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Arne Klungland

Publications and source records attributed to Arne Klungland.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Organ and cell specificity of base excision repair mutants in mice.

Genetically modified mouse models are a powerful approach to study the relation of a single gene-deletion to processes such as mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. The generation of base excision repair (BER) deficient mouse models has resulted in a re-examination of the cellular defence mechanisms that exist to counteract DNA base damage. This review discusses novel insights into the relation between specific gene-deletions and the organ and cell specificity of visible and molecular phenotypes, including accumulation of base lesions in genomic DNA and carcinogenesis. Although promising models exist, there is still a need for new models. These models should comprise combined deficiencies of DNA glycosylases which initiate the BER pathway, to elaborate on the repair redundancy, as well as conditional models of the intermediate steps of BER.

Animals↗

Oxidative damage to purines in DNA: role of mammalian Ogg1.

DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species is ubiquitous to all living organisms. More than 60 different base lesions have been identified, and the majority of these are removed via the base excision repair pathway. This pathway appears to represent a highly conserved and ancient mechanism of defence counteracting spontaneous DNA decay. In this review, we describe in more detail the Ogg1 enzyme and its conserved action of removing the oxidised base, 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (oxo(8)G). Recent updates include the cancer-prone ogg1/myh double knockout mouse and an elegant study which looks at the ability of hOgg1 to distinguish between the mutagenic lesion, oxo(8)G, and the vast majority of normal bases.

Animals↗

Repair deficient mice reveal mABH2 as the primary oxidative demethylase for repairing 1meA and 3meC lesions in DNA.

Two human homologs of the Escherichia coli AlkB protein, denoted hABH2 and hABH3, were recently shown to directly reverse 1-methyladenine (1meA) and 3-methylcytosine (3meC) damages in DNA. We demonstrate that mice lacking functional mABH2 or mABH3 genes, or both, are viable and without overt phenotypes. Neither were histopathological changes observed in the gene-targeted mice. However, in the absence of any exogenous exposure to methylating agents, mice lacking mABH2, but not mABH3 defective mice, accumulate significant levels of 1meA in the genome, suggesting the presence of a biologically relevant endogenous source of methylating agent. Furthermore, embryonal fibroblasts from mABH2-deficient mice are unable to remove methyl methane sulfate (MMS)-induced 1meA from genomic DNA and display increased cytotoxicity after MMS exposure. In agreement with these results, we found that in vitro repair of 1meA and 3meC in double-stranded DNA by nuclear extracts depended primarily, if not solely, on mABH2. Our data suggest that mABH2 and mABH3 have different roles in the defense against alkylating agents.

Adenine↗

Deficiency in OGG1 protects against inflammation and mutagenic effects associated with H. pylori infection in mouse.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with gastric cancer. Study with the Big Blue mouse model has reported a mutagenic effect associated with the H. pylori infection, as a result in part of oxidative DNA damage. The present work investigates the consequences of a deficiency in the OGG1 DNA glycosylase, responsible for the excision of 8-oxo guanine, on the inflammatory and genotoxic host response to the infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Big Blue Ogg1-/- C57BL/6 mice were orally inoculated with H. pylori strain SS1 or vehicle only, and sacrificed after 1, 3, or 6 months. The serologic response, histologic lesions, mutant frequency, and spectra of mutations were assessed in the stomach and compared to what observed in the wild-type (Wt) context. RESULTS: Inflammatory lesions induced in the gastric mucosa of H. pylori-infected mice, corresponding to a moderate gastritis, were less severe in Ogg1-/- than in Wt Big Blue mice. Analysis of antimicrobial humoral immunity exhibited a lower IgG2a serum level (Th1 response) after 6 months of infection in Ogg1-/- than in the Wt mice. In these conditions, the H. pylori-SS1 infection in the Ogg1-/- mice did not induce a mutagenic effect at the gastric epithelial cells level, either after 3 or 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: The inactivation of the OGG1 DNA glycosylase in mouse leads to less severe inflammatory lesions and abolished the mutagenic effect at the gastric epithelial cells level, induced by the H. pylori infection. These data suggest for the OGG1deficiency a protective role against inflammation and genotoxicity associated to the H. pylori infection.

Animals↗

Tolerated wobble mutations in siRNAs decrease specificity, but can enhance activity in vivo.

RNA interference (RNAi) has become an invaluable tool for functional genomics. A critical use of this tool depends on an understanding of the factors that determine the specificity and activity of the active agent, small interfering RNA (siRNA). Several studies have concluded that tolerance of mutations can be considerable and hence lead to off-target effects. In this study, we have investigated in vivo the toleration of wobble (G:U) mutations in high activity siRNAs against Flap Endonuclease 1 (Fen1) and Aquaporin-4 (Aqp4). Mutations in the central part of the antisense strand caused a pronounced decrease in activity, while mutations in the 5' and 3'ends were tolerated very well. Furthermore, based on analysis of nine different mutated siRNAs with widely differing intrinsic activities, we conclude that siRNA activity can be significantly enhanced by wobble mutations (relative to mRNA), in the 5' terminal of the antisense strand. These findings should facilitate design of active siRNAs where the target mRNA offers limited choice of siRNA positions.

Aquaporin 4↗

Substantial decrease of urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine, a product of the base excision repair pathway, in DNA glycosylase defective mice.

Genome integrity is maintained via removal (repair) of DNA lesions and an increased load of such DNA damage has been linked to numerous pathological conditions, including carcinogenesis and ageing. 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine is one of the most critical lesions of this type. The free 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine produced by the action of a specific DNA glycosylase is a potential source of this compound in urine. To date, there has been no direct, experimental evidence demonstrating that urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine is produced by the base excision repair pathway. For clarification of this issue, we applied a recently developed methodology which involved high performance liquid chromatography pre-purification followed by gas chromatography with isotope dilution mass spectrometric detection to compare the urinary excretion rate of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine in wild type and OGG1 glycosylase knock out mice. Our study revealed a 26% reduction in urinary level of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine in OGG1 deficient mice in comparison with the wild type strain. This clearly indicates that the mouse OGG1 glycosylase contributes significantly to the generation of urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine. Therefore, urinary measurements of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine may be attributed to DNA damage and repair, which in turn suggests that they may be useful in studying associations between DNA repair and disease.

Animals↗

Transcription activities at 8-oxoG lesions in DNA.

7,8-Dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) is the most frequent mutagenic lesion caused by oxidative stress. Eukaryotic cells use a specific DNA glycosylase, OGG1, to excise 8-oxoG from DNA. The mild phenotype of OGG1 null mice has been attributed to the existence of alternative pathways, including Cockayne syndrome B (CSB)-dependent transcription coupled repair (TCR), for removal of 8-oxoG. We have studied repair and transcription activities at 8-oxoG lesions with a reconstituted transcription system (RTS; RNA polymerase II, TBP, TFIIA, TFIIB, TFIIE, TFIIF and TFIIH), as well as in cellular extracts and in vivo. All measurable repair activity at 8-oxoG lesions takes place in the 3'-direction from the lesion, indicating base excision repair (BER) activity and negligible role of nucleotide excision repair (NER). Although 8-oxoG has been shown to be preferentially removed from the transcribed strand, in vitro experiments with purified transcription factors failed to identify a definite block for RNA polymerase II at the lesion. However, a weak block was observed at the lesion during transcription carried out with RTS as well as with cellular extracts. RNA polymerase II was identified at the site of the lesion on obstructed templates. Wild-type cells, as well as cells carrying targeted mutations of genes required for removal of 8-oxoG, were transfected with a luciferase expression vector containing an 8-oxoG lesion. No significant obstruction at 8-oxoG lesions was observed by this in vivo approach. In control experiments transcription elongation was completely blocked by cisplatin.

Animals↗

Urinary excretion of DNA repair products correlates with metabolic rates as well as with maximum life spans of different mammalian species.

Using recently developed methodology, which includes HPLC prepurification followed by GC/MS with isotope dilution, we analyzed urinary excretion of possible repair products of oxidative DNA damage-8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoGua), 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), and 5-(hydroxymethyl)uracil (5-HMUra)-in mammalian species that substantially differ in metabolic rate and longevity, namely, mice, rats, rabbits, dogs, pigs, and humans. We found highly significant, positive correlations between specific metabolic rates of the animals studied and their excretion rates for all the modifications analyzed with respective r values for the lesions of (8-oxoGua) r = .891, p < .01; (8-oxodG) r = .998, p < .001; and (5-HMUra) r = .949, p < .005. However, only 8-oxoGua significantly correlates negatively with maximum life span (MLSP) (r = -.928, p < .01). Despite substantial differences in MLSP between humans and pigs (120 and 27 years, respectively), the rates of excretion of all measured modifications were very similar. The urinary levels of all measured modifications found in our study for mouse and humans account respectively for about 34,000 and 2800 repaired events per average cell, per 24 h. It is therefore possible that the high metabolic rate in mice (or other short-lived animals) may be responsible for severe everyday oxidative DNA insults that may be accumulated faster than in long-lived species.

Animals↗

Diet is not responsible for the presence of several oxidatively damaged DNA lesions in mouse urine.

In order to eliminate the possibility that diet may influence urinary oxidative DNA lesion levels, in our experiments we used a recently developed technique involving HPLC pre-purification followed by gas chromatography with isotope dilution mass spectrometric detection. This methodology was applied for the determination of the lesions: 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoGua), 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo) and 5-(hydroxymethyl)uracil (5HMUra) in the urine of mice fed with nucleic acid free diet and normal, unrestricted diet. The mean levels of 8-oxoGua, 8-oxodGuo and 5HMUra of the animals fed the normal diet reached the mean values of 15.6 +/- 3.5, 2.0 +/- 0.53 and 16.8 +/- 10.4 nmol/kg/24 h, After feeding the mice for 12 days with nucleic acid free diet the respective values were 18.8 +/- 4.6, 1.6 +/- 0.3 and 25.4 +/- 10.5 nmol/kg/24 h, respectively. The results clearly demonstrate that irrespective of the diet, the excretion rates were not statistically different during the course of feeding. The respective p values for the differences between lesions in the two types of diets were: 0.13 (8-oxoGua), 0.16 (8-oxodGuo), 0.18 (5-HMUra). Our results clearly indicate that diet does not contribute to urinary excretion of the lesions in mouse model.

8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine↗

Reversible inactivation of E. coli endonuclease III via modification of its [4Fe-4S] cluster by nitric oxide.

Endonuclease III, a highly conserved enzyme initiating the base excision repair of oxidized DNA bases, hosts a [4Fe-4S] cluster. Unlike many other iron-sulfur clusters, the [4Fe-4S] cluster of endonuclease III is stable and resistant to both oxidation and reduction. Here we show that the [4Fe-4S] cluster of the E. coli endonuclease III can be readily modified by nitric oxide forming the protein-bound dinitrosyl iron complex in vitro and in vivo. Modification of the [4Fe-4S] cluster completely inhibits the DNA glycosylase activity of the endonuclease III. Remarkably, the enzymatic activity is restored when the [4Fe-4S] cluster is re-assembled in the endonuclease III dinitrosyl iron complex with L-cysteine, cysteine desulfurase (IscS) and ferrous iron in vitro. Furthermore, the nitric oxide-modified [4Fe-4S] cluster in endonuclease III is efficiently repaired in aerobically growing E. coli cells, and this repair does not require new protein synthesis. These results suggest that the E. coli endonuclease III can be reversibly inactivated by nitric oxide via modification of its [4Fe-4S] cluster.

Carbon-Sulfur Lyases↗

Incision at hypoxanthine residues in DNA by a mammalian homologue of the Escherichia coli antimutator enzyme endonuclease V.

Deamination of DNA bases can occur spontaneously, generating highly mutagenic lesions such as uracil and hypoxanthine. In Escherichia coli two enzymes initiate repair at hypoxanthine residues in DNA. The alkylbase DNA glycosylase, AlkA, initiates repair by removal of the damaged base, whereas endonuclease V, Endo V, hydrolyses the second phosphodiester bond 3' to the lesion. We have identified and characterised a mouse cDNA with striking homology to the E.coli nfi gene, which also has significant similarities to motifs required for catalytic activity of the UvrC endonuclease. The 37-kDa mouse enzyme (mEndo V) incises the DNA strand at the second phosphodiester bond 3' to hypoxanthine- and uracil-containing nucleotides. The activity of mEndo V is elevated on single-stranded DNA substrate in vitro. Expression of the mouse protein in a DNA repair-deficient E.coli alkA nfi strain suppresses its spontaneous mutator phenotype. We suggest that mEndo V initiates an alternative excision repair pathway for hypoxanthine removal. It thus appears that mEndo V has properties overlapping the function of alkylbase DNA glycosylase (Aag) in repair of deaminated adenine, which to some extent could explain the absence of phenotypic abnormalities associated with Aag knockout in mice.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Comparative analysis of 8-oxoG:C, 8-oxoG:A, A:C and C:C DNA repair in extracts from wild type or 8-oxoG DNA glycosylase deficient mammalian and bacterial cells.

We have investigated repair of DNA containing 8-oxoguanine and certain mismatches in cell-free extracts from mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) using a plasmid substrate with a single lesion at a defined position. Repair synthesis was monitored in a small restriction fragment with different size single strands in order to follow the fate of repair reactions in both strands at the same time. An important part of the study was to assess the role of OGG1 in various repair reactions and the experiments were carried out with extracts from mouse embryonic fibroblasts diploid for a mogg1 deletion (Ogg1(-/-)) as well as wild type. In wild type, DNA containing 8-oxoG:C was repaired in the expected fashion predominantly through short-patch repair. Overall repair was reduced to 20% in the Ogg1(-/-) extracts and to 40% if only long-patch repair was considered. The 8-oxoG:A pair was processed similarly in wild type and Ogg1(-/-) extracts and repair synthesis at A as well as at 8-oxoG could be demonstrated, however, to the same extent in Ogg1(-/-) and wild type for both strands. Extracts from Ogg1(-/-) behaved normally in the correction of A:C and C:C mismatches, with a strong bias for correction of A for A:C and no significant strand discrimination for C:C. Similar experiments with extracts from Escherichia coli showed a 50% reduction in the repair of 8-oxoG:C in fpg extracts and an increase to 50% above wild type in mutY. These results show that the mouse OGG1 is the major enzyme for 8-oxoG repair in the MEF cells and does not participate in mismatch repair of A:C or C:C. Furthermore, 8-oxoG opposite A appears to be repaired by a two-step repair pathway with sequential removal of A and 8-oxoG mediated by enzymes different from OGG1.

Animals↗

Better late than never for repair of miscoding lesions within a transcribed template.

Transcription does not always stall at base damage in DNA and can create mutated transcripts from miscoding lesions. In this issue of Molecular Cell, present genetic analysis of E. coli to indicate that the highly mutagenic purine modification, 8-oxoguanine, is subject to transcription-coupled repair despite transcriptional bypass and generation of mutant transcripts.

Animals↗

Proliferation failure and gamma radiation sensitivity of Fen1 null mutant mice at the blastocyst stage.

Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) has been shown to remove 5' overhanging flap intermediates during base excision repair and to process the 5' ends of Okazaki fragments during lagging-strand DNA replication in vitro. To assess the in vivo role of the mammalian enzyme in repair and replication, we used a gene-targeting approach to generate mice lacking a functional Fen1 gene. Heterozygote animals appear normal, whereas complete depletion of FEN1 causes early embryonic lethality. Fen1(-/-) blastocysts fail to form inner cell mass during cellular outgrowth, and a complete inactivation of DNA synthesis in giant cells of blastocyst outgrowth was observed. Exposure of Fen1(-/-) blastocysts to gamma radiation caused extensive apoptosis, implying an essential role for FEN1 in the repair of radiation-induced DNA damage in vivo. Our data thus provide in vivo evidence for an essential function of FEN1 in DNA repair, as well as in DNA replication.

Alleles↗

A global DNA repair mechanism involving the Cockayne syndrome B (CSB) gene product can prevent the in vivo accumulation of endogenous oxidative DNA base damage.

The Cockayne syndrome B (CSB) gene product is involved in the repair of various types of base modifications in actively transcribed DNA sequences. To investigate its significance for the repair of endogenous oxidative DNA damage, homozygous csb(-/-)/ogg1(-/-) double knockout mice were generated. These combine the deficiency of CSB with that of OGG1, a gene coding for the mammalian repair glycosylase that initiates the base excision repair of 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG). Compared to ogg1(-/-) mice, csb(-/-)/ogg1(-/-) mice were found to accumulate with age severalfold higher levels of oxidited purine modifications in hepatocytes, splenocytes and kidney cells. In contrast, the basal (steady-state) levels of oxidative DNA modifications in cells from csb(-/-) mice were not different from those in wild-type mice and did not increase with age. The analysis of the repair rates of additional oxidative DNA base modifications induced by photosensitization in immortalized embryonic fibroblasts was in accordance with these findings: compared to wild-type cells, the global repair was only slightly affected in csb(-/-) cells, more compromised in ogg1(-/-) cells, but virtually absent in csb(-/-)/ogg1(-/-) cells. An inhibition of transcription by alpha-amanitin did not block the Csb-dependent repair in ogg1(-/-) fibroblasts. The influence of Csb on the global repair of 8-oxoG was not detectable in assays with total protein extracts and in a shuttle vector system. The data indicate a role for Csb in the removal of 8-oxoG from the overall genome that is independent of both Ogg1-mediated base excision repair and regular transcription.

8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine↗

Methylpurine DNA glycosylase of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus.

Base excision repair of DNA alkylation damage is initiated by a methylpurine DNA glycosylase (MPG) function. Such enzymes have previously been characterized from bacteria and eukarya, but not from archaea. We identified activity for the release of methylated bases from DNA in cell-free extracts of Archaeoglobus fulgidus, an archaeon growing optimally at 83 degrees C. An open reading frame homologous to the alkA gene of Escherichia coli was overexpressed and identified as a gene encoding an MPG enzyme (M(r) = 34 251), hereafter designated afalkA. The purified AfalkA protein differs from E. coli AlkA by excising alkylated bases only, from DNA, in the following order of efficiency: 3-methyladenine (m(3)A) >> 3-methylguanine approximately 7-methyladenine >> 7-methylguanine. Although the rate of enzymatic release of m(3)A is highest in the temperature range of 65-75 degrees C, it is only reduced by 50% at 45 degrees C, a temperature that does not support growth of A. fulgidus. At temperatures above 75 degrees C, nonenzymatic release of methylpurines predominates. The results suggest that the biological function of AfalkA is to excise m(3)A from DNA at suboptimal and maybe even mesophilic temperatures. This hypothesis is further supported by the observation that the afalkA gene function suppresses the alkylation sensitivity of the E. coli tag alkA double mutant. The amino acid sequence similarity and evolutionary relationship of AfalkA with other MPG enzymes from the three domains of life are described and discussed.

Adenine↗