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1.
Lichenysins are surface-active lipopeptides with antibiotic properties produced nonribosomally by several strains of Bacillus licheniformis. Here, we report the cloning and sequencing of an entire 26.6-kb lichenysin biosynthesis operon from B. licheniformis ATCC 10716. Three large open reading frames coding for peptide synthetases, designated licA, licB (three modules each), and licC (one module), could be detected, followed by a gene, licTE, coding for a thioesterase-like protein. The domain structure of the seven identified modules, which resembles that of the surfactin synthetases SrfA-A to -C, showed two epimerization domains attached to the third and sixth modules. The substrate specificity of the first, fifth, and seventh recombinant adenylation domains of LicA to -C (cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli) was determined to be Gln, Asp, and Ile (with minor Val and Leu substitutions), respectively. Therefore, we suppose that the identified biosynthesis operon is responsible for the production of a lichenysin variant with the primary amino acid sequence l-Gln–l-Leu–d-Leu–l-Val–l-Asp–d-Leu–l-Ile, with minor Leu and Val substitutions at the seventh position.Many strains of Bacillus are known to produce lipopeptides with remarkable surface-active properties (11). The most prominent of these powerful lipopeptides is surfactin from Bacillus subtilis (1). Surfactin is an acylated cyclic heptapeptide that reduces the surface tension of water from 72 to 27 mN m−1 even in a concentration below 0.05% and shows some antibacterial and antifungal activities (1). Some B. subtilis strains are also known to produce other, structurally related lipoheptapeptides (Table (Table1),1), like iturin (32, 34) and bacillomycin (3, 27, 30), or the lipodecapeptides fengycin (50) and plipastatin (29).
Open in a separate windowaFA, β-hydroxy fatty acid. The β-hydroxy group forms an ester bond with the carboxy group of the C-terminal amino acid. bFA, β-hydroxy fatty acid. The β-hydroxy group forms an ester bond with the carboxy group of Asp5. cFA, β-amino fatty acid. The β-amino group forms a peptide bond with the carboxy group of the C-terminal amino acid. dOnly the following combinations of amino acid 1 and 5 are allowed: Gln-Asp or Glu-Asn. eWhere an alternative amino acid may be present in a structure, the alternative is also presented. In addition to B. subtilis, several strains of Bacillus licheniformis have been described as producing the lipopeptide lichenysin (14, 17, 23, 26, 51). Lichenysins can be grouped under the general sequence l-Glx–l-Leu–d-Leu–l-Val–l-Asx–d-Leu–l-Ile/Leu/Val (Table (Table1).1). The first amino acid is connected to a β-hydroxyl fatty acid, and the carboxy-terminal amino acid forms a lactone ring to the β-OH group of the lipophilic part of the molecule. In contrast to the lipopeptide surfactin, lichenysins seem to be synthesized during growth under aerobic and anaerobic conditions (16, 51). The isolation of lichenysins from cells growing on liquid mineral salt medium on glucose or sucrose basic has been studied intensively. Antimicrobial properties and the ability to reduce the surface tension of water have also been described (14, 17, 26, 51). The structural elucidation of the compounds revealed slight differences, depending on the producer strain. Various distributions of branched and linear fatty acid moieties of diverse lengths and amino acid variations in three defined positions have been identified (Table (Table11).In contrast to the well-defined methods for isolation and structural characterization of lichenysins, little is known about the biosynthetic mechanisms of lichenysin production. The structural similarity of lichenysins and surfactin suggests that the peptide moiety is produced nonribosomally by multifunctional peptide synthetases (7, 13, 25, 49, 53). Peptide synthetases from bacterial and fungal sources describe an alternative route in peptide bond formation in addition to the ubiquitous ribosomal pathway. Here, large multienzyme complexes affect the ordered recognition, activation, and linking of amino acids by utilizing the thiotemplate mechanism (19, 24, 25). According to this model, peptide synthetases activate their substrate amino acids as aminoacyl adenylates by ATP hydrolysis. These unstable intermediates are subsequently transferred to a covalently enzyme-bound 4′-phosphopantetheinyl cofactor as thioesters. The thioesterified amino acids are then integrated into the peptide product through a stepwise elongation by a series of transpeptidations directed from the amino terminals to the carboxy terminals. Peptide synthetases have not only awakened interest because of their mechanistic features; many of the nonribosomally processed peptide products also possess important biological and medical properties.In this report we describe the identification and characterization of a putative lichenysin biosynthesis operon from B. licheniformis ATCC 10716. Cloning and sequencing of the entire lic operon (26.6 kb) revealed three genes, licA, licB, and licC, with structural patterns common to peptide synthetases and a gene designated licTE, which codes for a putative thioesterase. The modular organization of the sequenced genes resembles the requirements for the biosynthesis of the heptapeptide lichenysin. Based on the arrangement of the seven identified modules and the tested substrate specificities, we propose that the identified genes are involved in the nonribosomal synthesis of the portion of the lichenysin peptide with the primary sequence l-Gln–l-Leu–d-Leu–l-Val–l-Asp–d-Leu–l-Ile (with minor Val and Leu substitutions). 相似文献
TABLE 1
Lipoheptapeptide antibiotics of Bacillus spp.Lipopeptide | Organism | Structure | Reference |
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Lichenysin A | B. licheniformis | FAa-L-Glu-L-Leu-D-Leu-L-Val-L-Asn-D-Leu-L-Ile | 51, 52 |
Lichenysin B | FAa-L-Glu-L-Leu-D-Leu-L-Val-L-Asp-D-Leu-L-Leu | 23, 26 | |
Lichenysin C | FAa-L-Glu-L-Leu-D-Leu-L-Val-L-Asp-D-Leu-L-Ile | 17 | |
Lichenysin D | FAa-L-Gln-L-Leu-D-Leu-L-Val-L-Asp-D-Leu-L-Ile | This work | |
Surfactant 86 | B. licheniformis | FAa-L-Glxd-L-Leu-D-Leu-L-Val-L-Asxd-D-Leu-L-Ilee | 14, 15 |
L-Val | |||
Surfactin | B. subtilis | FAa-L-Glu-L-Leu-D-Leu-L-Val-L-Asp-D-Leu-L-Leu | 1, 7, 49 |
Esperin | B. subtilis | FAb-L-Glu-L-Leu-D-Leu-L-Val-L-Asp-D-Leu-L-Leue | 45 |
L-Val | |||
Iturin A | B. subtilis | FAc-L-Asn-D-Tyr-D-Asn-L-Gln-L-Pro-D-Asn-L-Ser | 32 |
Iturin C | FAc-L-Asn-D-Tyr-D-Asn-L-Gln-L-Pro-D-Asne-L-Asne | 34 | |
D-Ser-L-Thr | |||
Bacillomycin L | B. subtilis | FAc-L-Asp-D-Tyr-D-Asn-L-Ser-L-Gln-D-Proe-L-Thr | 3 |
D-Ser- | |||
Bacillomycin D | FAc-L-Asp-D-Tyr-D-Asn-L-Pro-L-Glu-D-Ser-L-Thr | 30, 31 | |
Bacillomycin F | FAc-L-Asn-D-Tyr-D-Asn-L-Gln-L-Pro-D-Asn-L-Thr | 27 |
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Martijn W. H. Pinkse Dirk T. S. Rijkers Wolfgang R. Dostmann Albert J. R. Heck 《The Journal of biological chemistry》2009,284(24):16354-16368
The inhibitor peptide DT-2 (YGRKKRRQRRRPPLRKKKKKH) is the most potent and selective inhibitor of the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) known today. DT-2 is a construct of a PKG tight binding sequence (W45, LRKKKKKH, KI = 0.8 μm) and a membrane translocating sequence (DT-6, YGRKKRRQRRRPP, KI = 1.1 μm), that combined strongly inhibits PKG catalyzed phosphorylation (KI = 12.5 nm) with ∼1000-fold selectivity toward PKG over protein kinase A, the closest relative of PKG. However, the molecular mechanism behind this inhibition is not entirely understood. Using a combination of photoaffinity labeling, stable isotope labeling, and mass spectrometry, we have located the binding sites of PKG-specific substrate and inhibitor peptides. Covalent linkage of a PKG-specific substrate analogue was localized in the catalytic core on residues 356–372, also known as the glycine-rich loop, essential for ATP binding. By analogy, the individual inhibitor peptides W45 and DT-6 were also found to cross-link near the glycine-rich loop, suggesting these are both substrate competitive inhibitors. A bifunctional photoreactive analogue of DT-2 was found to generate dimers of PKG. This cross-linking induced covalent PKG dimerization was not observed for an N-terminal deletion mutant of PKG, which lacks the dimerization domain. In addition, non-covalent mass spectrometry was used to determine binding stoichiometry and binding order of the inhibitor peptides. Dimeric PKG binds two W45 and DT-6 peptides, whereas only one DT-2 molecule was observed to bind to the dimeric PKG. Taken together, these findings imply that (i) the two individual components making up DT-2 are both targeted against the substrate-binding site and (ii) binding of a single DT-2 molecule inactivates both PKG monomers simultaneously, which is an indication that (iii) in cGMP-activated PKG the catalytic centers of both subunits may be in each other''s proximity.Among the superfamily of protein kinases the two cyclic nucleotide-regulated protein kinases, cAMP-dependent protein kinase and cGMP-dependent protein kinase, form a closely related subfamily of serine/threonine protein kinases (1–4). Both proteins share several structural elements, such as the N-terminal dimerization domain, an autoinhibition site, two in-tandem cyclic nucleotide-binding sites, and a highly conserved catalytic core (Fig. 1, A and B). Despite these similarities, these two enzymes display differences, which account for their unique properties. Whereas PKA2 is nearly ubiquitous, PKG is primarily found in the lung, cerebellum, and smooth muscles (5, 6). From a structural point of view these cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases differ as well. The holoenzyme of PKA is a tetramer composed of two regulatory and two catalytic subunits. The catalytic subunits are non-covalently attached to the regulatory subunit dimer. Upon interaction with cAMP, the catalytic subunits dissociate from the holoenzyme and are free to catalyze heterophosphorylation (Fig. 1C). The mammalian type I PKGs are homodimeric cytosolic proteins containing two identical polypeptides of ∼76 kDa. Alternative mRNA splicing produces type Iα and type Iβ PKG, which are identical proteins apart from their first ∼100 N-terminal residues (7). Each PKG subunit is composed of a regulatory and a catalytic domain on a single polypeptide chain. Consequently, when cGMP activates PKG, the catalytic and regulatory components remain physically attached (Fig. 1D). Within the catalytic domain PKA and PKG share a strong primary sequence homology (8). Not surprisingly, these enzymes also exhibit overlapping substrate specificities, a feature that often interferes with efforts to elucidate their distinct biological pathways. Peptide substrates with a primary amino acid sequence motif RRX(S/T)X are in general recognized by both PKA and PKG (9). Besides this strong overlapping substrate specificity, several studies report on subtle differences in determinants that discriminate for PKA and PKG substrate specificity (10–16). To specifically discriminate between PKG and PKA activity in biological assays a highly specific PKG peptide inhibitor was developed (17). This peptide, YGRKKRRQRRRPPLRKKKKKH (DT-2), is the most potent and selective PKG inhibitor known today. Recently, the validity of DT-2 as a superior inhibitor of PKG in terms of potency, selectivity, and membrane permeability has been demonstrated (18–24). The inhibitor is a construct of a substrate competitive sequence, LRKKKKKH (W45), derived from a library screen that selected for tight PKG binding sequences, with a significant specificity toward PKG over PKA, and a membrane translocating signal peptide, YGRKKRRQRRRPP (DT-6). DT-2 strongly inhibits PKG-catalyzed phosphorylation (Ki = 12.5 nm), however, the molecular nature of DT-2 inhibition is not entirely understood (25). Because high resolution structural data are not available for PKG, one of our goals is to elucidate binding sites for PKG-specific substrates and inhibitors in more detail using a combination of mass spectrometric techniques and photoaffinity labeling. To further delineate the nature of inhibition we have developed photoaffinity analogues of DT-2 and related inhibitory peptides, as well as a high affinity peptide substrate. The method of photoaffinity labeling enables the direct probing of target proteins through a covalent bond, which is photochemically introduced between a ligand and its specific receptor (26). In combination with modern mass spectrometric techniques this is a powerful approach for the characterization of peptide-protein interactions (27). Substrate and inhibitor peptides containing photoactivatable analogues of phenylalanine, 4-benzoyl-l-phenylalanine (Phe(Bz)) or 4′-(3-(trifluoromethyl)-3H-diazirin-3-yl)-l-phenylalanine (Phe(Tmd)) were synthesized and used to locate their substrate/inhibitor-binding sites on PKG. These measurements indicate that the substrate peptide resides near the glycine-rich loop within the catalytic domain and that the inhibitor peptides are directed similarly toward this substrate-binding site, thereby acting as competitive inhibitors. In addition, nanoflow electrospray ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS) was performed to study the interaction between DT-2 and PKG in more detail. ESI-MS has proven to be a useful tool to analyze the non-covalent interaction of proteins with ligands, oligonucleotides, peptides, or other proteins (28–31). Using this technique, important information on conformational changes (32–35), measurement of relative dissociation constants (36, 37), and sequential binding order and cooperativity (38, 39) can be obtained. ESI-MS confirms that PKG is primarily a homodimer and is able to bind four cGMP molecules. Binding of DT-2 was strongly enhanced in the presence of cGMP. Surprising is the observation that only one DT-2 molecule binds to dimeric PKG. The information derived from these measurements allows for molecular modeling and structural refinements of the next generation of PKG-selective inhibitors.Open in a separate windowFIGURE 1.Linear arrangement of the functional domains of the regulatory and catalytic subunit of PKA (A) and PKG (B) type I and schematic representation of the current working models of the activation process of PKA (C) and PKG (D) type 1. Binding of cAMP to the PKA induces a conformational change that results in the dissociation of the catalytic subunits. Binding of cGMP to PKG also induces a conformational change, which exposes the catalytic domains, but both catalytic domains remain near each other via the N-terminal dimerization domain. (Images adapted from Scholten et al. (4).)
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TABLE 1
Inhibition contants (KI) of PKA- or PKG-specific peptide inhibitors and the PKA/PKG specificity indexPeptide | Sequence | PKGKi | PKAKi | Specificity index (PKA/PKG) | Ref. |
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μm | μm | ||||
PKI(5–24) | TTYDFIASGRTGRRNAIHD-NH2 | 150 | 0.003 | 0.0002 | (11) |
WW21 | TQAKRKKALAMA-NH2 | 7.5 | 750 | 100 | (11) |
W45 | LRKKKKKH | 0.82 ± 0.33 | 559 | 680 | (17) |
DT-6 | YGRGGRRQRRRPP | 1.1 ± 0.22 | 26 ± 4 | 23.6 | (17) |
DT-2 | YGRKKRRQRRRPPLRKKKKKH | 0.0125 ± 0.003 | 16.5 ± 3.8 | 1320 | (17) |
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Kuo-Liang Su Ya-Fan Liao Hui-Chih Hung Guang-Yaw Liu 《The Journal of biological chemistry》2009,284(39):26768-26777
Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is the first enzyme involved in polyamine biosynthesis, and it catalyzes the decarboxylation of ornithine to putrescine. ODC is a dimeric enzyme, whereas antizyme inhibitor (AZI), a positive regulator of ODC that is homologous to ODC, exists predominantly as a monomer and lacks decarboxylase activity. The goal of this paper was to identify the essential amino acid residues that determine the dimerization of AZI. The nonconserved amino acid residues in the putative dimer interface of AZI (Ser-277, Ser-331, Glu-332, and Asp-389) were substituted with the corresponding residues in the putative dimer interface of ODC (Arg-277, Tyr-331, Asp-332, and Tyr-389, respectively). Analytical ultracentrifugation analysis was used to determine the size distribution of these AZI mutants. The size-distribution analysis data suggest that residue 331 may play a major role in the dimerization of AZI. Mutating Ser-331 to Tyr in AZI (AZI-S331Y) caused a shift from a monomer configuration to a dimer. Furthermore, in comparison with the single mutant AZI-S331Y, the AZI-S331Y/D389Y double mutant displayed a further reduction in the monomer-dimer Kd, suggesting that residue 389 is also crucial for AZI dimerization. Analysis of the triple mutant AZI-S331Y/D389Y/S277R showed that it formed a stable dimer (Kd value = 1.3 μm). Finally, a quadruple mutant, S331Y/D389Y/S277R/E332D, behaved as a dimer with a Kd value of ∼0.1 μm, which is very close to that of the human ODC enzyme. The quadruple mutant, although forming a dimer, could still be disrupted by antizyme (AZ), further forming a heterodimer, and it could rescue the AZ-inhibited ODC activity, suggesting that the AZ-binding ability of the AZI dimer was retained.Polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) have been shown to have both structural and regulatory roles in protein and nucleic acid biosynthesis and function (1–3). Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC,3 EC 4.1.1.17) is a central regulator of cellular polyamine synthesis (reviewed in Refs. 1, 4, 5). This enzyme catalyzes the pyridoxal 5-phosphate (PLP)-dependent decarboxylation of ornithine to putrescine, and it is the first and rate-limiting enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis (2, 3, 6, 7). ODC and polyamines play important roles in a number of biological functions, including embryonic development, cell cycle, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis (8–15). They also have been associated with human diseases and a variety of cancers (16–26). Because the regulation of ODC and polyamine content is critical to cell proliferation (11), as well as in the origin and progression of neoplastic diseases (23, 24), ODC has been identified as an oncogenic enzyme, and the inhibitors of ODC and the polyamine pathway are important targets for therapeutic intervention in many cancers (6, 11).ODC is ubiquitously found in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. It contains 461 amino acid residues in each monomer and is a 106-kDa homodimer with molecular 2-fold symmetry (27, 28). Importantly, ODC activity requires the formation of a dimer (29–31). X-ray structures of the ODC enzyme reveal that this dimer contains two active sites, both of which are formed at the interface between the N-terminal domain of one monomer, which provides residues involved in PLP interactions, and the C-terminal domain of the other subunit, which provides the residues that interact with substrate (27, 32–41).ODC undergoes a unique ubiquitin-independent proteasomal degradation via a direct interaction with the regulatory protein antizyme (AZ). Binding of AZ promotes the dissociation of the ODC homodimers and targets ODC for degradation by the 26 S proteasome (42–46). Current models of antizyme function indicate that increased polyamine levels promote the fidelity of the AZ mRNA translational frameshift, leading to increased concentrations of AZ (47). The AZ monomer selectively binds to dimeric ODC, thereby inactivating ODC by forming inactive AZ-ODC heterodimers (44, 48–50). AZ acts as a regulator of polyamine metabolism that inhibits ODC activity and polyamine transport, thus restricting polyamine levels (4, 5, 51, 52). When antizymes are overexpressed, they inhibit ODC and promote ubiquitin-independent proteolytic degradation of ODC. Because elevated ODC activity is associated with most forms of human malignancies (1), it has been suggested that antizymes may function as tumor suppressors.In contrast to the extensive studies on the oncogene ODC, the endogenous antizyme inhibitor (AZI) is less well understood. AZI is homologous to the enzyme ODC. It is a 448-amino acid protein with a molecular mass of 50 kDa. However, despite the homology between these proteins, AZI does not possess any decarboxylase activity. It binds to antizyme more tightly than does ODC and releases ODC from the ODC-antizyme complex (53, 54). Both the AZI and AZ proteins display rapid ubiquitin-dependent turnover within a few minutes to 1 h in vivo (5). However, AZ binding actually stabilizes AZI by inhibiting its ubiquitination (55).AZI, which inactivates all members of the AZ family (53, 56), restores ODC activity (54), and prevents the proteolytic degradation of ODC, may play a role in tumor progression. It has been reported that down-regulation of AZI is associated with the inhibition of cell proliferation and reduced ODC activity, presumably through the modulation of AZ function (57). Moreover, overexpression of AZI has been shown to increase cell proliferation and promote cell transformation (58–60). Furthermore, AZI is capable of direct interaction with cyclin D1, preventing its degradation, and this effect is at least partially independent of AZ function (60, 61). These results demonstrate a role for AZI in the positive regulation of cell proliferation and tumorigenesis.It is now known that ODC exists as a dimer and that AZI may exist as a monomer physiologically (62). Fig. 1 shows the dimeric structures of ODC (Fig. 1A) and AZI (Fig. 1B). Although structural studies indicate that both ODC and AZI crystallize as dimers, the dimeric AZI structure has fewer interactions at the dimer interface, a smaller buried surface area, and a lack of symmetry of the interactions between residues from the two monomers, suggesting that the AZI dimer may be nonphysiological (62). In this study, we identify the critical amino acid residues governing the difference in dimer formation between ODC and AZI. Our preliminary studies using analytical ultracentrifugation indicated that ODC exists as a dimer, whereas AZI exists in a concentration-dependent monomer-dimer equilibrium. Multiple sequence alignments of ODC and AZI from various species have shown that residues 277, 331, 332, and 389 are not conserved between ODC and AZI (Open in a separate windowFIGURE 1.Crystal structure and the amino acid residues at the dimer interface of human ornithine decarboxylase (hODC) and mouse antizyme inhibitor (mAZI). A, homodimeric structure of human ODC with the cofactor PLP analog, LLP (Protein Data Bank code 1D7K). B, putative dimeric structure of mouse AZI (Protein Data Bank code 3BTN). The amino acid residues in the dimer interface are shown as a ball-and-stick model. The putative AZ-binding site is colored in cyan. This figure was generated using PyMOL (DeLano Scientific LLC, San Carlos, CA).
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TABLE 1
Amino acid residues at the dimer interface of human ODC and AZIHuman ODC | Residue | Human AZI |
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Nonconserved | ||
Arg | 277 | Ser |
Tyr | 331 | Ser |
Asp | 332 | Glu |
Tyr | 389 | Asp |
Conserved | ||
Asp | 134 | Asp |
Lys | 169 | Lys |
Lys | 294 | Lys |
Tyr | 323 | Tyr |
Asp | 364 | Asp |
Gly | 387 | Gly |
Phe | 397 | Phe |
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Establishment and Characterization of a Human Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Gastric Carcinoma in SCID Mice 总被引:2,自引:0,他引:2 下载免费PDF全文
Yoshiaki Iwasaki Ja-Mun Chong Yukiko Hayashi Rie Ikeno Kuniyoshi Arai Masatsugu Kitamura Morio Koike Kanji Hirai Masashi Fukayama 《Journal of virology》1998,72(10):8321-8326
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Rajesh Kasiviswanathan Matthew J. Longley Sherine S. L. Chan William C. Copeland 《The Journal of biological chemistry》2009,284(29):19501-19510
Forty-five different point mutations in POLG, the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of the human mitochondrial DNA polymerase (pol γ), cause the early onset mitochondrial DNA depletion disorder, Alpers syndrome. Sequence analysis of the C-terminal polymerase region of pol γ revealed a cluster of four Alpers mutations at highly conserved residues in the thumb subdomain (G848S, c.2542g→a; T851A, c.2551a→g; R852C, c.2554c→t; R853Q, c.2558g→a) and two Alpers mutations at less conserved positions in the adjacent palm subdomain (Q879H, c.2637g→t and T885S, c.2653a→t). Biochemical characterization of purified, recombinant forms of pol γ revealed that Alpers mutations in the thumb subdomain reduced polymerase activity more than 99% relative to the wild-type enzyme, whereas the palm subdomain mutations retained 50–70% wild-type polymerase activity. All six mutant enzymes retained physical and functional interaction with the pol γ accessory subunit (p55), and none of the six mutants exhibited defects in misinsertion fidelity in vitro. However, differential DNA binding by these mutants suggests a possible orientation of the DNA with respect to the polymerase during catalysis. To our knowledge this study represents the first structure-function analysis of the thumb subdomain in pol γ and examines the consequences of mitochondrial disease mutations in this region.As the only DNA polymerase found in animal cell mitochondria, DNA polymerase γ (pol γ)3 bears sole responsibility for DNA synthesis in all replication and repair transactions involving mitochondrial DNA (1, 2). Mammalian cell pol γ is a heterotrimeric complex composed of one catalytic subunit of 140 kDa (p140) and two 55-kDa accessory subunits (p55) that form a dimer (3). The catalytic subunit contains an N-terminal exonuclease domain connected by a linker region to a C-terminal polymerase domain. Whereas the exonuclease domain contains essential motifs I, II, and III for its activity, the polymerase domain comprising the thumb, palm, and finger subdomains contains motifs A, B, and C that are crucial for polymerase activity. The catalytic subunit is a family A DNA polymerase that includes bacterial pol I and T7 DNA polymerase and possesses DNA polymerase, 3′ → 5′ exonuclease, and 5′-deoxyribose phosphate lyase activities (for review, see Refs. 1 and 2). The 55-kDa accessory subunit (p55) confers processive DNA synthesis and tight binding of the pol γ complex to DNA (4, 5).Depletion of mtDNA as well as the accumulation of deletions and point mutations in mtDNA have been observed in several mitochondrial disorders (for review, see Ref. 6). mtDNA depletion syndromes are caused by defects in nuclear genes responsible for replication and maintenance of the mitochondrial genome (7). Mutation of POLG, the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of pol γ, is frequently involved in disorders linked to mutagenesis of mtDNA (8, 9). Presently, more than 150 point mutations in POLG are linked with a wide variety of mitochondrial diseases, including the autosomal dominant (ad) and recessive forms of progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO), Alpers syndrome, parkinsonism, ataxia-neuropathy syndromes, and male infertility (tools.niehs.nih.gov/polg) (9).Alpers syndrome, a hepatocerebral mtDNA depletion disorder, and myocerebrohepatopathy are rare heritable autosomal recessive diseases primarily affecting young children (10–12). These diseases generally manifest during the first few weeks to years of life, and symptoms gradually develop in a stepwise manner eventually leading to death. Alpers syndrome is characterized by refractory seizures, psychomotor regression, and hepatic failure (11, 12). Mutation of POLG was first linked to Alpers syndrome in 2004 (13), and to date 45 different point mutations in POLG (18 localized to the polymerase domain) are associated with Alpers syndrome (9, 14, 15). However, only two Alpers mutations (A467T and W748S, both in the linker region) have been biochemically characterized (16, 17).During the initial cloning and sequencing of the human, Drosophila, and chicken pol γ genes, we noted a highly conserved region N-terminal to motif A in the polymerase domain that was specific to pol γ (18). This region corresponds to part of the thumb subdomain that tracks DNA into the active site of both Escherichia coli pol I and T7 DNA polymerase (19–21). A high concentration of disease mutations, many associated with Alpers syndrome, is found in the thumb subdomain.Here we investigated six mitochondrial disease mutations clustered in the N-terminal portion of the polymerase domain of the enzyme (Fig. 1A). Four mutations (G848S, c.2542g→a; T851A, c.2551a→g; R852C, c.2554c→t; R853Q, c.2558g→a) reside in the thumb subdomain and two (Q879H, c.2637g→t and T885S, c.2653a→t) are located in the palm subdomain. These mutations are associated with Alpers, PEO, mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS), ataxia-neuropathy syndrome, Leigh syndrome, and myocerebrohepatopathy (POLG mutation Disease Genetics Reference G848S Alpers syndrome In trans with A467T, Q497H, T251I-P587L, or W748S-E1143G in Alpers syndrome 15, 35, 43–50 Leigh syndrome In trans with R232H in Leigh syndrome 49 MELAS In trans with R627Q in MELAS 38 PEO with ataxia-neuropathy In trans with G746S and E1143G in PEO with ataxia 50 PEO In trans with T251I and P587L in PEO 51, 52 T851A Alpers syndrome In trans with R1047W 48, 53 In trans with H277C R852C Alpers syndrome In trans with A467T 14, 48, 50 In cis with G11D and in trans with W748S-E1143G or A467T Ataxia-neuropathy In trans with G11D-R627Q 15 R853Q Myocerebrohepatopathy In trans with T251I-P587L 15 Q879H Alpers syndrome with valproate-induced hepatic failure In cis with E1143G and in trans with A467T-T885S 35, 54 T885S Alpers syndrome with valproate-induced hepatic failure In cis with A467T and in trans with Q879H-E1143G 35, 54