Error rate and specificity of human and murine DNA polymerase eta

Widespread mutagenesis and chromosomal instability shape somatic genomes in systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis is a connective tissue disorder characterized by excessive fibrosis that primarily affects women, and can present as a multisystem pathology. Roughly 4-22% of patients with systemic sclerosis develop cancer, which drastically worsens prognosis. However, the mechanisms underlying systemic sclerosis initiation, propagation, and cancer development are poorly understood. We hypothesize that the inflammation and immune response associated with systemic sclerosis can trigger DNA damage, leading to elevated somatic mutagenesis, a hallmark of pre-cancerous tissues. To test our hypothesis, we culture clonal lineages of fibroblasts from the lung tissues of controls and systemic sclerosis patients and compare their mutation burdens and spectra. We find an overall increase in all major mutation types in systemic sclerosis samples compared to control lung samples, from small-scale events such as single base substitutions and insertions/deletions, to chromosome-level changes, including copy-number changes and structural variants. In the genomes of patients with systemic sclerosis, we find evidence of somatic hypermutation or kategis (typically only seen in cancer genomes), we identify mutation signatures closely resembling the error-prone translesion polymerase Polη activity, and observe an activation-induced deaminase-like mutation signature, which overlaps with genomic regions displaying kataegis.

Protein Assemblies in Translesion Synthesis

Translesion synthesis (TLS) is a mechanism of DNA damage tolerance utilized by eukaryotic cells to replicate DNA across lesions that impede the high-fidelity replication machinery. In TLS, a series of specialized DNA polymerases are employed, which recognize specific DNA lesions, insert nucleotides across the damage, and extend the distorted primer-template. This allows cells to preserve genetic integrity at the cost of mutations. In humans, TLS enzymes include the Y-family, inserter polymerases, Polη, Polι, Polκ, Rev1, and the B-family extender polymerase Polζ, while in S. cerevisiae only Polη, Rev1, and Polζ are present. To bypass DNA lesions, TLS polymerases cooperate, assembling into a complex on the eukaryotic sliding clamp, PCNA, termed the TLS mutasome. The mutasome assembly is contingent on protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between the modular domains and subunits of TLS enzymes, and their interactions with PCNA and DNA. While the structural mechanisms of DNA lesion bypass by the TLS polymerases and PPIs of their individual modules are well understood, the mechanisms by which they cooperate in the context of TLS complexes have remained elusive. This review focuses on structural studies of TLS polymerases and describes the case of TLS holoenzyme assemblies in action emerging from recent high-resolution Cryo-EM studies.

A Novel Heterozygous Variant in AICDA Impairs Ig Class Switching and Somatic Hypermutation in Human B Cells and is Associated with Autosomal Dominant HIGM2 Syndrome

B cells and their secreted antibodies are fundamental for host-defense against pathogens. The generation of high-affinity class switched antibodies results from both somatic hypermutation (SHM) of the immunoglobulin (Ig) variable region genes of the B-cell receptor and class switch recombination (CSR) which alters the Ig heavy chain constant region. Both of these processes are initiated by the enzyme activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), encoded by AICDA. Deleterious variants in AICDA are causal of hyper-IgM syndrome type 2 (HIGM2), a B-cell intrinsic primary immunodeficiency characterised by recurrent infections and low serum IgG and IgA levels. Biallelic variants affecting exons 2, 3 or 4 of AICDA have been identified that impair both CSR and SHM in patients with autosomal recessive HIGM2. Interestingly, B cells from patients with autosomal dominant HIGM2, caused by heterozygous variants (V186X, R190X) located in AICDA exon 5 encoding the nuclear export signal (NES) domain, show abolished CSR but variable SHM. We herein report the immunological and functional phenotype of two related patients presenting with common variable immunodeficiency who were found to have a novel heterozygous variant in AICDA (L189X). This variant led to a truncated AID protein lacking the last 10 amino acids of the NES at the C-terminal domain. Interestingly, patients' B cells carrying the L189X variant exhibited not only greatly impaired CSR but also SHM in vivo, as well as CSR and production of IgG and IgA in vitro. Our findings demonstrate that the NES domain of AID can be essential for SHM, as well as for CSR, thereby refining the correlation between AICDA genotype and SHM phenotype as well as broadening our understanding of the pathophysiology of HIGM disorders.

Understanding Fc function for rational vaccine design against pathogens

Antibodies represent the primary correlate of immunity following most clinically approved vaccines. However, their mechanisms of action vary from pathogen to pathogen, ranging from neutralization, to opsonophagocytosis, to cytotoxicity. Antibody functions are regulated both by antigen specificity (Fab domain) and by the interaction of their Fc domain with distinct types of Fc receptors (FcRs) present in immune cells. Increasing evidence highlights the critical nature of Fc:FcR interactions in controlling pathogen spread and limiting the disease state. Moreover, variation in Fc-receptor engagement during the course of infection has been demonstrated across a range of pathogens, and this can be further influenced by prior exposure(s)/immunizations, age, pregnancy, and underlying health conditions. Fc:FcR functional variation occurs at the level of antibody isotype and subclass selection as well as post-translational modification of antibodies that shape Fc:FcR-interactions. These factors collectively support a model whereby the immune system actively harnesses and directs Fc:FcR interactions to fight disease. By defining the precise humoral mechanisms that control infections, as well as understanding how these functions can be actively tuned, it may be possible to open new paths for improving existing or novel vaccines.

Role of the mechanisms for antibody repertoire diversification in monoclonal light chain deposition disorders: when a friend becomes foe

The adaptive immune system of jawed vertebrates generates a highly diverse repertoire of antibodies to meet the antigenic challenges of a constantly evolving biological ecosystem. Most of the diversity is generated by two mechanisms: V(D)J gene recombination and somatic hypermutation (SHM). SHM introduces changes in the variable domain of antibodies, mostly in the regions that form the paratope, yielding antibodies with higher antigen binding affinity. However, antigen recognition is only possible if the antibody folds into a stable functional conformation. Therefore, a key force determining the survival of B cell clones undergoing somatic hypermutation is the ability of the mutated heavy and light chains to efficiently fold and assemble into a functional antibody. The antibody is the structural context where the selection of the somatic mutations occurs, and where both the heavy and light chains benefit from protective mechanisms that counteract the potentially deleterious impact of the changes. However, in patients with monoclonal gammopathies, the proliferating plasma cell clone may overproduce the light chain, which is then secreted into the bloodstream. This places the light chain out of the protective context provided by the quaternary structure of the antibody, increasing the risk of misfolding and aggregation due to destabilizing somatic mutations. Light chain-derived (AL) amyloidosis, light chain deposition disease (LCDD), Fanconi syndrome, and myeloma (cast) nephropathy are a diverse group of diseases derived from the pathologic aggregation of light chains, in which somatic mutations are recognized to play a role. In this review, we address the mechanisms by which somatic mutations promote the misfolding and pathological aggregation of the light chains, with an emphasis on AL amyloidosis. We also analyze the contribution of the variable domain (V_L) gene segments and somatic mutations on light chain cytotoxicity, organ tropism, and structure of the AL fibrils. Finally, we analyze the most recent advances in the development of computational algorithms to predict the role of somatic mutations in the cardiotoxicity of amyloidogenic light chains and discuss the challenges and perspectives that this approach faces.

Learning Context-Dependent DNA Mutation Patterns in Error-Prone Polymerase Chain Reaction

We present a novel statistical learning method for studying context-dependent error rates in error-prone polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments. We demonstrate the method by applying it to error-prone PCR sequencing data and show how it may be exploited to improve the evolvability of genes in protein engineering.

Deep learning model of somatic hypermutation reveals importance of sequence context beyond hotspot targeting

B cells undergo somatic hypermutation (SHM) of the Immunoglobulin (Ig) variable region to generate high-affinity antibodies. SHM relies on the activity of activation-induced deaminase (AID), which mutates C>U preferentially targeting WRC (W=A/T, R=A/G) hotspots. Downstream mutations at WA Polymerase η hotspots contribute further mutations. Computational models of SHM can describe the probability of mutations essential for vaccine responses. Previous studies using short subsequences (k-mers) failed to explain divergent mutability for the same k-mer. We developed the DeepSHM (Deep learning on SHM) model using k-mers of size 5-21, improving accuracy over previous models. Interpretation of DeepSHM identified an extended WWRCT motif with particularly high mutability. Increased mutability was further associated with lower surrounding G content. Our model also discovered a conserved AGYCTGGGGG (Y=C/T) motif within FW1 of IGHV3 family genes with unusually high T>G substitution rates. Thus, a wider sequence context increases predictive power and identifies features that drive mutational targeting.

Tandem Substitutions in Somatic Hypermutation

Upon antigen recognition, activation-induced cytosine deaminase initiates affinity maturation of the B-cell receptor by somatic hypermutation (SHM) through error-prone DNA repair pathways. SHM typically creates single nucleotide substitutions, but tandem substitutions may also occur. We investigated incidence and sequence context of tandem substitutions by massive parallel sequencing of V(D)J repertoires in healthy human donors. Mutation patterns were congruent with SHM-derived single nucleotide mutations, delineating initiation of the tandem substitution by AID. Tandem substitutions comprised 5,7% of AID-induced mutations. The majority of tandem substitutions represents single nucleotide juxtalocations of directly adjacent sequences. These observations were confirmed in an independent cohort of healthy donors. We propose a model where tandem substitutions are predominantly generated by translesion synthesis across an apyramidinic site that is typically created by UNG. During replication, apyrimidinic sites transiently adapt an extruded configuration, causing skipping of the extruded base. Consequent strand decontraction leads to the juxtalocation, after which exonucleases repair the apyramidinic site and any directly adjacent mismatched base pairs. The mismatch repair pathway appears to account for the remainder of tandem substitutions. Tandem substitutions may enhance affinity maturation and expedite the adaptive immune response by overcoming amino acid codon degeneracies or mutating two adjacent amino acid residues simultaneously.

Fast-tracking antibody maturation using a B cell-based display system

Affinity maturation, an essential component of antibody engineering, is crucial for developing therapeutic antibodies. Cell display system coupled with somatic hypermutation (SHM) initiated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is a commonly used technique for affinity maturation. AID introduces targeted DNA lesions into hotspots of immunoglobulin (Ig) gene loci followed by erroneous DNA repair, leading to biased mutations in the complementary determining regions. However, systems that use an in vivo mimicking mechanism often require several rounds of selection to enrich clones possessing accumulated mutations. We previously described the human ADLib® system, which features autonomous, AID-mediated diversification in Ig gene loci of a chicken B cell line DT40 and streamlines human antibody generation and optimization in one integrated platform. In this study, we further engineered DT40 capable of receiving exogenous antibody genes and examined whether the antibody could be affinity matured. The Ig genes of three representative anti-hVEGF-A antibodies originating from the human ADLib® were introduced; the resulting human IgG1 antibodies had up to 76.4-fold improvement in binding affinities (sub-picomolar K_D) within just one round of optimization, owing to efficient accumulation of functional mutations. Moreover, we successfully improved the affinity of a mouse hybridoma-derived anti-hCDCP1 antibody using the engineered DT40, and the observed mutations remained effective in the post-humanized antibody as exhibited by an 8.2-fold increase of in vitro cytotoxicity without compromised physical stability. These results demonstrated the versatility of the novel B cell-based affinity maturation system as an easy-to-use antibody optimization tool regardless of the species of origin.Abbreviations: ADLib®: Autonomously diversifying library, ADLib® KI-AMP: ADLib® knock-in affinity maturation platform, AID: activation-induced cytidine deaminase, CDRs: complementary-determining regions, DIVAC: diversification activator, ECD: extracellular domain, FACS: fluorescence-activated cell sorting, FCM: flow cytometry, HC: heavy chainIg: immunoglobulin, LC: light chain, NGS: next-generation sequencing, PBD: pyrrolobenzodiazepine, SHM: somatic hypermutation, SPR: surface plasmon resonance.

Translesion polymerase eta both facilitates DNA replication and promotes increased human genetic variation at common fragile sites

Common fragile sites (CFSs) are difficult-to-replicate genomic regions that form gaps and breaks on metaphase chromosomes under replication stress. They are hotspots for chromosomal instability in cancer. Repetitive sequences located at CFS loci are inefficiently copied by replicative DNA polymerase (Pol) delta. However, translesion synthesis Pol eta has been shown to efficiently polymerize CFS-associated repetitive sequences in vitro and facilitate CFS stability by a mechanism that is not fully understood. Here, by locus-specific, single-molecule replication analysis, we identified a crucial role for Pol eta (encoded by the gene POLH) in the in vivo replication of CFSs, even without exogenous stress. We find that Pol eta deficiency induces replication pausing, increases initiation events, and alters the direction of replication-fork progression at CFS-FRA16D in both lymphoblasts and fibroblasts. Furthermore, certain replication pause sites at CFS-FRA16D were associated with the presence of non-B DNA-forming motifs, implying that non-B DNA structures could increase replication hindrance in the absence of Pol eta. Further, in Pol eta-deficient fibroblasts, there was an increase in fork pausing at fibroblast-specific CFSs. Importantly, while not all pause sites were associated with non-B DNA structures, they were embedded within regions of increased genetic variation in the healthy human population, with mutational spectra consistent with Pol eta activity. From these findings, we propose that Pol eta replicating through CFSs may result in genetic variations found in the human population at these sites.

RNA-directed DNA repair and antibody somatic hypermutation

Somatic hypermutation at antibody loci affects both deoxyadenosine-deoxythymidine (A/T) and deoxycytidine-deoxyguanosine (C/G) pairs. Deamination of C to deoxyuridine (U) by activation-induced deaminase (AID) explains how mutation at C/G pairs is potentiated. Mutation at A/T pairs is triggered during the initial stages of repair of AID-generated U lesions and occurs through an as yet unknown mechanism in which polymerase η has a major role. Recent evidence confirms that human polymerase η can act as a reverse transcriptase. Here, we compare the popular suggestion of mutation at A/T pairs through nucleotide mispairing (owing to polymerase error) during short-patch repair synthesis with the alternative proposal of mutation at A/T pairs through RNA editing and RNA-directed DNA repair.

Genome-wide mutational signatures revealed distinct developmental paths for human B cell lymphomas

Both somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR) are initiated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). Dysregulation of these processes has been linked to B cell lymphomagenesis. Here we performed an in-depth analysis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL) genomes. We characterized seven genomic mutational signatures, including two B cell tumor-specific signatures, one of which is novel and associated with aberrant SHM. We further identified two major mutational signatures (K1 and K2) of clustered mutations (kataegis) resulting from the activities of AID or error-prone DNA polymerase η, respectively. K1 was associated with the immunoglobulin (Ig) switch region mutations/translocations and the ABC subtype of DLBCL, whereas K2 was related to the Ig variable region mutations and the GCB subtype of DLBCL and FL. Similar patterns were also observed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia subtypes. Thus, alterations associated with aberrant CSR and SHM activities can be linked to distinct developmental paths for different subtypes of B cell lymphomas.

DNA Methylation, Deamination, and Translesion Synthesis Combine to Generate Footprint Mutations in Cancer Driver Genes in B-Cell Derived Lymphomas and Other Cancers

Cancer genomes harbor numerous genomic alterations and many cancers accumulate thousands of nucleotide sequence variations. A prominent fraction of these mutations arises as a consequence of the off-target activity of DNA/RNA editing cytosine deaminases followed by the replication/repair of edited sites by DNA polymerases (pol), as deduced from the analysis of the DNA sequence context of mutations in different tumor tissues. We have used the weight matrix (sequence profile) approach to analyze mutagenesis due to Activation Induced Deaminase (AID) and two error-prone DNA polymerases. Control experiments using shuffled weight matrices and somatic mutations in immunoglobulin genes confirmed the power of this method. Analysis of somatic mutations in various cancers suggested that AID and DNA polymerases η and θ contribute to mutagenesis in contexts that almost universally correlate with the context of mutations in A:T and G:C sites during the affinity maturation of immunoglobulin genes. Previously, we demonstrated that AID contributes to mutagenesis in (de)methylated genomic DNA in various cancers. Our current analysis of methylation data from malignant lymphomas suggests that driver genes are subject to different (de)methylation processes than non-driver genes and, in addition to AID, the activity of pols η and θ contributes to the establishment of methylation-dependent mutation profiles. This may reflect the functional importance of interplay between mutagenesis in cancer and (de)methylation processes in different groups of genes. The resulting changes in CpG methylation levels and chromatin modifications are likely to cause changes in the expression levels of driver genes that may affect cancer initiation and/or progression.

XPC deficiency increases risk of hematologic malignancies through mutator phenotype and characteristic mutational signature

Recent studies demonstrated a dramatically increased risk of leukemia in patients with a rare genetic disorder, Xeroderma Pigmentosum group C (XP-C), characterized by constitutive deficiency of global genome nucleotide excision repair (GG-NER). The genetic mechanisms of non-skin cancers in XP-C patients remain unexplored. In this study, we analyze a unique collection of internal XP-C tumor genomes including 6 leukemias and 2 sarcomas. We observe a specific mutational pattern and an average of 25-fold increase of mutation rates in XP-C versus sporadic leukemia which we presume leads to its elevated incidence and early appearance. We describe a strong mutational asymmetry with respect to transcription and the direction of replication in XP-C tumors suggesting association of mutagenesis with bulky purine DNA lesions of probably endogenous origin. These findings suggest existence of a balance between formation and repair of bulky DNA lesions by GG-NER in human body cells which is disrupted in XP-C patients.

Xeroderma Pigmentosum group C (XP-C) is a rare genetic disorder characterised by deficient DNA repair leading to skin and internal cancer, but the latter is not well understood molecularly. Here the authors sequence genomes of non-skin cancers from XP-C patients to unravel its mutational patterns.

Mutational signatures are jointly shaped by DNA damage and repair

Cells possess an armamentarium of DNA repair pathways to counter DNA damage and prevent mutation. Here we use C. elegans whole genome sequencing to systematically quantify the contributions of these factors to mutational signatures. We analyse 2,717 genomes from wild-type and 53 DNA repair defective backgrounds, exposed to 11 genotoxins, including UV-B and ionizing radiation, alkylating compounds, aristolochic acid, aflatoxin B1, and cisplatin. Combined genotoxic exposure and DNA repair deficiency alters mutation rates or signatures in 41% of experiments, revealing how different DNA alterations induced by the same genotoxin are mended by separate repair pathways. Error-prone translesion synthesis causes the majority of genotoxin-induced base substitutions, but averts larger deletions. Nucleotide excision repair prevents up to 99% of point mutations, almost uniformly across the mutation spectrum. Our data show that mutational signatures are joint products of DNA damage and repair and suggest that multiple factors underlie signatures observed in cancer genomes.

AID Overlapping and Polη Hotspots Are Key Features of Evolutionary Variation Within the Human Antibody Heavy Chain (IGHV) Genes

Somatic hypermutation (SHM) of the immunoglobulin variable (IgV) loci is a key process in antibody affinity maturation. The enzyme activation-induced deaminase (AID), initiates SHM by creating C → U mismatches on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). AID has preferential hotspot motif targets in the context of WRC/GYW (W = A/T, R = A/G, Y = C/T) and particularly at WGCW overlapping hotspots where hotspots appear opposite each other on both strands. Subsequent recruitment of the low-fidelity DNA repair enzyme, Polymerase eta (Polη), during mismatch repair, creates additional mutations at WA/TW sites. Although there are more than 50 functional immunoglobulin heavy chain variable (IGHV) segments in humans, the fundamental differences between these genes and their ability to respond to all possible foreign antigens is still poorly understood. To better understand this, we generated profiles of WGCW hotspots in each of the human IGHV genes and found the expected high frequency in complementarity determining regions (CDRs) that encode the antigen binding sites but also an unexpectedly high frequency of WGCW in certain framework (FW) sub-regions. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) of these overlapping AID hotspot profiles revealed that one major difference between IGHV families is the presence or absence of WGCW in a sub-region of FW3 sometimes referred to as “CDR4.” Further differences between members of each family (e.g., IGHV1) are primarily determined by their WGCW densities in CDR1. We previously suggested that the co-localization of AID overlapping and Polη hotspots was associated with high mutability of certain IGHV sub-regions, such as the CDRs. To evaluate the importance of this feature, we extended the WGCW profiles, combining them with local densities of Polη (WA) hotspots, thus describing the co-localization of both types of hotspots across all IGHV genes. We also verified that co-localization is associated with higher mutability. PCA of the co-localization profiles showed CDR1 and CDR2 as being the main contributors to variance among IGHV genes, consistent with the importance of these sub-regions in antigen binding. Our results suggest that AID overlapping (WGCW) hotspots alone or in conjunction with Polη (WA/TW) hotspots are key features of evolutionary variation between IGHV genes.

Crossing fitness valleys via double substitutions within codons

BACKGROUND

Single nucleotide substitutions in protein-coding genes can be divided into synonymous (S), with little fitness effect, and non-synonymous (N) ones that alter amino acids and thus generally have a greater effect. Most of the N substitutions are affected by purifying selection that eliminates them from evolving populations. However, additional mutations of nearby bases potentially could alleviate the deleterious effect of single substitutions, making them subject to positive selection. To elucidate the effects of selection on double substitutions in all codons, it is critical to differentiate selection from mutational biases.

RESULTS

We addressed the evolutionary regimes of within-codon double substitutions in 37 groups of closely related prokaryotic genomes from diverse phyla by comparing the fractions of double substitutions within codons to those of the equivalent double S substitutions in adjacent codons. Under the assumption that substitutions occur one at a time, all within-codon double substitutions can be represented as "ancestral-intermediate-final" sequences (where "intermediate" refers to the first single substitution and "final" refers to the second substitution) and can be partitioned into four classes: (1) SS, S intermediate-S final; (2) SN, S intermediate-N final; (3) NS, N intermediate-S final; and (4) NN, N intermediate-N final. We found that the selective pressure on the second substitution markedly differs among these classes of double substitutions. Analogous to single S (synonymous) substitutions, SS double substitutions evolve neutrally, whereas analogous to single N (non-synonymous) substitutions, SN double substitutions are subject to purifying selection. In contrast, NS show positive selection on the second step because the original amino acid is recovered. The NN double substitutions are heterogeneous and can be subject to either purifying or positive selection, or evolve neutrally, depending on the amino acid similarity between the final or intermediate and the ancestral states.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present, comprehensive analysis of the evolutionary landscape of within-codon double substitutions reaffirm the largely conservative regime of protein evolution. However, the second step of a double substitution can be subject to positive selection when the first step is deleterious. Such positive selection can result in frequent crossing of valleys on the fitness landscape.

Structural insights into mutagenicity of anticancer nucleoside analog cytarabine during replication by DNA polymerase η

Cytarabine (AraC) is the mainstay chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Whereas initial treatment with AraC is usually successful, most AML patients tend to relapse, and AraC treatment-induced mutagenesis may contribute to the development of chemo-resistant leukemic clones. We show here that whereas the high-fidelity replicative polymerase Polδ is blocked in the replication of AraC, the lower-fidelity translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) polymerase Polη is proficient, inserting both correct and incorrect nucleotides opposite a template AraC base. Furthermore, we present high-resolution crystal structures of human Polη with a template AraC residue positioned opposite correct (G) and incorrect (A) incoming deoxynucleotides. We show that Polη can accommodate local perturbation caused by the AraC via specific hydrogen bonding and maintain a reaction-ready active site alignment for insertion of both correct and incorrect incoming nucleotides. Taken together, the structures provide a novel basis for the ability of Polη to promote AraC induced mutagenesis in relapsed AML patients.

Half-Intercalation Stabilizes Slipped Mispairing and Explains Genome Vulnerability to Frameshift Mutagenesis by Endogenous "Molecular Bookmarks"

Some 60 years ago chemicals that intercalate between base pairs of duplex DNA were found to amplify frameshift mutagenesis. Surprisingly, the robust induction of frameshifts by intercalators still lacks a mechanistic model, leaving this classic phenomenon annoyingly intractable. A promising idea of asymmetric half-intercalation-stabilizing frameshift intermediates during DNA synthesis has never been developed into a model. Instead, researchers of frameshift mutagenesis embraced the powerful slipped-mispairing concept that unexpectedly struggled with the role of intercalators in frameshifting. It is proposed that the slipped mispairing and the half-intercalation ideas are two sides of the same coin. Further, existing findings are reviewed to test predictions of the combined "half-intercalation into the slipped-mispairing intermediate" model against accumulated knowledge. The existence of potential endogenous intercalators and the phenomenon of "DNA bookmarks" reveal ample possibilities for natural frameshift mutagenisis in the cell. From this alarming perspective, it is discussed how the cell could prevent genome deterioration from frameshift mutagenesis.

Mutational signatures and mutable motifs in cancer genomes

Cancer is a genetic disorder, meaning that a plethora of different mutations, whether somatic or germ line, underlie the etiology of the 'Emperor of Maladies'. Point mutations, chromosomal rearrangements and copy number changes, whether they have occurred spontaneously in predisposed individuals or have been induced by intrinsic or extrinsic (environmental) mutagens, lead to the activation of oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes, thereby promoting malignancy. This scenario has now been recognized and experimentally confirmed in a wide range of different contexts. Over the past decade, a surge in available sequencing technologies has allowed the sequencing of whole genomes from liquid malignancies and solid tumors belonging to different types and stages of cancer, giving birth to the new field of cancer genomics. One of the most striking discoveries has been that cancer genomes are highly enriched with mutations of specific kinds. It has been suggested that these mutations can be classified into 'families' based on their mutational signatures. A mutational signature may be regarded as a type of base substitution (e.g. C:G to T:A) within a particular context of neighboring nucleotide sequence (the bases upstream and/or downstream of the mutation). These mutational signatures, supplemented by mutable motifs (a wider mutational context), promise to help us to understand the nature of the mutational processes that operate during tumor evolution because they represent the footprints of interactions between DNA, mutagens and the enzymes of the repair/replication/modification pathways.

DNA Breaks in Ig V Regions Are Predominantly Single Stranded and Are Generated by UNG and MSH6 DNA Repair Pathways

Antibody diversity is initiated by activation-induced deaminase (AID), which deaminates cytosine to uracil in DNA. Uracils in the Ig gene loci can be recognized by uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG) or mutS homologs 2 and 6 (MSH2-MSH6) proteins, and then processed into DNA breaks. Breaks in switch regions of the H chain locus cause isotype switching and have been extensively characterized as staggered and blunt double-strand breaks. However, breaks in V regions that arise during somatic hypermutation are poorly understood. In this study, we characterize AID-dependent break formation in JH introns from mouse germinal center B cells. We used a ligation-mediated PCR assay to detect single-strand breaks and double-strand breaks that were either staggered or blunt. In contrast to switch regions, V regions contained predominantly single-strand breaks, which peaked 10 d after immunization. We then examined the pathways used to generate these breaks in UNG- and MSH6-deficient mice. Surprisingly, both DNA repair pathways contributed substantially to break formation, and in the absence of both UNG and MSH6, the frequency of breaks was severely reduced. When the breaks were sequenced and mapped, they were widely distributed over a 1000-bp intron region downstream of JH3 and JH4 exons and were unexpectedly located at all 4 nt. These data suggest that during DNA repair, nicks are generated at distal sites from the original deaminated cytosine, and these repair intermediates could generate both faithful and mutagenic repair. During mutagenesis, single-strand breaks would allow entry for low-fidelity DNA polymerases to generate somatic hypermutation.

Phosphorylation Alters the Properties of Pol η: Implications for Translesion Synthesis

There are significant ambiguities regarding how DNA polymerase η is recruited to DNA lesion sites in stressed cells while avoiding normal replication forks in non-stressed cells. Even less is known about the mechanisms responsible for Pol η-induced mutations in cancer genomes. We show that there are two safeguards to prevent Pol η from adventitious participation in normal DNA replication. These include sequestration by a partner protein and low basal activity. Upon cellular UV irradiation, phosphorylation enables Pol η to be released from sequestration by PDIP38 and activates its polymerase function through increased affinity toward monoubiquitinated proliferating cell nuclear antigen (Ub-PCNA). Moreover, the high-affinity binding of phosphorylated Pol η to Ub-PCNA limits its subsequent displacement by Pol δ. Consequently, activated Pol η replicates DNA beyond the lesion site and potentially introduces clusters of mutations due to its low fidelity. This mechanism could account for the prevalence of Pol η signatures in cancer genome.

Translesion and Repair DNA Polymerases: Diverse Structure and Mechanism

The number of DNA polymerases identified in each organism has mushroomed in the past two decades. Most newly found DNA polymerases specialize in translesion synthesis and DNA repair instead of replication. Although intrinsic error rates are higher for translesion and repair polymerases than for replicative polymerases, the specialized polymerases increase genome stability and reduce tumorigenesis. Reflecting the numerous types of DNA lesions and variations of broken DNA ends, translesion and repair polymerases differ in structure, mechanism, and function. Here, we review the unique and general features of polymerases specialized in lesion bypass, as well as in gap-filling and end-joining synthesis.

DNA polymerase η mutational signatures are found in a variety of different types of cancer

DNA polymerase (pol) η is a specialized error-prone polymerase with at least two quite different and contrasting cellular roles: to mitigate the genetic consequences of solar UV irradiation, and promote somatic hypermutation in the variable regions of immunoglobulin genes. Misregulation and mistargeting of pol η can compromise genome integrity. We explored whether the mutational signature of pol η could be found in datasets of human somatic mutations derived from normal and cancer cells. A substantial excess of single and tandem somatic mutations within known pol η mutable motifs was noted in skin cancer as well as in many other types of human cancer, suggesting that somatic mutations in A:T bases generated by DNA polymerase η are a common feature of tumorigenesis. Another peculiarity of pol ηmutational signatures, mutations in YCG motifs, led us to speculate that error-prone DNA synthesis opposite methylated CpG dinucleotides by misregulated pol η in tumors might constitute an additional mechanism of cytosine demethylation in this hypermutable dinucleotide.

Translesion DNA polymerases in eukaryotes: what makes them tick?

Life as we know it, simply would not exist without DNA replication. All living organisms utilize a complex machinery to duplicate their genomes and the central role in this machinery belongs to replicative DNA polymerases, enzymes that are specifically designed to copy DNA. "Hassle-free" DNA duplication exists only in an ideal world, while in real life, it is constantly threatened by a myriad of diverse challenges. Among the most pressing obstacles that replicative polymerases often cannot overcome by themselves are lesions that distort the structure of DNA. Despite elaborate systems that cells utilize to cleanse their genomes of damaged DNA, repair is often incomplete. The persistence of DNA lesions obstructing the cellular replicases can have deleterious consequences. One of the mechanisms allowing cells to complete replication is "Translesion DNA Synthesis (TLS)". TLS is intrinsically error-prone, but apparently, the potential downside of increased mutagenesis is a healthier outcome for the cell than incomplete replication. Although most of the currently identified eukaryotic DNA polymerases have been implicated in TLS, the best characterized are those belonging to the "Y-family" of DNA polymerases (pols η, ι, κ and Rev1), which are thought to play major roles in the TLS of persisting DNA lesions in coordination with the B-family polymerase, pol ζ. In this review, we summarize the unique features of these DNA polymerases by mainly focusing on their biochemical and structural characteristics, as well as potential protein-protein interactions with other critical factors affecting TLS regulation.

Evolutionary switches between two serine codon sets are driven by selection

Serine is the only amino acid that is encoded by two disjoint codon sets so that a tandem substitution of two nucleotides is required to switch between the two sets. Previously published evidence suggests that, for the most evolutionarily conserved serines, the codon set switch occurs by simultaneous substitution of two nucleotides. Here we report a genome-wide reconstruction of the evolution of serine codons in triplets of closely related species from diverse prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The results indicate that the great majority of codon set switches proceed by two consecutive nucleotide substitutions, via a threonine or cysteine intermediate, and are driven by selection. These findings imply a strong pressure of purifying selection in protein evolution, which in the case of serine codon set switches occurs via an initial deleterious substitution quickly followed by a second, compensatory substitution. The result is frequent reversal of amino acid replacements and, at short evolutionary distances, pervasive homoplasy.

Antibody diversification caused by disrupted mismatch repair and promiscuous DNA polymerases

The enzyme activation-induced deaminase (AID) targets the immunoglobulin loci in activated B cells and creates DNA mutations in the antigen-binding variable region and DNA breaks in the switch region through processes known, respectively, as somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination. AID deaminates cytosine to uracil in DNA to create a U:G mismatch. During somatic hypermutation, the MutSα complex binds to the mismatch, and the error-prone DNA polymerase η generates mutations at A and T bases. During class switch recombination, both MutSα and MutLα complexes bind to the mismatch, resulting in double-strand break formation and end-joining. This review is centered on the mechanisms of how the MMR pathway is commandeered by B cells to generate antibody diversity.

Induction of action-at-a-distance mutagenesis by 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine in DNA pol λ-knockdown cells

Introduction

In DNA, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (G^O, 8-hydroxyguanine) is one of the most pivotal oxidatively damaged bases and induces G:C → T:A transversion mutations. DNA polymerase λ preferentially inserts dCTP opposite G^Oin vitro, and this error-free bypass function is considered to be important after A base removal from G^O:A pairs by the MUTYH DNA glycosylase. To examine the effects of reduced levels of DNA polymerase λ on the G^O-induced mutations, the polymerase was knocked-down in human U2OS cells, and a shuttle plasmid DNA containing a G^O:C pair at position 122 in the supF gene was transfected into the cells. The plasmid DNA replicated in the cells was introduced into an Escherichia coli indicator strain, to measure the supF mutant frequency.

Results

The knockdown of DNA polymerase λ significantly enhanced the mutant frequency of the G^O plasmid DNA. Contrary to our expectations, the knockdown did not promote the targeted G:C → T:A transversion. Instead, substitution mutations at G:C sites other than position 122 were enhanced in the cells.

Conclusions

These results suggested that the knockdown of DNA polymerase λ induced action-at-a-distance mutagenesis in human cells when the G^O:C pair was present in the DNA.

Alternative solutions and new scenarios for translesion DNA synthesis by human PrimPol

PrimPol is a recently described DNA polymerase that has the virtue of initiating DNA synthesis. In addition of being a sensu stricto DNA primase, PrimPol's polymerase activity has a large capacity to tolerate different kind of lesions. The different strategies used by PrimPol for DNA damage tolerance are based on its capacity to "read" certain lesions, to skip unreadable lesions, and as an ultimate solution, to restart DNA synthesis beyond the lesion thus acting as a TLS primase. This lesion bypass potential, revised in this article, is strengthened by the preferential use of moderate concentrations of manganese ions as the preferred metal activator. We show here that PrimPol is able to extend RNA primers with ribonucleotides, even when bypassing 8oxoG lesions, suggesting a potential new scenario for PrimPol as a TLS polymerase assisting transcription. We also show that PrimPol displays a high degree of versatility to accept or induce distortions of both primer and template strands, creating alternative alignments based on microhomology that would serve to skip unreadable lesions and to connect separate strands. In good agreement, PrimPol is highly prone to generate indels at short nucleotide repeats. Finally, an evolutionary view of the relationship between translesion synthesis and primase functions is briefly discussed.

Effects of stability of base pairs containing an oxazolone on DNA elongation

The nucleoside 2,2,4-triamino-5(2H)-oxazolone (Oz) can result from oxidative damage to guanine residues in DNA. Despite differences among the three polymerases (Pol β, KF exo⁻, and Pol η) regarding nucleotide incorporation patterns opposite Oz, all three polymerases can incorporate guanine opposite Oz. Based on ab initio calculations, we proposed a structure for a stable Oz:G base pair. Here, to assess the stability of each Oz-containing base pair (Oz:G, Oz:A, Oz:C, and Oz:T) upon DNA replication, we determined the efficiency of Pol β-, KF exo⁻-, or Pol η-catalyzed primer extension beyond each base pair. With each polymerase, extension beyond Oz:G was more efficient than that beyond Oz:A, Oz:C, or Oz:T. Moreover, thermal denaturation studies revealed that the T_m value for the duplex containing Oz:G was significantly higher than those obtained for duplexes containing Oz:A, Oz:C, or Oz:T. Therefore, the results from ab initio calculations along with those from DNA replication assays and thermal denaturation experiments supported the conclusion that Oz:G is the most stable of the Oz-containing base pairs.

Error-prone translesion synthesis past DNA-peptide cross-links conjugated to the major groove of DNA via C5 of thymidine

DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs) are exceptionally bulky, structurally diverse DNA adducts formed in cells upon exposure to endogenous and exogenous bis-electrophiles, reactive oxygen species, and ionizing radiation. If not repaired, DPCs can induce toxicity and mutations. It has been proposed that the protein component of a DPC is proteolytically degraded, giving rise to smaller DNA-peptide conjugates, which can be subject to nucleotide excision repair and replication bypass. In this study, polymerase bypass of model DNA-peptide conjugates structurally analogous to the lesions induced by reactive oxygen species and DNA methyltransferase inhibitors was examined. DNA oligomers containing site-specific DNA-peptide conjugates were generated by copper-catalyzed [3 + 2] Huisgen cyclo-addition between an alkyne-functionalized C5-thymidine in DNA and an azide-containing 10-mer peptide. The resulting DNA-peptide conjugates were subjected to steady-state kinetic experiments in the presence of recombinant human lesion bypass polymerases κ and η, followed by PAGE-based assays to determine the catalytic efficiency and the misinsertion frequency opposite the lesion. We found that human polymerase κ and η can incorporate A, G, C, or T opposite the C5-dT-conjugated DNA-peptide conjugates, whereas human polymerase η preferentially inserts G opposite the lesion. Furthermore, HPLC-ESI(-)-MS/MS sequencing of the extension products has revealed that post-lesion synthesis was highly error-prone, resulting in mutations opposite the adducted site or at the +1 position from the adduct and multiple deletions. Collectively, our results indicate that replication bypass of peptides conjugated to the C5 position of thymine by human translesion synthesis polymerases leads to large numbers of base substitution and frameshift mutations.

Biochemical analysis of DNA polymerase η fidelity in the presence of replication protein A

DNA polymerase η (pol η) synthesizes across from damaged DNA templates in order to prevent deleterious consequences like replication fork collapse and double-strand breaks. This process, termed translesion synthesis (TLS), is an overall positive for the cell, as cells deficient in pol η display higher mutation rates. This outcome occurs despite the fact that the in vitro fidelity of bypass by pol η alone is moderate to low, depending on the lesion being copied. One possible means of increasing the fidelity of pol η is interaction with replication accessory proteins present at the replication fork. We have previously utilized a bacteriophage based screening system to measure the fidelity of bypass using purified proteins. Here we report on the fidelity effects of a single stranded binding protein, replication protein A (RPA), when copying the oxidative lesion 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-guanine(8-oxoG) and the UV-induced cis-syn thymine-thymine cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (T-T CPD). We observed no change in fidelity dependent on RPA when copying these damaged templates. This result is consistent in multiple position contexts. We previously identified single amino acid substitution mutants of pol η that have specific effects on fidelity when copying both damaged and undamaged templates. In order to confirm our results, we examined the Q38A and Y52E mutants in the same full-length construct. We again observed no difference when RPA was added to the bypass reaction, with the mutant forms of pol η displaying similar fidelity regardless of RPA status. We do, however, observe some slight effects when copying undamaged DNA, similar to those we have described previously. Our results indicate that RPA by itself does not affect pol η dependent lesion bypass fidelity when copying either 8-oxoG or T-T CPD lesions.

Somatic hypermutation at A/T-rich oligonucleotide substrates shows different strand polarities in Ung-deficient or -proficient backgrounds

A/T mutations at immunoglobulin loci are introduced by DNA polymerase η (Polη) during an Msh2/6-dependent repair process which results in A's being mutated 2-fold more often than T's. This patch synthesis is initiated by a DNA incision event whose origin is still obscure. We report here the analysis of A/T oligonucleotide mutation substrates inserted at the heavy chain locus, including or not including internal C's or G's. Surprisingly, the template composed of only A's and T's was highly mutated over its entire 90-bp length, with a 2-fold decrease in mutation from the 5' to the 3' end and a constant A/T ratio of 4. These results imply that Polη synthesis was initiated from a break in the 5'-flanking region of the substrate and proceeded over its entire length. The A/T bias was strikingly altered in an Ung(-/-) background, which provides the first experimental evidence supporting a concerted action of Ung and Msh2/6 pathways to generate mutations at A/T bases. New analysis of Pms2(-/-) animals provided a complementary picture, revealing an A/T mutation ratio of 4. We therefore propose that Ung and Pms2 may exert a mutual backup function for the DNA incision that promotes synthesis by Polη, each with a distinct strand bias.

Translesion DNA polymerases

Living cells are continually exposed to DNA-damaging agents that threaten their genomic integrity. Although DNA repair processes rapidly target the damaged DNA for repair, some lesions nevertheless persist and block genome duplication by the cell's replicase. To avoid the deleterious consequence of a stalled replication fork, cells use specialized polymerases to traverse the damage. This process, termed "translesion DNA synthesis" (TLS), affords the cell additional time to repair the damage before the replicase returns to complete genome duplication. In many cases, this damage-tolerance mechanism is error-prone, and cell survival is often associated with an increased risk of mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. Despite being tightly regulated by a variety of transcriptional and posttranslational controls, the low-fidelity TLS polymerases also gain access to undamaged DNA where their inaccurate synthesis may actually be beneficial for genetic diversity and evolutionary fitness.

Mutation of the little finger domain in human DNA polymerase η alters fidelity when copying undamaged DNA

DNA polymerase η (pol η) synthesizes past cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer and possibly 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) lesions during DNA replication. Loss of pol η is associated with an increase in mutation rate, demonstrating its indispensable role in mutation suppression. It has been recently reported that β-strand 12 (amino acids 316-324) of the little finger region correctly positions the template strand with the catalytic core of the enzyme. The authors hypothesized that modification of β-strand 12 residues would disrupt correct enzyme-DNA alignment and alter pol η's activity and fidelity. To investigate this, the authors purified proteins containing the catalytic core of the polymerase, incorporated single amino acid changes to select β-strand 12 residues, and evaluated DNA synthesis activity for each pol η. Lesion bypass efficiencies and replication fidelities when copying DNA-containing cis-syn cyclobutane thymine-thymine dimer and 8-oxoG lesions were determined and compared with the corresponding values for the wild-type polymerase. The results confirm the importance of the β-strand in polymerase function and show that fidelity is most often altered when undamaged DNA is copied. Additionally, it is shown that DNA-protein contacts distal to the active site can significantly affect the fidelity of synthesis.

Comparative analysis of context-dependent mutagenesis in humans and fruit flies

In general, mutation frequencies are context-dependent: specific adjacent nucleotides may influence the probability to observe a specific type of mutation in a genome. Recently, several hypermutable motifs were identified in the human genome. Namely, there is an increased frequency of T>C mutations in the second position of the words ATTG and ATAG and an increased frequency of A>C mutations in the first position of the word ACAA. Previous studies have also shown that there is a remarkable difference between the mutagenesis of humans and drosophila. While C>T mutations are overrepresented in the CG context in humans (and other vertebrates), this mutation regularity is not observed in Drosophila melanogaster. Such differences in the observed regularities of mutagenesis between representatives of different taxa might reflect differences in the mechanisms involved in mutagenesis. We performed a systematical comparison of mutation regularities within 2-4 bp contexts in Homo sapiens and Drosophila melanogaster and found that the aforementioned contexts are not hypermutable in fruit flies. It seems that most mutation contexts affect mutation rates in a similar manner in H. sapiens and D. melanogaster; however, several important exceptions are noted and discussed.

Hypothesis driven single nucleotide polymorphism search (HyDn-SNP-S)

The advent of complete-genome genotyping across phenotype cohorts has provided a rich source of information for bioinformaticians. However the search for SNPs from this data is generally performed on a study-by-study case without any specific hypothesis of the location for SNPs that are predictive for the phenotype. We have designed a method whereby very large SNP lists (several gigabytes in size), combining several genotyping studies at once, can be sorted and traced back to their ultimate consequence in protein structure. Given a working hypothesis, researchers are able to easily search whole genome genotyping data for SNPs that link genetic locations to phenotypes. This allows a targeted search for correlations between phenotypes and potentially relevant systems, rather than utilizing statistical methods only. HyDn-SNP-S returns results that are less data dense, allowing more thorough analysis, including haplotype analysis. We have applied our method to correlate DNA polymerases to cancer phenotypes using four of the available cancer databases in dbGaP. Logistic regression and derived haplotype analysis indicates that ~80SNPs, previously overlooked, are statistically significant. Derived haplotypes from this work link POLL to breast cancer and POLG to prostate cancer with an increase in incidence of 3.01- and 9.6-fold, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations on wild-type and one of the SNP mutants from the haplotype of POLL provide insights at the atomic level on the functional impact of this cancer related SNP. Furthermore, HyDn-SNP-S has been designed to allow application to any system. The program is available upon request from the authors.

The role of activation-induced deaminase in antibody diversification and genomic instability

More than a decade ago, activation-induced deaminase (AID) was identified as the initiator for somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR). Since then, tremendous progress has been achieved toward elucidating how AID functions. AID targets the highly repetitive switch regions of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) locus to induce DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), which can be rejoined, leading to switch of constant regions of antibody. When targeting to variable region exons of IgH and IgL loci, AID predominantly induces point mutations, termed SHM, resulting in increased affinity of antibody for antigen. While SHM and CSR enhance antibody diversity, AID-initiated DSBs and mutations may predispose B cells to carcinogenesis. This review focuses on the mechanisms that provide the specificity of AID targeting to Ig loci and the role of AID in genomic instability.

Patterns and mutational signatures of tandem base substitutions causing human inherited disease

Tandem base substitutions (TBSs) are multiple mutations that comprise two or more contiguous nucleotide substitutions without any net gain or loss of bases. They have recently become recognized as a distinct category of human genomic variant. However, their role in causing human inherited disease so far has not been studied methodically. Here, using data from the Human Gene Mutation Database (http://www.hgmd.org), we identified 477 events to be TBSs (doublets, 448; triplets, 16; and quadruplets to octuplets, 13). A comprehensive sequence pattern and context analysis implied the likely fundamental importance of translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases in generating these diverse TBSs but revealed that TLS polymerases may operate differently in generating TBSs of ≤ 3 bases (bypass of endogenous DNA lesions) than those of ≥ 4 bases (serial replication slippage). Moreover, GC was found to be the most frequently affected dinucleotide with GC/GC>AA/TT being the most frequent double TBS. Comparison with cancer genome mutational spectra allowed us to conclude that human germline TBSs arise predominantly through the action of endogenous mechanisms of mutagenesis rather than through exposure to exogenous mutagens. Finally, the rates of double and triple TBSs were estimated to be 0.2-1.2 × 10(-10) and 0.8-4.8 × 10(-12) per base per generation, respectively.

DNA synthesis by Pol η promotes fragile site stability by preventing under-replicated DNA in mitosis

Pol η–dependent DNA synthesis at stalled replication forks during S phase suppresses chronic fragile site instability by preventing checkpoint-blind under-replicated DNA in mitosis.

Human DNA polymerase η (Pol η) is best known for its role in responding to UV irradiation–induced genome damage. We have recently observed that Pol η is also required for the stability of common fragile sites (CFSs), whose rearrangements are considered a driving force of oncogenesis. Here, we explored the molecular mechanisms underlying this newly identified role. We demonstrated that Pol η accumulated at CFSs upon partial replication stress and could efficiently replicate non-B DNA sequences within CFSs. Pol η deficiency led to persistence of checkpoint-blind under-replicated CFS regions in mitosis, detectable as FANCD2-associated chromosomal sites that were transmitted to daughter cells in 53BP1-shielded nuclear bodies. Expression of a catalytically inactive mutant of Pol η increased replication fork stalling and activated the replication checkpoint. These data are consistent with the requirement of Pol η–dependent DNA synthesis during S phase at replication forks stalled in CFS regions to suppress CFS instability by preventing checkpoint-blind under-replicated DNA in mitosis.

Trans-Lesion DNA Polymerases May Be Involved in Yeast Meiosis

Trans-lesion DNA polymerases (TLSPs) enable bypass of DNA lesions during replication and are also induced under stress conditions. Being only weakly dependent on their template during replication, TLSPs introduce mutations into DNA. The low processivity of these enzymes ensures that they fall off their template after a few bases are synthesized and are then replaced by the more accurate replicative polymerase. We find that the three TLSPs of budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rev1, PolZeta (Rev3 and Rev7), and Rad30 are induced during meiosis at a time when DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are formed and homologous chromosomes recombine. Strains deleted for one or any combination of the three TLSPs undergo normal meiosis. However, in the triple-deletion mutant, there is a reduction in both allelic and ectopic recombination. We suggest that trans-lesion polymerases are involved in the processing of meiotic double-strand breaks that lead to mutations. In support of this notion, we report significant yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) associations in meiosis-arrested cells between the TLSPs and DSB proteins Rev1-Spo11, Rev1-Mei4, and Rev7-Rec114, as well as between Rev1 and Rad30 We suggest that the involvement of TLSPs in processing of meiotic DSBs could be responsible for the considerably higher frequency of mutations reported during meiosis compared with that found in mitotically dividing cells, and therefore may contribute to faster evolutionary divergence than previously assumed.

Genomic assay reveals tolerance of DNA damage by both translesion DNA synthesis and homology-dependent repair in mammalian cells

DNA lesions can block replication forks and lead to the formation of single-stranded gaps. These replication complications are mitigated by DNA damage tolerance mechanisms, which prevent deleterious outcomes such as cell death, genomic instability, and carcinogenesis. The two main tolerance strategies are translesion DNA synthesis (TLS), in which low-fidelity DNA polymerases bypass the blocking lesion, and homology-dependent repair (HDR; postreplication repair), which is based on the homologous sister chromatid. Here we describe a unique high-resolution method for the simultaneous analysis of TLS and HDR across defined DNA lesions in mammalian genomes. The method is based on insertion of plasmids carrying defined site-specific DNA lesions into mammalian chromosomes, using phage integrase-mediated integration. Using this method we show that mammalian cells use HDR to tolerate DNA damage in their genome. Moreover, analysis of the tolerance of the UV light-induced 6-4 photoproduct, the tobacco smoke-induced benzo[a]pyrene-guanine adduct, and an artificial trimethylene insert shows that each of these three lesions is tolerated by both TLS and HDR. We also determined the specificity of nucleotide insertion opposite these lesions during TLS in human genomes. This unique method will be useful in elucidating the mechanism of DNA damage tolerance in mammalian chromosomes and their connection to pathological processes such as carcinogenesis.

Biochemical analysis of active site mutations of human polymerase η

DNA polymerase η (pol η) plays a critical role in suppressing mutations caused by the bypass of cis-syn cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) that escape repair. There is evidence this is also the case for the oxidative lesion 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-guanine (8-oxoG). Both of these lesions cause moderate to severe blockage of synthesis when encountered by replicative polymerases, while pol η displays little no to pausing during translesion synthesis. However, since lesion bypass does not remove damaged DNA from the genome and can possibly be accompanied by errors in synthesis during bypass, the process is often called 'damage tolerance' to delineate it from classical DNA repair pathways. The fidelity of lesion bypass is therefore of importance when determining how pol η suppresses mutations after DNA damage. As pol η has been implicated in numerous in vivo pathways other than lesion bypass, we wanted to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the relatively low-fidelity synthesis displayed by pol η. To that end, we have created a set of mutant pol η proteins each containing a single amino acid substitution in the active site and closely surrounding regions. We determined overall DNA synthesis ability as well as the efficiency and fidelity of bypass of thymine-thymine CPD (T-T CPD) and 8-oxoG containing DNA templates. Our results show that several amino acids are critical for normal polymerase function, with changes in overall activity and fidelity being observed. Of the mutants that retain polymerase activity, we demonstrate that amino acids Q38, Y52, and R61 play key roles in determining polymerase fidelity, with substation of alanine causing both increases and decreases in fidelity. Remarkably, the Q38A mutant displays increased fidelity during synthesis opposite 8-oxoG but decreased fidelity during synthesis opposite a T-T CPD.

Translesion DNA synthesis and mutagenesis in eukaryotes

The structural features that enable replicative DNA polymerases to synthesize DNA rapidly and accurately also limit their ability to copy damaged DNA. Direct replication of DNA damage is termed translesion synthesis (TLS), a mechanism conserved from bacteria to mammals and executed by an array of specialized DNA polymerases. This chapter examines how these translesion polymerases replicate damaged DNA and how they are regulated to balance their ability to replicate DNA lesions with the risk of undesirable mutagenesis. It also discusses how TLS is co-opted to increase the diversity of the immunoglobulin gene hypermutation and the contribution it makes to the mutations that sculpt the genome of cancer cells.

High levels of AID cause strand bias of mutations at A versus T in Burkitt's lymphoma cells

Ig gene somatic hypermutation in the germinal center (GC) B cells occurs at C and G at roughly the same frequency. In contrast, there is a 2-fold increase of mutations at A relative to T on the non-transcribed strand of the V genes but it is unclear what triggers such strand bias. Using an efficient mutagenesis system that recapitulates characteristic features of Ig gene hypermutation in the GC B cells, we found that low levels of AID induced similar frequency of mutations at A and T. However, high levels of AID specifically increased mutations at A, but not T, leading to strand bias. These results explain why strand bias of A:T mutations is observed only in the highly mutated V genes but not in the less mutated switch region or the BCL-6 gene. High levels of AID also increased the proportion of transversions at G relative to transversions at C. Our results identify a clue to the strand bias of A:T mutations and provide an in vitro model to elucidate this unsolved mystery in the hypermutation field.

DNA polymerase zeta generates clustered mutations during bypass of endogenous DNA lesions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Multiple sequence changes that are simultaneously introduced in a single DNA transaction have a higher probability of altering gene function than do single base substitutions. DNA polymerase zeta (Pol ζ) has been shown to introduce such clustered mutations under specific selective and/or DNA damage-producing conditions. In this study, a forward mutation assay was used to determine the specificity of spontaneous mutations generated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae when either wild-type Pol ζ or a mutator Pol ζ variant (rev3-L979F) bypasses endogenous lesions. Mutagenesis in strains proficient for nucleotide excision repair (NER) was compared to mutagenesis in NER-deficient strains that retain unrepaired endogenous DNA lesions in the genome. Compared to NER-proficient strains, NER-deficient rad14Δ strains have elevated mutation rates that depend on Pol ζ. Rates are most strongly elevated for tandem base pair substitutions and clusters of multiple, closely spaced mutations. Both types of mutations depend on Pol ζ, but not on Pol η. Rates of each are further elevated in yeast strains bearing the rev3-979F allele. The results indicate that when Pol ζ performs mutagenic bypass of endogenous, helix-distorting lesions, it catalyzes a short track of processive, error-prone synthesis. We discuss the implications of this unique catalytic property of Pol ζ to its evolutionary conservation and possibly to multistage carcinogenesis.

Oncogenic potential is related to activating effect of cancer single and double somatic mutations in receptor tyrosine kinases

Aberrant activation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) is a common feature of many cancer cells. It was previously suggested that the mechanisms of kinase activation in cancer might be linked to transitions between active and inactive states. Here, we estimate the effects of single and double cancer mutations on the stability of active and inactive states of the kinase domains from different RTKs. We show that singleton cancer mutations destabilize active and inactive states; however, inactive states are destabilized more than the active ones, leading to kinase activation. We show that there exists a relationship between the estimate of oncogenic potential of cancer mutation and kinase activation. Namely, more frequent mutations have a higher activating effect, which might allow us to predict the activating effect of the mutations from the mutation spectra. Independent evolutionary analysis of mutation spectra complements this observation and finds the same frequency threshold defining mutation hotspots. We analyze double mutations and report a positive epistasis and additional advantage of doublets with respect to cancer cell fitness. The activation mechanisms of double mutations differ from those of single mutations and double mutation spectrum is found to be dissimilar to the mutation spectrum of singletons.