Crystal structures of DNA/RNA repair enzymes AlkB and ABH2 bound to dsDNA

Escherichia coli AlkB and its human homologues ABH2 and ABH3 repair DNA/RNA base lesions by using a direct oxidative dealkylation mechanism. ABH2 has the primary role of guarding mammalian genomes against 1-meA damage by repairing this lesion in double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), whereas AlkB and ABH3 preferentially repair single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) lesions and can repair damaged bases in RNA. Here we show the first crystal structures of AlkB-dsDNA and ABH2-dsDNA complexes, stabilized by a chemical cross-linking strategy. This study reveals that AlkB uses an unprecedented base-flipping mechanism to access the damaged base: it squeezes together the two bases flanking the flipped-out one to maintain the base stack, explaining the preference of AlkB for repairing ssDNA lesions over dsDNA ones. In addition, the first crystal structure of ABH2, presented here, provides a structural basis for designing inhibitors of this human DNA repair protein.     

AlkB-mediated oxidative demethylation reverses DNA damage in Escherichia coli

The bacterial AlkB protein is known to be involved in cellular recovery from alkylation damage; however, the function of this protein remains unknown. AlkB homologues have been identified in several organisms, including humans, and a recent sequence alignment study has suggested that these proteins may belong to a superfamily of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent and iron-dependent oxygenases (2OG-Fe(ii)-oxygenases). Here we show that AlkB from Escherichia coli is indeed a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent and iron-dependent DNA repair enzyme that releases replication blocks in alkylated DNA by a mechanism involving oxidative demethylation of 1-methyladenine residues. This mechanism represents a new pathway for DNA repair and the third type of DNA damage reversal mechanism so far discovered.     

Oxidative demethylation by Escherichia coli AlkB directly reverts DNA base damage

Methylating agents generate cytotoxic and mutagenic DNA damage. Cells use 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylases to excise some methylated bases from DNA, and suicidal O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferases to transfer alkyl groups from other lesions onto a cysteine residue. Here we report that the highly conserved AlkB protein repairs DNA alkylation damage by means of an unprecedented mechanism. AlkB has no detectable nuclease, DNA glycosylase or methyltransferase activity; however, Escherichia coli alkB mutants are defective in processing methylation damage generated in single-stranded DNA. Theoretical protein fold recognition had suggested that AlkB resembles the Fe(ii)- and alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases, which use iron-oxo intermediates to oxidize chemically inert compounds. We show here that purified AlkB repairs the cytotoxic lesions 1-methyladenine and 3-methylcytosine in single- and double-stranded DNA in a reaction that is dependent on oxygen, alpha-ketoglutarate and Fe(ii). The AlkB enzyme couples oxidative decarboxylation of alpha-ketoglutarate to the hydroxylation of these methylated bases in DNA, resulting in direct reversion to the unmodified base and the release of formaldehyde.     

Crystal structures of catalytic complexes of the oxidative DNA/RNA repair enzyme AlkB

Nucleic acid damage by environmental and endogenous alkylation reagents creates lesions that are both mutagenic and cytotoxic, with the latter effect accounting for their widespread use in clinical cancer chemotherapy. Escherichia coli AlkB and the homologous human proteins ABH2 and ABH3 (refs 5, 7) promiscuously repair DNA and RNA bases damaged by S(N)2 alkylation reagents, which attach hydrocarbons to endocyclic ring nitrogen atoms (N1 of adenine and guanine and N3 of thymine and cytosine). Although the role of AlkB in DNA repair has long been established based on phenotypic studies, its exact biochemical activity was only elucidated recently after sequence profile analysis revealed it to be a member of the Fe-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase superfamily. These enzymes use an Fe(II) cofactor and 2-oxoglutarate co-substrate to oxidize organic substrates. AlkB hydroxylates an alkylated nucleotide base to produce an unstable product that releases an aldehyde to regenerate the unmodified base. Here we have determined crystal structures of substrate and product complexes of E. coli AlkB at resolutions from 1.8 to 2.3 A. Whereas the Fe-2-oxoglutarate dioxygenase core matches that in other superfamily members, a unique subdomain holds a methylated trinucleotide substrate into the active site through contacts to the polynucleotide backbone. Amide hydrogen exchange studies and crystallographic analyses suggest that this substrate-binding 'lid' is conformationally flexible, which may enable docking of diverse alkylated nucleotide substrates in optimal catalytic geometry. Different crystal structures show open and closed states of a tunnel putatively gating O2 diffusion into the active site. Exposing crystals of the anaerobic Michaelis complex to air yields slow but substantial oxidation of 2-oxoglutarate that is inefficiently coupled to nucleotide oxidation. These observations suggest that protein dynamics modulate redox chemistry and that a hypothesized migration of the reactive oxy-ferryl ligand on the catalytic Fe ion may be impeded when the protein is constrained in the crystal lattice.     

Iron-catalysed oxidation intermediates captured in a DNA repair dioxygenase

Mononuclear iron-containing oxygenases conduct a diverse variety of oxidation functions in biology, including the oxidative demethylation of methylated nucleic acids and histones. Escherichia coli AlkB is the first such enzyme that was discovered to repair methylated nucleic acids, which are otherwise cytotoxic and/or mutagenic. AlkB human homologues are known to play pivotal roles in various processes. Here we present structural characterization of oxidation intermediates for these demethylases. Using a chemical cross-linking strategy, complexes of AlkB-double stranded DNA (dsDNA) containing 1,N(6)-etheno adenine (εA), N(3)-methyl thymine (3-meT) and N(3)-methyl cytosine (3-meC) are stabilized and crystallized, respectively. Exposing these crystals, grown under anaerobic conditions containing iron(II) and α-ketoglutarate (αKG), to dioxygen initiates oxidation in crystallo. Glycol (from εA) and hemiaminal (from 3-meT) intermediates are captured; a zwitterionic intermediate (from 3-meC) is also proposed, based on crystallographic observations and computational analysis. The observation of these unprecedented intermediates provides direct support for the oxidative demethylation mechanism for these demethylases. This study also depicts a general mechanistic view of how a methyl group is oxidatively removed from different biological substrates.     

Inducible repair of oxidative DNA damage in Escherichia coli

Hydrogen peroxide is lethal to many cell types, including the bacterium Escherichia coli. Peroxides yield transient radical species that can damage DNA and cause mutations. Such partially reduced oxygen species are occasionally released during cellular respiration and are generated by lethal and mutagenic ionizing radiation. Because cells live in an environment where the threat of oxidative DNA damage is continual, cellular mechanisms may have evolved to avoid and repair this damage. Enzymes are known which evidently perform these functions. We report here that resistance to hydrogen peroxide toxicity can be induced in E. coli, that this novel induction is specific and occurs, in part, at the level of DNA repair.     

Alternative nucleotide incision repair pathway for oxidative DNA damage.

The DNA glycosylase pathway, which requires the sequential action of two enzymes for the incision of DNA, presents a serious problem for the efficient repair of oxidative DNA damage, because it generates genotoxic intermediates such as abasic sites and/or blocking 3'-end groups that must be eliminated by additional steps before DNA repair synthesis can be initiated. Besides the logistical problems, biological evidence hints at the existence of an alternative repair pathway. Mutants of Escherichia coli and mice (ref. 4 and M. Takao et al., personal communication) that are deficient in DNA glycosylases that remove oxidized bases are not sensitive to reactive oxygen species, and the E. coli triple mutant nei, nth, fpg is more radioresistant than the wild-type strain. Here we show that Nfo-like endonucleases nick DNA on the 5' side of various oxidatively damaged bases, generating 3'-hydroxyl and 5'-phosphate termini. Nfo-like endonucleases function next to each of the modified bases that we tested, including 5,6-dihydrothymine, 5,6-dihydrouracil, 5-hydroxyuracil and 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-N-methylformamidopyrimidine residues. The 3'-hydroxyl terminus provides the proper end for DNA repair synthesis; the dangling damaged nucleotide on the 5' side is then a good substrate for human flap-structure endonuclease and for DNA polymerase I of E. coli.     

Site-specific DICER and DROSHA RNA products control the DNA-damage response

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are involved in an increasingly recognized number of cellular events. Some ncRNAs are processed by DICER and DROSHA RNases to give rise to small double-stranded RNAs involved in RNA interference (RNAi). The DNA-damage response (DDR) is a signalling pathway that originates from a DNA lesion and arrests cell proliferation3. So far, DICER and DROSHA RNA products have not been reported to control DDR activation. Here we show, in human, mouse and zebrafish, that DICER and DROSHA, but not downstream elements of the RNAi pathway, are necessary to activate the DDR upon exogenous DNA damage and oncogene-induced genotoxic stress, as studied by DDR foci formation and by checkpoint assays. DDR foci are sensitive to RNase A treatment, and DICER- and DROSHA-dependent RNA products are required to restore DDR foci in RNase-A-treated cells. Through RNA deep sequencing and the study of DDR activation at a single inducible DNA double-strand break, we demonstrate that DDR foci formation requires site-specific DICER- and DROSHA-dependent small RNAs, named DDRNAs, which act in a MRE11–RAD50–NBS1-complex-dependent manner (MRE11 also known as MRE11A; NBS1 also known as NBN). DDRNAs, either chemically synthesized or in vitro generated by DICER cleavage, are sufficient to restore the DDR in RNase-A-treated cells, also in the absence of other cellular RNAs. Our results describe an unanticipated direct role of a novel class of ncRNAs in the control of DDR activation at sites of DNA damage.     

氧与活性氧

讨论了活性氧的产生与化学活性．氧及活性氧会对机体造成伤害,活性氧中极其有害的是．ＯＨ、ＨＯ·２和Ｏ１２Δｇ等．但生物进化赋予有机活体一系列清除活性氧、免受其害的机制,如化学抗氧化系统、酶抗氧化系统、损伤修复功能、细胞免疫系统、细胞色素防御系统等．正是机体内活性氧的产生与清除速率间的平衡,活性氧引起的损伤与修复速率之间的平衡使活体得以维持生机．对人们关于一些疾病与活性氧关系的认识作了扼要介绍．     

Regulation of DNA replication fork progression through damaged DNA by the Mec1/Rad53 checkpoint

The checkpoint kinase proteins Mec1 and Rad53 are required in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to maintain cell viability in the presence of drugs causing damage to DNA or arrest of DNA replication forks. It is thought that they act by inhibiting cell cycle progression, allowing time for DNA repair to take place. Mec1 and Rad53 also slow S phase progression in response to DNA alkylation, although the mechanism for this and its relative importance in protecting cells from DNA damage have not been determined. Here we show that the DNA-alkylating agent methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) profoundly reduces the rate of DNA replication fork progression; however, this moderation does not require Rad53 or Mec1. The accelerated S phase in checkpoint mutants, therefore, is primarily a consequence of inappropriate initiation events. Wild-type cells ultimately complete DNA replication in the presence of MMS. In contrast, replication forks in checkpoint mutants collapse irreversibly at high rates. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of MMS in checkpoint mutants occurs specifically when cells are allowed to enter S phase with DNA damage. Thus, preventing damage-induced DNA replication fork catastrophe seems to be a primary mechanism by which checkpoints preserve viability in the face of DNA alkylation.     

The DNA damage pathway regulates innate immune system ligands of the NKG2D receptor

Some stimulatory receptors of the innate immune system, such as the NKG2D receptor (also called KLRK1) expressed by natural killer cells and activated CD8(+)T cells, recognize self-molecules that are upregulated in diseased cells by poorly understood mechanisms. Here we show that mouse and human NKG2D ligands are upregulated in non-tumour cell lines by genotoxic stress and stalled DNA replication, conditions known to activate a major DNA damage checkpoint pathway initiated by ATM (ataxia telangiectasia, mutated) or ATR (ATM- and Rad3-related) protein kinases. Ligand upregulation was prevented by pharmacological or genetic inhibition of ATR, ATM or Chk1 (a downstream transducer kinase in the pathway). Furthermore, constitutive ligand expression by a tumour cell line was inhibited by targeting short interfering RNA to ATM, suggesting that ligand expression in established tumour cells, which often harbour genomic irregularities, may be due to chronic activation of the DNA damage response pathway. Thus, the DNA damage response, previously shown to arrest the cell cycle and enhance DNA repair functions, or to trigger apoptosis, may also participate in alerting the immune system to the presence of potentially dangerous cells.     

Pb2 + 和Cd2 + 对日本三角涡虫DNA 损伤及损伤后修复的研究

摘要: 以日本三角涡虫( Dugesia japonica) 为实验材料,采用急性毒性实验研究Pb2 + 、Cd2 + 胁迫下日本三角涡虫体细 胞DNA 损伤情况以及绿豆浸出液对DNA 损伤的保护和修复机制。采用浓度为120 mg /L 的Pb( NO3 ) 2 和1 mg /L 的CdCl2 溶液分别处理涡虫,紫外分光光度法和琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测24 h 后三角涡虫DNA 损伤情况。同时增加 由绿豆浸出液进行修复的2 组对照以研究绿豆对于DNA 重金属损伤后的修复作用和效果。结果表明,Pb2 + 、Cd2 + 胁迫使日本三角涡虫DNA 交联程度增加,并引起DNA 链的断裂; 绿豆浸出液对于由Cd2 + 胁迫引起的DNA 损伤修 复作用较好。而对于Pb2 + 胁迫,在绿豆浸出液与Pb2 + 同时培养的对照组中,推测该浸出液可能使Pb2 + 形成沉淀从 而减小Pb2 + 浓度,因此使DNA 损伤修复具有较好效果,对已经由Pb2 + 胁迫造成损伤的DNA,修复作用不大。     

MDC1 is a mediator of the mammalian DNA damage checkpoint

To counteract the continuous exposure of cells to agents that damage DNA, cells have evolved complex regulatory networks called checkpoints to sense DNA damage and coordinate DNA replication, cell-cycle arrest and DNA repair. It has recently been shown that the histone H2A variant H2AX specifically controls the recruitment of DNA repair proteins to the sites of DNA damage. Here we identify a novel BRCA1 carboxy-terminal (BRCT) and forkhead-associated (FHA) domain-containing protein, MDC1 (mediator of DNA damage checkpoint protein 1), which works with H2AX to promote recruitment of repair proteins to the sites of DNA breaks and which, in addition, controls damage-induced cell-cycle arrest checkpoints. MDC1 forms foci that co-localize extensively with gamma-H2AX foci within minutes after exposure to ionizing radiation. H2AX is required for MDC1 foci formation, and MDC1 forms complexes with phosphorylated H2AX. Furthermore, this interaction is phosphorylation dependent as peptides containing the phosphorylated site on H2AX bind MDC1 in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. We have shown by using small interfering RNA (siRNA) that cells lacking MDC1 are sensitive to ionizing radiation, and that MDC1 controls the formation of damage-induced 53BP1, BRCA1 and MRN foci, in part by promoting efficient H2AX phosphorylation. In addition, cells lacking MDC1 also fail to activate the intra-S phase and G2/M phase cell-cycle checkpoints properly after exposure to ionizing radiation, which was associated with an inability to regulate Chk1 properly. These results highlight a crucial role for MDC1 in mediating transduction of the DNA damage signal.     

Functional link between ataxia-telangiectasia and Nijmegen breakage syndrome gene products

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) and Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) are recessive genetic disorders with susceptibility to cancer and similar cellular phenotypes. The protein product of the gene responsible for A-T, designated ATM, is a member of a family of kinases characterized by a carboxy-terminal phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-like domain. The NBS1 protein is specifically mutated in patients with Nijmegen breakage syndrome and forms a complex with the DNA repair proteins Rad50 and Mrel1. Here we show that phosphorylation of NBS1, induced by ionizing radiation, requires catalytically active ATM. Complexes containing ATM and NBS1 exist in vivo in both untreated cells and cells treated with ionizing radiation. We have identified two residues of NBS1, Ser 278 and Ser 343 that are phosphorylated in vitro by ATM and whose modification in vivo is essential for the cellular response to DNA damage. This response includes S-phase checkpoint activation, formation of the NBS1/Mrel1/Rad50 nuclear foci and rescue of hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation. Together, these results demonstrate a biochemical link between cell-cycle checkpoints activated by DNA damage and DNA repair in two genetic diseases with overlapping phenotypes.     

Conserved modes of recruitment of ATM, ATR and DNA-PKcs to sites of DNA damage

Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM), ataxia-telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) and DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) are members of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase-related protein kinase (PIKK) family, and are rapidly activated in response to DNA damage. ATM and DNA-PKcs respond mainly to DNA double-strand breaks, whereas ATR is activated by single-stranded DNA and stalled DNA replication forks. In all cases, activation involves their recruitment to the sites of damage. Here we identify related, conserved carboxy-terminal motifs in human Nbs1, ATRIP and Ku80 proteins that are required for their interaction with ATM, ATR and DNA-PKcs, respectively. These motifs are essential not only for efficient recruitment of ATM, ATR and DNA-PKcs to sites of damage, but are also critical for ATM-, ATR- and DNA-PKcs-mediated signalling events that trigger cell cycle checkpoints and DNA repair. Our findings reveal that recruitment of these PIKKs to DNA lesions occurs by common mechanisms through an evolutionarily conserved motif, and provide direct evidence that PIKK recruitment is required for PIKK-dependent DNA-damage signalling.