skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Transient kinetic analysis of oxidative dealkylation by the direct reversal DNA repair enzyme AlkB
AlkB is a bacterial Fe(II)– and 2-oxoglutarate–dependent dioxygenase that repairs a wide range of alkylated nucleobases in DNA and RNA as part of the adaptive response to exogenous nucleic acid–alkylating agents. Although there has been longstanding interest in the structure and specificity of Escherichia coli AlkB and its homologs, difficulties in assaying their repair activities have limited our understanding of their substrate specificities and kinetic mechanisms. Here, we used quantitative kinetic approaches to determine the transient kinetics of recognition and repair of alkylated DNA by AlkB. These experiments revealed that AlkB is a much faster alkylation repair enzyme than previously reported and that it is significantly faster than DNA repair glycosylases that recognize and excise some of the same base lesions. We observed that whereas 1, N 6 -ethenoadenine can be repaired by AlkB with similar efficiencies in both single- and double-stranded DNA, 1-methyladenine is preferentially repaired in single-stranded DNA. Our results lay the groundwork for future studies of AlkB and its human homologs ALKBH2 and ALKBH3.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1615586
PAR ID:
10156610
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Biological Chemistry
Volume:
295
Issue:
21
ISSN:
0021-9258
Page Range / eLocation ID:
7317 to 7326
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. The plant-specific RNA Polymerase V (Pol V) plays a key role in gene silencing, but its role in repair of double stranded DNA breaks is unclear. Excision of the transposable element mPing creates double stranded breaks that are repaired by NHEJ. We measured mPing excision site repair in multiple DNA methylation mutants including pol V using an mPing : GFP reporter. Two independent mutant alleles of pol V showed less GFP expression, indicating that the Pol V protein plays a role in excision site repair. Sequence analysis of the pol V excision sites indicated an elevated rate of large deletions consistent with less efficient repair. These results clarify the role of Pol V, but not other RNA-directed DNA methylation proteins (Pol IV) or maintenance DNA methylation pathways ( MET1 ), in the repair of double-strand DNA breaks. 
    more » « less
  2. The plant-specific RNA Polymerase V (Pol V) plays a key role in gene silencing, but its role in repair of double stranded DNA breaks is unclear. Excision of the transposable element mPing creates double stranded breaks that are repaired by NHEJ. We measured mPing excision site repair in multiple DNA methylation mutants including pol V using an mPing:GFP reporter. Two independent mutant alleles of pol V showed less GFP expression, indicating that the Pol V protein plays a role in excision site repair. Sequence analysis of the pol V excision sites indicated an elevated rate of large deletions consistent with less efficient repair. These results clarify the role of Pol V, but not other RNA-directed DNA methylation proteins (Pol IV) or maintenance DNA methylation pathways (MET1), in the repair of double-strand DNA breaks. 
    more » « less
  3. DNA alkylation is used as the key epigenetic mark in eukaryotes, however, most alkylation in DNA can result in deleterious effects. Therefore, this process needs to be tightly regulated. The enzymes of the AlkB and Ten-Eleven Translocation (TET) families are members of the Fe and alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent superfamily of enzymes that are tasked with dealkylating DNA and RNA in cells. Members of these families span all species and are an integral part of transcriptional regulation. While both families catalyze oxidative dealkylation of various bases, each has specific preference for alkylated base type as well as distinct catalytic mechanisms. This perspective aims to provide an overview of computational work carried out to investigate several members of these enzyme families including AlkB, ALKB Homolog 2, ALKB Homolog 3 and Ten-Eleven Translocate 2. Insights into structural details, mutagenesis studies, reaction path analysis, electronic structure features in the active site, and substrate preferences are presented and discussed. 
    more » « less
  4. CRISPR-Cas systems provide versatile tools for programmable genome editing. Here, we developed a caged RNA strategy that allows Cas9 to bind DNA but not cleave until light-induced activation. This approach, referred to as very fast CRISPR (vfCRISPR), creates double-strand breaks (DSBs) at the submicrometer and second scales. Synchronized cleavage improved kinetic analysis of DNA repair, revealing that cells respond to Cas9-induced DSBs within minutes and can retain MRE11 after DNA ligation. Phosphorylation of H2AX after DNA damage propagated more than 100 kilobases per minute, reaching up to 30 megabases. Using single-cell fluorescence imaging, we characterized multiple cycles of 53BP1 repair foci formation and dissolution, with the first cycle taking longer than subsequent cycles and its duration modulated by inhibition of repair. Imaging-guided subcellular Cas9 activation further facilitated genomic manipulation with single-allele resolution. vfCRISPR enables DNA-repair studies at high resolution in space, time, and genomic coordinates. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract DNA damage drives genetic mutations that underlie the development of cancer in humans. Multiple pathways have been described in mammalian cells which can repair this damage. However, most work to date has focused upon single lesions in DNA. We present here a combinatorial system which allows assembly of duplexes containing single or multiple types of damage by ligating together six oligonucleotides containing damaged or modified bases. The combinatorial system has dual fluorescent labels allowing examination of both strands simultaneously, in order to study interactions or competition between different DNA repair pathways. Using this system, we demonstrate how repair of oxidative damage in one DNA strand can convert a mispaired T:G deamination intermediate into a T:A mutation. We also demonstrate that slow repair of a T:G mispair, relative to a U:G mispair, by the human methyl-binding domain 4 DNA glycosylase provides a competitive advantage to competing repair pathways, and could explain why CpG dinucleotides are hotspots for C to T mutations in human tumors. Data is also presented that suggests repair of closely spaced lesions in opposing strands can be repaired by a combination of short and long-patch base excision repair and simultaneous repair of multiply damage sites can potentially lead to lethal double strand breaks. 
    more » « less