ROS1 5-methylcytosine DNA glycosylase is a slow-turnover catalyst that initiates DNA demethylation in a distributive fashion

Arabidopsis ROS1 belongs to a family of plant 5-methycytosine DNA glycosylases that initiate DNA demethylation through base excision. ROS1 displays the remarkable capacity to excise 5-meC, and to a lesser extent T, while retaining the ability to discriminate effectively against C and U. We found that replacement of the C5-methyl group by halogen substituents greatly decreased excision of the target base. Furthermore, 5-meC was excised more efficiently from mismatches, whereas excision of T only occurred when mispaired with G. These results suggest that ROS1 specificity arises by a combination of selective recognition at the active site and thermodynamic stability of the target base. We also found that ROS1 is a low-turnover catalyst because it binds tightly to the abasic site left after 5-meC removal. This binding leads to a highly distributive behaviour of the enzyme on DNA substrates containing multiple 5-meC residues, and may help to avoid generation of double-strand breaks during processing of bimethylated CG dinucleotides. We conclude that the biochemical properties of ROS1 are consistent with its proposed role in protecting the plant genome from excess methylation.     

Methylation-independent DNA Binding Modulates Specificity of Repressor of Silencing 1 (ROS1) and Facilitates Demethylation in Long Substrates

DNA cytosine methylation is an epigenetic mark that promotes gene silencing and performs critical roles during reproduction and development in both plants and animals. The genomic distribution of DNA methylation is the dynamic outcome of opposing methylation and demethylation processes. In plants, active demethylation occurs through a base excision repair pathway initiated by 5-methycytosine (5-meC) DNA glycosylases of the REPRESSOR OF SILENCING 1 (ROS1)/DEMETER (DME) family. To gain insight into the mechanism by which Arabidopsis ROS1 recognizes and excises 5-meC, we have identified those protein regions that are required for efficient DNA binding and catalysis. We have found that a short N-terminal lysine-rich domain conserved in members of the ROS1/DME family mediates strong methylation-independent binding of ROS1 to DNA and is required for efficient activity on 5-meC·G, but not for T·G processing. Removal of this domain does not significantly affect 5-meC excision from short molecules, but strongly decreases ROS1 activity on long DNA substrates. This region is not required for product binding and is not involved in the distributive behavior of the enzyme on substrates containing multiple 5-meC residues. Altogether, our results suggest that methylation-independent DNA binding allows ROS1 to perform a highly redundant search for efficient excision of a nondamaged, correctly paired base such as 5-meC in long stretches of DNA. These findings may have implications for understanding the evolution of structure and target specificity in DNA glycosylases.     

Arabidopsis DEMETER-LIKE proteins DML2 and DML3 are required for appropriate distribution of DNA methylation marks

Cytosine DNA methylation is a stable epigenetic mark for maintenance of gene silencing across cellular divisions, but it is a reversible modification. Genetic and biochemical studies have revealed that the Arabidopsis DNA glycosylase domain-containing proteins ROS1 (REPRESSOR OF SILENCING 1) and DME (DEMETER) initiate erasure of 5-methylcytosine through a base excision repair process. The Arabidopsis genome encodes two paralogs of ROS1 and DME, referred to as DEMETER-LIKE proteins DML2 and DML3. We have found that DML2 and DML3 are 5-methylcytosine DNA glycosylases that are expressed in a wide range of plant organs. We analyzed the distribution of methylation marks at two methylated loci in wild-type and dml mutant plants. Mutations in DML2 and/or DML3 lead to hypermethylation of cytosine residues that are unmethylated or weakly methylated in wild-type plants. In contrast, sites that are heavily methylated in wild-type plants are hypomethylated in mutants. These results suggest that DML2 and DML3 are required not only for removing DNA methylation marks from improperly-methylated cytosines, but also for maintenance of high methylation levels in properly targeted sites.     

Early steps of active DNA demethylation initiated by ROS1 glycosylase require three putative helix-invading residues

Active DNA demethylation is crucial for epigenetic control, but the underlying enzymatic mechanisms are incompletely understood. REPRESSOR OF SILENCING 1 (ROS1) is a 5-methylcytosine (5-meC) DNA glycosylase/lyase that initiates DNA demethylation in plants through a base excision repair process. The enzyme binds DNA nonspecifically and slides along the substrate in search of 5-meC. In this work, we have used homology modelling and biochemical analysis to gain insight into the mechanism of target location and recognition by ROS1. We have found that three putative helix-intercalating residues (Q607, R903 and M905) are required for processing of 5-meC:G pairs, but dispensable for excision of mismatched 5-meC. Mutant proteins Q607A, R903A and M905G retain the capacity to process an abasic site opposite G, thus suggesting that all three residues play a critical role in early steps of the base extrusion process and likely contribute to destabilization of 5-meC:G pairs. While R903 and M905 are not essential for DNA binding, mutation of Q607 abrogates stable binding to both methylated and nonmethylated DNA. However, the mutant protein Q607A can form stable complexes with DNA substrates containing blocked ends, which suggests that Q607 intercalates into the helix and inhibits sliding. Altogether, our results suggest that ROS1 uses three predicted helix-invading residues to actively interrogate DNA in search for 5-meC.     

Demethylation initiated by ROS1 glycosylase involves random sliding along DNA

Active DNA demethylation processes play a critical role in shaping methylation patterns, yet our understanding of the mechanisms involved is still fragmented and incomplete. REPRESSOR OF SILENCING 1 (ROS1) is a prototype member of a family of plant 5-methylcytosine DNA glycosylases that initiate active DNA demethylation through a base excision repair pathway. As ROS1 binds DNA non-specifically, we have critically tested the hypothesis that facilitated diffusion along DNA may contribute to target location by the enzyme. We have found that dissociation of ROS1 from DNA is severely restricted when access to both ends is obstructed by tetraloops obstacles. Unblocking any end facilitates protein dissociation, suggesting that random surface sliding is the main route to a specific target site. We also found that removal of the basic N-terminal domain of ROS1 significantly impairs the sliding capacity of the protein. Finally, we show that sliding increases the catalytic efficiency of ROS1 on 5-meC:G pairs, but not on T:G mispairs, thus suggesting that the enzyme achieves recognition and excision of its two substrate bases by different means. A model is proposed to explain how ROS1 finds its potential targets on DNA.     

Genetic interactions between DNA demethylation and methylation in Arabidopsis

DNA demethylation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is mediated by DNA glycosylases of the DEMETER family. Three DEMETER-LIKE (DML) proteins, REPRESSOR OF SILENCING1 (ROS1), DML2, and DML3, function to protect genes from potentially deleterious methylation. In Arabidopsis, much of the DNA methylation is directed by RNA interference (RNAi) pathways and used to defend the genome from transposable elements and their remnants, repetitive sequences. Here, we investigated the relationship between DML demethylation and RNAi-mediated DNA methylation. We found that genic regions demethylated by DML enzymes are enriched for small interfering RNAs and generally contain sequence repeats, transposons, or both. The most common class of small interfering RNAs was 24 nucleotides long, suggesting a role for an RNAi pathway that depends on RNA-DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE2 (RDR2). We show that ROS1 removes methylation that has multiple, independent origins, including de novo methylation directed by RDR2-dependent and -independent RNAi pathways. Interestingly, in rdr2 and drm2 mutant plants, we found that genes demethylated by ROS1 accumulate CG methylation, and we propose that this hypermethylation is due to the ROS1 down-regulation that occurs in these mutant backgrounds. Our observations support the hypothesis that DNA demethylation by DML enzymes is one mechanism by which Arabidopsis genes are protected from genome defense pathways.     

Base J, found in nuclear DNA of Trypanosoma brucei, is not a target for DNA glycosylases

Base excision repair (BER) is an evolutionarily conserved system which removes altered bases from DNA. The initial step in BER is carried out by DNA glycosylases which recognize altered bases and cut the N-glycosylic bond between the base and the DNA backbone. In kinetoplastid flagellates, such as Trypanosoma brucei, the modified base beta-D-glucosyl-hydroxymethyluracil (J) replaces a small percentage of thymine residues, predominantly in repetitive telomeric sequences. Base J is synthesized at the DNA level via the precursor 5-hydroxymethyluracil (5-HmU). We have investigated whether J in DNA can be recognized by DNA glycosylases from non-kinetoplastid origin, and whether the presence of J and 5-HmU in DNA has required modifications of the trypanosome BER system. We tested the ability of 15 different DNA glycosylases from various origins to excise J or 5-HmU paired to A from duplex oligonucleotides. No excision of J was found, but 5-HmU was excised by AlkA and Mug from Escherichia coli and by human SMUG1 and TDG, confirming previous reports. In a combination of database searches and biochemical assays we identified several DNA glycosylases in T. brucei, but in trypanosome extracts we detected no excision activity towards 5-HmU or ethenocytosine, a product of oxidative DNA damage and a substrate for Mug, TDG and SMUG1. Our results indicate that trypanosomes have a BER system similar to that of other organisms, but might be unable to excise certain forms of oxidatively damaged bases. The presence of J in DNA does not require a specific modification of the BER system, as this base is not recognized by any known DNA glycosylase.     

Structural and biochemical exploration of a critical amino acid in human 8-oxoguanine glycosylase

Members of the HhH-GPD superfamily of DNA glycosylases are responsible for the recognition and removal of damaged nucleobases from DNA. The hallmark of these proteins is a motif comprising a helix-hairpin-helix followed by a Gly/Pro-rich loop and terminating in an invariant, catalytically essential aspartic acid residue. In this study, we have probed the role of this Asp in human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (hOgg1) by mutating it to Asn (D268N), Glu (D268E), and Gln (D268Q). We show that this aspartate plays a dual role, acting both as an N-terminal alpha-helix cap and as a critical residue for catalysis of both base excision and DNA strand cleavage by hOgg1. Mutation of this residue to asparagine, another helix-capping residue, preserves stability of the protein while drastically reducing enzymatic activity. A crystal structure of this mutant is the first to reveal the active site nucleophile Lys249 in the presence of lesion-containing DNA; this structure offers a tantalizing suggestion that base excision may occur by cleavage of the glycosidic bond and then attachment of Lys249. Mutation of the aspartic acid to glutamine and glutamic acid destabilizes the protein fold to a significant extent but, surprisingly, preserves catalytic activity. Crystal structures of these mutants complexed with an unreactive abasic site in DNA reveal these residues to adopt a sterically disfavored helix-capping conformation.     

Interactions of the human, rat, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylases with DNA containing dIMP residues

In DNA, the deamination of dAMP generates 2′-deoxyinosine 5′-monophosphate (dIMP). Hypoxanthine (HX) residues are mutagenic since they give rise to A·T→G·C transition. They are excised, although with different efficiencies, by an activity of the 3-methyladenine (3-meAde)-DNA glycosylases from Escherichia coli (AlkA protein), human cells (ANPG protein), rat cells (APDG protein) and yeast (MAG protein). Comparison of the kinetic constants for the excision of HX residues by the four enzymes shows that the E.coli and yeast enzymes are quite inefficient, whereas for the ANPG and the APDG proteins they repair the HX residues with an efficiency comparable to that of alkylated bases, which are believed to be the primary substrates of these DNA glycosylases. Since the use of various substrates to monitor the activity of HX-DNA glycosylases has generated conflicting results, the efficacy of the four 3-meAde-DNA glycosylases of different origin was compared using three different substrates. Moreover, using oligonucleotides containing a single dIMP residue, we investigated a putative sequence specificity of the enzymes involving the bases next to the HX residue. We found up to 2–5-fold difference in the rates of HX excision between the various sequences of the oligonucleotides studied. When the dIMP residue was placed opposite to each of the four bases, a preferential recognition of dI:T over dI:dG, dI:dC and dI:dA mismatches was observed for both human (ANPG) and E.coli (AlkA) proteins. At variance, the yeast MAG protein removed more efficiently HX from a dI:dG over dI:dC, dI:T and dI:dA mismatches.     

Early steps in the DNA base excision/single-strand interruption repair pathway in mammalian cells

Base excision repair （BER） is an evolutionarily conserved process for maintaining genomic integrity by eliminating several dozen damaged （oxidized or aikylated） or inappropriate bases that are generated endogenously or induced by genotoxicants, predominantly, reactive oxygen species （ROS）. BER involves 4-5 steps starting with base excision by a DNA glycosylase, followed by a common pathway usually involving an AP-endonuclease （APE） to generate 3＇ OH terminus at the damage site, followed by repair synthesis with a DNA polymerase and nick sealing by a DNA iigase. This pathway is also responsible for repairing DNA single-strand breaks with blocked termini directly generated by ROS. Nearly all glycosylases, far fewer than their substrate lesions particularly for oxidized bases, have broad and overlapping substrate range, and could serve as back-up enzymes in vivo. In contrast, mammalian cells encode only one APE, APEI, unlike two APEs in lower organisms. In spite of overall similarity, BER with distinct subpathways in the mammals is more complex than in E. coli. The glycosylases form complexes with downstream proteins to carry out efficient repair via distinct subpathways one of which, responsible for repair of strand breaks with 3＇ phosphate termini generated by the NEIL family glycosylases or by ROS, requires the phosphatase activity of polynucleotide kinase instead of APE1. Different complexes may utilize distinct DNA polymerases and iigases. Mammalian glycosylases have nonconserved extensions at one of the termini, dispensable for enzymatic activity but needed for interaction with other BER and non-BER proteins for complex formation and organeile targeting. The mammalian enzymes are sometimes covalently modified which may affect activity and complex formation. The focus of this review is on the early steps in mammalian BER for oxidized damage.     

The DNA Repair Protein XRCC1 Functions in the Plant DNA Demethylation Pathway by Stimulating Cytosine Methylation (5-meC) Excision,Gap Tailoring,and DNA Ligation

DNA methylation patterns are the dynamic outcome of antagonist methylation and demethylation mechanisms, but the latter are still poorly understood. Active DNA demethylation in plants is mediated by a family of DNA glycosylases typified by Arabidopsis ROS1 (repressor of silencing 1). ROS1 and its homologs remove 5-methylcytosine and incise the sugar backbone at the abasic site, thus initiating a base excision repair pathway that finally inserts an unmethylated cytosine. The DNA 3′-phosphatase ZDP processes some of the incision products generated by ROS1, allowing subsequent DNA polymerization and ligation steps. In this work, we examined the possible role of plant XRCC1 (x-ray cross-complementing group protein 1) in DNA demethylation. We found that XRCC1 interacts in vitro with ROS1 and ZDP and stimulates the enzymatic activity of both proteins. Furthermore, extracts from xrcc1 mutant plants exhibit a reduced capacity to complete DNA demethylation initiated by ROS1. An anti-XRCC1 antibody inhibits removal of the blocking 3′-phosphate in the single-nucleotide gap generated during demethylation and reduces the capacity of Arabidopsis cell extracts to ligate a nicked DNA intermediate. Our results suggest that XRCC1 is a component of plant base excision repair and functions at several stages during active DNA demethylation in Arabidopsis.     

Action of multiple base excision repair enzymes on the 2'-deoxyribonolactone

Free radical attack on the sugar-phosphate backbone generates oxidized apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) residues in DNA. 2'-deoxyribonolactone (dL) is a C1'-oxidized AP site damage generated by UV and gamma-irradiation, and certain anticancer drugs. If not repaired dL produces G-->A transitions in Escherichia coli. In the base excision repair (BER) pathway, AP endonucleases are the major enzymes responsible for 5'-incision of the regular AP site (dR) and dL. DNA glycosylases with associated AP lyase activity can also efficiently cleave regular AP sites. Here, we report that dL is a substrate for AP endonucleases but not for DNA glycosylases/AP lyases. The kinetic parameters of the dL-incision were similar to those of the dR. DNA glycosylases such as E. coli formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase, mismatch-specific uracil-DNA glycosylase, and human alkylpurine-DNA N-glycosylase bind strongly to dL without cleaving it. We show that dL cross-links with the human proteins 8-oxoguanine-DNA (hOGG1) and thymine glycol-DNA glycosylases (hNth1), and dR cross-links with Nth and hNth1. These results suggest that dL and dR induced genotoxicity might be strengthened by BER pathway in vivo.     

Mutational studies of Pa-AGOG DNA glycosylase from the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum

In all organisms studied to date, 8-oxoguanine (GO), an important oxidation product of guanine, is removed by highly conserved GO DNA glycosylases. The hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum encodes a GO DNA glycosylase, Pa-AGOG (Archaeal GO DNA glycosylase) which has become the founding member of a new family within the HhH-GPD superfamily of DNA glycosylases based on unique structural and functional characteristics. In this study, we made quantitative measurements of the DNA glycosylase activity of Pa-AGOG wild type and some engineered variants under single turnover conditions. The mutagenesis study includes residues Trp222 (W222A and W222F), Trp69 (W69F), Gln31 (Q31S) and Lys147 (K147Q) all of which are involved in GO recognition and Asp172 (D172N and D172Q) and Lys140 (K140Q) that are involved in catalysis. Pa-AGOG prefers GO/G mispairs for both base excision and base excision/β-lyase activities. The mutagenesis studies show that base-stacking between GO and Trp222 is very important for recognition. The contact between Trp69 and the 8-oxo group was found to be dispensable, while that to N⁷ by Gln31 is indispensable for GO recognition. In contrast to human OGG1 the catalytic mutant, D172Q did not show detectable glycosylase activity. Pa-AGOG mutants K140Q, D172N and D172Q did bind GO containing single-stranded DNA more tightly than double-stranded DNA containing a GO/C base pair. Our studies confirm and extend the unique characteristics of Pa-AGOG, which distinguish it from other mesophilic and thermostable GO DNA glycosylases.     

Rapid determination of the active fraction of DNA repair glycosylases: a novel fluorescence assay for trapped intermediates

Current methods to measure the fraction of active glycosylase molecules in a given enzyme preparation are slow and cumbersome. Here we report a novel assay for rapidly determining the active fraction based on molecular accessibility of a fluorescent DNA minor groove binder, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). Several 5,6-dihydrouracil-containing (DHU) DNA substrates were designed with sequence-dependent DAPI-binding sites to which base excision repair glycosylases were covalently trapped by reduction. Trapped complexes impeded the association of DAPI in a manner dependent on the enzyme used and the location of the DAPI-binding site in relation to the lesion. Of the sequences tested, one was shown to give an accurate measure of the fraction of active molecules for each enzyme tested from both the Fpg/Nei family and HhH-GPD Nth superfamily of DNA glycosylases. The validity of the approach was demonstrated by direct comparison with current gel-based methods. Additionally, the results are supported by in silico modeling based on available crystal structures.     

Catalytic and DNA binding properties of the ogg1 protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: comparison between the wild type and the K241R and K241Q active-site mutant proteins

The Ogg1 protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae belongs to a family of DNA glycosylases and apurinic/apyrimidinic site (AP) lyases, the signature of which is the alpha-helix-hairpin-alpha-helix-Gly/Pro-Asp (HhH-GPD) active site motif together with a conserved catalytic lysine residue, to which we refer as the HhH-GPD/K family. In the yeast Ogg1 protein, yOgg1, the HhH-GPD/K motif spans residues 225-260 and the conserved lysine is K241. In this study, we have purified the K241R and K241Q mutant proteins and compared their catalytic and DNA binding properties to that of the wild-type yOgg1. The results show that the K241R mutation greatly impairs both the DNA glycosylase and the AP lyase activities of yOgg1. Specificity constants for cleavage of a 34mer oligodeoxyribonucleotide containing a 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-OxoG) paired with a cytosine, [8-OxoG.C], are 56 x 10(-)(3) and 5 x 10(-)(3) min(-)(1) nM(-)(1) for the wild-type and the K241R protein, respectively. On the other hand, the K241Q mutation abolishes the DNA glycosylase and AP lyase activities of yOgg1. In contrast, the K241R and K241Q proteins have conserved wild-type DNA binding properties. K(dapp) values for binding of [8-OxoG.C] are 6.9, 7.4, and 4.8 nM for the wild-type, K241R, and K241Q proteins, respectively. The results also show that AP site analogues such as 1, 3-propanediol (Pr), tetrahydrofuran (F), or cyclopentanol (Cy) are not substrates but constitute good inhibitors of the wild-type yOgg1. Therefore, we have used a 59mer [Pr.C] duplex to further analyze the DNA binding properties of the wild-type, K241R, and K241Q proteins. Hydroxyl radical footprints of the wild-type yOgg1 show strong protection of six nucleotides centered around the Pr lesion in the damaged strand. On the complementary strand, only the cytosine placed opposite Pr was strongly protected. The same footprints were observed with the K241R and K241Q proteins, confirming their wild-type DNA binding properties. These results indicate that the K241Q mutant protein can be used to study interactions between yOgg1 and DNA containing metabolizable substrates such as 8-OxoG or an AP site.     

Pa-AGOG, the founding member of a new family of archaeal 8-oxoguanine DNA-glycosylases

Oxidative damage represents a major threat to genomic stability, as the major product of DNA oxidation, 8-oxoguanine (GO), frequently mispairs with adenine during replication. In order to prevent these mutagenic events, organisms have evolved GO-DNA glycosylases that remove this oxidized base from DNA. We were interested to find out how GO is processed in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum, which lives at temperatures around 100°C. To this end, we searched its genome for open reading frames (ORFs) bearing the principal hallmark of GO-DNA glycosylases: a helix–hairpin–helix motif and a glycine/proline-rich sequence followed by an absolutely conserved aspartate (HhH-GPD motif). Interestingly, although the P.aerophilum genome encodes three such ORFs, none of these encodes the potent GO-processing activity detected in P.aerophilum extracts. Fractionation of the extracts, followed by analysis of the active fractions by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, showed that the GO-processing enzyme has a molecular size of ~30 kDa. Mass spectrometric analysis of proteins in this size range identified several peptides originating from P.aerophilum ORF PAE2237. We now show that PAE2237 encodes AGOG (Archaeal GO-Glycosylase), the founding member of a new family of DNA glycosylases, which can remove GO from single- and double-stranded substrates with great efficiency.