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S W Matson

Publications and source records attributed to S W Matson.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Purified Escherichia coli F-factor TraY protein binds oriT.

The traY gene of the Escherichia coli F plasmid has been shown by genetic studies (R. Everett and N. Willetts, J. Mol. Biol. 136:129-150, 1980) to be involved in the site-specific nicking reaction at oriT required for the initiation of DNA transfer during bacterial conjugation. In order to assign a biochemical function to TraY protein, the traY gene was cloned in a plasmid vector which utilizes the strong T7 phi 10 promoter to overproduce the protein. The plasmid-encoded TraY protein was specifically labeled with [35S]methionine, and purification of the polypeptide was accomplished by monitoring the radioactive label. Purified TraY protein had a relative molecular mass of approximately 17,000, as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The amino terminus of the purified protein was sequenced to confirm that the protein was encoded by the traY gene. The protein sequence revealed that the start codon for the TraY protein was a UUG codon 36 base pairs upstream of the AUG start site originally deduced from the DNA sequence (T. Fowler, L. Taylor, and R. Thompson, Gene 26:79-89, 1983). This start sequence confirmed the premise of Inamoto et al. that the F-plasmid TraY polypeptide-coding sequence would begin with UUG, creating a reading frame which renders a large degree of amino acid sequence identity with the TraY polypeptide from R100 (S. Inamoto, Y. Yoshioka, and E. Ohtsubo, J. Bacteriol. 170:2749-2757, 1988). The purified TraY protein from F bound specifically to the origin of transfer region of the F plasmid. However, no nicking activity was detected at oriT by using TraY protein or TraY protein in conjunction with helicase I.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1990

DNA helicases.

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Animals↗
PubMed1989

The molecular cloning of the gene encoding the Escherichia coli 75-kDa helicase and the determination of its nucleotide sequence and gentic map position.

A previously unreported DNA unwinding enzyme, referred to as the 75-kDa helicase, was recently purified from Escherichia coli cell extracts and biochemically characterized (Wood, E. R., and Matson, S. W. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 15269-15276). In order to initiate the genetic analysis of the 75-kDa helicase, the gene encoding this enzyme was cloned. DNA sequencing confirmed the identity of the gene since the predicted amino acid sequence of the encoded polypeptide precisely matched the sequence of the first 27 NH2-terminal amino acid residues of the 75-kDa helicase as determined by peptide sequencing. The predicted amino acid sequence of the 75-kDa helicase is similar in several regions to the amino acid sequences of two other E. coli helicases, Rep protein and helicase II. The gene encoding the 75-kDa helicase was mapped to 22 min on the E. coli chromosome. We propose that this newly defined locus be referred to as helD, and, to avoid confusion with other E. coli helicases with a similar molecular size, we propose that the 75-kDa helicase be referred to as helicase IV.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1989

Identification and purification of a protein that stimulates the helicase activity of the Escherichia coli Rep protein.

A polypeptide (Mr = 15,000) has been purified from Escherichia coli cell extracts that significantly stimulates the duplex DNA unwinding reaction catalyzed by E. coli Rep protein. The Rep helicase unwinding reaction was stimulated by as much as 20-fold, upon addition of the stimulatory protein, using either a 71-base pair or a 343-base pair partial duplex DNA molecule as a substrate. The purified Rep helicase stimulatory protein (RHSP) had no intrinsic helicase activity or ATP hydrolysis activity and did not stimulate the single-stranded DNA-dependent ATP hydrolysis reaction catalyzed by Rep protein. It is likely that RHSP stimulates the Rep helicase unwinding reaction by stoichiometric binding to single-stranded DNA. However, a specific interaction between Rep protein and RHSP cannot be ruled out, since RHSP did not stimulate the duplex DNA unwinding reactions catalyzed by E. coli helicase I or the recently discovered 75-kDa helicase. RHSP did stimulate the duplex DNA unwinding reaction catalyzed by E. coli helicase II. The identification and subsequent purification of RHSP from cell extracts demonstrates the feasibility of using direct helicase assays to purify stimulatory proteins.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1989

Escherichia coli DNA helicase II (uvrD gene product) catalyzes the unwinding of DNA.RNA hybrids in vitro.

DNA helicase II is a well-characterized Escherichia coli enzyme capable of unwinding duplex DNA and known to be involved in both methyl-directed mismatch repair and excision repair of pyrimidine dimers. Here it is shown that this enzyme also catalyzes the ATP-dependent unwinding of a DNA.RNA hybrid consisting of a radioactively labeled RNA molecule annealed on M13 single-stranded DNA. The DNA.RNA unwinding reaction required less protein to unwind more base pairs than the corresponding unwinding of duplex DNA. In addition, the rate of unwinding of the DNA.RNA hybrid was more than an order of magnitude faster than unwinding of a DNA partial duplex of similar length. The unwinding of the DNA.RNA hybrid is a property unique to helicase II since helicase I, Rep protein, and helicase IV failed to catalyze the reaction. In light of these results it seems likely that helicase II is involved in some previously unrecognized aspect of nucleic acid metabolism, in addition to its known roles in DNA repair reactions.

DNA Helicases↗
PubMed1988

Escherichia coli DNA helicase I catalyzes a unidirectional and highly processive unwinding reaction.

Helicase I has been purified to greater than 95% homogeneity from an F+ strain of Escherichia coli, and characterized as a single-stranded DNA-dependent ATPase and a helicase. The duplex DNA unwinding reaction requires a region of ssDNA for enzyme binding and concomitant nucleoside 5'-triphosphate hydrolysis. All eight predominant nucleoside 5'-triphosphates can satisfy this requirement. Unwinding is unidirectional in the 5' to 3' direction. The length of duplex DNA unwound is independent of protein concentration suggesting that the unwinding reaction is highly processive. Kinetic analysis of the unwinding reaction indicates that the enzyme turns over very slowly from one DNA substrate molecule to another. The ATP hydrolysis reaction is continuous when circular partial duplex DNA substrates are used as DNA effectors. When linear partial duplex substrates are used ATP hydrolysis is barely detectable, although the kinetics of the unwinding reaction on linear partial duplex substrates are identical to those observed using a circular partial duplex DNA substrate. This suggests that ATP hydrolysis fuels continuous translocation of helicase I on circular single-stranded DNA while on linear single stranded DNA the enzyme translocates to the end of the DNA molecule where it must slowly dissociate from the substrate molecule and/or slowly associate with a new substrate molecule, thus resulting in a very low rate of ATP hydrolysis.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1988

The unwinding of duplex regions in DNA by the simian virus 40 large tumor antigen-associated DNA helicase activity.

The DNA helicase activity associated with purified simian virus 40 (SV40) large tumor (T) antigen has been examined. A variety of DNA substrates were used to characterize this ATP-dependent activity. Linear single-stranded M13 DNA containing short duplex regions at both ends was used to show that SV40 T antigen helicase displaced the short, annealed fragment by unwinding in a 3' to 5' direction. Three different partial duplex structures consisting of 71-, 343-, and 851-nucleotide long fragments annealed to M13 single-stranded circular DNA were used to show that SV40 T antigen can readily unwind short and long duplex regions with almost equal facility. ATP and MgCl2 were required for this reaction. With the exception of GTP, dGTP, and CTP, the other common nucleoside triphosphates substituted for ATP with varied efficiency, while adenosine 5'-O-(thiotriphosphate) was inactive. The T antigen helicase activity was also examined using completely duplex DNA fragments (approximately 300 base pairs) with or without the SV40 origin sequence as substrates. In reactions containing small amounts (0.6 ng) of DNA, the ATP-dependent unwinding of duplex DNA fragments occurred with no dependence on the origin sequence. This reaction was stimulated 5- to 6-fold by the addition of the Escherichia coli single-stranded DNA-binding protein. When competitor DNA was added so that the ratio of SV40 T antigen to DNA was reduced 1000-fold, only DNA fragments containing a functional SV40 origin of replication were unwound. This reaction was dependent on ATP, MgCl2, and a DNA-binding protein, and was stimulated by inorganic phosphate or creatine phosphate. The origin sequence requirements for the unwinding reaction were the same as those for replication (the 64-base pair sequence present at T antigen binding site 2). Thus, under specified conditions, only duplex DNA fragments containing an intact SV40 core origin were unwound. In contrast, unwinding of partially duplex segments of DNA flanked by single-stranded regions can occur with no sequence specificity.

Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming↗
PubMed1987

Purification and characterization of a new DNA-dependent ATPase with helicase activity from Escherichia coli.

A previously unreported single-stranded DNA-dependent nucleoside 5'-triphosphatase with DNA unwinding activity has been purified from extracts of Escherichia coli lacking the F factor. Fractions of the purified enzyme contain a major polypeptide of Mr = 75,000 which contains the active site(s) for both ATP hydrolysis and helicase activity. This is consistent with the results of gel filtration chromatography which indicate a native molecular mass of 75 kDa. The 75-kDa helicase has a preference for ATP (dATP) as a substrate in the hydrolysis reaction and requires the presence of a single-stranded DNA cofactor. The helicase reaction catalyzed by the enzyme has been characterized using an in vitro strand displacement assay. The 75-kDa helicase displaces a 71-nucleotide DNA fragment in an enzyme concentration-dependent and time-dependent reaction. The helicase reaction depends on the presence of a hydrolyzable nucleoside 5'-triphosphate (NTP) suggesting that NTP hydrolysis is required for the unwinding activity. In addition, the enzyme can displace a 343-nucleotide DNA fragment albeit less efficiently. The direction of the unwinding reaction is 3' to 5' with respect to the strand of DNA on which the enzyme is bound. The molecular size of this helicase and the direction of the unwinding reaction are similar to both helicase II and Rep protein. However, the 75-kDa helicase has been shown to be distinct from both helicase II and Rep protein using immunological, physical, and genetic criteria. The discovery of a new helicase brings the total number of helicases found in E. coli cell extracts (lacking F factor) to five.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1987

DNA helicase II of Escherichia coli. Characterization of the single-stranded DNA-dependent NTPase and helicase activities.

Escherichia coli helicase II has been purified to near homogeneity from cells harboring a multicopy plasmid containing the structural gene for helicase II, uvrD. In this paper a detailed description of the single-stranded DNA-dependent nucleoside 5'-triphosphatase and helicase reactions catalyzed by helicase II is presented. The results of this study suggest that nucleoside 5'-triphosphate hydrolysis provides the energy required for translocation of the enzyme along single-stranded DNA. Measurements of the rate of ATP hydrolysis using a variety of single-stranded DNAs of known structure and length suggest a processive translocation mechanism for helicase II. Single-stranded DNA coated with either Escherichia coli single-stranded DNA binding protein (SSB) or bacteriophage T4 gene 32 protein fails to support helicase II ATPase activity. Moreover, helicase II is apparently unable to displace a molecule of bound SSB protein from single-stranded DNA when it is encountered in the process of translocation along a single-stranded DNA effector. The helicase reaction has been characterized using an in vitro strand displacement helicase assay. The helicase reaction requires concomitant nucleoside 5'-triphosphatase hydrolysis that is satisfied by the hydrolysis of either rATP or dATP. As the length of duplex DNA present in the partial duplex helicase substrate is increased from 71 base pairs to 343 base pairs, the fraction of duplex DNA molecules that are unwound by helicase II decreases in the absence of any accessory proteins. However, the total number of base pairs of duplex DNA unwound depends primarily on the amount of enzyme added to the helicase reaction and not on the length of the duplex DNA present in the partial duplex DNA substrate. These data suggest the number of base pairs of duplex DNA unwound is directly proportional with the concentration of helicase II in the reaction mixture. In addition, the rate of the unwinding reaction is independent of the length of the duplex DNA available for unwinding. Helicase II has been shown to dissociate from single-stranded DNA molecules infrequently acting as an ATPase. However, the enzyme dissociates from partial duplex helicase substrates more frequently. This suggests a more distributive reaction mechanism on duplex DNA than was observed on single-stranded DNA substrates. The fraction of 343-base pair partial duplex DNA molecules unwound by helicase II can be increased by the addition of appropriate concentrations of E. coli SSB to the reaction. This suggests that helicase II and SSB may act in a concerted reaction to unwind duplex DNA.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1987

RAD3 protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a DNA helicase.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD3 gene, which is required for cell viability and excision repair of damaged DNA, encodes an 89-kDa protein that has a single-stranded DNA-dependent ATPase activity. We now show that the RAD3 protein also possesses a helicase activity that unwinds duplex regions in DNA substrates constructed by annealing DNA fragments of 71-851 nucleotides to circular, single-stranded M13 DNA. The DNA helicase activity is dependent on the hydrolysis of ATP, has a pH optimum of approximately 5.6, and is inhibited by antibodies raised against a truncated RAD3 protein produced in Escherichia coli. The RAD3 helicase translocates along single-stranded DNA in the 5'----3' direction. The direction of RAD3 helicase movement is consistent with the possibility that it unwinds DNA duplexes in advance of the replication fork during DNA replication.

Antigen-Antibody Reactions↗
PubMed1986

Escherichia coli helicase II (urvD gene product) translocates unidirectionally in a 3' to 5' direction.

Escherichia coli helicase II, product of the uvrD gene, is a single-stranded DNA-dependent nucleoside 5'-triphosphatase with helicase activity. As a DNA-dependent ATPase, helicase II translocates processively along single-stranded DNA (S. W. Matson, unpublished results). The direction of translocation has been determined using a helicase assay that directly measures the ability of helicase II to catalyze the displacement of a labeled DNA fragment from one end of a single-stranded linear DNA molecule. The translocation of helicase II along single-stranded DNA is unidirectional and in the 3' to 5' direction with respect to the DNA strand on which the enzyme is bound. A kinetic analysis of the displacement of a labeled DNA fragment annealed to a linear single-stranded DNA molecule is also consistent with unidirectional translocation in the 3' to 5' direction. These results are contrary to results previously obtained using an indirect helicase assay (Kuhn, B., Abdel-Monem, M., Krell, H., and Hoffmann-Berling, H. (1979) J. Biol. Chem. 254, 11343-11350).

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1985

Production of antibodies directed against Escherichia coli helicase III and the molecular cloning of the helicase III gene.

Helicase III from Escherichia coli has been purified to near homogeneity using single-stranded DNA-dependent adenosine nucleoside 5'-triphosphatase activity as an assay to monitor the purification. The denatured form of this 18.5-kilodalton polypeptide, isolated on a preparative polyacrylamide gel run in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, has been used as an antigen to direct the production of rabbit anti-helicase III antibodies. The antibodies obtained fail to inhibit directly either the helicase activity or the DNA-dependent adenosine nucleoside 5'-triphosphatase activity of helicase III. However, when the antigen-antibody complex is removed from solution by binding to Staphylococcus aureus cells with subsequent sedimentation, there is excellent correlation between the loss of both enzymatic activities and the loss of the helicase III polypeptide. The anti-helicase III antibodies have been used as a reagent to probe immunologically a library of E. coli DNA fragments inserted into the plasmid pBR322 for expression of the helicase III antigen. The gene encoding helicase III has been localized on a 2.0-kilobase pair PvuII-EcoRI fragment. Bacterial cells harboring a multicopy plasmid containing this fragment overproduce the helicase III antigen approximately 100-fold.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1985

Nucleotide-dependent binding of the gene 4 protein of bacteriophage T7 to single-stranded DNA.

The gene 4 protein of bacteriophage T7 is a multifunctional enzyme that catalyzes (i) the hydrolysis of nucleoside 5'-triphosphates, (ii) the synthesis of tetraribonucleotide primers at specific recognition sequences on a DNA template, and (iii) the unwinding of duplex DNA. All three activities depend on binding of gene 4 protein to single-stranded DNA followed by unidirectional 5' to 3' translocation of the protein (Tabor, S., and Richardson, C. C. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 205-209). Binding of gene 4 protein to single-stranded DNA, assayed by retention of DNA-protein complexes on nitrocellulose filters, is random with regard to DNA sequence. Although gene 4 protein does not bind to duplex DNAs, the presence of a 240-nucleotide-long single-stranded tail on a 7200-base pair duplex DNA molecule is sufficient for gene 4 protein to cause retention of the DNA on a filter. The binding reaction requires, in addition to MgCl2, the presence of a nucleoside 5'-triphosphate, but binding is not dependent on hydrolysis; nucleoside 5'-diphosphate will substitute for nucleoside 5'-triphosphate. Of the eight common nucleoside triphosphates, dTTP promotes optimal binding. The half-life of the gene 4 protein-DNA complex depends on both the secondary structure of the DNA and on whether or not the nucleoside 5'-triphosphate cofactor can be hydrolyzed. Using the nonhydrolyzable nucleoside 5'-triphosphate analog, beta,gamma-methylene dTTP, the half-life of the gene 4 protein-DNA complex is greater than 80 min. In the presence of the hydrolyzable nucleoside 5'-triphosphate, dTTP, the half-life of the gene 4 protein-DNA complex using circular M13 DNA is at least 4 times longer than that observed using linear M13 DNA.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1983

DNA-dependent nucleoside 5'-triphosphatase activity of the gene 4 protein of bacteriophage T7.

The gene 4 protein of bacteriophage T7 is both a primase and a helicase. In this paper, we present a detailed description of a third activity, single-stranded DNA-dependent nucleoside 5'-triphosphate hydrolysis, and show that this activity is coupled to the unidirectional translocation of the gene 4 protein on single-stranded DNA (Tabor, S., and Richardson, C.C. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 78, 205-209). The competitive inhibitor of NTP hydrolysis, beta, gamma-methylene dTTP, is also a potent inhibitor of gene 4 protein-dependent, RNA-primed DNA synthesis; inhibition is not due to a direct inhibition of T7 DNA polymerase or RNA primer synthesis. We conclude that the energy derived from the hydrolysis of NTPs by the gene 4 protein is required for translocation of the protein to primase recognition sites. Measurement of the rates of hydrolysis of NTPs using a variety of DNAs of known structure and length support the unidirectional translocation of the gene 4 protein on single-stranded DNA. Duplex DNA, RNA, and single-stranded DNA coated with single-stranded DNA-binding protein do not serve as effectors for the nucleoside triphosphatase of the gene 4 protein. Kinetic data suggest that the gene 4 protein does not remain bound to newly synthesized oligoribonucleotide primers but continues to search for other primase recognition sites. Although all the predominant naturally occurring NTPs except rCTP are hydrolyzed by the gene 4 protein, the enzyme shows specificity for dTTP with a Km of 0.4 mM. In the accompanying paper (Matson, S.W., Tabor, S., and Richardson, C.C. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 14017-14024), we show that the hydrolysis of NTPs is also required for the protein to function as a helicase in duplex regions of DNA.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1983

The gene 4 protein of bacteriophage T7. Characterization of helicase activity.

Gene 4 protein of bacteriophage T7 is a multifunctional enzyme that both stimulates T7 DNA polymerase during leading strand synthesis, and synthesizes RNA primers that initiate lagging strand synthesis. Both activities are dependent on the ability of the gene 4 protein to translocate unidirectionally (5' to 3') along single-stranded DNA (Tabor, S., and Richardson, C.C. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 78, 205-209), a reaction that is coupled to the hydrolysis of nucleoside 5'-triphosphates. In this paper, we show that gene 4 protein, in the absence of other proteins, is a helicase, an activity previously inferred from its ability to stimulate T7 DNA polymerase on duplex DNA. We have designed a DNA substrate for use in characterizing the helicase activity which consists of a short DNA fragment bearing a single-stranded 3'-tail when annealed to circular, single-stranded M13 DNA. With such a DNA substrate, the gene 4 protein can disrupt the helical structure of a 96-nucleotide-long fragment, resulting in its displacement from the circle. Helicase activity requires a long stretch of at least 17 nucleotides of single-stranded DNA on the 5'-side of the duplex to be unwound. In addition, helicase activity is not observed unless a short (greater than 6 nucleotides) single-stranded 3'-tail is present. The helicase activity has an absolute requirement for hydrolysis of a nucleoside 5'-triphosphate. The inhibitor of nucleoside triphosphate hydrolysis, beta, gamma-methylene dTTP, is an effective inhibitor of helicase activity. Based on these results, we propose a model for the action of the gene 4 protein at a replication fork.

DNA Helicases↗
PubMed1981

Duplex DNA binding activity of the avian myeloblastosis virus DNA polymerase.

Purified avian myeloblastosis virus DNA polymerase has a strong binding affinity for closed circular double-stranded DNA with no 3'-hydroxy termini. Because of this affinity the DNA polymerase can retain labeled native ColE1 DNA on nitrocellulose filters. When the reaction contains four enzyme molecules per ColE1 molecule about 50% of the DNA is retained. Higher enzyme: DNA ratios cause retention of nearly 100% of the DNA. The binding activity comigrates with DNA synthetic activity through ion-exchange chromatography and glycerol gradient centrifugation, in indication that it is an intrinsic activity of the DNA polymerase. Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I and bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase do not show this binding activity, which suggests that it is not a common property of DNA polymerases. A novel application of enzyme kinetics using endonuclease-treated DNA reveals the relative quantities of enzyme molecules which are synthesizing at 3'-termini vs. molecules bound to double-stranded regions. Heat stability measurements indicate that the polymerizing activity of the enzyme can be almost completely eliminated while about half of the original binding activity is retained.

Avian Leukosis Virus↗
PubMed1981

Short deoxyribonucleic acid repair patch length in Escherichia coli is determined by the processive mechanism of deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase I.

The lengths of ultraviolet irradiation-induced repair resynthesis patches were measured in repair-competent extracts of Escherichia coli. Extracts containing wild-type deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase I introduced a patch 15 to 20 nucleotides in length during repair of ColE1 plasmid DNA; extracts containing the polA5 mutant form of DNA polymerase I introduced a patch only about 5 nucleotides in length in a similar reaction. The repair patch length in the presence of either DNA polymerase corresponded to the processivity of that polymerase (the average number of nucleotides added per enzyme-DNA binding event) as determined with purified enzymes and DNA treated with a nonspecific endonuclease. The base composition of the repair patch inserted by the wild-type DNA polymerase was similar to that of the bacterial genome, whereas the patch inserted by the mutant enzyme was skewed toward greater pyrimidine incorporation. This skewing is expected, considering the predominance of pyrimidine incorporation occurring at the ultraviolet lesion and the short patch made by the mutant enzyme. Since the defect in the polA5 DNA polymerase which causes premature dissociation from DNA is reflected exactly in the repair patch length, the processive mechanism of the polymerase must be a central determinant of patch length.

Base Composition↗