new plus-strand origin at that site. This new origin also determines the end of the upstream plus-strand segment, probably as a consequence of limited strand displacement-synthesis. Our findings further demonstrate the role of PPTs as initiation sites for the synthesis of the retroviral DNA plus strand and demonstrate the importance of a second such origin for efficient HIV replication in vitro.     

The sperm nuclear matrix is required for paternal DNA replication

The mammalian sperm nucleus provides an excellent model for studying the relationship between the formation of nuclear structure and the initiation of DNA replication. We previously demonstrated that mammalian sperm nuclei contain a nuclear matrix that organizes the DNA into loop domains in a manner similar to that of somatic cells. In this study, we tested the minimal components of the sperm nucleus that are necessary for the formation of the male pronucleus and for the initiation of DNA synthesis. We extracted mouse sperm nuclei with high salt and dithiothreitol to remove the protamines in order to form nuclear halos. These were then treated with either restriction endonucleases to release the DNA not directly associated with the nuclear matrix or with DNAse I to digest all the DNA. The treated sperm nuclei were injected into oocytes, and the paternal pronuclear formation and DNA synthesis was monitored. We found that restriction digested sperm nuclear halos were capable of forming paternal pronuclei and initiating DNA synthesis. However, when isolated mouse sperm DNA or sperm DNA reconstituted with the nuclear matrices were injected into oocytes, no paternal pronuclear formation or DNA synthesis was observed. These data suggest that the in situ nuclear matrix attachment organization of sperm DNA is required for mouse paternal pronuclear DNA synthesis.     

A DNA structure is required for geminivirus replication origin function.

The genome of the geminivirus tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV) consists of two single-stranded circular DNAs, A and B, that replicate through a rolling-circle mechanism in nuclei of infected plant cells. The TGMV origin of replication is located in a conserved 5' intergenic region and includes at least two functional elements: the origin recognition site of the essential viral replication protein, AL1, and a sequence motif with the potential to form a hairpin or cruciform structure. To address the role of the hairpin motif during TGMV replication, we constructed a series of B-component mutants that resolved sequence changes from structural alterations of the motif. Only those mutant B DNAs that retained the capacity to form the hairpin structure replicated to wild-type levels in tobacco protoplasts when the viral replication proteins were provided in trans from a plant expression cassette. In contrast, the same B DNAs replicated to significantly lower levels in transient assays that included replicating, wild-type TGMV A DNA. These data established that the hairpin structure is essential for TGMV replication, whereas its sequence affects the efficiency of replication. We also showed that TGMV AL1 functions as a site-specific endonuclease in vitro and mapped the cleavage site to the loop of the hairpin. In vitro cleavage analysis of two TGMV B mutants with different replication phenotypes indicated that there is a correlation between the two assays for origin activity. These results suggest that the in vivo replication results may reflect structural and sequence requirements for DNA cleavage during initiation of rolling-circle replication.     

Imaging of DNA by scanning force microscopy.

The scanning probe microscopies applied to the sequencing of DNA is a challenging goal attempted by several groups. But one limitant parameter has been the sample preparation of DNA molecules. Here we report how to hold DNA molecules fixed on mica substrate and we show the three-dimensional configuration of double-stranded DNA obtained with our scanning force microscope. We can image DNA under negative supercoiling, a feature of general importance controlling the activities of DNA. We compared the electron micrographs of a carbon replica of the same DNA specimen with scanning force images which demonstrates well the feasibility and accuracy of our scanning probe measurements.     

Origin of adenovirus DNA replication. Role of the nuclear factor I binding site in vivo

An assay is described that detects in vivo a single round of initiation and DNA synthesis directed by a linear molecule containing an exposed single copy of an adenovirus (Ad) origin of replication. This and a previously described assay, which measures multiple rounds of DNA replication, were used to identify DNA sequences within the Ad2 and Ad4 origins of replication that are important for ori function. Linear DNA molecules containing sequences from the Ad2 or Ad4 genome termini were cotransfected with homologous and heterologous helper virus, and net amounts of DNA synthesis were compared. Linear molecules containing the Ad4 inverted terminal repeats were replicated 20-fold better in the presence of the homologous helper, whereas both Ad2 and Ad4 inverted terminal repeats were utilized efficiently by Ad4. DNA sequence analysis of the Ad2 ori and the corresponding region in Ad4 indicated that, although there are only ten variant base-pairs, eight are located within the Ad2 DNA sequence recognized by the cellular protein nuclear factor I. This protein is required to achieve the maximal rate of Ad2 DNA replication in vitro, and these differences therefore identify DNA sequences that are crucial to Ad2 ori function. The Ad4 ITR does not contain a functional nuclear factor I binding site, and deletion analysis has demonstrated that this region of the Ad4 genome is not required for ori function. In contrast to Ad2, the DNA sequences required for the initiation of Ad4 DNA replication were shown to reside entirely within the terminal 18 base-pairs of the Ad4 inverted terminal repeat.     

Identification of two distinct regions within the adenovirus minimal origin of replication that are required for adenovirus type 4 DNA replication in vitro.

The adenovirus type 4 origins of replication are located at each end of the linear, protein-linked viral DNA molecule and consist of the terminal 18 bp of the viral genome. The sequence of the first 8 bp of the viral genome varies among different adenovirus serotypes, but the sequence from bp 9 to 18 is conserved in all human serotypes, suggesting that it may be of critical importance to origin function. Using an in vitro system in which purified fractions or crude extracts of adenovirus type 4-infected HeLa cells can support initiation and elongation on linearized plasmid templates containing cloned origin sequences, we examined the effect of single base changes in positions 9 to 18 of the adenovirus origin on DNA replication in vitro. Changes in positions 12 to 16 have little effect, whereas alterations at positions 9, 10, 11, 17, and 18 all reduce the efficiency of initiation of DNA replication by between 50 and 90%. Our results show that the region from bp 9 to 18 contains two sets of bases essential for DNA replication which are separated by 5 bp in which single base changes can be accommodated. The likely role of the region from bp 9 to 18 as containing the recognition sequence for a DNA-protein interaction essential for viral DNA replication is discussed.     

Reconstruction of adenovirus replication origins with a human nuclear factor I binding site

Nuclear factor I is a host-coded DNA-binding protein that stimulates initiation of adenovirus DNA replication. To understand the mechanism of action of nuclear factor I, we have constructed, by recombinant DNA techniques, origins of replication in which the adenovirus type 5 nuclear factor I binding site (FIB site) has been replaced by a FIB site isolated from human genomic DNA (Gronostajski, R. M., Nagata, K., and Hurwitz, J. (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 81, 4013-4017). Assays of such recombinants for initiation and elongation in vitro showed that nuclear factor I was active only when the FIB site was relatively close to the DNA terminus, i.e. the FIB site was centered at nucleotides 30-36 from the end of the DNA. Nuclear factor I was active in either orientation within this distance range. The presence of one or two additional FIB sites in the downstream region had no effect. The implications of these results for the mechanism of nuclear factor I action are discussed.     

DNA polymerase I is not required for replication of linear chromosomes in streptomyces

Both polA (encoding DNA polymerase I; Pol I) and a paralog were deleted from Streptomyces strains. Despite the UV sensitivity and slow growth caused by the ΔpolA mutation, the double mutant was viable. Thus, in contrast to a previous postulate, Pol I and its paralog are not essential for replication of Streptomyces chromosomes.     

DNA sequences required for the initiation of adenovirus type 4 DNA replication in vitro

In-vivo studies have demonstrated that adenovirus type 2 and adenovirus type 4 have different DNA sequence requirements for the initiation of DNA replication. To investigate the basis of these differences an in-vitro system has been developed which will faithfully initiate adenovirus type 4 DNA replication. A plasmid containing 140 base-pairs of the right terminus of adenovirus type 4 supported initiation of DNA replication in vitro, provided that the plasmid was linearized in such a way as to locate the viral terminal sequences at the molecular ends of the DNA. Initiation by adenovirus type 4-infected cell extracts was also supported by a plasmid containing the complete adenovirus type 2 inverted terminal repeat (ITR). Deletion analysis of both adenovirus types 2 and 4 ITRs revealed that only the terminal 18 base-pairs of the genomes (perfectly conserved between the 2 viruses) were required for initiation in vitro. Thus, initiation was not enhanced by the presence of either the NFI site, the NFIII site or both sites together. Fractionation of a HeLa cell nuclear extract, by ion-exchange chromatography, identified a nuclear factor that stimulated the initiation reaction four- to fivefold. The stimulatory factor did not correspond to either of the cellular proteins NFI or NFIII which stimulate adenovirus type 2 DNA replication in vitro. Initiation in vitro was also supported by single-stranded DNA templates, albeit at a lower efficiency. Studies with synthetic oligonucleotides indicated a surprising specificity for initiation: whereas the strand used as template during initiation in vivo was active as a template for initiation in vitro, the complementary strand was inactive.     

Nuclear factor I enhances adenovirus DNA replication by increasing the stability of a preinitiation complex.

Nuclear factor I (NFI) or its isolated DNA-binding domain (NFI-BD) enhances initiation of adenovirus DNA replication up to 50-fold at low concentrations of the precursor terminal protein-DNA polymerase (pTP-pol) complex. Both in solution and when bound to DNA, NFI-BD can form a complex with pTP-pol. To investigate the mechanism of enhancement by NFI, we determined the stability of a functional preinitiation complex formed in vitro between pTP-pol and the origin. Challenge experiments with a distinguishable template containing an identical origin revealed that in the absence of NFI, this preinitiation complex was very sensitive to competition for pTP-pol. Addition of NFI-BD increased the half-life of the complex at least 10-fold and led to the formation of a template-committed preinitiation complex. In agreement with this, binding of pTP-pol to origin DNA in band-shift assays was enhanced by NFI. By DNase I footprinting we show that the specificity of binding as well as induction of structural changes in origin DNA by pTP-pol are increased by NFI. These results indicate that NFI, by binding and positioning pTP-pol, stabilizes the complex between pTP-pol and the core origin, and thus enhances initiation of DNA replication.     

Circular DNA molecules imaged in air by scanning force microscopy.

Routine and reproducible imaging of DNA molecules in air with the scanning force microscope (SFM) has been accomplished. Circular molecules of plasmid DNA were deposited onto red mica and imaged under various relative humidities. In related experiments, the first images of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase-DNA complex have also been obtained. This has been possible by (1) the use of specially modified SFM tips with a consistent radius of curvature of 10 nm or less, to minimize the amount of image distortion introduced by the finite dimensions of commercially available tips, (2) the optimization of a method to deposit and bind DNA molecules to the mica surface in a stable fashion, and (3) careful control of the sample humidity, to prevent solvation of the molecules and detachment from the surface by the scanning tip or stylus. Contact forces in the range of a few nanonewtons are routinely possible in air and in the presence of residual humidity. The spatial resolution of the images appears determined by the radius of curvature of the modified styli, which can be estimated directly from the apparent widths of the DNA molecules in the images.     

Recognition site of nuclear factor I, a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein from HeLa cells that stimulates adenovirus DNA replication.

Nuclear factor I is a 47-kd protein, isolated from nuclei of HeLa cells, that binds specifically to the inverted terminal repeat of the adenovirus (Ad) DNA and enhances Ad DNA replication in vitro. We have studied the DNA sequence specificity of nuclear factor I binding using cloned terminal fragments of the Ad2 genome and a set of deletion mutants. Binding of nuclear factor I protects nucleotides 19-42 of Ad2 DNA against DNase I digestion. Filter binding assays show that deletion of the first 23 nucleotides does not impair binding while a deletion of 24 nucleotides reduces binding severely. However, binding studies on Ad12 DNA indicate that nucleotide 24 can be mutated. Fragments containing the first 40 bp are bound normally while the first 38 bp are insufficient to sustain binding. Taken together, these results indicate that the minimal recognition site of nuclear factor I contains 15 or 16 nucleotides, located from nucleotide 25 to nucleotide 39 or 40 of the Ad2 DNA. This site contains two of the four conserved nucleotide sequences in this region. Sequences flanking the minimal recognition site may reduce the binding affinity of nuclear factor I. In accordance with these binding studies, DNA replication of a fragment that carries the sequence of the terminal 40 nucleotides of Ad2 at one molecular end is enhanced by nuclear factor I in an in vitro replication system.     

Isolation of a stimulatory factor for nuclear DNA replication

Aqueous extracts of isolated nuclei and intact plasmodia of Physarum contain a heat-stable stimulator of nuclear DNA replication. The stimulatory factor is present throughout the mitotic cycle, and its activity is unaffected by prior exposure of plasmodia to cycloheximide. The stimulatory substance has been partially purified by heat treatment, precipitation with ethanol, chromatography on DEAE cellulose, and gel filtration. The purified material contains both carbohydrate and protein, and exhibits a molecular weight of about 30 000. The active substance increases the rate and overall extent of DNA replication in S-phase nuclei, but does not trigger the initiation of DNA synthesis in nuclei isolated from G2-phase plasmodia. The stimulatory material contains little or no deoxyribonuclease or DNA polymerase activity, and it does not affect DNA polymerase activity assayed using a purified DNA template.