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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1983

Construction of a plasmid that overproduces the large proteolytic fragment (Klenow fragment) of DNA polymerase I of Escherichia coli.

Using currently available gene fusion techniques, we have constructed plasmids that direct the overproduction of the carboxyl-terminal two-thirds of DNA polymerase I, corresponding to the proteolytically derived "Klenow fragment." We have obtained overproduction amounting to several percent of the cellular protein using constructs in which expression is directed either from the lac promoter or from the leftward promoter of phage lambda. The polymerase fragment has been purified to homogeneity from such overproducing strains by a rapid three-stage purification procedure, yielding material capable of carrying out the same reactions (polymerization, 3' labeling, DNA sequence analysis) as the proteolytically derived fragment. The availability of such overproducing strains should greatly facilitate structural and mechanistic studies of DNA polymerase I. Moreover, the techniques we have described for the cloning and expression of a gene fragment should be generally applicable for the study of protein structure and function in other systems.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1998

Effects of mutations on the partitioning of DNA substrates between the polymerase and 3'-5' exonuclease sites of DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment).

Site-directed mutagenesis and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy were used to evaluate the contributions of individual amino acid side chains to the binding of DNA primer-templates to the 3'-5' exonuclease site of the large proteolytic fragment (Klenow fragment) of DNA polymerase I. Mutations were introduced into side chains that have been shown crystallographically to be in close proximity to a DNA 3' terminus bound at the 3'-5' exonuclease site. The wild-type residues were replaced by alanine in each case. To assess the effects of the mutations on DNA binding, time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy measurements were performed on dansyl-labeled primer-templates bound to the mutant enzymes. In contrast to techniques that simply monitor the overall binding of proteins to DNA, the time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy technique was used to determine the fractional occupancies of the polymerase and 3'-5' exonuclease active sites of Klenow fragment. Equilibrium constants describing the partitioning of DNA between the two active sites were obtained for nine different mutant enzymes bound to both matched and mismatched DNA sequences. Mutations of Leu361 and Phe473 caused the largest effects, significantly destabilizing the binding of mismatched DNA substrates to the 3'-5' exonuclease site relative to DNA bound at the polymerase site, consistent with structural data showing that the side chains of these residues are involved in intimate hydrophobic interactions with the 3' terminal and penultimate bases of the primer strand [Beese, L., and Steitz, T. A. (1991) EMBO J. 10, 25-33]. Mutations of the His660 and Glu357 side chains also resulted in significant effects on the binding of mismatched DNA to the 3'-5' exonuclease site. Surprisingly, mutation of Tyr497 increased the partitioning of mismatched DNA into the 3'-5' exonuclease site, suggesting that the tyrosine side chain in the wildtype enzyme destabilizes substrate binding, despite crystallographic data showing that Tyr497 is H-bonded to the DNA substrate. The effects of mutating the amino acid side chains that serve as ligands to two divalent metal ions bound at the 3'-5' exonuclease site, designated A and B, indicated that metal A also helps to bind DNA to the 3'-5' exonuclease site. These results demonstrate that the time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy technique can be used to quantify the energetic contributions associated with each of the crystallographically defined DNA-protein contacts at the 3'-5' exonuclease site.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed1988

Cocrystal structure of an editing complex of Klenow fragment with DNA.

High-resolution crystal structures of editing complexes of both duplex and single-stranded DNA bound to Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I large fragment (Klenow fragment) show four nucleotides of single-stranded DNA bound to the 3'-5' exonuclease active site and extending toward the polymerase active site. Melting of the duplex DNA by the protein is stabilized by hydrophobic interactions between Phe-473, Leu-361, and His-666 and the last three bases at the 3' terminus. Two divalent metal ions interacting with the phosphodiester to be hydrolyzed are proposed to catalyze the exonuclease reaction by a mechanism that may be related to mechanisms of other enzymes that catalyze phospho-group transfer including RNA enzymes. We suggest that the editing active site competes with the polymerase active site some 30 A away for the newly formed 3' terminus. Since a 3' terminal mismatched base pair favors the melting of duplex DNA, its binding and excision at the editing exonuclease site that binds single-stranded DNA is enhanced.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed2002

Determinants of DNA mismatch recognition within the polymerase domain of the Klenow fragment.

The Klenow fragment of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I catalyzes template-directed synthesis of DNA and uses a separate 3'-5' exonuclease activity to edit misincorporated bases. The polymerase and exonuclease activities are contained in separate structural domains. In this study, nine Klenow fragment derivatives containing mutations within the polymerase domain were examined for their interaction with model primer-template duplexes. The partitioning of the DNA primer terminus between the polymerase and 3'-5' exonuclease active sites of the mutant proteins was assessed by time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy, utilizing a dansyl fluorophore attached to the DNA. Mutation of N845 or R668 disrupted favorable interactions between the Klenow fragment and a duplex containing a matched terminal base pair but had little effect when the terminus was mismatched. Thus, N845 and R668 are required for recognition of correct terminal base pairs in the DNA substrate. Mutation of N675, R835, R836, or R841 resulted in tighter polymerase site binding of DNA, suggesting that the side chains of these residues induce strain in the DNA and/or protein backbone. A double mutant (N675A/R841A) showed an even greater polymerase site partitioning than was displayed by either single mutation, indicating that such strain is additive. In both groups of mutant proteins, the ability to discriminate between duplexes containing matched or mismatched base pairs was impaired. In contrast, mutation of K758 or Q849 had no effect on partitioning relative to wild type, regardless of DNA mismatch character. These results demonstrate that DNA mismatch recognition is dependent on specific amino acid residues within the polymerase domain and is not governed solely by thermodynamic differences between correct and mismatched base pairs. Moreover, this study suggests a mechanism whereby the Klenow fragment is able to recognize polymerase errors following a misincorporation event, leading to their eventual removal by the 3'-5' exonuclease activity.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Behavior of the large fragment of DNA polymerase I (the Klenow fragment) during fractionation of a cell-free extract of E. coli MRE-600].

Distribution of the DNA polymerase I large fragment (Klenow fragment) was studied during fractionation of the E. coli MRE-600 cell-free extract with polyethylenimine. On the basis of the results obtained a simple procedure is proposed that enables the Klenow fragment to be obtained as a coproduct of DNA polymerase I, RNA polymerase, polynucleotide phosphorylase, nucleotide kinases with acetokinase and nucleoside deoxy-ribosyltransferase in the framework of a combined technological scheme.

Chemical Fractionation↗
PubMed1988

Avian myeloblastosis virus reverse transcriptase is easier to use than the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I for labeling the 3'-end of a DNA fragment.

The 3'----5' exonuclease activity of the Klenow fragment operates in 3'-end labeling of DNA fragments. In the presence of excess deoxyribonucleoside 5'-triphosphates (dNTPs), the 5'----3' polymerase activity is dominant over the exonuclease activity. However, in the presence of a small amount of dNTPs, the exonuclease activity removed deoxyribonucleoside 5'-monophosphate (dNMP) incorporated in the 3'-end of a DNA strand by the polymerase activity. We found that the radioactivity of incorporated dNMP decreased remarkably in the course of 3'-end labeling by the Klenow fragment. On the other hand avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) reverse transcriptase also possesses the polymerase activity. The decline of the incorporated radioactivity was not observed, indicating that the enzyme has neither exo- nor endonuclease activities. Furthermore, the level of the incorporated radioactivity was the same as that obtained by the Klenow fragment. We conclude that AMV reverse transcriptase is easier to use than the Klenow fragment for labeling the 3'-end of a DNA fragment.

Affinity Labels↗
PubMed1996

DNA polymerase photoprobe 2-[(4-azidophenacyl)thio]-2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate labels an Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I Klenow fragment substrate binding site.

The nucleotide photoprobe 2-[(4-azidophenacyl)thio]-2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate (1) was evaluated as a photoaffinity label of the DNA polymerase I Klenow fragment. Photolabel [3H]-1 covalently labeled the Klenow fragment with photolysis at 300 nm, reaching saturation at an approximate 1:1 mole ratio at 5.7 microM and with an EC50 (the effective concentration at 50% maximum photoincorporation) of about 0.74 microM. Saturating concentrations of poly(dA).(T)10 protect the Klenow fragment from [3H]-1 photoincorporation, and TTP at a concentration approximately equal to its KD for the free enzyme form shifts the dose-response curve for photoincorporation of [3H]-1 into the Klenow fragment by a factor of 2, indicating a competitive relationship between TTP and 1. Additionally, the photoincorporation of [3H]-1 into the Klenow fragment has an absolute requirement for magnesium, with no significant photoincorporation observed at concentrations of 1 up to 10 microM in the absence of magnesium. These results demonstrate that, as designed, photoprobe 1 binds to both the dNTP and a portion of the template-primer binding sites on the Klenow fragment. Photoaffinity labeling of the Klenow fragment by 1 yielded a single radiolabeled tryptic fragment which was isolated by HPLC; sequence analysis identified Asp732 in the peptide fragment Asp732-Ile733-His734-Arg735 as the site of covalent modification. Molecular modeling and complementary NMR analysis of the conformation of 1 indicated preferred C3'-exo and C2'-exo-C3'-endo symmetrical twist furanose ring puckers, with a high antibase conformation and a +sc C-5 torsional angle. Docking studies using Asp732 as an anchor point for the azide alpha-nitrogen on the photolabel indicate that the dNTP binding site is at the edge of the DNA binding cleft opposite the exonuclease site and that the template binding site includes helix O in the finger motif of the Klenow fragment.

Affinity Labels↗
PubMed1989

How DNA travels between the separate polymerase and 3'-5'-exonuclease sites of DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment).

The polymerase and 3'-5'-exonuclease activities of the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I are located on separate structural domains of the protein, separated by about 30 A. To determine whether a DNA primer terminus can move from one active site to the other without dissociation of the enzyme-DNA complex, we carried out reactions on a labeled DNA substrate in the presence of a large excess of unlabeled DNA, to limit observations to a single enzyme-DNA encounter. The results indicated that while Klenow fragment is capable of intramolecular shuttling of a DNA substrate between the two catalytic sites, the intermolecular pathway involving enzyme-DNA dissociation can also be used. Thus, there is nothing in the protein structure or the reaction mechanism that dictates a particular means of moving the DNA substrate. Instead, the use of the intermolecular or the intramolecular pathway is determined by the competition between the polymerase or exonuclease reaction and DNA dissociation. When the substrate has a mispaired primer terminus, DNA dissociation seems generally more rapid than exonucleolytic digestion. Thus, Klenow fragment edits its own polymerase errors by a predominantly intermolecular process, involving dissociation of the enzyme-DNA complex and reassociation of the DNA with the exonuclease site of a second molecule of Klenow fragment.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Exploration of factors driving incorporation of unnatural dNTPS into DNA by Klenow fragment (DNA polymerase I) and DNA polymerase alpha.

In order to further understand how DNA polymerases discriminate against incorrect dNTPs, we synthesized two sets of dNTP analogues and tested them as substrates for DNA polymerase alpha (pol alpha) and Klenow fragment (exo-) of DNA polymerase I (Escherichia coli). One set of analogues was designed to test the importance of the electronic nature of the base. The bases consisted of a benzimidazole ring with one or two exocyclic substituent(s) that are either electron-donating (methyl and methoxy) or electron-withdrawing (trifluoromethyl and dinitro). Both pol alpha and Klenow fragment exhibit a remarkable inability to discriminate against these analogues as compared to their ability to discriminate against incorrect natural dNTPs. Neither polymerase shows any distinct electronic or steric preferences for analogue incorporation. The other set of analogues, designed to examine the importance of hydrophobicity in dNTP incorporation, consists of a set of four regioisomers of trifluoromethyl benzimidazole. Whereas pol alpha and Klenow fragment exhibited minimal discrimination against the 5- and 6-regioisomers, they discriminated much more effectively against the 4- and 7-regioisomers. Since all four of these analogues will have similar hydrophobicity and stacking ability, these data indicate that hydrophobicity and stacking ability alone cannot account for the inability of pol alpha and Klenow fragment to discriminate against unnatural bases. After incorporation, however, both sets of analogues were not efficiently elongated. These results suggest that factors other than hydrophobicity, sterics and electronics govern the incorporation of dNTPs into DNA by pol alpha and Klenow fragment.

Benzimidazoles↗
PubMed1993

Structure of DNA polymerase I Klenow fragment bound to duplex DNA.

Klenow fragment of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I, which was cocrystallized with duplex DNA, positioned 11 base pairs of DNA in a groove that lies at right angles to the cleft that contains the polymerase active site and is adjacent to the 3' to 5' exonuclease domain. When the fragment bound DNA, a region previously referred to as the "disordered domain" became more ordered and moved along with two helices toward the 3' to 5' exonuclease domain to form the binding groove. A single-stranded, 3' extension of three nucleotides bound to the 3' to 5' exonuclease active site. Although this cocrystal structure appears to be an editing complex, it suggests that the primer strand approaches the catalytic site of the polymerase from the direction of the 3' to 5' exonuclease domain and that the duplex DNA product may bend to enter the cleft that contains the polymerase catalytic site.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1998

How E. coli DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment) distinguishes between deoxy- and dideoxynucleotides.

Deoxy- and dideoxynucleotides differ only in whether they have a hydroxyl substituent at C-3' of the ribose moiety, and yet the Klenow fragment DNA polymerase prefers the natural (dNTP) substrate by several thousandfold. We have used this preference in order to investigate how Klenow fragment interacts with the sugar portion of an incoming dNTP. We screened mutant derivatives of Klenow fragment so as to identify those amino acid residues that play important roles in distinguishing between dNTPs and ddNTPs. Substitution of Phe762 with Ala or Tyr caused a dramatic decrease in the discrimination against ddNTPs, while mutations in Tyr766 and Glu710 had a smaller effect, suggesting that these two side-chains play secondary roles in the selection of dNTPs over ddNTPs. In order to understand the interactions in the enzyme-DNA-dNTP ternary complex, pre-steady-state kinetic parameters for the incorporation of dNTPs and ddNTPs were determined for wild-type Klenow fragment and for mutant derivatives that showed changes in dNTP/ddNTP discrimination. From elemental effect measurements we infer that selection against dideoxynucleotides takes place in the transition state for the conformational change that precedes phosphoryl transfer. The crucial role of the Phe762 side-chain appears to be to constrain the dNTP molecule so that the 3'-OH can make an interaction with another group within the ternary complex. When Tyr is substituted at position 762, the same interactions can take place to position the dNTP, but specificity against the ddNTP is lost because the phenolic OH can compensate for the missing 3'-OH of the nucleotide. Substitution of the smaller Ala side-chain results in a loss in specificity because the dNTP is no longer appropriately constrained. Measurement of reaction rates as a function of magnesium ion concentration suggests that the interaction made with the dNTP 3'-OH may involve a metal ion and the Glu710 side-chain, the simplest scenario being that both the 3'-OH and the carboxylate of Glu710 are ligands to the same metal ion.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Deoxyadenosine-based DNA polymerase photoprobes: design, synthesis, and characterization as inhibitors of the Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I Klenow fragment.

DNA polymerase photoprobes 2-[(4-azidophenacyl)thio]-2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate (1), 2-[(4-azidophenylsulfenyl)thio]-2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate (2), and 2-[(4-azido-2-nitrophenyl)-thio]-2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate (3) were designed from a thermodynamic model of DNA polymerase 1-substrate interactions such that the triphosphate would anchor the inhibitor and allow the phenyl azide to interact with the complementary template binding site. Photoprobes 1-3 were synthesized by condensation of 2-thio-2'-deoxyadenosine or its phosphate with p-azidophenacyl bromide, N-(4-azidophenylsulfenyl)phthalimide, and 4-azido-1-fluoro-2-nitrobenzene, respectively, and characterized as reversible and photoinduced irreversible inhibitors of the DNA polymerase I Klenow fragment and HIV I reverse transcriptase. The aryl azides decomposed with irradiation at 300 and 350 nm with half-lives ranging from 0.98 to 2.33 min and 2.15 to 5.38 min, respectively, with quantum efficiencies ranging from 0.29 to 0.55 and no apparent photodecomposition of the 2-thio-2'-deoxyadenosine nucleotide. Photoprobes 1-3 showed mixed noncompetitive inhibition of the Klenow fragment polymerase activity versus poly(dA).(T)10 as variable substrate with apparent competitive inhibition constants of 2.1, 36, and 29 microM, respectively, evidence suggesting that these photoprobes bind to both the free enzyme form and the enzyme-template-primer binary complex. Of the three photoprobes, only nucleotide 1 photoinactivates the Klenow fragment; in the presence of a 200-fold excess of nitrene scavenger, photoprobe 1 inactivates 92% of the Klenow fragment polymerase activity with saturation observed at 9.7 microM and an IC50 of about 2 microM. This evidence demonstrates that photoprobe 1 does bind to the Klenow fragment in the absence of template-primer and that it is an efficient photoprobe.

Affinity Labels↗
PubMed1993

[Features of interaction of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I and its Klenow fragment with dTTP gamma-p-azidoanilide].

gamma-p-Azidoanilidate of dTTP was used to study the photoaffinity modification of DNA polymerase I and Klenow fragment. The analog was found to be a mixed-type inhibitor with respect to dTTP of the polymerization reaction catalyzed by DNA polymerase I and Klenow fragment. In the absence of the reagent both UV-irradiated enzymes were rapidly inactivated. Substrates (dNTP and template-primer) protected the enzymes from inactivation by UV-light with different efficiency. In the presence of the template-primer UV-irradiation induced activation of DNA polymerase I. The effect of the analog on both enzyme forms under irradiation is different. At concentration of 10(-5)M gamma-p-anilidate of dTTP accelerated the activation of DNA polymerase I initiated by UV-irradiation and at 10(-4)M concentration it inactivated the enzyme by 20-25%. Under such conditions one enzyme molecule covalently bound two molecules of the analog. While the template-complementary substrate (dTTP) protected DNA polymerase I both from inactivation and modification, the non-complementary one (dCTP) worked only against modification. In contrast to DNA polymerase I Klenow fragment was not inactivated when exposed to UV-irradiation and gamma-p-anilidate of dTTP neither modified the protein nor exerted any significant effect on its polymerization activity. The data accumulated suggest the presence on the DNA polymerase I molecule of a regulatory region providing additional dNTP binding sites.

Azides↗
PubMed1984

The effect of the 3',5' thiophosphoryl linkage on the exonuclease activities of T4 polymerase and the Klenow fragment.

The 3'----5' exonuclease activities of T4 DNA polymerase and the Klenow fragment of Polymerase I towards the phosphoryl and thiophosphoryl 3',5' linkage were examined under comparable conditions of idling-turnover, duplex hydrolysis and turnover during polymerization. With the T4 enzyme there is a negligible effect of thiosubstitution on these activities; with the Klenow fragment there is a greater than one hundred-fold reduction in rate with the thiolinkage for the exonuclease but not polymerization activities. This inability to hydrolyze rapidly the thiophosphoryl linkage extends to the hydrolytic activity of Exonuclease III. The quantitation of the exonuclease activities of these three proteins under various conditions should aid in the successful employment of thiophosphoryl nucleoside triphosphates for their incorporation into DNA.

DNA Polymerase I↗
PubMed1998

Recognition of sequence-directed DNA structure by the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I.

Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy was used to investigate the influence of sequence-directed DNA structure upon the interaction between the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I and a series of defined oligonucleotide primer/templates. 17/27-mer (primer/template) oligonucleotides containing a dansyl fluorophore conjugated to a modified deoxyuridine residue within the primer strand were used as substrates for binding to Klenow fragment. The time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy decay of the dansyl probe was analyzed in terms of two local environments, either solvent-exposed or buried, corresponding to primer/templates positioned with the primer 3' terminus in the polymerase site or the 3'-5' exonuclease site of the enzyme, respectively. Equilibrium constants for partitioning of DNA between the two sites were evaluated from the anisotropy decay data for primer/templates having different (A + T)-rich sequences flanking the primer 3' terminus. Primer/templates with AAAATG/TTTTAC and CGATAT/GCTATA terminal sequences (the nucleotides on the left refer to the last six bases at the 3' end of the primer, and the nucleotides on the right are the corresponding bases in the template) were bound mostly at the polymerase site. The introduction of single mismatches opposite the primer 3' terminus of these DNA substrates increased their partitioning into the 3'-5' exonuclease site, in accord with the results of an earlier study [Carver, T.E., Hochstrasser, R.A., and Millar, D.P. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 91, 10670-10674]. In contrast, a primer/template with the terminal sequence CAATTT/GTTAAA, containing an A-tract element AATTT, exhibited a surprising preference for binding at the 3'-5' exonuclease site, despite the absence of mismatched bases in the DNA substrate. Interruption of the A-tract with a single AG step, to give the terminal sequence CAGTTT/GTCAAA, reversed the effect of the A-tract, causing the DNA to partition in favor of the polymerase site. Moreover, the presence of a single mismatch opposite the primer 3' terminus was also sufficient to reverse the effect of the A-tract, resulting in a distribution of DNA between polymerase and 3'-5' exonuclease sites that was similar to that observed for the other mismatched DNA substrates. Taken together, these results suggest that the A-tract adopts an unusual conformation that is disruptive to binding at the polymerase site. The effect of the A-tract on binding of DNA to the polymerase site is discussed in terms of the unusual helix structural parameters associated with these sequence elements and the difference between the local geometry of the A-tract and the conformation adopted by duplex DNA within the polymerase cleft. The results of this study show that in addition to base mismatches, Klenow fragment can also recognize irregularities in the helix geometry of perfectly base-paired DNA.

Base Composition↗
PubMed2003

Presence of 18-A long hydrogen bond track in the active site of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment). Its requirement in the stabilization of enzyme-template-primer complex.

The analysis of the active site region in the crystal structures of template-primer-bound KlenTaq (Klenow fragment equivalent of Thermus aquaticus polymerase I) shows the presence of an approximately 18-A long H-bonding track contributed by the Klenow fragment equivalent of Asn(845), Gln(849), Arg(668), His(881), and Gln(677). Its location is nearly diagonal to the helical axis of the template-primer. Four base pairs in the double stranded region proximal to 3' OH end of the primer terminus appear to interact with individual amino acid components of the track through either the bases or sugar moieties. To understand the functional significance of this H-bonding network in the catalytic function of Klenow fragment (KF), we generated N845A, N845Q, Q849A, Q849N, R668A, H881A, H881V, Q677A, and Q677N mutant species by site-directed mutagenesis. All of the mutant enzymes showed low catalytic activity. The kinetic analysis of mutant enzymes indicated that K(m)(.dNTP) was not significantly altered, but K(D)(.DNA) was significantly increased. Thus the mutant enzymes of the H-bonding track residues had decreased affinity for template-primer, although the extent of decrease was variable. Most interestingly, even the reduced binding of TP by the mutant enzymes occurs in the nonproductive mode. These results demonstrate that an H-bonding track is necessary for the binding of template-primer in the catalytically competent orientation in the pol I family of enzymes. The examination of the interactive environment of individual residues of this track further clarifies the mode of cooperation in various functional domains of pol I.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

A single side chain prevents Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment) from incorporating ribonucleotides.

Although nucleic acid polymerases from different families show striking similarities in structure, they maintain stringent specificity for the sugar structure of the incoming nucleoside triphosphate. The Klenow fragment of E. coli DNA polymerase I selects its natural substrates, deoxynucleotides, over ribonucleotides by several thousand fold. Analysis of mutant Klenow fragment derivatives indicates that discrimination is provided by the Glu-710 side chain which sterically blocks the 2'-OH of an incoming rNTP. A nearby aromatic side chain, at position 762, plays an important role in constraining the nucleotide so that the Glu-710 "steric gate" can be fully effective. Even with the E710A mutation, which is extremely permissive for addition of a single ribonucleotide to a DNA primer, Klenow fragment does not efficiently synthesize pure RNA, indicating that additional barriers prevent the incorporation of successive ribonucleotides.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1989

[Klenow fragment of DNA-polymerase I from E. coli. III. The role of internucleotide phosphate groups of the matrix in its binding with the enzyme].

The modification of Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I E. coli was investigated by the affinity reagents d(Tp)2C[Pt2+(NH3)2OH](pT)7 and d(pT)2pC[Pt2+(NH3)2OH](pT)7. The template binding site of the enzyme was modified by these reagents in the presence of NaF (5 mM), which inhibits selectively the 3'----5'-exonuclease activity of the enzyme and therefore prevents the reagent from degradation. NaCN destroyed covalent bonds between reagents and enzyme, restoring activity of the Klenow fragment. The affinity of different ligands (inorganic phosphate, nucleoside monophosphates, oligonucleotides) to the template binding site of Klenow fragment was estimated. Minimal ligands capable to bind with the template site were shown to be triethylphosphate (Kd 290 microM) and phosphate (Kd 26 microM). Ligand affinity increases by the factor 1.76 per an added (monomer unit from phosphate to d(pT) and then for oligonucleotides d(Tp)nT (n 1 to 19-20). At n greater than 19-20, the ligand affinity remained constant. The complete ethylation of phosphodiester groups lowers affinity of the oligothymidylates to the enzyme by approximately 10 times, and comparable decrease of Pt2+-oligonucleotide affinity to polymerase is caused by the absence of Mn2+-ions. The data obtained led to suggestion that one Me2+-dependent electrostatic contact of the template phosphodiester group with the enzyme takes place (delta G = -1.45...-1.75 kcal/mole). Formation of a hydrogen bond with the oxygen atom of P = O group of the same template phosphate is also assumed (delta G = -4.8...-4.9 kcal/mole). Other template internucleotide phosphates do not interact with the enzyme but the bases of oligonucleotides take part in hydrophobic interactions with the template binding site. Gibbs energy changes by -0.34 kcal/mole when the template is lengthened by one unit.

Affinity Labels↗