Activation of (ADP-ribose) polymerase by DNA fragmented by micrococcal nuclease and DNAase I]

Activation of (ADP-ribose) polymerase by DNA fragments obtained by digestion of calf thymus DNA with micrococcal nuclease and DNAase I was studied. It was found that activation of the enzyme is due to its interaction with the terminal parts of double-stranded DNA fragments, the level of activation being independent of the size of DNA fragments.     

Histone shuttling by poly(ADP-ribosylation).

We have found that two nuclear enzymes, i.e. poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (EC 2.4.2.30) and poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase, may cooperate to function as a histone shuttle mechanism on DNA. The mechanism involves four distinct reaction intermediates that were analyzed in a reconstituted in vitro system. In the first step, the enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase is activated in the presence of histone-DNA complexes and converts itself into a protein carrying multiple ADP-ribose polymers. These polymers attract histones that dissociate from the DNA as a histone-polymer-polymerase complex. The DNA assumes the electrophoretic mobility of free DNA and becomes susceptible to nuclease digestion (second step). In the third step, poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase degrades ADP-ribose polymers and thereby eliminates the binding sites for histones. In the fourth step, histones reassociate with DNA, and the histone-DNA complexes exhibit the electrophoretic mobilities and nuclease susceptibilities of the original complexes prior to dissociation. Our results are compatible with the view that the poly(ADP-ribosylation) system acts as a catalyst of nucleosomal unfolding of chromatin in DNA excision repair.     

Poly(ADP-ribosylated) histones in chromatin replication

Poly(ADP-ribosylation) of histones and several other nuclear proteins seem to participate in nuclear processes involving DNA strand breaks like repair, replication, or recombination. This is suggested from the fact that the enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase responsible for this modification is activated by DNA strand breaks produced in these nuclear processes. In this article I provide three lines of evidence supporting the idea that histone poly(ADP-ribosylation) is involved in chromatin replication. First, cellular lysates from rapidly dividing mouse or human cells in culture synthesize a significant number of oligo- in addition to mono(ADP-ribosylated) histones. Blocking the cells by treatment of cultures with 5 mM butyrate for 24 h or by serum or nutrient depletion results in the synthesis of only mono- but not of oligo(ADP-ribosylated) histones under the same conditions. Thus, the presence of oligo(ADP-ribosylated) histones is related to cell proliferation. Second, cellular lysates or nuclei isolated under mild conditions in the presence of spermine and spermidine and devoid of DNA strand breaks mainly synthesize mono(ADP-ribosylated) histones; introduction of a small number of cuts by DNase I or micrococcal nuclease results in a dramatic increase in the length of poly(ADP-ribose) attached to histones presumably by activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Free ends of DNA that could stimulate poly(ADP-ribosylation) of histones are present at the replication fork. Third, putatively acetylated species of histone H4 are more frequently ADP-ribosylated than nonacetylated H4; the number of ADP-ribose groups on histone H4 was found to be equal or exceed by one the number of acetyl groups on this molecule. Since one recognized role of tetraacetylated H4 is its participation in the assembly of new nucleosomes, oligo(ADP-ribosylation) of H4 (and by extension of other histones) may function in new nucleosome formation. Based on these results I propose that poly(ADP-ribosylated) histones are employed for the assembly of histone complexes and their deposition on DNA during replication. Modified histones arise at the replication fork by activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase by unligated Okazaki fragments.     

Stimulation of nuclear poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase activity from HeLa cells by endonucleases.

Isolated nuclei from HeLa cells can incorporate labeled ADP-ribose from NAD into an acid-precipitable product, poly(ADP-ribose). This reaction is stimulated by 4-6-fold by the addition of deoxyribonuclease I to the complete reaction mixture. If the nuclei are treated first with deoxyribonuclease I, no effect is seen; the stimulation is only apparent when the two enzymes deoxyribonuclease I and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, are operating at the same time. After making several minor modifications in the assay mixture, it was found that another endonuclease, micrococcal nuclease, can also stimulate the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity of HeLa nuclei. A comparison of the two stimulatory effects indicated that the two endonucleases activated to the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity of HeLa nuclei in the same way. Overall this evidence suggests that poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase may have a functional role in the process of DNA repair.     

The DNase activity of an endoplasmic reticulum nuclease and its effect on DNA synthesis in vitro

An endoplasmic reticulum nuclease which was isolated previously in this laboratory from rat liver ( Kouidou et al. (1981) Eur.J. Bioch . 120, 9-14) was found to degrade linear and circular single stranded DNA but not double stranded DNA. The DNA fragments resulting from this cleavage were longer than 20 nucleotides. In addition the nuclease was found to improve the efficiency of DNA template used by DNA polymerase I in DNA synthesis in vitro. The results were the same whether incubation of the template with the nuclease was prior to addition of DNA polymerase I or simultaneously with polymerization. When nuclease was added after the completion of polymerization by DNA polymerase I it was ineffective unless the product was denatured. These data further corroborate the observation that double stranded DNA is not cleaved by this enzyme.     

Molecular interactions between DNA, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and histones

Molecular interactions between purified poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, whole thymus histones, histone H1, rat fibroblast genomic DNA, and closed circular and linearized SV40 DNA were determined by the nitrocellulose filter binding technique. Binding of the polymerase protein or histones to DNA was augmented greatly when both the enzyme protein and histones were present simultaneously. The polymerase protein also associated with histones in the absence of DNA. The cooperative or promoted binding of histones and the enzyme to relaxed covalently closed circular SV40 DNA was greater than the binding to the linearized form. Binding of the polymerase to SV40 DNA fragments in the presence of increasing concentrations of NaCl indicated a preferential binding to two restriction fragments as compared to the others. Polymerase binding to covalently closed relaxed SV40 DNA resulted in the induction of superhelicity. The simultaneous influence of the polymerase and histones on DNA topology were more than additive. Topological constraints on DNA induced by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase were abolished by auto ADP-ribosylation of the enzyme. Benzamide, by inhibiting poly(ADP-ribosylation), reestablished the effect of the polymerase protein on DNA topology. Polymerase binding to in vitro-assembled core particle-like nucleosomes was also demonstrated.     

Regulation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Histone-specific adaptations of reaction products

The post-translational poly ADP-ribosylation of proteins by the nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (EC 2.4.2.30) involves a complex pattern of ADP-ribose polymers. We have determined how this enzyme produces the various polymer size patterns responsible for altered protein function. The results show that histone H1 and core histones are potent regulators of both the numbers and sizes of ADP-ribose polymers. Each histone induced the polymerase to synthesize a specific polymer size pattern. Various other basic and/or DNA binding proteins as well as other known stimulators of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (spermine, MgCl2, nicked DNA) were ineffective as polymer size modulators. Testing specific proteolytic fragments of histone H1, the polymer number and polymer size modulating activity could be mapped to specific polypeptide domains. The results suggest that histones specifically regulate the polymer termination reaction of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase.     

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies specific for the functional domains of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase

Monoclonal antibodies were developed against poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and analyzed for their reactivity against the NAD+- and DNA-binding fragments. Two fusions were performed to obtain hybridomas and the resulting anti-poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase antibodies were further screened by characterization of their immunoglobulin light chains. Five different hybridomas were isolated which produced different immunoglobulin light chains, all of which were specific for poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. The specificities of these antibodies were determined by immunoblotting against the purified poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, its autodegradation fragments, and the fragments prepared by limited proteolysis with chymotrypsin and papain. These fragments have been suggested to contain the NAD+-binding site, the DNA-binding site, and the automodification site, respectively. All the monoclonal antibodies reacted with the 116 kdalton (kDa) band corresponding to the purified enzyme. Four antibodies reacted exclusively with antigenic site(s) on the 46-kDa fragment which contains the DNA-binding site. A fifth antibody reacted exclusively with a clearly different antigenic site on the 74- and 54-kDa fragments which possess the NAD+ (substrate) binding site. The immunoreactivity with the major autodegradation products (69- and 46-kDa fragments) of the purified enzyme confirms this difference between the two groups of antibodies. The 22-kDa fragment corresponding to the auto-modification site does not show any immunoreactivity with the antibodies.     

Increased thermal stability of solubilized chromatin after poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis

A hyperthermic shift in the hyperchromicity curve of thermally denatured swine aortic-smooth-muscle-cell chromatin solubilized by digestion of nuclei with micrococcal nuclease was observed after the chromatin was incubated under conditions to allow poly-(ADP-ribose) synthesis by the endogenous poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. When the order of solubilization and poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation was reversed, a smaller proportion of the solubilized chromatin exhibited greater thermal stability. Nuclease digestion of nuclei preincubated for poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis revealed no difference in kinetics of digestion or fragment size distribution compared to that of control nuclei. Poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis in these nuclei was proportionately greater in the chromatin fraction most resistant to solubilization by micrococcal nuclease treatment.     

Two proteolytic degradation products of calf-thymus poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase are efficient ADP-ribose acceptors. Implications for polymerase architecture and the automodification of the polymerase

Two polypeptides with molecular masses of 76 and 59 kDa were found to copurify with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase from calf thymus, and to be as efficient acceptors of ADP-ribose as the polymerase itself. Analysis of their CNBr fragments by sodium dodecylsulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the polypeptides were derived from the 112-kDa polymerase. Isolation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in the absence of protease inhibitors resulted in a loss of more than 90% of the polymerase activity and an increased proportion of the 76-kDa and 59-kDa polypeptides in the final polymerase preparation. When the polymerase and the two polypeptides were separated by gel filtration or polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in 5% acetic acid, no polymerase activity was found associated with the two fragments. Analysis of the CNBr fragments of the three polypeptides after incubation of the enzyme preparation with [32P]NAD showed that most of the fragments were radioactive, indicating multiple ADP-ribosylation sites. Several ADP-ribosylated fragments were found to be common to all three polypeptides, or to two of them.     

Yeast DNA polymerases: antigenic relationship, use of RNA primer and associated exonuclease activity.

Highly purified preparation of DNA polymerases A and B from yeast were compared with respect to antigenic relationship, ability to use ribonucleotide primers and associated nuclease activity. The following results were obtained. 1. Antiserum directed against DNA polymerase A inhibits this enzyme but does not interfere with activity of DNA polymerase B or of mitochondrial DNA polymerase, nor does it precipitate the latter two enzymes. 2. DNA polymerase A is capable of using oligo(ribouridylic acid) as a primer for the polymerization of dTMP. This reaction is not catalyzed by polymerase B to any significant extent. 3. Whereas DNA polymerase A is devoid of nuclease activity, DNA polymerase B catalyses an exonucleolytic release of mononucleotide units from the 3' end of polynucleotides. The results of several experiments suggest that this nuclease activity is associated with the DNA polymerase B molecule.     

Poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) metabolism and regulation of myocardial cell growth by oxygen

Control of the rate of cardiac cell division by oxygen occurs most probably by altering the redox state of a control substance, e.g. NAD(+)right harpoon over left harpoonNADH. NAD(+) (and not NADH) forms poly(ADP-ribose), an inhibitor of DNA synthesis, in a reaction catalysed by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Lower partial pressure of oxygen, which increases the rate of division, would shift NAD(+)-->NADH, decrease poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis, and increase DNA synthesis. Chick-embryo heart cells grown in culture in 20% O(2) (in which they divide more slowly than in 5% O(2)) did exhibit greater poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity (+83%, P<0.001) than when grown in 5% O(2). Reaction product was identified as poly(ADP-ribose) by its insensitivity to deoxyribonuclease, ribonuclease, NAD glycohydrolase, Pronase, trypsin and micrococcal nuclease, and by its complete digestion with snake-venom phosphodiesterase to phosphoribosyl-AMP and AMP. Isolation of these digestion products by Dowex 1 (formate form) column chromatography and paper chromatography allowed calculation of average poly(ADP-ribose) chain length, which was 15-26% greater in 20% than in 5% O(2). Thus in 20% O(2) the increase in poly(ADP-ribose) formation results from chain elongation. Formation of new chains also occurs, probably to an even greater degree than chain elongation. Additionally, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase has very different K(m) and V(max.) values and pH optima in 20% and 5% O(2). These data suggest that poly(ADP-ribose) metabolism participates in the regulation of heart-cell division by O(2), probably by several different mechanisms.     

Characterization of human poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase with autoantibodies

The addition of poly(ADP-ribose) chains to nuclear proteins has been reported to affect DNA repair and DNA synthesis in mammalian cells. The enzyme that mediates this reaction, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, requires DNA for catalytic activity and is activated by DNA with strand breaks. Because the catalytic activity of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase does not necessarily reflect enzyme quantity, little is known about the total cellular poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase content and the rate of its synthesis and degradation. In the present experiments, specific human autoantibodies to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and a sensitive immunoblotting technique were used to determine the cellular content of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in human lymphocytes. Resting peripheral blood lymphocytes contained 0.5 X 10(6) enzyme copies per cell. After stimulation of the cells by phytohemagglutinin, the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase content increased before DNA synthesis. During balanced growth, the T lymphoblastoid cell line CEM contained approximately 2 X 10(6) poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase molecules per cell. This value did not vary by more than 2-fold during the cell growth cycle. Similarly, mRNA encoding poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase was detectable throughout S phase. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase turned over at a rate equivalent to the average of total cellular proteins. Neither the cellular content nor the turnover rate of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase changed after the introduction of DNA strand breaks by gamma irradiation. These results show that in lymphoblasts poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase is an abundant nuclear protein that turns over relatively slowly and suggest that most of the enzyme may exist in a catalytically inactive state.     

ATP for the DNA ligation step in base excision repair is generated from poly(ADP-ribose)

In mammalian cells, the base excision repair (BER) pathway is the main route to counteract the mutagenic effects of DNA lesions. DNA nicks induce, among others, DNA polymerase activities and the synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose). It is shown here that poly(ADP-ribose) serves as an energy source for the final and rate-limiting step of BER, DNA ligation. This conclusion was drawn from experiments in which the fate of [(32)P]poly(ADP-ribose) or [(32)P]NAD added to HeLa nuclear extracts was systematically followed. ATP was synthesized from poly(ADP-ribose) in a pathway that strictly depended on nick-induced DNA synthesis. NAD was used for the synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose), which, in turn, was converted to ATP by pyrophosphorylytic cleavage utilizing the pyrophosphate generated from dNTPs during DNA synthesis. The adenylyl moiety was then preferentially used to adenylate DNA ligase III, from which it was transferred to the 5'-phosphoryl end of the nicked DNA. Finally, ligation to the 3'-OH end resulted in the release of AMP. When using NAD, but not poly(ADP-ribose), in the presence of 3-aminobenzamide, the entire process was blocked, confirming poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation to be the essential initial step. Thus, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1, DNA polymerase beta, and ligase III interact with x-ray repair cross-complementing protein-1 within the BER complex, which ensures that ATP is generated and specifically used for DNA ligation.     

Structure of Hepatitis B Dane Particle DNA and Nature of the Endogenous DNA Polymerase Reaction

The circular DNA of hepatitis B Dane particles, which serves as the primer/template for an endogenous DNA polymerase, was analyzed by electrophoresis before and after a polymerase reaction and after digestion by restriction endonuclease or single-strand-specific endonuclease S1. The unreacted molecules extracted from the particles were electrophoretically heterogeneous, and treatment with S1 nuclease produced double-stranded linear DNA ranging in length from 1,700 to 2,800 base pairs (bp). After an endogenous DNA polymerase reaction, two discrete species of DNA molecules were found: a circular form and a linear form 3,200 bp long. The reaction resulted in a population of molecules with an elongated and more homogeneous double-stranded region. These results suggest that the circular molecules in Dane particles have single-stranded regions of varying lengths that are made double stranded during the DNA polymerase reaction. The endogenous DNA polymerase was found to initiate apparently at random in a region spanning more than a third of the molecule. Analysis of restriction endonuclease cleavage fragments of the fully elongated DNA revealed that although the molecules were of a uniform length, they were somewhat heterogeneous in sequence. The sum of the sizes of the 10 major endonuclease Hae III-generated fragments, detected by ethidium bromide, was 3,880 bp. Two additional fragments (B and G) detected by autoradiography after an endogenous DNA polymerase reaction with (32)P-labeled deoxynucleoside triphosphates made the total 4,910 bp.     

Control of RNA synthesis by chromatin proteins.

The effect of chromatin proteins on template activity has been studied. Using both E. coli RNA polymerase and calf thymmus polymerase B we have measured the number of initiation sites on chromatin and various histone-DNA complexes. Chromatin can be reconstituted with histone proteins alone and this complex is still a restricted template for RNA synthesis. The removal of histone f1 causes a large increase in the template activity. Chromatin is then treated with Micrococcal nuclease and the DNA fragments protected from nuclease attack ("covered DNA") are isolated. Alternatively, the chromatin is titrated with poly-D-lysine, and by successive treatment with Pronase and nuclease, the DNA regions accessible to polylysine are isolated ("open DNA"). Both fractions were tested for template activity. It was found that RNA polymerase initiation sites are distributed equally in open and covered region DNA.     

Identification of minimal size requirements of DNA for activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase requires DNA as an essential enzyme activator. Using enzyme purified from lamb thymus and double-stranded deoxynucleotide oligomers of defined length, we conducted studies to identify the smallest size DNA fragment capable of successfully activating poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. These studies revealed that a double-stranded hexadeoxynucleotide activated the enzyme 30% as effectively as highly polymerized calf thymus DNA and a double-stranded octadeoxynucleotide activated the enzyme even more effectively than calf thymus DNA. When histone H1 was also included in the reaction system, the enzyme could be activated by even smaller DNA fragments. Thus, in the presence of histone H1, a double-stranded tetradeoxynucleotide activated the enzyme 25% as effectively as calf thymus DNA, and a double-stranded hexadeoxynucleotide was equally as effective as calf thymus DNA. The time courses for activation and the stabilities of the products were identical when the enzyme was activated by a double-stranded hexadeoxynucleotide or by calf thymus DNA. Double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides containing dephosphorylated termini were more effective activators than those containing 3'-phosphorylated termini which in turn were more effective than those containing 5'-phosphorylated termini.     

Specific amplification of deleted mitochondrial DNA from a myopathic patient and analysis of deleted region with S1 nuclease

Heteroplasmy of the normal-sized and the deleted mitochondrial genome has been observed in mitochondrial myopathy. The deleted region of the genome in the skeletal muscle of a patient was analyzed both by the conventional Southern blot method and by the novel method of employing the combination of polymerase chain reaction and S1 nuclease digestion. The results obtained by these methods were compared. Southern hybridization using various mitochondrial DNA fragments localized the deletion from at least position 9020 to 14,955, but regions of uncertainty of 1 kb remained on both ends of the deletion. Using the polymerase chain reaction, a fragment from the deleted genome was specifically amplified by choosing a pair of primers surrounding the deletion, and two fragments adjacent to the starting and end of the deletion were amplified from the normal-sized genome. S1 nuclease analysis of the heteroduplexes formed among these fragments demonstrated that the deletion extended from positions 8650 +/- 50 to 15,660 +/- 60. This method does not require radioisotopes and, moreover, can determine the deleted region within 5 h, in contrast to the 2 days required by the conventional Southern blot analysis. These results indicate that the novel method is faster and more accurate than the conventional method for the determination of the deleted region of genome.     

Endogenous polymers of ADP-ribose are associated with the nuclear matrix

The metabolism of nuclear polymers of ADP-ribose has been implicated in several chromatin-associated processes. However, the distribution of endogenous ADP-ribose polymers in the nucleus or within different fractions of chromatin has not been studied. Using a procedure which allowed the radiolabeling and detection of endogenous polymers of ADP-ribose, we have analyzed the nuclear distribution of these polymers in untreated cells and in cells subjected to hyperthermia, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, or both. When isolated nuclei from cells subjected to any of these conditions were digested with micrococcal nuclease such that 80% of the DNA was released, 90% of the total poly(ADP-ribose) remained with the micrococcal nuclease resistant chromatin fraction. When nuclear matrix fractions were prepared by exhaustive DNase I digestion in combination with three different salt extraction procedures (2 M NaCl, 300 mM (NH4)2SO4 or 25 mM lithium diiodosalicylate), the matrices contained less than 1% of the total nuclear DNA but 50 to 70% of the total poly(ADP-ribose). These data suggest that the nuclear matrix may be a major site of poly(ADP-ribose) metabolism.