APOBEC3G cytosine deamination hotspots are defined by both sequence context and single-stranded DNA secondary structure

Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing, enzyme-catalytic, polypeptide-like 3G (i.e., APOBEC3G or A3G) is an evolutionarily conserved cytosine deaminase that potently restricts human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), retrotransposons and other viruses. A3G has a nucleotide target site specificity for cytosine dinucleotides, though only certain cytosine dinucleotides are ‘hotspots’ for cytosine deamination, and others experience little or no editing by A3G. The factors that define these critical A3G hotspots are not fully understood. To investigate how A3G hotspots are defined, we used an in vitro fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based oligonucleotide assay to probe the site specificity of A3G. Our findings strongly suggest that the target single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) secondary structure as well as the bases directly 3′ and 5′ of the cytosine dinucleotide are critically important A3G recognition. For instance, A3G cannot readily deaminate a cytosine dinucleotide in ssDNA stem structures or in nucleotide base loops composed of three bases. Single-stranded nucleotide loops up to seven bases in length were poor targets for A3G activity unless cytosine residues flanked the cytosine dinucleotide. Furthermore, we observed that A3G favors adenines, cytosines and thymines flanking the cytosine dinucleotide target in unstructured regions of ssDNA. Low cytosine deaminase activity was detected when guanines flanked the cytosine dinucleotide. Taken together, our findings provide the first demonstration that A3G cytosine deamination hotspots are defined by both the sequence context of the cytosine dinucleotide target as well as the ssDNA secondary structure. This knowledge can be used to better trace the origins of mutations to A3G activity, and illuminate its impact on processes such as HIV-1 genetic variation.     

Efficient deamination of 5-methylcytosines in DNA by human APOBEC3A, but not by AID or APOBEC3G

The AID/APOBEC family of enzymes in higher vertebrates converts cytosines in DNA or RNA to uracil. They play a role in antibody maturation and innate immunity against viruses, and have also been implicated in the demethylation of DNA during early embryogenesis. This is based in part on reported ability of activation-induced deaminase (AID) to deaminate 5-methylcytosines (5mC) to thymine. We have reexamined this possibility for AID and two members of human APOBEC3 family using a novel genetic system in Escherichia coli. Our results show that while all three genes show strong ability to convert C to U, only APOBEC3A is an efficient deaminator of 5mC. To confirm this, APOBEC3A was purified partially and used in an in vitro deamination assay. We found that APOBEC3A can deaminate 5mC efficiently and this activity is comparable to its C to U deamination activity. When the DNA-binding segment of AID was replaced with the corresponding segment from APOBEC3A, the resulting hybrid had much higher ability to convert 5mC to T in the genetic assay. These and other results suggest that the human AID deaminates 5mC’s only weakly because the 5-methyl group fits poorly in its DNA-binding pocket.     

Mutational comparison of the single-domained APOBEC3C and double-domained APOBEC3F/G anti-retroviral cytidine deaminases provides insight into their DNA target site specificities

Human APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G are double-domained deaminases that can catalyze dC→dU deamination in HIV-1 and MLV retroviral DNA replication intermediates, targeting T–C or C–C dinucleotides, respectively. HIV-1 antagonizes their action through its vif gene product, which has been shown (at least in the case of APOBEC3G) to interact with the N-terminal domain of the deaminase, triggering its degradation. Here, we compare APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G to APOBEC3C, a single-domained deaminase that can also act on both HIV-1 and MLV. We find that whereas APOBEC3C contains all the information necessary for both Vif-binding and cytidine deaminase activity in a single domain, it is the C-terminal domain of APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G that confer their target site specificity for cytidine deamination. We have exploited the fact that APOBEC3C, whilst highly homologous to the C-terminal domain of APOBEC3F, exhibits a distinct target site specificity (preferring Y–C dinucleotides) in order to identify residues in APOBEC3F that might affect its target site specificity. We find that this specificity can be altered by single amino acid substitutions at several distinct positions, suggesting that the strong dependence of APOBEC3-mediated deoxycytidine deamination on the 5′-flanking nucleotide is sensitive to relatively subtle changes in the APOBEC3 structure. The approach has allowed the isolation of APOBEC3 DNA mutators that exhibit novel target site preferences.     

The retroviral hypermutation specificity of APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G is governed by the C-terminal DNA cytosine deaminase domain

The human proteins APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G restrict retroviral infection by deaminating cytosine residues in the first cDNA strand of a replicating virus. These proteins have two putative deaminase domains, and it is unclear whether one or both catalyze deamination, unlike their homologs, AID and APOBEC1, which are well characterized single domain deaminases. Here, we show that only the C-terminal cytosine deaminase domain of APOBEC3F and -3G governs retroviral hypermutation. A chimeric protein with the N-terminal cytosine deaminase domain from APOBEC3G and the C-terminal cytosine deaminase domain from APOBEC3F elicited a dinucleotide hypermutation preference nearly indistinguishable from that of APOBEC3F. This 5'-TC-->TT mutational specificity was confirmed in a heterologous Escherichia coli-based mutation assay, in which the 5'-CC-->CT dinucleotide hypermutation preference of APOBEC3G also mapped to the C-terminal deaminase domain. An N-terminal APOBEC3G deletion mutant displayed a preference indistinguishable from that of the full-length protein, and replacing the C-terminal deaminase domain of APOBEC3F with AID resulted in an AID-like mutational signature. Together, these data indicate that only the C-terminal domain of APOBEC3F and -3G dictates the retroviral minus strand 5'-TC and 5'-CC dinucleotide hypermutation preferences, respectively, leaving the N-terminal domain to perform other aspects of retroviral restriction.     

APOBEC1 cytosine deaminase activity on single-stranded DNA is suppressed by replication protein A

Many APOBEC cytidine deaminase members are known to induce ‘off-target’ cytidine deaminations in 5′TC motifs in genomic DNA that contribute to cancer evolution. In this report, we characterized APOBEC1, which is a possible cancer related APOBEC since APOBEC1 mRNA is highly expressed in certain types of tumors, such as lung adenocarcinoma. We found a low level of APOBEC1-induced DNA damage, as measured by γH2AX foci, in genomic DNA of a lung cancer cell line that correlated to its inability to compete in vitro with replication protein A (RPA) for ssDNA. This suggests that RPA can act as a defense against off-target deamination for some APOBEC enzymes. Overall, the data support the model that the ability of an APOBEC to compete with RPA can better predict genomic damage than combined analysis of mRNA expression levels in tumors and analysis of mutation signatures.     

APOBEC3B and APOBEC3F inhibit L1 retrotransposition by a DNA deamination-independent mechanism

The most common transposable genetic element in humans, long interspersed element 1 (L1), constitutes about 20% of the genome. The activity of L1 and related transposons such as Alu elements causes disease and contributes to speciation. Little is known about the cellular mechanisms that control their spread. We show that expression of human APOBEC3B or APOBEC3F decreased the rate of L1 retrotransposition by 5-10-fold. Expression of two related proteins, APOBEC3D or APOBEC3G, had little effect. The mechanism of L1 inhibition did not correlate with an obvious subcellular protein distribution as APOBEC3B appeared predominantly nuclear and APOBEC3F was mostly cytosolic. Two lines of evidence indicated that these APOBEC3 proteins use a deamination-independent mechanism to inhibit L1. First, a catalytically inactive APOBEC3B mutant maintained L1 inhibition activity. Second, cDNA strand-specific C --> T hypermutations were not detected among L1 elements that had replicated in the presence of APOBEC3B or APOBEC3F. In addition, lower levels of retrotransposed L1 DNA accumulated in the presence of APOBEC3B and APOBEC3F. Together, these data combined to suggest a model in which APOBEC3B or APOBEC3F provide a preintegration barrier to L1 retrotransposition. A particularly high level of APOBEC3F protein in human testes and an inverse correlation between L1 activity and APOBEC3 gene number suggest the relevance of this mechanism to mammals.     

Single-stranded DNA scanning and deamination by APOBEC3G cytidine deaminase at single molecule resolution

APOBEC3G (Apo3G) is a single-stranded (ss)DNA cytosine deaminase that eliminates HIV-1 infectivity by converting C → U in numerous small target motifs on the minus viral cDNA. Apo3G deaminates linear ssDNA in vitro with pronounced spatial asymmetry favoring the 3′ → 5′ direction. A similar polarity observed in vivo is believed responsible for initiating localized C → T mutational gradients that inactivate the virus. When compared with double-stranded (ds)DNA scanning enzymes, e.g. DNA glycosylases that excise rare aberrant bases, there is a paucity of mechanistic studies on ssDNA scanning enzymes. Here, we investigate ssDNA scanning and motif-targeting mechanisms for Apo3G using single molecule Förster resonance energy transfer. We address the specific issue of deamination asymmetry within the general context of ssDNA scanning mechanisms and show that Apo3G scanning trajectories, ssDNA contraction, and deamination efficiencies depend on motif sequence, location, and ionic strength. Notably, we observe the presence of bidirectional quasi-localized scanning of Apo3G occurring proximal to a 5′ hot motif, a motif-dependent DNA contraction greatest for 5′ hot > 3′ hot > 5′ cold motifs, and diminished mobility at low salt. We discuss the single molecule Förster resonance energy transfer data in terms of a model in which deamination polarity occurs as a consequence of Apo3G binding to ssDNA in two orientations, one that is catalytically favorable, with the other disfavorable.     

Subcellular localization of the APOBEC3 proteins during mitosis and implications for genomic DNA deamination

Humans have seven APOBEC3 DNA cytosine deaminases. The activity of these enzymes allows them to restrict a variety of retroviruses and retrotransposons, but may also cause pro-mutagenic genomic uracil lesions. During interphase the APOBEC3 proteins have different subcellular localizations: cell-wide, cytoplasmic or nuclear. This implies that only a subset of APOBEC3s have contact with nuclear DNA. However, during mitosis, the nuclear envelope breaks down and cytoplasmic proteins may enter what was formerly a privileged zone. To address the hypothesis that all APOBEC3 proteins have access to genomic DNA, we analyzed the localization of the APOBEC3 proteins during mitosis. We show that APOBEC3A, APOBEC3C and APOBEC3H are excluded from condensed chromosomes, but become cell-wide during telophase. However, APOBEC3B, APOBEC3D, APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G are excluded from chromatin throughout mitosis. After mitosis, APOBEC3B becomes nuclear, and APOBEC3D, APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G become cytoplasmic. Both structural motifs as well as size may be factors in regulating chromatin exclusion. Deaminase activity was not dependent on cell cycle phase. We also analyzed APOBEC3-induced cell cycle perturbations as a measure of each enzyme’s capacity to inflict genomic DNA damage. AID, APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B altered the cell cycle profile, and, unexpectedly, APOBEC3D also caused changes. We conclude that several APOBEC3 family members have access to the nuclear compartment and can impede the cell cycle, most likely through DNA deamination and the ensuing DNA damage response. Such genomic damage may contribute to carcinogenesis, as demonstrated by AID in B cell cancers and, recently, APOBEC3B in breast cancers.     

In vitro deamination of cytosine to uracil in single-stranded DNA by apolipoprotein B editing complex catalytic subunit 1 (APOBEC1)

Apolipoprotein B-editing complex catalytic subunit 1 (APOBEC1) is the catalytic component of an RNA-editing complex that deaminates C6666 --> U in apolipoprotein B RNA in gastrointestinal tissue, thereby generating a premature stop codon. Whereas RNA is the physiological substrate of APOBEC1, recent experiments have strongly indicated that, when expressed in bacteria, APOBEC1 and some of its homologues can deaminate cytosine in DNA. Indeed, genetic evidence demonstrates that the physiological function of activation-induced deaminase, a B lymphocyte-specific APOBEC1 homologue, is to perform targeted deamination of cytosine within the immunoglobulin locus, thereby triggering antibody gene diversification. However, biochemical evidence of in vitro DNA deamination by members of the APOBEC family is still needed. Here, we show that deamination of cytosine to uracil in DNA can be achieved in vitro using partially purified APOBEC1 from extracts of transformed Escherichia coli. Thus, APOBEC1 can deaminate cytosine in both RNA and DNA. Strikingly, its activity on DNA is specific for single-stranded DNA and exhibits dependence on local sequence context.     

Structural insights into single-stranded DNA binding and cleavage by F factor TraI

Conjugative plasmid transfer between bacteria disseminates antibiotic resistance and diversifies prokaryotic genomes. Relaxases, proteins essential for conjugation, cleave one plasmid strand sequence specifically prior to transfer. Cleavage occurs through a Mg(2+)-dependent transesterification involving a tyrosyl hydroxyl and a DNA phosphate. The structure of the F plasmid TraI relaxase domain, described here, is a five-strand beta sheet flanked by alpha helices. The protein resembles replication initiator protein AAV-5 Rep but is circularly permuted, yielding a different topology. The beta sheet forms a binding cleft lined with neutral, nonaromatic residues, unlike most single-stranded DNA binding proteins which use aromatic and charged residues. The cleft contains depressions, suggesting base recognition occurs in a knob-into-hole fashion. Unlike most nucleases, three histidines but no acidic residues coordinate a Mg(2+) located near the catalytic tyrosine. The full positive charge on the Mg(2+) and the architecture of the active site suggest multiple roles for Mg(2+) in DNA cleavage.     

A second human antiretroviral factor, APOBEC3F, is suppressed by the HIV-1 and HIV-2 Vif proteins

The HIV-1 Vif protein suppresses the inhibition of viral replication caused by the human antiretroviral factor APOBEC3G. As a result, HIV-1 mutants that do not express the Vif protein are replication incompetent in 'nonpermissive' cells, such as primary T cells and the T-cell line CEM, that express APOBEC3G. In contrast, Vif-defective HIV-1 replicates effectively in 'permissive' cell lines, such as a derivative of CEM termed CEM-SS, that do not express APOBEC3G. Here, we show that a second human protein, APOBEC3F, is also specifically packaged into HIV-1 virions and inhibits their infectivity. APOBEC3F binds the HIV-1 Vif protein specifically and Vif suppresses both the inhibition of virus infectivity caused by APOBEC3F and virion incorporation of APOBEC3F. Surprisingly, APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G are extensively coexpressed in nonpermissive human cells, including primary lymphocytes and the cell line CEM, where they form heterodimers. In contrast, both genes are quiescent in the permissive CEM derivative CEM-SS. Together, these data argue that HIV-1 Vif has evolved to suppress at least two distinct but related human antiretroviral DNA-editing enzymes.     

The activity spectrum of Vif from multiple HIV-1 subtypes against APOBEC3G, APOBEC3F, and APOBEC3H

The APOBEC3 family comprises seven cytidine deaminases (APOBEC3A [A3A] to A3H), which are expressed to various degrees in HIV-1 susceptible cells. The HIV-1 Vif protein counteracts APOBEC3 restriction by mediating its degradation by the proteasome. We hypothesized that Vif proteins from various HIV-1 subtypes differ in their abilities to counteract different APOBEC3 proteins. Seventeen Vif alleles from seven HIV-1 subtypes were tested for their abilities to degrade and counteract A3G, A3F, and A3H haplotype II (hapII). We show that most Vif alleles neutralize A3G and A3F efficiently but display differences with respect to the inhibition of A3H hapII. The majority of non-subtype B Vif alleles tested presented some activity against A3H hapII, with two subtype F Vif variants being highly effective in counteracting A3H hapII. The residues required for activity were mapped to two residues in the amino-terminal region of Vif (positions 39F and 48H). Coimmunoprecipitations showed that these two amino acids were necessary for association of Vif with A3H hapII. These findings suggest that the A3H hapII binding site in Vif is distinct from the regions important for A3G and A3F recognition and that it requires specific amino acids at positions 39 and 48. The differential Vif activity spectra, especially against A3H hapII, suggest adaptation to APOBEC3 repertoires representative of different human ancestries. Phenotypic assessment of anti-APOBEC3 activity of Vif variants against several cytidine deaminases will help reveal the requirement for successful replication in vivo and ultimately point to interventions targeting the Vif-APOBEC3 interface.     

Competition for DNA binding between the genome protector replication protein A and the genome modifying APOBEC3 single-stranded DNA deaminases

The human APOBEC family of eleven cytosine deaminases use RNA and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) as substrates to deaminate cytosine to uracil. This deamination event has roles in lipid metabolism by altering mRNA coding, adaptive immunity by causing evolution of antibody genes, and innate immunity through inactivation of viral genomes. These benefits come at a cost where some family members, primarily from the APOBEC3 subfamily (APOBEC3A-H, excluding E), can cause off-target deaminations of cytosine to form uracil on transiently single-stranded genomic DNA, which induces mutations that are associated with cancer evolution. Since uracil is only promutagenic, the mutations observed in cancer genomes originate only when uracil is not removed by uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG) or when the UNG-induced abasic site is erroneously repaired. However, when ssDNA is present, replication protein A (RPA) binds and protects the DNA from nucleases or recruits DNA repair proteins, such as UNG. Thus, APOBEC enzymes must compete with RPA to access their substrate. Certain APOBEC enzymes can displace RPA, bind and scan ssDNA efficiently to search for cytosines, and can become highly overexpressed in tumor cells. Depending on the DNA replication conditions and DNA structure, RPA can either be in excess or deficient. Here we discuss the interplay between these factors and how despite RPA, multiple cancer genomes have a mutation bias at cytosines indicative of APOBEC activity.