In vitro replication studies of carboxymethylated DNA lesions with Saccharomyces cerevisiae polymerase η

Humans are exposed to N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) both endogenously and exogenously from a number of environmental sources, and NOCs are both mutagenic and carcinogenic. After metabolic activation, some NOCs can induce carboxymethylation of nucleobases through a diazoacetate intermediate, which could give rise to p53 mutations similar to those seen in human gastrointestinal cancers. It was previously found that the growth of polymerase η-deficient human cells was inhibited by treatment with azaserine, a DNA carboxymethylation agent, suggesting the importance of this polymerase in bypassing the azaserine-induced carboxymethylated DNA lesions. In this study, we examined how carboxymethylated DNA lesions, which included N(6)-carboxymethyl-2'-deoxyadenosine (N(6)-CMdA), N(4)-carboxymethyl-2'-deoxycytidine (N(4)-CMdC), N3-carboxymethylthymidine (N3-CMdT), and O(4)-carboxymethylthymidine (O(4)-CMdT), perturbed the efficiency and fidelity of DNA replication mediated by Saccharomyces cerevisiae polymerase η (pol η). Our results from steady-state kinetic assay showed that pol η could readily bypass and extend past N(6)-CMdA and incorporated the correct nucleotides opposite the lesion and its neighboring 5'-nucleoside with high efficiency. By contrast, the polymerase could bypass N(4)-CMdC inefficiently, with substantial misincorporation of dCMP followed by dAMP, though pol η could extend past the lesion with high fidelity and efficiency when dGMP was incorporated opposite the lesion. On the other hand, yeast pol η experienced great difficulty in bypassing O(4)-CMdT and N3-CMdT, and the polymerase inserted preferentially the incorrect dGMP opposite these two DNA lesions; the extension step, nevertheless, occurred with high fidelity and efficiency when the correct dAMP was opposite the lesion, as opposed to the preferentially incorporated incorrect dGMP. These results suggest that these lesions may contribute significantly to diazoacetate-induced mutations and those in the p53 gene observed in human gastrointestinal tumors.     

Suppressors of thermosensitive mutations in the DNA polymerase δ gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DNA polymerases (Pol) α, δ and ε are necessary for replication of nuclear DNA. Po1δ interacts permanently or transiently with numerous accessory proteins whose identification may shed light on the function(s) of Po18. In vitro mutagenesis was used to induce thermosensitive (ts) mutations in the DNA polymerase δ gene (POL3). We have attempted to clone two recessive extragenic suppressors of such is mutants (sdp1 for mutation pol3-14 and sdp5-1 for mutation pol3-11) by transforming thermoresistant haploid strains pol3-14 sdpl and pol3-11 sdp5-1 with wild-type genomic libraries in singlecopy or multicopy vectors. None of the thermosensitive transformants so obtained was identified as being sdp1 or sdp5-1. Instead, three genes were cloned whose products interfere with the activity of suppressors. One of them is the type 1 protein phosphatase gene, D1S2. Another is a novel gene, ASM4, whose gene product is rich in asparagine and glutamine residues.     

A novel variant of DNA polymerase ζ, Rev3ΔC,highlights differential regulation of Pol32 as a subunit of polymerase δ versus ζ in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Unrepaired DNA lesions often stall replicative DNA polymerases and are bypassed by translesion synthesis (TLS) to prevent replication fork collapse. Mechanisms of TLS are lesion- and species-specific, with a prominent role of specialized DNA polymerases with relaxed active sites. After nucleotide(s) are incorporated across from the altered base(s), the aberrant primer termini are typically extended by DNA polymerase ζ (pol ζ). As a result, pol ζ is responsible for most DNA damage-induced mutations. The mechanisms of sequential DNA polymerase switches in vivo remain unclear. The major replicative DNA polymerase δ (pol δ) shares two accessory subunits, called Pol31/Pol32 in yeast, with pol ζ. Inclusion of Pol31/Pol32 in the pol δ/pol ζ holoenzymes requires a [4Fe–4S] cluster in C-termini of the catalytic subunits. Disruption of this cluster in Pol ζ or deletion of POL32 attenuates induced mutagenesis. Here we describe a novel mutation affecting the catalytic subunit of pol ζ, rev3ΔC, which provides insight into the regulation of pol switches. Strains with Rev3ΔC, lacking the entire C-terminal domain and therefore the platform for Pol31/Pol32 binding, are partially proficient in Pol32-dependent UV-induced mutagenesis. This suggests an additional role of Pol32 in TLS, beyond being a pol ζ subunit, related to pol δ. In search for members of this regulatory pathway, we examined the effects of Maintenance of Genome Stability 1 (Mgs1) protein on mutagenesis in the absence of Rev3–Pol31/Pol32 interaction. Mgs1 may compete with Pol32 for binding to PCNA. Mgs1 overproduction suppresses induced mutagenesis, but had no effect on UV-mutagenesis in the rev3ΔC strain, suggesting that Mgs1 exerts its inhibitory effect by acting specifically on Pol32 bound to pol ζ. The evidence for differential regulation of Pol32 in pol δ and pol ζ emphasizes the complexity of polymerase switches.     

Coronavirus infection induces DNA replication stress partly through interaction of its nonstructural protein 13 with the p125 subunit of DNA polymerase δ

Perturbation of cell cycle regulation is a characteristic feature of infection by many DNA and RNA viruses, including Coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). IBV infection was shown to induce cell cycle arrest at both S and G(2)/M phases for the enhancement of viral replication and progeny production. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well explored. In this study we show that activation of cellular DNA damage response is one of the mechanisms exploited by Coronavirus to induce cell cycle arrest. An ATR-dependent cellular DNA damage response was shown to be activated by IBV infection. Suppression of the ATR kinase activity by chemical inhibitors and siRNA-mediated knockdown of ATR reduced the IBV-induced ATR signaling and inhibited the replication of IBV. Furthermore, yeast two-hybrid screens and subsequent biochemical and functional studies demonstrated that interaction between Coronavirus nsp13 and DNA polymerase δ induced DNA replication stress in IBV-infected cells. These findings indicate that the ATR signaling activated by IBV replication contributes to the IBV-induced S-phase arrest and is required for efficient IBV replication and progeny production.     

The 3′ → 5′ exonucleases of both DNA polymerases δ and ε participate in correcting errors of DNA replication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DNA polymerases II (ε) and III(δ) are the only nuclear DNA polymerases known to possess an intrinsic 3′ → 5′ exonuclease in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have investigated the spontaneous mutator phenotypes of DNA polymerase δ and ε 3′ → 5′ exonuclease-deficient mutants, pol3-01 and pol2-4, respectively. pol3-01 and pol2-4 increased spontaneous mutation rates by factors of the order of 10² and 10¹, respectively, measured as URA3 forward mutation and his7-2 reversion. Surprisingly, a double mutant pol2-4 pol3-01 haploid was inviable. This was probably due to accumulation of unedited errors, since a pol2-4/pol2-4 pol3-01/pol3-01 diploid was viable, with the spontaneous his7-2 reversion rate increased by about 2 × 10³-fold. Analysis of mutation rates of double mutants indicated that the 3′ → 5′ exonucleases of DNA polymerases δ and ε can act competitively and that, like the 3′ → 5′ exonuclease of DNA polymerase δ the 3′ → 5′ exonuclease of DNA polymerase ε acts in series with the PMS1 mismatch correction system. Mutational spectra at a URA3 gene placed in both orientations near to a defined replication origin provided evidence that the 3′ → 5′ exonucleases of DNA polymerases δ and ε act on opposite DNA strands, but were in sufficient to distinguish conclusively between different models of DNA replication.     

Ddc1 checkpoint protein and DNA polymerase ɛ interact with nick-containing DNA repair intermediate in cell free extracts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

To characterize proteins that interact with base excision/single-strand interruption repair DNA intermediates in cell free extracts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we used a combination of photoaffinity labeling with the protein identification by MALDI-TOF-MS peptide mapping. Photoreactive analogue of dCTP, namely exo-N-[4-(4-azido-2,3,5,6,-tetrafluorobenzylidenehydrazinocarbonyl)-butylcarbamoyl]-2'-deoxycytidine-5'-triphosphate, and [(32)P]-labeled DNA duplex containing one nucleotide gap were used to generate nick-containing DNA with a photoreactive dCMP residue at the 3'-margin of the nick. This photoreactive DNA derivative was incubated with the yeast cell extract and after UV irradiation a number of proteins were labeled. Two of the crosslinked proteins were identified as the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase ? and Ddc1 checkpoint protein. Labeling of DNA polymerase ? catalytic subunit with the nick-containing DNA repair intermediate indicates that the DNA polymerase is involved in the DNA repair synthesis in yeast, at least at DNA single-strand interruptions. Crosslinking of Ddc1 to DNA nicks took place independently of the other components of checkpoint clamp, Mec3 and Rad17, suggesting that the protein alone is able to recognize DNA single-strand breaks. Indeed, purified GST-tagged Ddc1 protein was efficiently crosslinked to nick-containing DNA. The interaction of Ddc1 with DNA nicks may provide a link between the DNA damage checkpoint and DNA base excision/single-strand breaks repair pathways in yeast. In addition, we found that absence of Ddc1 protein greatly influences the overall pattern of other proteins crosslinked to DNA nick. We suggested that this last effect of Ddc1 is at least partially due to its capacity to prevent proteolytic degradation of the DNA-protein adducts.     

Isolation of a Peptidyl Factor, α Substance-IA,Inducing Sexual Agglutinability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

After a eleven-steps purification, a peptidyl factor named α substance-Ia was isolated in pure form from a culture filtrate of α type cells of the heterothallic Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The substance induced the sexual agglutinability in a haploid cells belonging to the opposite mating type at concentrations from 0.4 to 0.8 ng/ml.     

Expression of the p12 subunit of human DNA polymerase δ (Pol δ), CDK inhibitor p21WAF1, Cdt1, cyclin A,PCNA and Ki-67 in relation to DNA replication in individual cells

We recently reported that the p12 subunit of human DNA polymerase δ (Pol δ4) is degraded by CRL4^Cdt2 which regulates the licensing factor Cdt1 and p21^WAF1 during the G₁ to S transition. Presently, we performed multiparameter laser scanning cytometric analyses of changes in levels of p12, Cdt1 and p21^WAF1, detected immunocytochemically in individual cells, vis-à-vis the initiation and completion of DNA replication. The latter was assessed by pulse-labeling A549 cells with the DNA precursor ethynyl-2′-deoxyribose (EdU). The loss of p12 preceded the initiation of DNA replication and essentially all cells incorporating EdU were p12 negative. Completion of DNA replication and transition to G₂ phase coincided with the re-appearance and rapid rise of p12 levels. Similar to p12 a decline of p21^WAF1 and Cdt1 was seen at the end of G₁ phase and all DNA replicating cells were p21^WAF1 and Cdt1 negative. The loss of p21^WAF1 preceded that of Cdt1 and p12 and the disappearance of the latter coincided with the onset of DNA replication. Loss of p12 leads to conversion of Pol δ4 to its trimeric form, Pol δ3, so that the results provide strong support to the notion that Pol δ3 is engaged in DNA replication during unperturbed progression through the S phase of cell cycle. Also assessed was a correlation between EdU incorporation, likely reflecting the rate of DNA replication in individual cells, and the level of expression of positive biomarkers of replication cyclin A, PCNA and Ki-67 in these cells. Of interest was the observation of stronger correlation between EdU incorporation and expression of PCNA (r = 0.73) than expression of cyclin A (r = 0.47) or Ki-67 (r = 0.47).     

Ria1p (Ynl163c), a protein similar to elongation factors 2, is involved in the biogenesis of the 60S subunit of the ribosome in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

RIA1 (YNL163c) is a quasi-essential gene that encodes a protein with strong similarities to elongation factors 2. Small C-terminal deletions in the protein lead to a severe growth defect. In the case of a 22-residue C-terminal deletion this can be suppressed by intragenic mutations in the RIA1 gene or dominant extragenic mutations in TIF6, which is thought to be involved in the biogenesis of the 60S subunit of the ribosome. The dominant TIF6 alleles can also suppress the phenotype associated with a complete deletion of the RIA1 gene. Depletion of Ria1p has a dramatic effect on the polysome profile: there is a severe reduction in the level of the 80S monosomes, an imbalance in the 40S/60S ratio, and halfmers appear. Dissociation of the monosomes and polysomes in the Ria1p depletion mutant revealed a specific reduction in the amount of 60S subunits. Localization experiments with HA-tagged derivatives of Ria1p did not detect any stable association of Ria1p with ribosome subunits, 80S monosomes or polysomes. Cell fractionation experiments show that Ria1p is found in both the cytoplasmic fraction and the nuclear fraction. Taken together, these data suggest that Ria1p is involved in the biogenesis of the 60S subunit of the ribosome.     

Defect of Fe-S cluster binding by DNA polymerase δ in yeast suppresses UV-induced mutagenesis,but enhances DNA polymerase ζ – dependent spontaneous mutagenesis

Eukaryotic genomes are duplicated by a complex machinery, utilizing high fidelity replicative B-family DNA polymerases (pols) α, δ and ε. Specialized error-prone pol ζ, the fourth B-family member, is recruited when DNA synthesis by the accurate trio is impeded by replication stress or DNA damage. The damage tolerance mechanism dependent on pol ζ prevents DNA/genome instability and cell death at the expense of increased mutation rates. The pol switches occurring during this specialized replication are not fully understood. The loss of pol ζ results in the absence of induced mutagenesis and suppression of spontaneous mutagenesis. Disruption of the Fe-S cluster motif that abolish the interaction of the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the catalytic subunit of pol ζ with its accessory subunits, which are shared with pol δ, leads to a similar defect in induced mutagenesis. Intriguingly, the pol3-13 mutation that affects the Fe-S cluster in the CTD of the catalytic subunit of pol δ also leads to defective induced mutagenesis, suggesting the possibility that Fe-S clusters are essential for the pol switches during replication of damaged DNA. We confirmed that yeast strains with the pol3-13 mutation are UV-sensitive and defective in UV-induced mutagenesis. However, they have increased spontaneous mutation rates. We found that this increase is dependent on functional pol ζ. In the pol3-13 mutant strain with defective pol δ, there is a sharp increase in transversions and complex mutations, which require functional pol ζ, and an increase in the occurrence of large deletions, whose size is controlled by pol ζ. Therefore, the pol3-13 mutation abrogates pol ζ-dependent induced mutagenesis, but allows for pol ζ recruitment for the generation of spontaneous mutations and prevention of larger deletions. These results reveal differential control of the two major types of pol ζ-dependent mutagenesis by the Fe-S cluster present in replicative pol δ.     

Polymorphism of 2-μm plasmids in industrial strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses of industrial Saccharomyces yeast DNA have identified eight 2-m plasmidsvariants that fall into two distinct types. Type-I plasmids are of unique form, whereas type-II plasmids exist in seven distinct RFLP forms. Only two different 2-m variants were observed in 35 bakers' strains analysed. One variant was the unique type-I whereas the second variant represents an ancestral form of the type-II plasmid. Sixteen of nineteen wine yeasts carried a distinctive type-II plasmid with a homeologous STB repeat whereas ale and lager yeasts had a wide range of type-II variants. Relative to nuclear and mtDNA, 2-m polymorphism is less diverse and not diagnostic for a specific strain. This 2-m DNA polymorphism is a convenient and useful addendum to nuclear and mtDNA RFLP analyses but cannot serve as the sole marker for strain identification. A tentative phylogeny of industrial S. cerevisiae yeasts is suggested with origins in bakers' yeast carrying the ancestral type-II form. Correspondence to: G. H. Rank     

Chimeric evolution of the 2-μm genome in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We compared the nucleotide substitution pattern over the entire genome of two unique variants of the 6,300-bp selfish DNA (2 m) plasmid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The DNA sequence of the left-unique region is identical among 2-m variants, while the right-unique region shows substantial divergence. This chimeric pattern cannot be explained by neutral or Darwinian selection models. We propose that horizontal transmission of the 2-m plasmid coupled with a directed, polarized gene conversion maintains the DNA sequence of the left-unique region, whereas the right-unique region is subject to random drift and Darwinian selection. Correspondence to: G.H. Rank     

Isolation and Structure Elucidation of α Substance-IB,a Hexapeptide Inducing Sexual Agglutination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Cellulose triacetate prepared from bacterial cellulose of Acetobacter xylinum subsp. sucrofermentans BPR3001A showed a higher degree of polymerization and higher mechanical strength than that from the cotton linter. The fine fibrils of bacterial cellulose required only a short time for acetylation which preserved the high degree of polymerization.     

The N-terminal region of the bacterial DNA polymerase PolC features a pair of domains, both distantly related to domain V of the DNA polymerase III τ subunit

PolC is one of two essential replicative DNA polymerases in Bacillus subtilis and other Gram-positive bacteria. The 3D structure of PolC has recently been solved, yet it lacks the N-terminal region. For this PolC region of ～ 230 residues, both the structure and function are unknown. In the present study, using sensitive homology detection and comparative protein structure modeling, we identified, in this enigmatic region, two consecutive globular domains, PolC-NI and PolC-NII, which are followed by an apparently unstructured linker. Unexpectedly, we found that both domains are related to domain V of the τ subunit, which is part of the bacterial DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. Despite their common homology to τ, PolC-NI and PolC-NII exhibit very little sequence similarity to each other. This observation argues against simple tandem duplication within PolC as the origin of the two-domain structure. Using the derived structural models, we analyzed residue conservation and the surface properties of both PolC N-terminal domains. We detected a surface patch of positive electrostatic potential in PolC-NI and a hydrophobic surface patch in PolC-NII, suggesting their possible involvement in nucleic acid and protein binding, respectively. PolC is known to interact with the τ subunit, however, the region responsible for this interaction is unknown. We propose that the PolC N-terminus is involved in mediating the PolC-τ interaction and possibly also in binding DNA.     

Roles of POLD4, smallest subunit of DNA polymerase δ, in nuclear structures and genomic stability of human cells

Mammalian DNA polymerase δ (pol δ) is essential for DNA replication, though the functions of this smallest subunit of POLD4 have been elusive. We investigated pol δ activities in vitro and found that it was less active in the absence of POLD4, irrespective of the presence of the accessory protein PCNA. shRNA-mediated reduction of POLD4 resulted in a marked decrease in colony formation activity by Calu6, ACC-LC-319, and PC-10 cells. We also found that POLD4 reduction was associated with an increased population of karyomere-like cells, which may be an indication of DNA replication stress and/or DNA damage. The karyomere-like cells retained an ability to progress through the cell cycle, suggesting that POLD4 reduction induces modest genomic instability, while allowing cells to grow until DNA damage reaches an intolerant level. Our results indicate that POLD4 is required for the in vitro pol δ activity, and that it functions in cell proliferation and maintenance of genomic stability of human cells.     

Methylglyoxal activates Gcn2 to phosphorylate eIF2α independently of the TOR pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Methylglyoxal is a ubiquitous 2-oxoaldehyde derived from glycolysis. Previously, we have reported that methylglyoxal attenuates the rate of overall protein synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae through phosphorylation of the α subunit of translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2α) in a Gcn2-dependent manner. Phosphorylation of eIF2α impedes the formation of a translation initiation complex, and subsequently, overall protein synthesis is reduced. Uncharged tRNA plays an important role in the activation of Gcn2, although we found that MG treatment did not elevate the levels of uncharged tRNA. Rapamycin, a potent inhibitor of TOR kinase, is known to induce phosphorylation of eIF2α without affecting the levels of uncharged tRNA. We determined the correlation between methylglyoxal and TOR kinase activity and found that phosphorylation of eIF2α by methylglyoxal occurred independently of the target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway.     

The hypo-osmolarity-sensitive phenotype of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae hpo2 mutant is due to a mutation in PKC1, which regulates expression of β-glucanase

To obtain more information about the cell wall organization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we have developed a novel screening system to obtain cell wall-defective mutants, using a density gradient centrifugation method. Nine hypo-osmolarity-sensitive mutants were classified into two complementation groups, hpo1 and hpo2. Phase contrast microscopic observation showed that mutant cells bearing lesions at either locus became abnormally large. A gene that complemented the mutant phenotype of hpo2 was cloned and sequenced. This gene turned out to be identical to PKC1, which encodes the yeast homologue of mammalian protein kinase C. Complementation tests with pkc1Δ showed that hpo2 is allelic to pkc1. To study the reason for the fragility of hpo2 cells, cell wall was isolated and the glucan was analyzed. The amount of alkali, acid-insoluble glucan, which is responsible for the rigidity of the cell wall, was reduced to about 30% that of the wild-type cell and this may be the major cause of the fragility of the hpo2 mutant cell. Analysis of total wall proteins in hpo2 mutant cells on SDS-polyacrylamide gels revealed that a 33 kDa protein was overproduced two- to threefold relative to the wild-type level. This 33 kDa protein was identified as a β-glucanase, encoded by BGL2. Disruption of BGL2 in the hpo2 mutant partially rescued the growth rate defect. This suggests that the PKC1 kinase cascade regulates BGL2 expression negatively and overproduction of the β-glucanase is partially responsible for the growth defect. Since the bgl2 disruption did not rescue the hypo-osmolarty-sensitive phenotype of the hpo2 mutant, PKC1 must negatively regulate other enzymes involved in the biosynthesis and metabolism of the cell wall.