DNA polymerases from euryarchaeota

Two conformations of DNA polymerase D-PCNA-DNA, an archaeal replisome complex, revealed by cryo-electron microscopy

BACKGROUND

DNA polymerase D (PolD) is the representative member of the D family of DNA polymerases. It is an archaea-specific DNA polymerase required for replication and unrelated to other known DNA polymerases. PolD consists of a heterodimer of two subunits, DP1 and DP2, which contain catalytic sites for 3'-5' editing exonuclease and DNA polymerase activities, respectively, with both proteins being mutually required for the full activities of each enzyme. However, the processivity of the replicase holoenzyme has additionally been shown to be enhanced by the clamp molecule proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), making it crucial to elucidate the interaction between PolD and PCNA on a structural level for a full understanding of its functional relevance. We present here the 3D structure of a PolD-PCNA-DNA complex from Thermococcus kodakarensis using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (EM).

RESULTS

Two distinct forms of the PolD-PCNA-DNA complex were identified by 3D classification analysis. Fitting the reported crystal structures of truncated forms of DP1 and DP2 from Pyrococcus abyssi onto our EM map showed the 3D atomic structural model of PolD-PCNA-DNA. In addition to the canonical interaction between PCNA and PolD via PIP (PCNA-interacting protein)-box motif, we found a new contact point consisting of a glutamate residue at position 171 in a β-hairpin of PCNA, which mediates interactions with DP1 and DP2. The DNA synthesis activity of a mutant PolD with disruption of the E171-mediated PCNA interaction was not stimulated by PCNA in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on our analyses, we propose that glutamate residues at position 171 in each subunit of the PCNA homotrimer ring can function as hooks to lock PolD conformation on PCNA for conversion of its activity. This hook function of the clamp molecule may be conserved in the three domains of life.

Studies on DNA-related enzymes to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying genetic information processing and their application in genetic engineering

Recombinant DNA technology, in which artificially "cut and pasted" DNA in vitro is introduced into living cells, contributed extensively to the rapid development of molecular biology over the past 5 decades since the latter half of the 20^th century. Although the original technology required special experiences and skills, the development of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has greatly eased in vitro genetic manipulation for various experimental methods. The current development of a simple genome-editing technique using CRISPR-Cas9 gave great impetus to molecular biology. Genome editing is a major technique for elucidating the functions of many unknown genes. Genetic manipulation technologies rely on enzymes that act on DNA. It involves artificially synthesizing, cleaving, and ligating DNA strands by making good use of DNA-related enzymes present in organisms to maintain their life activities. In this review, I focus on key enzymes involved in the development of genetic manipulation technologies.

Pol B, a Family B DNA Polymerase, in Thermococcus kodakarensis is Important for DNA Repair, but not DNA Replication

Thermococcus kodakarensis possesses two DNA polymerases, Pol B and Pol D. We generated a T. kodakarensis strain (DPB1) in which polB was completely deleted and a derivative of DPB1 in which polB was overexpressed; neither of the generated strains exhibited any growth delay, indicating that the lack or overexpression of Pol B in T. kodakarensis did not affect cell growth. We also found that DPB1 showed higher sensitivity to four DNA-damaging agents (ultraviolet C irradiation, γ-ray irradiation, methyl methanesulfonate, and mitomycin C) than the parental strain. The sensitivity of DPB1 was restored to the level of the parent strain by the introduction of a plasmid harboring polB, suggesting that the DNA damage-sensitive phenotype of DPB1 was due to the loss of polB. Collectively, these results indicate that Pol B is involved in DNA repair, but not DNA replication, which, in turn, implies that Pol D is the sole replicative DNA polymerase in Thermococcus species.

PCNA is involved in the EndoQ-mediated DNA repair process in Thermococcales

To maintain genome integrity for transfer to their offspring, and to maintain order in cellular processes, all living organisms have DNA repair systems. Besides the well-conserved DNA repair machineries, organisms thriving in extreme environments are expected to have developed efficient repair systems. We recently discovered a novel endonuclease, which cleaves the 5′ side of deoxyinosine, from the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus. The novel endonuclease, designated as Endonulcease Q (EndoQ), recognizes uracil, abasic site and xanthine, as well as hypoxanthine, and cuts the phosphodiester bond at their 5′ sides. To understand the functional process involving EndoQ, we searched for interacting partners of EndoQ and identified Proliferating Cell Nuclear Angigen (PCNA). The EndoQ activity was clearly enhanced by addition of PCNA in vitro. The physical interaction between the two proteins through a PIP-motif of EndoQ and the toroidal structure of PCNA are critical for the stimulation of the endonuclease activity. These findings provide us a clue to elucidate a unique DNA repair system in Archaea.

DNA polymerases as useful reagents for biotechnology - the history of developmental research in the field

DNA polymerase is a ubiquitous enzyme that synthesizes complementary DNA strands according to the template DNA in living cells. Multiple enzymes have been identified from each organism, and the shared functions of these enzymes have been investigated. In addition to their fundamental role in maintaining genome integrity during replication and repair, DNA polymerases are widely used for DNA manipulation in vitro, including DNA cloning, sequencing, labeling, mutagenesis, and other purposes. The fundamental ability of DNA polymerases to synthesize a deoxyribonucleotide chain is conserved. However, the more specific properties, including processivity, fidelity (synthesis accuracy), and substrate nucleotide selectivity, differ among the enzymes. The distinctive properties of each DNA polymerase may lead to the potential development of unique reagents, and therefore searching for novel DNA polymerase has been one of the major focuses in this research field. In addition, protein engineering techniques to create mutant or artificial DNA polymerases have been successfully developing powerful DNA polymerases, suitable for specific purposes among the many kinds of DNA manipulations. Thermostable DNA polymerases are especially important for PCR-related techniques in molecular biology. In this review, we summarize the history of the research on developing thermostable DNA polymerases as reagents for genetic manipulation and discuss the future of this research field.

Rapid progress of DNA replication studies in Archaea, the third domain of life

Archaea, the third domain of life, are interesting organisms to study from the aspects of molecular and evolutionary biology. Archaeal cells have a unicellular ultrastructure without a nucleus, resembling bacterial cells, but the proteins involved in genetic information processing pathways, including DNA replication, transcription, and translation, share strong similarities with those of Eukaryota. Therefore, archaea provide useful model systems to understand the more complex mechanisms of genetic information processing in eukaryotic cells. Moreover, the hyperthermophilic archaea provide very stable proteins, which are especially useful for the isolation of replisomal multicomplexes, to analyze their structures and functions. This review focuses on the history, current status, and future directions of archaeal DNA replication studies.

Biochemical properties and base excision repair complex formation of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease from Pyrococcus furiosus

Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites are the most frequently found mutagenic lesions in DNA, and they arise mainly from spontaneous base loss or modified base removal by damage-specific DNA glycosylases. AP sites are cleaved by AP endonucleases, and the resultant gaps in the DNA are repaired by DNA polymerase/DNA ligase reactions. We identified the gene product that is responsible for the AP endonuclease activity in the hyperthermophilic euryarchaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus. Furthermore, we detected the physical interaction between P. furiosus AP endonuclease (PfuAPE) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA; PfuPCNA) by a pull-down assay and a surface plasmon resonance analysis. Interestingly, the associated 3′–5′ exonuclease activity, but not the AP endonuclease activity, of PfuAPE was stimulated by PfuPCNA. Immunoprecipitation experiments using the P. furiosus cell extracts supported the interaction between PfuAPE and PfuPCNA in the cells. This is the first report describing the physical and functional interactions between an archaeal AP endonuclease and PCNA. We also detected the ternary complex of PfuPCNA, PfuAPE and Pfu uracil-DNA glycosylase. This complex probably functions to enhance the repair of uracil-containing DNA in P. furiosus cells.

Evolution of DNA polymerases: an inactivated polymerase-exonuclease module in Pol epsilon and a chimeric origin of eukaryotic polymerases from two classes of archaeal ancestors

Background

Evolution of DNA polymerases, the key enzymes of DNA replication and repair, is central to any reconstruction of the history of cellular life. However, the details of the evolutionary relationships between DNA polymerases of archaea and eukaryotes remain unresolved.

Results

We performed a comparative analysis of archaeal, eukaryotic, and bacterial B-family DNA polymerases, which are the main replicative polymerases in archaea and eukaryotes, combined with an analysis of domain architectures. Surprisingly, we found that eukaryotic Polymerase ε consists of two tandem exonuclease-polymerase modules, the active N-terminal module and a C-terminal module in which both enzymatic domains are inactivated. The two modules are only distantly related to each other, an observation that suggests the possibility that Pol ε evolved as a result of insertion and subsequent inactivation of a distinct polymerase, possibly, of bacterial descent, upstream of the C-terminal Zn-fingers, rather than by tandem duplication. The presence of an inactivated exonuclease-polymerase module in Pol ε parallels a similar inactivation of both enzymatic domains in a distinct family of archaeal B-family polymerases. The results of phylogenetic analysis indicate that eukaryotic B-family polymerases, most likely, originate from two distantly related archaeal B-family polymerases, one form giving rise to Pol ε, and the other one to the common ancestor of Pol α, Pol δ, and Pol ζ. The C-terminal Zn-fingers that are present in all eukaryotic B-family polymerases, unexpectedly, are homologous to the Zn-finger of archaeal D-family DNA polymerases that are otherwise unrelated to the B family. The Zn-finger of Polε shows a markedly greater similarity to the counterpart in archaeal PolD than the Zn-fingers of other eukaryotic B-family polymerases.

Conclusion

Evolution of eukaryotic DNA polymerases seems to have involved previously unnoticed complex events. We hypothesize that the archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes encoded three DNA polymerases, namely, two distinct B-family polymerases and a D-family polymerase all of which contributed to the evolution of the eukaryotic replication machinery. The Zn-finger might have been acquired from PolD by the B-family form that gave rise to Pol ε prior to or in the course of eukaryogenesis, and subsequently, was captured by the ancestor of the other B-family eukaryotic polymerases. The inactivated polymerase-exonuclease module of Pol ε might have evolved by fusion with a distinct polymerase, rather than by duplication of the active module of Pol ε, and is likely to play an important role in the assembly of eukaryotic replication and repair complexes.

Reviewers

This article was reviewed by Patrick Forterre, Arcady Mushegian, and Chris Ponting. For the full reviews, please go to the Reviewers' Reports section.

Exonuclease activity of proofreading DNA polymerases is at the origin of artifacts in molecular profiling studies

CE fingerprint methods are commonly used in microbial ecology. We have previously noticed that the position and number of peaks in CE-SSCP (single-strand conformation polymorphism) profiles depend on the DNA polymerase used in PCR [1]. Here, we studied the fragments produced by Taq polymerase as well as four commercially available proofreading polymerases, using the V3 region of the Escherichia coli rss gene as a marker. PCR products rendered multiple peaks in denaturing CE; Taq polymerase was observed to produce the longest fragments. Incubation of the fragments with T4 DNA polymerase indicated that the 3'-ends of the proofreading polymerase amplicons were recessed, while the Taq amplicon was partially +A tailed. Treatment of the PCR product with proofreading DNA polymerase rendered trimmed fragments. This was due to the 3'-5' exonuclease activity of these enzymes, which is essential for proofreading. The nuclease activity was reduced by increasing the concentration of dNTP. The Platinum Pfx DNA polymerase generated very few artifacts and could produce 85% of blunted PCR products. Nevertheless, despite the higher error rate, we recommend the use of Taq polymerase rather than proofreading in the framework for molecular fingerprint studies. They are more cost-effective and therefore ideally suited for high-throughput analysis; the +A tail artifact rate can be controlled by modifying the PCR primers and the reaction conditions.

DNA polymerases BI and D from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus both bind to proliferating cell nuclear antigen with their C-terminal PIP-box motifs

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is the sliding clamp that is essential for the high processivity of DNA synthesis during DNA replication. Pyrococcus furiosus, a hyperthermophilic archaeon, has at least two DNA polymerases, polymerase BI (PolBI) and PolD. Both of the two DNA polymerases interact with the archaeal P. furiosus PCNA (PfuPCNA) and perform processive DNA synthesis in vitro. This phenomenon, in addition to the fact that both enzymes display 3'-5' exonuclease activity, suggests that both DNA polymerases work in replication fork progression. We demonstrated here that both PolBI and PolD functionally interact with PfuPCNA at their C-terminal PIP boxes. The mutant PolBI and PolD enzymes lacking the PIP-box sequence do not respond to the PfuPCNA at all in an in vitro primer extension reaction. This is the first experimental evidence that the PIP-box motif, located at the C termini of the archaeal DNA polymerases, is actually critical for PCNA binding to form a processive DNA-synthesizing complex.

Comprehensive search for DNA polymerase in the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus

DNA polymerase activities were scanned in a Pyrococcus furiosus cell extract to identify all of the DNA polymerases in this organism. Three main fractions containingDNA polymerizing activity were subjected to Western blot analyses, which revealed that the main activities in each fraction were derived from three previously identified DNA polymerases. PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen), the sliding clamp of DNA polymerases, did not bind tightly to any of the three DNA polymerases. A primer usage preference was also shown for each purified DNA polymerase. Considering their biochemical properties, the roles of the three DNA polymerases during DNA replication in the cells are discussed.

The screening of expression and purification conditions for replicative DNA polymerase associated B-subunits, assignment of the exonuclease activity to the C-terminus of archaeal pol D DP1 subunit

The B-subunits of replicative DNA polymerases belong to the superfamily of calcineurin-like phosphoesterases and are conserved from Archaea to humans. Recently we and others have shown that the B-subunit (DP1) of the archaeal family D DNA polymerase is responsible for proofreading 3'-5' exonuclease activity. The similarity of B-subunit sequences implies a common fold, but since the key catalytic and metal binding residues of the phosphoesterase domain are disrupted in the eukaryotic B-subunits, their common function has not been identified. To study the structure and activities of B-subunits in more detail, we expressed 13 different recombinant B-subunits in Escherichia coli. We found that the solubility of a protein could be predicted from the calculated GRAVY score. These scores were useful for the selection of proteins for successful expression. We optimized the expression and purification of Methanocaldococcus (Methanococcus) jannaschii DP1 of DNA polymerase D (MjaDP1) and show that the protein co-purifies with a thermostable nuclease activity. Truncation of the protein indicates that the N-terminus (aa 1-134) is not needed for catalysis. The C-terminal part of the protein containing both the calcineurin-like phosphoesterase domain and the OB-fold is sufficient for the nuclease activity.

Identification of the critical region in Replication factor C from Pyrococcus furiosus for the stable complex formation with Proliferating cell nuclear antigen and DNA

Replication factor C (RFC) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) are accessory proteins essential for processive DNA synthesis. The function of RFC is to load PCNA, a processivity factor of replicative DNA polymerases, onto primed DNA templates. The central hole of the PCNA homo-trimeric ring encircles doublestranded DNA, so that DNA polymerases can operate for DNA synthesis with PCNA along a DNA template. The Pyrococcus furiosus RFC (PfuRFC) consists of a small subunit (RFCS, 37kDa) and a large subunit (RFCL, 55kDa), which show significant sequence identity to the eukaryotic homologs. The C-terminal region of RFCL has an acidic cluster of about 30 amino acids, which consists mainly of glutamic acid residues, and a following basic cluster of 10 amino acids, which consists mainly of lysine residues. These clusters of charged amino acids, which precede the C-terminal consensus sequence, PIP (PCNA interacting protein)-box, are conserved in several archaeal RFCLs. The series of mutant PfuRFC containing the C-terminal deletions in RFCL were constructed. The mutational analyses showed that the charged cluster is not essential for loading of PCNA onto DNA. However, the region containing the basic cluster is important for the stable ternary (RFC-PCNA-DNA) complex formation.

Comparative genomics of Archaea: how much have we learned in six years, and what's next?

Archaea comprise one of the three distinct domains of life (with bacteria and eukaryotes). With 16 complete archaeal genomes sequenced to date, comparative genomics has revealed a conserved core of 313 genes that are represented in all sequenced archaeal genomes, plus a variable 'shell' that is prone to lineage-specific gene loss and horizontal gene exchange. The majority of archaeal genes have not been experimentally characterized, but novel functional pathways have been predicted.

Mutational analysis of Pyrococcus furiosus replication factor C based on the three-dimensional structure

In eukaryotic DNA replication, replication factor C (RFC) acts as a "clamp loader" that loads PCNA onto a primed DNA template in an ATP-dependent manner. Proteins with functions essentially identical to that of RFC exist in Archaea. We have determined the crystal structure of the small subunit (RFCS) of Pyrococcus furiosus RFC at 2.8-A resolution. Using the information from the determined tertiary structure, we prepared several mutations in RFCS and biochemically characterized them. Truncation of the C-terminal alpha-helix (alpha16) causes a failure in RFCS oligomerization and a loss of the stimulating activity for the PCNA-dependent DNA synthesis by DNA polymerases. The site-directed reduction of the negative charges at the center part of the RFCS complex affected the stability of the RFC-PCNA interaction and reduced the clamp-loading activity. These results contribute to our general understanding of the structure-function relationship of the RFC molecule for the clamp-loading event.

Three proliferating cell nuclear antigen-like proteins found in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Aeropyrum pernix: interactions with the two DNA polymerases

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is an essential component in the eukaryotic DNA replication machinery, in which it works for tethering DNA polymerases on the DNA template to accomplish processive DNA synthesis. The PCNA also interacts with many other proteins in important cellular processes, including cell cycle control, DNA repair, and an apoptotic pathway in the domain EUCARYA: We identified three genes encoding PCNA-like sequences in the genome of Aeropyrum pernix, a crenarchaeal archaeon. We cloned and expressed these genes in Escherichia coli and analyzed the gene products. All three PCNA homologs stimulated the primer extension activities of the two DNA polymerases, polymerase I (Pol I) and Pol II, identified in A. pernix to various extents, among which A. pernix PCNA 3 (ApePCNA3) provided a most remarkable effect on both Pol I and Pol II. The three proteins were confirmed to exist in the A. pernix cells. These results suggest that the three PCNAs work as the processivity factor of DNA polymerases in A. pernix cells under different conditions. In Eucarya, three checkpoint proteins, Hus1, Rad1, and Rad9, have been proposed to form a PCNA-like ring structure and may work as a sliding clamp for the translesion DNA polymerases. Therefore, it is very interesting that three active PCNAs were found in one archaeal cell. Further analyses are necessary to determine whether each PCNA has specific roles, and moreover, how they reveal different functions in the cells.

The archaeal DNA primase: biochemical characterization of the p41-p46 complex from Pyrococcus furiosus

We characterized the primase complex of the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus. The two proteins, Pfup41 and Pfup46, have similar sequences to the p48 and p58 subunits, respectively, of the eukaryotic DNA polymerase alpha-primase complex. Unlike previously reported primases, the Pfup41 preferentially utilizes deoxyribonucleotides for its de novo synthesis, and moreover, it synthesizes up to several kilobases in length in a template-dependent manner (Bocquier, A., Liu, L., Cann, I., Komori, K., Kohda, D., and Ishino, Y. (2001) Curr. Biol. 11, 452-456). The p41-p46 complex showed higher DNA binding activity than the catalytic p41 subunit alone. In addition, the amount of DNA synthesized by the p41-p46 complex was much more abundant and shorter in length than that by Pfup41 alone. The activity for RNA primer synthesis, which was not detected with Pfup41, was observed from the reaction using the p41-p46 complex in vitro. The in vitro replication of M13 single-stranded DNA by the P. furiosus proteins was stimulated by ATP. Observation of the labeled primers by using [gamma-(32)P]ATP in the substrates suggests ATP as the preferable initiating nucleotide for the p41-p46 complex. These results show that the primer synthesis activity of Pfup41 is regulated by Pfup46, and the p41-p46 complex may function as the primase in the DNA replication machinery of P. furiosus, in a similar fashion to the eukaryotic polymerase alpha-primase complex.

Functional interactions of an archaeal sliding clamp with mammalian clamp loader and DNA polymerase delta

BACKGROUND

By the total genome sequencing of several archaeal organisms, it has been confirmed that many archaeal proteins related to genetic information systems, including DNA replication, transcription and translation, have similar sequences to those of eukaryotes. In eukaryotic DNA replication, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) works in clamping DNA polymerases on the DNA template and accomplishes a processive DNA synthesis. Archaea encode PCNA homologues in their genomes and Pyrococcus furiosus PCNA (PfuPCNA) stimulates the DNA synthesizing activities of the DNA polymerases, Pol I and Pol II, in this organism.

RESULTS

We have demonstrated that PfuPCNA interacts functionally with calf thymus DNA polymerase delta (Pol delta) and stimulates its activity. Moreover, human replication factor C (RFC) enhances the PfuPCNA-dependent DNA synthesis activity of Pol delta, indicating that human RFC works as the clamp loader for PfuPCNA. These results showed that the three-dimensional structures of archaral PCNA and RFC are actually similar enough to their eukaryotic counterparts to allow a molecular substitution between the two biological domains, albeit at a lower efficiency.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that the archaeal molecule interacts functionally with the eukaryotic members in the DNA replication process. This finding supports the idea that studies on the DNA replication mechanism of archaeal organisms will provide many important clues for understanding of the intricate molecular recognition that is inherent to the DNA replication machinery in Eukarya.

Biochemical analysis of replication factor C from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus

Replication factor C (RFC) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) are accessory proteins essential for processive DNA synthesis in the domain Eucarya. The function of RFC is to load PCNA, a processivity factor of eukaryotic DNA polymerases delta and epsilon, onto primed DNA templates. RFC-like genes, arranged in tandem in the Pyrococcus furiosus genome, were cloned and expressed individually in Escherichia coli cells to determine their roles in DNA synthesis. The P. furiosus RFC (PfuRFC) consists of a small subunit (RFCS) and a large subunit (RFCL). Highly purified RFCS possesses an ATPase activity, which was stimulated up to twofold in the presence of both single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and P. furiosus PCNA (PfuPCNA). The ATPase activity of PfuRFC itself was as strong as that of RFCS. However, in the presence of PfuPCNA and ssDNA, PfuRFC exhibited a 10-fold increase in ATPase activity under the same conditions. RFCL formed very large complexes by itself and had an extremely weak ATPase activity, which was not stimulated by PfuPCNA and DNA. The PfuRFC stimulated PfuPCNA-dependent DNA synthesis by both polymerase I and polymerase II from P. furiosus. We propose that PfuRFC is required for efficient loading of PfuPCNA and that the role of RFC in processive DNA synthesis is conserved in Archaea and Eucarya.