Introduction and expression of the bacterial PaeR7 restriction endonuclease gene in mouse cells containing the PaeR7 methylase.

To study the factors essential for a functional restriction system, the PaeR7 restriction-modification system has been introduced and expressed in murine cells. Transfer of this system was accomplished in two steps. First, cells containing sufficient PaeR7 methylase to completely methylate the mouse genome were constructed. In the second step, the mouse metallothionein promoter-regulated, endonuclease expression vector linked to the hygromycin B resistance selection marker was used to transfect the high methylase-expressing cells. Sixty percent of the clones isolated contained PaeR7 endonuclease enzymatic activity. Transfected cells expressing both methylase and endonuclease were incapable of blocking infection by DNA viruses, and possible explanations are discussed.     

Recognition sequence of the dam methylase of Escherichia coli K12 and mode of cleavage of Dpn I endonuclease.

The recognition sequence for the dam methylase of Escherichia coli K12 has been determined directly by use of in vivo methylated ColE1 DNA or DNA methylated in vitro with purified enzyme. The methylase recognizes the symmetric tetranucleotide d(pG-A-T-C) and introduces two methyl groups per site in duplex DNA with the product of methylation being 6-methylaminopurine. This work has also demonstrated that Dpn I restriction endonuclease cleaves on the 3' side of the modified adenine within the methylated sequence to yield DNA fragments possessing fully base-paired termini. All sequences in ColE1 DNA methylated by the dam enzyme are subject to double strand cleavage by Dpn I endonuclease. Therefore, this restriction enzyme can be employed for mapping the location of sequences possessing the dam modification.     

Characterization of restriction-modification enzymes Cfr13 I from Citrobacter freundii RFL13

This communicatiopn describes some properties of RCfr13 I and MCfr13 I, isolated from Citrobacter freundii RFL13. RCFfr13 I restriction enzyme recognizes the 5'-G GNCC sequence and cleaves, as indicated by the arrow. MCfr13 I methylase modifies the internal cytosine producing m5C (5'-GGNm5CC). RCfr13 I is sensitive not only to this type of substrate modification but also to hemimethylation in overlapping sites by MCfr10 I (internal cytosine of RCfr13 I recognition is methylated) and MHpa II (external cytosine is methylated). From these results the sensitivity of RCfr13 I to methylation by dcm methylase of E.coli in overlapping sites is deduced.     

The effects of DNA methylation by Hha I methylase on the cleavage reactions by Hae II, Aha II and Ban I endonucleases

The DNA methylated by Hha I methylase was resistant against cleavage of Hae II or Aha II endonuclease indicating that the methyl group of the C5 position of the inmost cytosine nucleotide interferes with the interaction between the enzyme and the hexameric recognition sequence. Considering that Hae II or Aha II methylase has not been isolated yet, the result explained above is a useful information for protecting a double stranded DNA from being cleaved by Hae II or Aha II endonuclease. In contrast to Hae II or Aha II endonuclease, Ban I endonuclease which also has Hha I sequence as its tetrameric core was able to cleave the same DNA normally. This result suggests that the C5 position of the inmost pyrimidine nucleotide is not an important contact point between Ban I endonuclease and its hexameric recognition sequence.     

Cloning and sequence analysis of the genes coding for Eco57I type IV restriction-modification enzymes.

A 6.3 kb fragment of E.coli RFL57 DNA coding for the type IV restriction-modification system Eco57I was cloned and expressed in E.coli RR1. A 5775 bp region of the cloned fragment was sequenced which contains three open reading frames (ORF). The methylase gene is 1623 bp long, corresponding to a protein of 543 amino acids (62 kDa); the endonuclease gene is 2991 bp in length (997 amino acids, 117 kDa). The two genes are transcribed convergently from different strands with their 3'-ends separated by 69 bp. The third short open reading frame (186 bp, 62 amino acids) has been identified, that precedes and overlaps by 7 nucleotides the ORF encoding the methylase. Comparison of the deduced Eco57I endonuclease and methylase amino acid sequences revealed three regions of significant similarity. Two of them resemble the conserved sequence motifs characteristic of the DNA[adenine-N6] methylases. The third one shares similarity with corresponding regions of the PaeR7I, TaqI, CviBIII, PstI, BamHI and HincII methylases. Homologs of this sequence are also found within the sequences of the PaeR7I, PstI and BamHI restriction endonucleases. This is the first example of a family of cognate restriction endonucleases and methylases sharing homologous regions. Analysis of the structural relationship suggests that the type IV enzymes represent an intermediate in the evolutionary pathway between the type III and type II enzymes.     

DNA-methylase Sau 3A: isolation and various properties

DNA-methylase Sau 3A has been isolated for the first time from Staphylococcus aureus 3A cells and purified by column chromatography on phosphocellulose PII, heparin-Sepharose and blue Sepharose. The purified enzyme methylates the GATC sequence with the formation of GATm5C as can be evidenced from the protection of DNA from digestion with restrictases Sau 3A and Bam HI, the lack of the C3H3-group incorporation into Sau 3A DNA-restricts and the formation of a single methylated base m5C. Sau 3A methylase modifies only a two-filament (but not one-filament) DNA. Thus, methylase Sau 3A modifies the both DNA chains in the recognition site during a single binding act. The 5-azacytidine-containing DNA inhibits by 95% the activity of methylase Sau 3A. Ado-met is the single methyl group donor for methylase Sau 3A. The presence of m6A in the recognition site does not affect the activity of methylase Sau 3A. The practical recommendations for the use of M. Sau 3A, alongside with M. Eco dam, for the study of dam methylation by additional methylation of the DNA in vitro in the presence of [methyl-3H]-S-adenosyl-methionine are given.     

Real time kinetics of restriction endonuclease cleavage monitored by fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

The kinetics of PaeR7 endonuclease-catalysed cleavage reactions of fluorophor-labeled oligonucleotide substrates have been examined using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). A series of duplex substrates were synthesized with an internal CTCGAG PaeR7 recognition site and donor (fluorescein) and acceptor (rhodamine) dyes conjugated to the opposing 5' termini. The time-dependent increase in donor fluorescence resulting from restriction cleavage of these substrates was continuously monitored and the initial rate data was fitted to the Michaelis-Menten equation. The steady state kinetic parameters for these substrates were in agreement with the rate constants obtained from a gel electrophoresis-based fixed time point assay using radiolabeled substrates. The FRET method provides a rapid continuous assay as well as high sensitivity and reproducibility. These features should make the technique useful for the study of DNA-cleaving enzymes.     

Cloning, expression, and purification of a thermostable nonhomodimeric restriction enzyme, BslI

BslI is a thermostable type II restriction endonuclease with interrupted recognition sequence CCNNNNN/NNGG (/, cleavage position). The BslI restriction-modification system from Bacillus species was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The system is encoded by three genes: the 2,739-bp BslI methylase gene (bslIM), the bslIRalpha gene, and the bslIRbeta gene. The alpha and beta subunits of BslI can be expressed independently in E. coli in the absence of BslI methylase (M.BslI) protection. BslI endonuclease activity can be reconstituted in vitro by mixing the two subunits together. Gel filtration chromatography and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that BslI forms heterodimers (alphabeta), heterotetramers (alpha(2)beta(2)), and possibly oligomers in solution. Two beta subunits can be cross-linked by a chemical cross-linking agent, indicating formation of heterotetramer BslI complex (alpha(2)beta(2)). In DNA mobility shift assays, neither subunit alone can bind DNA. DNA mobility shift activity was detected after mixing the two subunits together. Because of the symmetric recognition sequence of the BslI endonuclease, we propose that its active form is alpha(2)beta(2). M.BslI contains nine conserved motifs of N-4 cytosine DNA methylases within the beta group of aminomethyltransferase. Synthetic duplex deoxyoligonucleotides containing cytosine hemimethylated or fully methylated at N-4 in BslI sites in the first or second cytosine are resistant to BslI digestion. C-5 methylation of the second cytosine on both strands within the recognition sequence also renders the site refractory to BslI digestion. Two putative zinc fingers are found in the alpha subunit of BslI endonuclease.     

Chemical synthesis and properties of oligonucleotide substrates for restriction endonuclease BamHI and methyltransferase Eco dam

Oligodeoxyribonucleotides which form a number of duplexes, containing the recognition sequences for endonuclease BamHI and DNA methylase Eco dam, were synthesised by the phosphotriester approach. Furthermore, synthesis of 3'-phosphorylated oligodeoxyribonucleotides from corresponding S-methyl phosphorothioate triester oligomers is described. The synthetic duplexes are characterized by some defects in the recognition sequences for endonuclease BamHI and methylase Eco dam, viz. nick, absence of an internucleotide phosphate, modifications (including partial single-strandedness) of the recognition site. Interaction of the enzymes with these synthetic substrates was investigated.     

Studies on the biological role of dna methylation; IV. Mode of methylation of DNA in E. coli cells

Two pairs of restriction enzyme isoschizomers were used to study in vivo methylation of E. coli and extrachromosomal DNA. By use of the restriction enzymes MboI (which cleaves only the unmethylated GATC sequence) and its isoschizomer Sau3A (indifferent to methylated adenine at this sequence), we found that all the GATC sites in E. coli and in extrachromosomal DNAs are symmetrically methylated on both strands. The calculated number of GATC sites in E. coli DNA can account for all its m6Ade residues. Foreign DNA, like mouse mtDNA, which is not methylated at GATC sites became fully methylated at these sequences when introduced by transfection into E. coli cells. This experiment provides the first evidence for the operation of a de novo methylation mechanism for E. coli methylases not involved in restriction modification. When the two restriction enzyme isoschizomers, EcoRII and ApyI, were used to analyze the methylation pattern of CCTAGG sequences in E. coli C and phi X174 DNA, it was found that all these sites are methylated. The number of CCTAGG sites in E. coli C DNA does not account for all m5Cyt residues.     

Primary sequence of the EcoRII endonuclease and properties of its fusions with beta-galactosidase

The EcoRII endonuclease cleaves DNA containing the sequence CC(A/T)GG before the first cytosine. The methylation of the second cytosine in the sequence by either the EcoRII methylase or Dcm, a chromosomally coded protein in Escherichia coli, inhibits the cleavage. The gene for the EcoRII endonuclease was mapped by analysis of derivatives containing linker insertions, transposon insertions, and restriction fragment deletions. Surprisingly, plasmids carrying the wild-type endonuclease gene and the EcoRII methylase gene interrupted by transposon insertions appeared to be lethal to dcm+ strains of E. coli. We conclude that not all the EcoRII/Dcm recognition sites in the cellular DNA are methylated in dcm+ strains. The DNA sequence of a 1650-base pair fragment containing the endonuclease gene was determined. It revealed an open reading frame that could code for a 45.6-kDa protein. This predicted size is consistent with the known size of the endonuclease monomer (44 kDa). The endonuclease and methylase genes appear to be transcribed convergently from separate promoters. The reading frame of the endonuclease gene was confirmed at three points by generating random protein fusions between the endonuclease and beta-galactosidase, followed by an analysis of the sequence at the junctions. One of these fusions is missing 18 COOH-terminal amino acids of the endonuclease but still displays significant ability to restrict incoming phage in addition to beta-galactosidase activity. No striking similarity between the sequence of the endonuclease and any other protein in the PIR data base was found. The knowledge of the primary sequence of the endonuclease and the availability of the various constructs involving its gene should be helpful in the study of the interaction of the enzyme with its substrate DNA.     

Synthesis and properties of oligodeoxynucleotides containing the analogue 2'-deoxy-4'-thiothymidine.

The 2'-deoxythymidine analogue 2'-deoxy-4'-thiothymidine has been incorporated, using standard methodology, into a series of dodecadeoxynucleotides containing the EcoRV restriction endonuclease recognition site (GATATC). The stability of these oligodeoxynucleotides and their ability to act as substrates for the restriction endonuclease and associated methylase have been compared with a normal unmodified oligodeoxynucleotide. No problems were encountered in the synthesis despite the presence of a potentially oxidisable sulfur atom in the sugar ring. The analogue had very little effect on the melting temperature of the self-complementary oligoeoxynucleotides so synthesised and all had a CD spectrum compatible with a B-DNA structure. The oligodeoxynucleotide containing one analogue in each strand within the recognition site, adjacent to the bond to be cleaved (i.e. GAXATC, where X is 2'-deoxy-4'-thiothymidine), was neither a substrate for the endonuclease nor was recognized by the associated methylase. When still within the recognition hexanucleotide but two further residues removed from the site of cleavage (i.e. GATAXC), the oligodeoxynucleotide was a poor substrate for both the endonuclease and methylase. Binding of the oligodeoxynucleotide to the endonuclease was unaffected but the kcat value was only 0.03% of the value obtained for the parent oligodeoxynucleotide. These results show that the incorporation of 2'-deoxy-4'-thionucleosides into synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides may shed light on subtle interactions between proteins and their normal substrates and may also show why 2'-deoxy-4'-thiothymidine itself is so toxic in cell culture.     

DNA restriction dependent on two recognition sites: activities of the SfiI restriction-modification system in Escherichia coli

In contrast to many type II restriction enzymes, dimeric proteins that cleave DNA at individual recognition sites 4-6 bp long, the SfiI endonuclease is a tetrameric protein that binds to two copies of an elongated sequence before cutting the DNA at both sites. The mode of action of the SfiI endonuclease thus seems more appropriate for DNA rearrangements than for restriction. To elucidate its biological function, strains of Escherichia coli expressing the SfiI restriction-modification system were transformed with plasmids carrying SfiI sites. The SfiI system often failed to restrict the survival of a plasmid with one SfiI site, but plasmids with two or more sites were restricted efficiently. Plasmids containing methylated SfI sites were not restricted. No rearrangements of the plasmids carrying SfiI sites were detected among the transformants. Hence, provided the target DNA contains at least two recognition sites, SfiI displays all of the hallmarks of a restriction-modification system as opposed to a recombination system in E. coli cells. The properties of the system in vivo match those of the enzyme in vitro. For both restriction in vivo and DNA cleavage in vitro, SfiI operates best with two recognition sites on the same DNA.     

Importance of state of methylation of oriC GATC sites in initiation of DNA replication in Escherichia coli.

In vivo and in vitro evidence is presented implicating a function of GATC methylation in the Escherichia coli replication origin, oriC, during initiation of DNA synthesis. Transformation frequencies of oriC plasmids into E. coli dam mutants, deficient in the GATC-specific DNA methylase, are greatly reduced compared with parental dam+ cells, particularly for plasmids that must use oriC for initiation. Mutations that suppress the mismatch repair deficiency of dam mutants do not increase these low transformation frequencies, implicating a new function for the Dam methylase. oriC DNA isolated from dam- cells functions 2- to 4-fold less well in the oriC-specific in vitro initiation system when compared with oriC DNA from dam+ cells. This decreased template activity is restored 2- to 3-fold if the DNA from dam- cells is first methylated with purified Dam methylase. Bacterial origin plasmids or M13-oriC chimeric phage DNA, isolated from either base substitution or insertion dam mutants of E. coli, exhibit some sensitivity to digestion by DpnI, a restriction endonuclease specific for methylated GATC sites, showing that these dam mutants retain some Dam methylation activity. Sites of preferred cleavage are found within the oriC region, as well as in the ColE1-type origin.     

Study of the methylation process and DNA methylase specificity in Shigella]

The nature and content of minor bases in DNA of 3 Shigella strains are investigated. DNAs from Shigella stutzeri 2, Sh. sonnei 1188 and Sh. sonnei 311 are found to contain 0.43, 0.56 and 0.45 mol.% of N6-methyladenine respectively. 5-methylcytosine (0.16 mol.%) is discovered in Sh. sonnei 311. Substrate specificity of adenine methylase from Sh. sonnei 1188 with respect to phage DNAs of different host modification is investigated. Recognition sites for guanine methylase of DDVI phage and for adenine methylase of Sh. sonnei 1188 turned to be different. DNA of DDII phage grown in Sh. stutzeri 2 cells does not accept methyl groups under the treatment with Sh. sonnei 1188 extracts, but it is methylated by Escherichia coli extract. Adenine methylases of Sh. sonnei 1188 and Sh. stutzeri 2 are suggested to be either the same enzyme, or enzymes, which recognition sites are partially overlapped.     

DNA methylases of Hemophilus influenzae Rd. II. Partial recognition site base sequences

A small percentage of the adenine bases in Hemophilus influenzae strain Rd DNA are methylated in the 6-amino position. The methyl groups are introduced specifically by at least four different DNA methylases (I, II, III and IV). A method is described for determining the 3′ and 5′ nearest-neighbor bases to methylated adenine so as to reveal the specificity of each methylase. Tritium-labeled methyl groups are introduced into the DNA. The DNA is then digested to dinucleotides using the Bacillus subtilis phage SP3 DNase, followed by removal of the terminal 5′-phosphoryl group with phosphatase to produce dinucleoside monophosphates. These are analyzed by Aminex A25 (Bio-Rad) chromatography. Dinucleoside monophosphate species containing the 3′ neighbor or the 5′ neighbor are resolved so that a trinucleotide is determined that contains the centrally placed methylated adenine. H. influenzae Rd DNA contains seven dinucleoside monophosphate species, about 80% representing GpmA and mApT in approximately equal amount. DNA methylases I, II, III and IV introduce methyl groups into sequences containing the trinucleotides CpmApC, PupmApC, NpmApA and GpmApT, respectively. The sequence methylated by NDA methylase II is consistent with the recognition site determined by Kelly and Smith (1970) for the H. influenzae restriction enzyme, endonuclease R.     

DNA restriction-modification systems mediate plasmid maintenance.

Two plasmid-carried restriction-modification (R-M) systems, EcoRI (from pMB1 of Escherichia coli) and Bsp6I (from pXH13 of Bacillus sp. strain RFL6), enhance plasmid segregational stability in E. coli and Bacillus subtilis, respectively. Inactivation of the endonuclease or the presence of the methylase in trans abolish the stabilizing activity of the R-M systems. We propose that R-M systems mediate plasmid segregational stability by postsegregational killing of plasmid-free cells. Plasmid-encoded methyltransferase modifies host DNA and thus prevents its digestion by the restriction endonuclease. Plasmid loss entails degradation and/or dilution of the methylase during cell growth and appearance of unmethylated sites in the chromosome. Double-strand breaks, introduced at these sites by the endonuclease, eventually cause the death of the plasmid-free cells. Contribution to plasmid stability is a previously unrecognized biological role of the R-M systems.