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PubMed1998

Characterization of the native and recombinant catalytic subunit of human DNA polymerase gamma: identification of residues critical for exonuclease activity and dideoxynucleotide sensitivity.

The human DNA polymerase gamma catalytic subunit was overexpressed in recombinant baculovirus-infected insect cells, and the 136 000 Da protein was purified to homogeneity. Application of the same purification protocol to HeLa mitochondrial lysates permitted isolation of native DNA polymerase gamma as a single subunit, allowing direct comparison of the native and recombinant enzymes without interference of other polypeptides. Both forms exhibited identical properties, and the DNA polymerase and 3' --> 5' exonuclease activities were shown unambiguously to reside in the catalytic polypeptide. The salt sensitivity and moderate processivity of the isolated catalytic subunit suggest other factors could be required to restore the salt tolerance and highly processive DNA synthesis typical of gamma polymerases. To facilitate our understanding of mitochondrial DNA replication and mutagenesis as well as cytotoxicity mediated by antiviral nucleotide analogues, we also constructed two site-directed mutant proteins of the human DNA polymerase gamma. Substituting alanine for two essential acidic residues in the exonuclease motif selectively eliminated the 3' --> 5' exonucleolytic function of the purified mutant polymerase gamma. Replacement of a tyrosine residue critical for sugar recognition with phenylalanine in polymerase motif B reduced dideoxynucleotide inhibition by a factor of 5000 with only minor effects on overall polymerase function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

Locating nucleobase lesions within DNA sequences by MALDI-TOF mass spectral analysis of exonuclease ladders.

The location of carcinogen-modified nucleobases (DNA adducts) within DNA sequences is a critical factor affecting their promutagenic properties and persistence in DNA. We now report the use of controlled exonuclease digestion followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to directly map modified nucleobases within DNA. The DNA sequence is determined by mass spectral analysis of the DNA ladders produced by sequential removal of nucleotides with either 5'-->3' or 3'-->5' exonuclease. Individual mononucleotides are identified from the mass differences between adjacent peaks corresponding to singly charged ions of the products of enzymatic cleavage. Chemically modified nucleotides are detected and identified by their molecular weight. The resolution and mass accuracy of this approach are sufficient to identify nucleobase modifications differing in mass by as little as 2 Da. No a priori information on the DNA sequence or adduct type is required. We demonstrate the general applicability of this method by sequencing synthetic oligonucleotides containing a range of nucleobase modifications: O(6)-methylguanine, peroxynitrite-induced oxidative lesions (oxaluric acid, oxazolone, cyanuric acid), and the N(2)-guanine adduct of (+,-)-7r,8t-dihydroxy-9t,10t-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydribenzo[a]pyrene. Sequence information is also obtained for DNA oligodeoxynucleotides containing O(6)-pyridyloxobutylguanine, despite the ability of this lesion to block 3'-phosphodiesterase.

DNA Adducts↗
PubMed2004

The presence of 3'-5' exonuclease activity in rat brain neurons and its role in template-driven extension of 3'-mismatched primers by DNA-polymerase beta in aging neurons.

A three-step reaction strategy has been developed to examine the mechanism of extension of a mismatched primer in an oligoduplex substrate by rat neuronal extracts and DNA polymerase beta. The results revealed that in the case of duplexes with a mismatch at 3'-end of primer, significant extension by DNA polymerase beta has taken place only after the removal of the mismatched base, thus indicating the presence of a proof reading 3'-5' exonuclease activity in neuronal extracts of all ages. A closer examination of the neuronal exonuclease activity revealed that bases are excised from the 3' end in a sequential and nonspecific manner, although initial excision of a mismatched base was slightly faster. Further, the excision efficiency is seen to decrease with the age of the animal but apparently does not go below a critical level so as to become a rate-limiting factor for the DNA-repair activity.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

A coproofreading Zn(2+)-dependent exonuclease within a bacterial replicase.

The proofreading exonucleases of all DNA replicases contain acidic residues that chelate two Mg(2+) ions that participate in catalysis. DNA polymerase III holoenzymes contain their proofreading activity in a separate subunit, epsilon, which binds the polymerase subunit, alpha, through alpha's N-terminal php domain. Here we demonstrate that the alpha php domain contains a novel Zn(2+)-dependent 3' --> 5' exonuclease that preferentially removes mispaired nucleotides, providing the first example of a coediting nuclease.

Cations, Divalent↗
PubMed1975

Role of apurinic sites in the resistance of methylated oligodeoxyribonucleotides to degradation by spleen exonuclease.

The effect of introducing methyl groups into DNA substrates was studied by using the spleen exonuclease (EC 3.1.4.1), an enzyme which hydrolyses oligonucleotides in a sequential manner by splitting off 3'-phosphomononucleotides starting from the 5'-hydroxyl terminus. Analyses of oligodeoxyribonucleotide 3'-phosphate substrates after reaction in vitro with dimethyl sulphate demonstrated that the resultant methylation pattern differed from the previously found for native DNA, particularly with respect to the relative amounts of 1- and 3-methyladenine produced. Although after treatment with increasing amounts of dimethyl sulphate the substrate became progressively resistant to degradation by the exonuclease, the methylation products themselves were only partially responsible for the observed inhibition of enzyme activity. The incomplete degradation encountered was apparently due to the presence of apurinic sites, which arose as secondary lesions after the spontaneous release of the labile alkyl purines from the methylated substrate. Inhibition of enzyme activity appeared to be competitive, being characterized by constant values for apparent Vmax, and increased values for apparent Km. the interpretation of this, however, is complicated by the complex nature of the substrate, and these aspects are considered in some detail.

Adenine↗
PubMed1975

Mutations simultaneously affecting endonuclease II and exonuclease III in Escherichia coli.

We studied mutants of E. coli originally identified as being deficient in either endonuclease II (deoxyribonucleate oligonucleotidohydrolase, EC 3.1.4.30) or exonuclease III [deoxyribonucleate (double-stranded) 5'-nucleotidohydrolase, EC 3.1.4.27] activity. Twelve independently derived mutants were tested, including three new endonuclease II mutants. Deficiency of one enzyme was always accompanied by deficiency of the other. Furthermore, temperature-sensitivity of one activity was always accompanied by temperature-sensitivity of the other, and the enzymes were co-purified. The results suggested a physical association between exonuclease III and endonuclease II, which may be of advantage in the excision-repair of DNA. A thermolabile endonuclease II was purified from one of the new mutants, indicating that it had an altered structural gene. This mutation, and all similar ones mapped by genetic transduction, was located between the pncA and aroD genes on the E. coli chromosome. One mutant had a prolonged generation time, an increased sensitivity to the alkylating agents methyl-methanesulfonate and mitomycin C, and a decreased plating efficiency for bacteriophage lambda, but no marked sensitivity to ultraviolet or gamma-irradiation. Its enzymatic and biological abnormalities were simultaneously revertible, suggesting they were caused by a single mutation. These results suggested a role for these enzymes in normal cell growth processes and in the repair of alkylation damage.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed1987

Specificity and efficiency of editing of mismatches involved in the formation of base-substitution mutations by the 3'----5' exonuclease activity of phage T4 DNA polymerase.

The specificity and efficiency of base-mispair editing by the 3'----5' exonuclease activity of phage T4 DNA polymerase has been measured using a sensitive infectivity assay. A series of oligodeoxynucleotide primer chains was synthesized chemically. These primers, when hybridized to phi X174 single-stranded DNAs containing an amber codon, result in a mispaired nucleotide at the 3'-hydroxyl end of the primer chain within the amber codon. DNA synthesis on these primer X templates without the removal of the mispaired terminal nucleotide results in the formation of heteroduplex molecules that yield viable revertants upon transfection into an amber nonsuppressor host. This method permits determination of the efficiency of editing of a mismatch to 1 in 10(6) mismatches that escape editing and allows all eight mispairs that can yield viable revertants at an amber codon to be studied. The results of experiments with primers hybridizing to phi X174 am16 and am3 codons show that the order of mispair editing by T4 DNA polymerase is Ttemplate X Gprimer less than (A X G, T X C) less than (T X T, G X A, G X G, A X C) less than A X A. The efficiency of editing depends upon the mispair, as well as the neighboring DNA sequence. Under these conditions of synthesis, the 3'----5' exonuclease activity, depending upon the mispair and DNA sequences beyond the nearest neighbors, is estimated to contribute a factor of from 2.3 X 10(3)- to greater than 10(6)-fold to the accuracy of T4 DNA polymerase.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

A 5' to 3' exonuclease functionally interacts with calf DNA polymerase epsilon.

Analysis of fractions containing purified DNA polymerase epsilon from calf thymus has revealed the presence of a 5' to 3' exonuclease activity that is specific for a single strand of duplex DNA. This activity is capable of degrading a 3'-labeled oligonucleotide hybridized to M13mp18 DNA. When a second oligonucleotide primer is annealed 3 bases upstream, degradation of the downstream primer is strictly dependent on DNA synthesis from the upstream primer. Replacement of the downstream primer by an oligoribonucleotide of identical sequence results in a similar pattern of exonucleolytic activity. The activity has been highly purified and found to cosediment in glycerol gradients with a peptide of 56 kDa as judged by SDS/PAGE analysis. Effects of calf DNA polymerase alpha and delta on exonuclease activity are also observed but with differences in the pattern of products.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Structural origins of the exonuclease resistance of a zwitterionic RNA.

Nuclease resistance and RNA affinity are key criteria in the search for optimal antisense nucleic acid modifications, but the origins of the various levels of resistance to nuclease degradation conferred by chemical modification of DNA and RNA are currently not understood. The 2'-O-aminopropyl (AP)-RNA modification displays the highest nuclease resistance among all phosphodiester-based analogues and its RNA binding affinity surpasses that of phosphorothioate DNA by 1 degrees C per modified residue. We found that oligodeoxynucleotides containing AP-RNA residues at their 3' ends competitively inhibit the degradation of single-stranded DNA by the Escherichia coli Klenow fragment (KF) 3'-5' exonuclease and snake venom phosphodiesterase. To shed light on the origins of nuclease resistance brought about by the AP modification, we determined the crystal structure of an A-form DNA duplex with AP-RNA modifications at 1.6-A resolution. In addition, the crystal structures of complexes between short DNA fragments carrying AP-RNA modifications and wild-type KF were determined at resolutions between 2.2 and 3.0 A and compared with the structure of the complex between oligo(dT) and the D355A/E357A KF mutant. The structural models suggest that interference of the positively charged 2'-O-substituent with the metal ion binding site B of the exonuclease allows AP-RNA to effectively slow down degradation.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1998

A human homologue of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe rad1+ checkpoint gene encodes an exonuclease.

In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe the rad1(+) gene is required for both the DNA damage-dependent and the DNA replication-dependent cell cycle checkpoints. We have identified a human homologue of the S. pombe rad1(+) gene, designated Hrad1, as well as a mouse homologue: Mrad1. Two Hrad1 alternative splice variants with different open reading frames have been identified; one codes for a long form, Hrad1A, and the other encodes a short form because of N-terminal truncation, Hrad1B. Hrad1A has 60% identity to the S. pombe rad1+ sequence at the DNA level and 49% identity and 72% similarity at the amino acid level. Northern blot analysis indicates elevated levels of expression in testis and cancer cell lines. Chromosomal localization by fluorescence in situ hybridization indicates that Hrad1 is located on chromosome 5p13. 2-13.3. This region is subject to loss of heterozygosity in several human cancers. Hrad1 also shares homology with the Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD17 and Ustilago maydis REC1 proteins. REC1 has previously been characterized as a 3' --> 5' exonuclease with a C-terminal domain essential for cell cycle checkpoint function. We have expressed and purified polyhistidine-tagged fusions of Hrad1A and Hrad1B and show that HisHrad1A has 3' --> 5' exonuclease activity, whereas HisHrad1B lacks such activity. The biological functions of the two proteins remain to be determined.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1999

Kinetic and product distribution analysis of human eosinophil cationic protein indicates a subsite arrangement that favors exonuclease-type activity.

With the use of a high yield prokaryotic expression system, large amounts of human eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) have been obtained. This has allowed a thorough kinetic study of the ribonuclease activity of this protein. The catalytic efficiencies for oligouridylic acids of the type (Up)nU>p, mononucleotides U>p and C>p, and dinucleoside monophosphates CpA, UpA, and UpG have been interpreted by the specific subsites distribution in ECP. The distribution of products derived from digestion of high molecular mass substrates, such as poly(U) and poly(C), by ECP was compared with that of RNase A. The characteristic cleavage pattern of polynucleotides by ECP suggests that an exonuclease-like mechanism is predominantly favored in comparison to the endonuclease catalytic mechanism of RNase A. Comparative molecular modeling with bovine pancreatic RNase A-substrate analog crystal complexes revealed important differences in the subsite structure, whereas the secondary phosphate-binding site (p2) is lacking, the secondary base subsite (B2) is severely impaired, and there are new interactions at the po, Bo, and p-1 sites, located upstream of the P-O-5' cleavable phosphodiester bond, that are not found in RNase A. The differences in the multisubsites structure could explain the reduced catalytic efficiency of ECP and the shift from an endonuclease to an exonuclease-type mechanism.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2000

A 3'-5' exonuclease in human leukemia cells: implications for resistance to 1-beta -D-arabinofuranosylcytosine and 9-beta -D-arabinofuranosyl-2-fluoroadenine 5'-monophosphate.

A 3'-5' exonuclease that excises the nucleotide analogs 1-beta-d-arabinofuranosylcytosine monophosphate and 9-beta-d-arabinofuranosyl-2-fluoroadenine 5'-monophosphate incorporated at 3' ends of DNA was purified from the nuclei of: 1) primary human chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells, 2) primary and established human acute myeloblastic leukemia cells, and 3) lymphocytes obtained from healthy individuals. The activity of this nuclear exonuclease (exoN) is elevated approximately 6-fold in 1-beta-d-arabinofuranosylcytosine-resistant leukemia cells as compared with drug-sensitive cells, and it differs between two healthy individuals and among three leukemia patients. exoN is a 46-kDa monomer, requires 50 mm KCl and 1 mm magnesium for optimal activity, and shows a preference for single-stranded over duplex DNA. Its physical and enzymatic properties indicate that exoN is a previously uncharacterized enzyme whose activity may confer resistance to clinical nucleoside analogs in leukemia cells.

Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic↗
PubMed2001

Oxygen free radical damage to DNA. Translesion synthesis by human DNA polymerase eta and resistance to exonuclease action at cyclopurine deoxynucleoside residues.

Cyclopurine deoxynucleosides are common DNA lesions generated by exposure to reactive oxygen species under hypoxic conditions. The S and R diastereoisomers of cyclodeoxyadenosine on DNA were investigated separately for their ability to block 3' to 5' exonucleases. The mammalian DNA-editing enzyme DNase III (TREX1) was blocked by both diastereoisomers, whereas only the S diastereoisomer was highly efficient in preventing digestion by the exonuclease function of T4 DNA polymerase. Digestion in both cases was frequently blocked one residue before the modified base. Oligodeoxyribonucleotides containing a cyclodeoxyadenosine residue were further employed as templates for synthesis by human DNA polymerase eta (pol eta). pol eta could catalyze translesion synthesis on the R diastereoisomer of cyclodeoxyadenosine. On the S diastereoisomer, pol eta could catalyze the incorporation of one nucleotide opposite the lesion but could not continue elongation. Although pol eta preferentially incorporated dAMP opposite the R diastereoisomer, elongation continued only when dTMP was incorporated, suggesting bypass of this lesion by pol eta with reasonable fidelity. With the S diastereoisomer, pol eta mainly incorporated dAMP or dTMP opposite the lesion but could not elongate even after incorporating a correct nucleotide. These data suggest that the S diastereoisomer may be a more cytotoxic DNA lesion than the R diastereoisomer.

DNA Damage↗
PubMed2004

Distant structural homology leads to the functional characterization of an archaeal PIN domain as an exonuclease.

Genome sequencing projects have focused attention on the problem of discovering the functions of protein domains that are widely distributed throughout living species but which are, as yet, largely uncharacterized. One such example is the PIN domain, found in eukaryotes, bacteria, and Archaea, and with suggested roles in signaling, RNase editing, and/or nucleotide binding. The first reported crystal structure of a PIN domain (open reading frame PAE2754, derived from the crenarchaeon, Pyrobaculum aerophilum) has been determined to 2.5 A resolution and is presented here. Mapping conserved residues from a multiple sequence alignment onto the structure identifies a putative active site. The discovery of distant structural homology with several exonucleases, including T4 phage RNase H and flap endonuclease (FEN1), further suggests a likely function for PIN domains as Mg2+-dependent exonucleases, a hypothesis that we have confirmed in vitro. The tetrameric structure of PAE2754, with the active sites inside a tunnel, suggests a mechanism for selective cleavage of single-stranded overhangs or flap structures. These results indicate likely DNA or RNA editing roles for prokaryotic PIN domains, which are strikingly numerous in thermophiles, and in organisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They also support previous hypotheses that eukaryotic PIN domains participate in RNAi and nonsense-mediated RNA degradation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

The human TREX2 3' -> 5'-exonuclease structure suggests a mechanism for efficient nonprocessive DNA catalysis.

The 3' --> 5'-exonucleases process DNA ends in many DNA repair pathways of human cells. Determination of the human TREX2 structure is the first of a dimeric 3'-deoxyribonuclease and indicates how this highly efficient nonprocessive enzyme removes nucleotides at DNA 3' termini. Symmetry in the TREX2 dimer positions the active sites at opposite outer edges providing open access for the DNA. Adjacent to each active site is a flexible region containing three arginines positioned appropriately to bind DNA and to control its entry into the active site. Mutation of these three arginines to alanines reduces the DNA binding capacity by approximately 100-fold with no effect on catalysis. The human TREX2 catalytic residues overlay with the bacterial DnaQ family of 3'-exonucleases confirming the structural conservation of the catalytic sites despite limited sequence identity, and mutations of these residues decrease the still measurable activity by approximately 10(5)-fold, confirming their catalytic role.

Alanine↗
PubMed2007

Probing the roles of active site residues in the 3'-5' exonuclease of the Werner syndrome protein.

Werner syndrome is a premature aging disease caused by mutations in the WS gene and a deficiency in the function of Werner protein (WRN). The lack of WRN results in a cellular phenotype of genomic instability. WRN belongs to the RecQ DNA helicase family, but unlike other RecQ family members it possesses a functional exonuclease domain. We determined the crystal structure of mWRNexo (residues 31-238) bound to Zn(2+) and the sulfate ion. Compared with the structure of human WRNexo (hWRNexo), notable conformational changes were observed in several active site residues in an H5-H6 loop and in helices H6 and H7 of mWRNexo, presumably because of the presence of sulfate, which mimics the phosphate of substrate DNA. In particular, the side chains of Lys(185) and Tyr(206) were reoriented toward the Zn(2+) ion, whereas the side chain of Arg(190) pointed away from the active site center. Mutational analysis of these conserved residues abolished WRN exonuclease activity, suggesting that these residues play a critical role in the WRNexo activity. Based on substrate modeling and mutational analyses, we propose a mechanism by which WRNexo becomes activated upon substrate DNA binding. We also describe the low resolution trimeric structure of mouse WRNexoL (mWRNexoL, residues 31-330), as elucidated by small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) analyses.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Properties of exonuclease-resistant, psoralen-conjugated oligodeoxyribonucleotides in vitro and in cell culture.

We have prepared oligodeoxyribonucleotides that are modified at the 3'-terminal with N4-(4-aminobutyl)deoxycytidine and derivatized at the 5'-end with a 4'-([N-(aminoethyl)amino]methyl)-4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen, (ae)AMT, and whose sequences are complementary to vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), N-protein mRNA, (ae)AMT-II, or VSV M-protein mRNA, (ae)AMT-III. (ae)AMT-II cross-links exclusively to VSV N-mRNA when a mixture of the oligomer and poly(A+) RNA from VSV-infected cells is irradiated in vitro with long wavelength UV light at either 20 degrees or 37 degrees C. N4-(4-Aminobutyl)deoxycytidine at the 3'-end of (ae)AMT-II does not appear to affect the binding or cross-linking of the oligomer to its target RNA. Oligomer (ae)AMT-II is completely resistant to hydrolysis by the 3'-5'-exonuclease activity found in fetal calf serum whereas a similar oligomer, (ae)AMT-I, which contains a 3'-terminal deoxycytidine, is hydrolyzed within 30 min when incubated at 37 degrees C. Intact (ae)AMT-II was found in both the cell lysate and cell culture medium after 12 hr of incubation with mouse L-cells along with d-(ae)AMTpT, which appears to result from endonuclease degradation of the oligomer. In contrast no intact (ae)AMT-I was found in either the cell lysate or the culture medium after 1 hr incubation. Although 10 microM (ae)AMT-II had no effect on VSV-protein synthesis in either unirradiated or UV-irradiated VSV-infected mouse L-cells, 10 microM (ae)AMT-III inhibited VSV protein synthesis 30% in irradiated cells. These results show that introduction of a N4-(4-aminobutyl)deoxycytidine at the 3'-end of an oligodeoxyribonucleotide significantly increases the resistance of the oligomer to degradation by 3'-5'-exonucleases but does not interfere with its ability to bind selectively to complementary RNA. Further derivatization with psoralen creates an oligomer that can be triggered to cross-link with RNA in a sequence-specific manner, is taken up intact by mammalian cells in culture, and exhibits biological activity. In combination, these two modifications endow the oligodeoxyribonucleotide with novel properties that could be exploited in the design of antisense or antigene reagents for use in controlling gene expression in mammalian cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Identification by exonuclease footprinting of a distal promoter-binding protein from HeLa cell extracts.

Incubation of a HeLa cell fraction termed P1000 with genomic DNA fragments containing portions of the 5'-flanking region of the ovalbumin gene, followed by digestion with exonucleases, shows that this cell fraction contains a protein (or proteins) that binds to the distal promoter of the ovalbumin gene. The protein protects both strands and spans a minimum of 22 bp on the noncoding strand from nucleotides -68 to -90. The 5' border of the protected region on the coding strand is located at nucleotide -81. A similar site on the chick beta-globin gene is also protected by HeLa cell fraction P1000. The exonuclease footprinting methods used to identify the distal promoter-binding protein are more sensitive than the DNaseI footprinting method, and can be used to identify sequence-specific binding proteins in a mixture of DNA binding proteins.

Base Sequence↗