DNA polymerase beta and mammalian base excision repair

Mouse models to explore the biological and organismic role of DNA polymerase beta

Gene knock-out (KO) mouse models for DNA polymerase beta (Polβ) revealed that loss of Polβ leads to neonatal lethality, highlighting the critical organismic role for this DNA polymerase. While biochemical analysis and gene KO cell lines have confirmed its biochemical role in base excision repair and in TET-mediated demethylation, more long-lived mouse models continue to be developed to further define its organismic role. The Polb-KO mouse was the first of the Cre-mediated tissue-specific KO mouse models. This technology was exploited to investigate roles for Polβ in V(D)J recombination (variable-diversity-joining rearrangement), DNA demethylation, gene complementation, SPO11-induced DNA double-strand break repair, germ cell genome stability, as well as neuronal differentiation, susceptibility to genotoxin-induced DNA damage, and cancer onset. The revolution in knock-in (KI) mouse models was made possible by CRISPR/cas9-mediated gene editing directly in C57BL/6 zygotes. This technology has helped identify phenotypes associated with germline or somatic mutants of Polβ. Such KI mouse models have helped uncover the importance of key Polβ active site residues or specific Polβ enzyme activities, such as the PolbY265C mouse that develops lupus symptoms. More recently, we have used this KI technology to mutate the Polb gene with two codon changes, yielding the PolbL301R/V303R mouse. In this KI mouse model, the expressed Polβ protein cannot bind to its obligate heterodimer partner, Xrcc1. Although the expressed mutant Polβ protein is proteolytically unstable and defective in recruitment to sites of DNA damage, the homozygous PolbL301R/V303R mouse is viable and fertile, yet small in stature. We expect that this and additional targeted mouse models under development are poised to reveal new biological and organismic roles for Polβ.

Versatile cell-based assay for measuring DNA alkylation damage and its repair

DNA alkylation damage induced by environmental carcinogens, chemotherapy drugs, or endogenous metabolites plays a central role in mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, and cancer therapy. Base excision repair (BER) is a conserved, front line DNA repair pathway that removes alkylation damage from DNA. The capacity of BER to repair DNA alkylation varies markedly between different cell types and tissues, which correlates with cancer risk and cellular responses to alkylation chemotherapy. The ability to measure cellular rates of alkylation damage repair by the BER pathway is critically important for better understanding of the fundamental processes involved in carcinogenesis, and also to advance development of new therapeutic strategies. Methods for assessing the rates of alkylation damage and repair, especially in human cells, are limited, prone to significant variability due to the unstable nature of some of the alkyl adducts, and often rely on indirect measurements of BER activity. Here, we report a highly reproducible and quantitative, cell-based assay, named alk-BER (alkylation Base Excision Repair) for measuring rates of BER following alkylation DNA damage. The alk-BER assay involves specific detection of methyl DNA adducts (7-methyl guanine and 3-methyl adenine) directly in genomic DNA. The assay has been developed and adapted to measure the activity of BER in fungal model systems and human cell lines. Considering the specificity and conserved nature of BER enzymes, the assay can be adapted to virtually any type of cultured cells. Alk-BER offers a cost efficient and reliable method that can effectively complement existing approaches to advance integrative research on mechanisms of alkylation DNA damage and repair.

Suppression of DNA Double-Strand Break Formation by DNA Polymerase β in Active DNA Demethylation Is Required for Development of Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons

Genome stability is essential for brain development and function, as de novo mutations during neuronal development cause psychiatric disorders. However, the contribution of DNA repair to genome stability in neurons remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the base excision repair protein DNA polymerase β (Polβ) is involved in hippocampal pyramidal neuron differentiation via a TET-mediated active DNA demethylation during early postnatal stages using Nex-Cre/Polβ ^fl/fl mice of either sex, in which forebrain postmitotic excitatory neurons lack Polβ expression. Polβ deficiency induced extensive DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in hippocampal pyramidal neurons, but not dentate gyrus granule cells, and to a lesser extent in neocortical neurons, during a period in which decreased levels of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine were observed in genomic DNA. Inhibition of the hydroxylation of 5-methylcytosine by expression of microRNAs miR-29a/b-1 diminished DSB formation. Conversely, its induction by TET1 catalytic domain overexpression increased DSBs in neocortical neurons. Furthermore, the damaged hippocampal neurons exhibited aberrant neuronal gene expression profiles and dendrite formation, but not apoptosis. Comprehensive behavioral analyses revealed impaired spatial reference memory and contextual fear memory in adulthood. Thus, Polβ maintains genome stability in the active DNA demethylation that occurs during early postnatal neuronal development, thereby contributing to differentiation and subsequent learning and memory.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Increasing evidence suggests that de novo mutations during neuronal development cause psychiatric disorders. However, strikingly little is known about how DNA repair is involved in neuronal differentiation. We found that Polβ, a component of base excision repair, is required for differentiation of hippocampal pyramidal neurons in mice. Polβ deficiency transiently led to increased DNA double-strand breaks, but not apoptosis, in early postnatal hippocampal pyramidal neurons. This aberrant double-strand break formation was attributed to active DNA demethylation as an epigenetic regulation. Furthermore, the damaged neurons exhibited aberrant gene expression profiles and dendrite formation, resulting in impaired learning and memory in adulthood. Thus, these findings provide new insight into the contribution of DNA repair to the neuronal genome in early brain development.

Identification of a unique insertion in plant organellar DNA polymerases responsible for 5'-dRP lyase and strand-displacement activities: Implications for Base Excision Repair

Plant mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes encode essential proteins for oxidative phosphorylation and photosynthesis. For proper cellular function, plant organelles must ensure genome integrity. Although plant organelles repair damaged DNA using the multi-enzyme Base Excision Repair (BER) pathway, the details of this pathway in plant organelles are largely unknown. The initial enzymatic steps in BER produce a 5'-deoxyribose phosphate (5'-dRP) moiety that must be removed to allow DNA ligation and in plant organelles, the enzymes responsible for the removal of a 5'-dRP group are unknown. In metazoans, DNA polymerases (DNAPs) remove the 5'-dRP moiety using their intrinsic lyase and/or strand-displacement activities during short or long-patch BER sub-pathways, respectively. The plant model Arabidopsis thaliana encodes two family-A DNAPs paralogs, AtPolIA and AtPolIB, which are the sole DNAPs in plant organelles identified to date. Herein we demonstrate that both AtPolIs present 5'-dRP lyase activities. AtPolIB performs efficient strand-displacement on a BER-associated 1-nt gap DNA substrate, whereas AtPolIA exhibits only moderate strand-displacement activity. Both lyase and strand-displacement activities are dependent on an amino acid insertion that is exclusively present in plant organellar DNAPs. Within this insertion, we identified that residue AtPollB-Lys593 acts as nucleophile for lyase activity. Our results demonstrate that AtPolIs are functionally equipped to play a role in short-patch BER and suggest a major role of AtPolIB in a predicted long-patch BER sub-pathway. We propose that the acquisition of insertion 1 in the polymerization domain of AtPolIs was a key component in their evolution as BER associated and replicative DNAPs.

Translesion DNA Synthesis in Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities

The genomic landscape of cancer is one marred by instability, but the mechanisms that underlie these alterations are multifaceted and remain a topic of intense research. Cellular responses to DNA damage and/or replication stress can affect genome stability in tumors and influence the response of patients to therapy. In addition to direct repair, DNA damage tolerance (DDT) is an element of genomic maintenance programs that contributes to the etiology of several types of cancer. DDT mechanisms primarily act to resolve replication stress, and this can influence the effectiveness of genotoxic drugs. Translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) is an important component of DDT that facilitates direct bypass of DNA adducts and other barriers to replication. The central role of TLS in the bypass of drug-induced DNA lesions, the promotion of tumor heterogeneity, and the involvement of these enzymes in the maintenance of the cancer stem cell niche presents an opportunity to leverage inhibition of TLS as a way of improving existing therapies. In the review that follows, we summarize mechanisms of DDT, misregulation of TLS in cancer, and discuss the potential for targeting these pathways as a means of improving cancer therapies.

Genome Stability by DNA Polymerase β in Neural Progenitors Contributes to Neuronal Differentiation in Cortical Development

DNA repair is crucial for genome stability in the developing cortex, as somatic de novo mutations cause neurological disorders. However, how DNA repair contributes to neuronal development is largely unknown. To address this issue, we studied the spatiotemporal roles of DNA polymerase β (Polβ), a key enzyme in DNA base excision repair pathway, in the developing cortex using distinct forebrain-specific conditional knock-out mice, Emx1-Cre/Polβ ^fl/fl and Nex-Cre/Polβ ^fl/fl mice. Polβ expression was absent in both neural progenitors and postmitotic neurons in Emx1-Cre/Polβ ^fl/fl mice, whereas only postmitotic neurons lacked Polβ expression in Nex-Cre/Polβ ^fl/fl mice. We found that DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) were frequently detected during replication in cortical progenitors of Emx1-Cre/Polβ ^fl/fl mice. Increased DSBs remained in postmitotic cells, which resulted in p53-mediated neuronal apoptosis. This neuronal apoptosis caused thinning of the cortical plate, although laminar structure was normal. In addition, accumulated DSBs also affected growth of corticofugal axons but not commissural axons. These phenotypes were not observed in Nex-Cre/Polβ ^fl/fl mice. Moreover, cultured Polβ-deficient neural progenitors exhibited higher sensitivity to the base-damaging agent methylmethanesulfonate, resulting in enhanced DSB formation. Similar damage was found by vitamin C treatment, which induces TET1-mediated DNA demethylation via 5-hydroxymethylcytosine. Together, genome stability mediated by Polβ-dependent base excision repair is crucial for the competence of neural progenitors, thereby contributing to neuronal differentiation in cortical development.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT DNA repair is crucial for development of the nervous system. However, how DNA polymerase β (Polβ)-dependent DNA base excision repair pathway contributes to the process is still unknown. We found that loss of Polβ in cortical progenitors rather than postmitotic neurons led to catastrophic DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) during replication and p53-mediated neuronal apoptosis, which resulted in thinning of the cortical plate. The DSBs also affected corticofugal axon growth in surviving neurons. Moreover, induction of base damage and DNA demethylation intermediates in the genome increased DSBs in cultured Polβ-deficient neural progenitors. Thus, genome stability by Polβ-dependent base excision repair in neural progenitors is required for the viability and differentiation of daughter neurons in the developing nervous system.

HeLa Cells Containing a Truncated Form of DNA Polymerase Beta are More Sensitized to Alkylating Agents than to Agents Inducing Oxidative Stress

The present study was aimed at determining the effects of alkylating and oxidative stress inducing agents on a newly identified variant of DNA polymerase beta (polβ Δ208-304) specific for ovarian cancer. Pol β Δ208-304 has a deletion of exons 11-13 which lie in the catalytic part of enzyme. We compared the effect of these chemicals on HeLa cells and HeLa cells stably transfected with this variant cloned into in pcDNAI/neo vector by MTT, colony forming and apoptosis assays. Polβ Δ208-304 cells exhibited greater sensitivity to an alkylating agent and less sensitivity towards H2O2 and UV when compared with HeLa cells alone. It has been shown that cell death in Pol β Δ208-304 transfected HeLa cells is mediated by the caspase 9 cascade. Exon 11 has nucleotidyl selection activity, while exons 12 and 13 have dNTP selection activity. Hence deletion of this part may affect polymerizing activity although single strand binding and double strand binding activity may remain same. The lack of this part may adversely affect catalytic activity of DNA polymerase beta so that the variant may act as a dominant negative mutant. This would represent clinical significance if translated into a clinical setting because resistance to radiation or chemotherapy during the relapse of the disease could be potentially overcome by this approach.

Interaction between APC and Fen1 during breast carcinogenesis

Aberrant DNA base excision repair (BER) contributes to malignant transformation. However, inter-individual variations in DNA repair capacity plays a key role in modifying breast cancer risk. We review here emerging evidence that two proteins involved in BER - adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and flap endonuclease 1 (Fen1) - promote the development of breast cancer through novel mechanisms. APC and Fen1 expression and interaction is increased in breast tumors versus normal cells, APC interacts with and blocks Fen1 activity in Pol-β-directed LP-BER, and abrogation of LP-BER is linked with cigarette smoke condensate-induced transformation of normal breast epithelial cells. Carcinogens increase expression of APC and Fen1 in spontaneously immortalized human breast epithelial cells, human colon cancer cells, and mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Since APC and Fen1 are tumor suppressors, an increase in their levels could protect against carcinogenesis; however, this does not seem to be the case. Elevated Fen1 levels in breast and lung cancer cells may reflect the enhanced proliferation of cancer cells or increased DNA damage in cancer cells compared to normal cells. Inactivation of the tumor suppressor functions of APC and Fen1 is due to their interaction, which may act as a susceptibility factor for breast cancer. The increased interaction of APC and Fen1 may occur due to polypmorphic and/or mutational variation in these genes. Screening of APC and Fen1 polymorphic and/or mutational variations and APC/Fen1 interaction may permit assessment of individual DNA repair capability and the risk for breast cancer development. Such individuals might lower their breast cancer risk by reducing exposure to carcinogens. Stratifying individuals according to susceptibility would greatly assist epidemiologic studies of the impact of suspected environmental carcinogens. Additionally, a mechanistic understanding of the interaction of APC and Fen1 may provide the basis for developing new and effective targeted chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents.

Base Excision Repair in the Mitochondria

The 16.5 kb human mitochondrial genome encodes for 13 polypeptides, 22 tRNAs and 2 rRNAs involved in oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), unlike its nuclear counterpart, is not packaged into nucleosomes and is more prone to the adverse effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during oxidative phosphorylation. The past few decades have witnessed an increase in the number of proteins observed to translocate to the mitochondria for the purposes of mitochondrial genome maintenance. The mtDNA damage produced by ROS, if not properly repaired, leads to instability and can ultimately manifest in mitochondrial dysfunction and disease. The base excision repair (BER) pathway is employed for the removal and consequently the repair of deaminated, oxidized, and alkylated DNA bases. Specialized enzymes called DNA glycosylases, which locate and cleave the damaged base, catalyze the first step of this highly coordinated repair pathway. This review focuses on members of the four human BER DNA glycosylase superfamilies and their subcellular localization in the mitochondria and/or the nucleus, as well as summarizes their structural features, biochemical properties, and functional role in the excision of damaged bases.

DNA polymerase delta in DNA replication and genome maintenance

The eukaryotic genome is in a constant state of modification and repair. Faithful transmission of the genomic information from parent to daughter cells depends upon an extensive system of surveillance, signaling, and DNA repair, as well as accurate synthesis of DNA during replication. Often, replicative synthesis occurs over regions of DNA that have not yet been repaired, presenting further challenges to genomic stability. DNA polymerase δ (pol δ) occupies a central role in all of these processes: catalyzing the accurate replication of a majority of the genome, participating in several DNA repair synthetic pathways, and contributing structurally to the accurate bypass of problematic lesions during translesion synthesis. The concerted actions of pol δ on the lagging strand, pol ϵ on the leading strand, associated replicative factors, and the mismatch repair (MMR) proteins results in a mutation rate of less than one misincorporation per genome per replication cycle. This low mutation rate provides a high level of protection against genetic defects during development and may prevent the initiation of malignancies in somatic cells. This review explores the role of pol δ in replication fidelity and genome maintenance.

Inhibitory effect of novel somatostatin peptide analogues on human cancer cell growth based on the selective inhibition of DNA polymerase β

The present study was designed to investigate the anticancer activity of novel nine small peptides (compounds 1-9) derived from TT-232, a somatostatin structural analogue, by analyzing the inhibition of mammalian DNA polymerase (pol) and human cancer cell growth. Among the compounds tested, compounds 3 [tert-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc)-Tyr-Phe-1-naphthylamide], 4 (Boc-Tyr-Ile-1-naphthylamide), 5 (Boc-Tyr-Leu-1-naphthylamide) and 6 (Boc-Tyr-Val-1-naphthylamide) containing tyrosine (Tyr) but no carboxyl groups, selectively inhibited the activity of rat pol β, which is a DNA repair-related pol. Compounds 3-6 strongly inhibited the growth of human colon carcinoma HCT116 p53(+/+) cells. The influence of compounds 1-9 on HCT116 p53(-/-) cell growth was similar to that observed for HCT116 p53(+/+) cells. These results suggest that the cancer cell growth suppression induced by these compounds might be related to their inhibition of pol. Compound 4 was the strongest inhibitor of pol β and cancer cell growth among the nine compounds tested. This compound specifically inhibited rat pol β activity, but had no effect on the other 10 mammalian pols investigated. Compound 4 combined with methyl methane sulfonate (MMS) treatment synergistically suppressed HCT116 p53(-/-) cell growth compared with MMS alone. This compound also induced apoptosis in HCT116 cells with or without p53. From these results, the influence of compound 4, a specific pol β inhibitor, on the relationship between DNA repair and cancer cell growth is discussed.

DNA damage induced by alkylating agents and repair pathways

The cytotoxic effects of alkylating agents are strongly attenuated by cellular DNA repair processes, necessitating a clear understanding of the repair mechanisms. Simple methylating agents form adducts at N- and O-atoms. N-methylations are removed by base excision repair, AlkB homologues, or nucleotide excision repair (NER). O⁶-methylguanine (MeG), which can eventually become cytotoxic and mutagenic, is repaired by O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase, and O⁶MeG:T mispairs are recognized by the mismatch repair system (MMR). MMR cannot repair the O⁶MeG/T mispairs, which eventually lead to double-strand breaks. Bifunctional alkylating agents form interstrand cross-links (ICLs) which are more complex and highly cytotoxic. ICLs are repaired by complex of NER factors (e.g., endnuclease xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group F-excision repair cross-complementing rodent repair deficiency complementation group 1), Fanconi anemia repair, and homologous recombination. A detailed understanding of how cells cope with DNA damage caused by alkylating agents is therefore potentially useful in clinical medicine.

Loop 1 modulates the fidelity of DNA polymerase lambda

Differences in the substrate specificity of mammalian family X DNA polymerases are proposed to partly depend on a loop (loop 1) upstream of the polymerase active site. To examine if this is the case in DNA polymerase λ (pol λ), here we characterize a variant of the human polymerase in which nine residues of loop 1 are replaced with four residues from the equivalent position in pol β. Crystal structures of the mutant enzyme bound to gapped DNA with and without a correct dNTP reveal that the change in loop 1 does not affect the overall structure of the protein. Consistent with these structural data, the mutant enzyme has relatively normal catalytic efficiency for correct incorporation, and it efficiently participates in non-homologous end joining of double-strand DNA breaks. However, DNA junctions recovered from end-joining reactions are more diverse than normal, and the mutant enzyme is substantially less accurate than wild-type pol λ in three different biochemical assays. Comparisons of the binary and ternary complex crystal structures of mutant and wild-type pol λ suggest that loop 1 modulates pol λ’s fidelity by controlling dNTP-induced movements of the template strand and the primer-terminal 3′-OH as the enzyme transitions from an inactive to an active conformation.

Potentiation of temozolomide cytotoxicity by inhibition of DNA polymerase beta is accentuated by BRCA2 mutation

Base excision repair (BER) plays a critical role in the repair of bases damaged by oxidative metabolism or alkylating agents, such as those commonly used in cancer therapy. Incomplete BER generates intermediates that require activation of homology-dependent DNA repair to resolve. We investigated the effects of lithocholic acid (LCA), an inhibitor of the key BER enzyme DNA polymerase beta (pol beta), in cells deficient in expression of the homology-dependent repair factor BRCA2. In vitro studies show that LCA suppresses the DNA polymerase and 5'-deoxyribose phosphate lyase activities of DNA pol beta by preventing the formation of a stable pol beta-DNA complex, reducing BER effectiveness. Cytotoxicity assays based on colony formation revealed that LCA exhibits synergism with the alkylating agent temozolomide, which engages BER through DNA methylation, and that the degree of synergism is increased in cells lacking functional BRCA2. BRCA2-deficient cells also showed heightened susceptibility to both LCA and temozolomide individually. The potentiation of temozolomide cytotoxicity by LCA owes to the conversion of single-stranded DNA breaks generated through incomplete BER of methylated nucleotides into double-stranded breaks during DNA replication, as indicated by gammaH2AX immunofluorescence. Death seems to be induced in cotreated cells through an accumulation of persistent double-stranded DNA breaks. Mutations of the BRCA2 gene have been extensively characterized and are present in various cancers, implying that inhibition of BER may offer a means to augment tumor selectivity in the use of conventional cancer therapies.

Sequence context-specific mutagenesis and base excision repair

Base excision repair (BER) is critical for the maintenance of genome stability because it repairs at least 20,000 endogenously generated DNA lesions/cell/d. Several enzymes within the BER pathway exhibit sequence context dependency during the excision and DNA synthesis steps of repair. New evidence is emerging that germ line and tumor-associated variants of enzymes in this repair pathway exhibit sequence context dependence that is different from their ancestral counterparts. We review what is known about the ancestral and variant BER proteins within various sequence contexts. We suggest that altering the sequence context preferences of BER proteins could give rise to rare cellular variants that might have a selective advantage in response to environmental exposure or to the tumor microenvironment.

Base excision repair and its role in maintaining genome stability

For all living organisms, genome stability is important, but is also under constant threat because various environmental and endogenous damaging agents can modify the structural properties of DNA bases. As a defense, organisms have developed different DNA repair pathways. Base excision repair (BER) is the predominant pathway for coping with a broad range of small lesions resulting from oxidation, alkylation, and deamination, which modify individual bases without large effect on the double helix structure. As, in mammalian cells, this damage is estimated to account daily for 10(4) events per cell, the need for BER pathways is unquestionable. The damage-specific removal is carried out by a considerable group of enzymes, designated as DNA glycosylases. Each DNA glycosylase has its unique specificity and many of them are ubiquitous in microorganisms, mammals, and plants. Here, we review the importance of the BER pathway and we focus on the different roles of DNA glycosylases in various organisms.

Hypermutation at A/T sites during G.U mismatch repair in vitro by human B-cell lysates

Somatic hypermutation in the variable regions of immunoglobulin genes is required to produce high affinity antibody molecules. Somatic hypermutation results by processing G.U mismatches generated when activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) deaminates C to U. Mutations at C/G sites are targeted mainly at deamination sites, whereas mutations at A/T sites entail error-prone DNA gap repair. We used B-cell lysates to analyze salient features of somatic hypermutation with in vitro mutational assays. Tonsil and hypermutating Ramos B-cells convert C-->U in accord with AID motif specificities, whereas HeLa cells do not. Using tonsil cell lysates to repair a G.U mismatch, A/T and G/C targeted mutations occur about equally, whereas Ramos cell lysates make fewer mutations at A/T sites (approximately 24%) compared with G/C sites (approximately 76%). In contrast, mutations in HeLa cell lysates occur almost exclusively at G/C sites (> 95%). By recapitulating two basic features of B-cell-specific somatic hypermutation, G/C mutations targeted to AID hot spot motifs and elevated A/T mutations dependent on error-prone processing of G.U mispairs, these cell free assays provide a practical method to reconstitute error-prone mismatch repair using purified B-cell proteins.

Structural insights on the pamoic acid and the 8 kDa domain of DNA polymerase beta complex: towards the design of higher-affinity inhibitors

BACKGROUND

DNA polymerase beta (pol beta), the error-prone DNA polymerase of single-stranded DNA break repair as well as base excision repair pathways, is overexpressed in several tumors and takes part in chemotherapeutic agent resistance, like that of cisplatin, through translesion synthesis. For this reason pol beta has become a therapeutic target. Several inhibitors have been identified, but none of them presents a sufficient affinity and specificity to become a drug. The fragment-based inhibitor design allows an important improvement in affinity of small molecules. The initial and critical step for setting up the fragment-based strategy consists in the identification and structural characterization of the first fragment bound to the target.

RESULTS

We have performed docking studies of pamoic acid, a 9 micromolar pol beta inhibitor, and found that it binds in a single pocket at the surface of the 8 kDa domain of pol beta. However, docking studies provided five possible conformations for pamoic acid in this site. NMR experiments were performed on the complex to select a single conformation among the five retained. Chemical Shift Mapping data confirmed pamoic acid binding site found by docking while NOESY and saturation transfer experiments provided distances between pairs of protons from the pamoic acid and those of the 8 kDa domain that allowed the identification of the correct conformation.

CONCLUSION

Combining NMR experiments on the complex with docking results allowed us to build a three-dimensional structural model. This model serves as the starting point for further structural studies aimed at improving the affinity of pamoic acid for binding to DNA polymerase beta.

The E295K DNA polymerase beta gastric cancer-associated variant interferes with base excision repair and induces cellular transformation

Approximately 30% of human tumors examined for mutations in polymerase beta (pol beta) appear to express pol beta variant proteins (D. Starcevic, S. Dalal, and J. B. Sweasy, Cell Cycle 3:998-1001, 2004). Many of these variants result from a single amino acid substitution. We have previously shown that the K289M and I260M colon and prostate cancer variants, respectively, induce cellular transformation most likely due to sequence-specific mutator activity (S. Dalal et al., Biochemistry 44:15664-15673, 2005; T. Lang et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101:6074-6079, 2004; J. B. Sweasy et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102:14350-14355, 2005). In the work described here, we show that the E295K gastric carcinoma pol beta variant acts in a dominant-negative manner by interfering with base excision repair. This leads to an increase in sister chromatid exchanges. Expression of the E295K variant also induces cellular transformation. Our data suggest that unfilled gaps are channeled into a homology-directed repair pathway that could lead to genomic instability. The results indicate that base excision repair is critical for maintaining genome stability and could therefore be a tumor suppressor mechanism.

Multiple functions of DNA polymerases

The primary role of DNA polymerases is to accurately and efficiently replicate the genome in order to ensure the maintenance of the genetic information and its faithful transmission through generations. This is not a simple task considering the size of the genome and its constant exposure to endogenous and environmental DNA damaging agents. Thus, a number of DNA repair pathways operate in cells to protect the integrity of the genome. In addition to their role in replication, DNA polymerases play a central role in most of these pathways. Given the multitude and the complexity of DNA transactions that depend on DNA polymerase activity, it is not surprising that cells in all organisms contain multiple highly specialized DNA polymerases, the majority of which have only recently been discovered. Five DNA polymerases are now recognized in Escherichia coli, 8 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and at least 15 in humans. While polymerases in bacteria, yeast and mammalian cells have been extensively studied much less is known about their counterparts in plants. For example, the plant model organism Arabidopsis thaliana is thought to contain 12 DNA polymerases, whose functions are mostly unknown. Here we review the properties and functions of DNA polymerases focusing on yeast and mammalian cells but paying special attention to the plant enzymes and the special circumstances of replication and repair in plant cells.

Down-regulation of DNA polymerase beta accompanies somatic hypermutation in human BL2 cell lines

Somatic hypermutation (SHM) is a fundamental process in immunoglobulin gene maturation that results in increased affinity of antibodies toward antigens. In one hypothesis explaining SHM in human B cells, the process is initiated by enzymatic deamination of cytosine to uracil in the immunoglobulin gene V-region and this in turn triggers mutation-prone forms of uracil-DNA base excision repair (BER). Yet, an uncertainty with this model is that BER of uracil-DNA in mammalian cells is generally error-free, wherein DNA polymerase beta (pol beta) conducts gap-filling synthesis by insertion of bases according to Watson-Crick rules. To evaluate this inconsistency, we examined pol beta expression in various SHM proficient human BL2 cell line subclones. We report that expression of pol beta in SHM proficient cell lines was strongly down-regulated. In contrast, in other BL2 subclones, we found that SHM was deficient and that pol beta expression was much higher than in the SHM proficient subclones. We also found that overexpression of recombinant human pol beta in a SHM proficient subclone abrogated its capacity for SHM. These results suggest that down-regulation of the normal BER gap-filling DNA polymerase, pol beta, accompanies induced SHM in BL2 cells. This is consistent with the hypothesis that normal error-free BER must be silenced to make way for an error-prone BER process that may be required during somatic hypermutation.

Radiation-induced molecular changes in rat mammary tissue: possible implications for radiation-induced carcinogenesis

PURPOSE

Ionizing radiation is a potent mammary gland carcinogen, yet the exact molecular etiology of radiation-induced breast cancer remains unknown.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Our study utilized a rat model of breast carcinogenesis to analyse the molecular and epigenetic changes induced in mammary gland tissue upon exposure to ionizing radiation (IR). Using a methylation-sensitive cytosine extension assay we studied the IR-induced changes in DNA methylation. In parallel, we analysed the expression of proteins involved in DNA methylation, DNA repair and cell proliferation control. Molecular changes were related to cellular proliferation and apoptosis.

RESULTS

We found that IR led to a loss of genomic cytosine methylation in the exposed mammary tissue. Global DNA hypomethylation was paralleled by reduction in the levels of maintenance (DNMT1) and de novo (DNMT3a and 3b) DNA methyltransferases and methyl-binding protein MeCP2. The observed DNA hypomethylation was linked, at least in part, to activation of DNA repair processes. Concurrently, we observed increased levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK1/2), phosphorylated AKT kinase (p-AKT), cyclin D1 and proliferating cells nuclear antigen (PCNA) proteins, suggesting IR alters intra-cellular signaling and cell cycle control mechanisms in mammary tissue. We also noted a significant induction of apoptosis in the exposed tissue 6 hours after irradiation. The observed apoptosis levels were paralleled by the slight elevation of cellular proliferation.

CONCLUSIONS

We have demonstrated that a single exposure to 5 Gy of X rays leads to noticeable epigenetic changes in the rat mammary gland that occurred in the context of activation of DNA damage repair and alterations in the pro-survival growth-stimulatory cellular signaling pathways. The possible cellular repercussions of the observed changes in relationship to breast carcinogenesis are discussed.

Transcriptional upregulation of DNA polymerase beta by TEIF

The overexpression of DNA polymerase beta (beta-pol) has been identified in lots of human cancers, but the mechanism has seldom been investigated. Telomerase transcriptional element-interacting factor (TEIF) can bind to hTERT promoter, stimulating its transcription and telomerase activities. Here, we report that TEIF could also enhance the expression of beta-pol at transcription level. TEIF could specifically activate transcription of beta-pol promoter, but not that of DNA polymerase alpha or delta promoter. The responsible sequences for binding of TEIF were revealed as GC-rich elements dispersing from +19 to -29 nt of beta-pol promoter, which due to mutations caused decreasing in binding of TEIF and apparent losing of transactivation activity. The in vivo interaction between TEIF and beta-pol promoter was identified by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Besides, ectopic expression of TEIF in HeLa cells could upregulate both levels of endogenous beta-pol mRNA and protein, and consequently increases resistance to the oxidative stress of H2O2. The data may provide new clue to the elucidation of beta-pol overexpression in cancers and also a functional link between beta-pol and telomerase.

The role of base excision repair in the sensitivity and resistance to temozolomide-mediated cell death

DNA-alkylating agents have a central role in the curative therapy of many human tumors; yet, resistance to these agents limits their effectiveness. The efficacy of the alkylating agent temozolomide has been attributed to the induction of O6-MeG, a DNA lesion repaired by the protein O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT). Resistance to temozolomide has been ascribed to elevated levels of MGMT and/or reduced mismatch repair. However, >80% of the DNA lesions induced by temozolomide are N-methylated bases that are recognized by DNA glycosylases and not by MGMT, and so resistance to temozolomide may also be due, in part, to robust base excision repair (BER). We used isogenic cells deficient in the BER enzymes DNA polymerase-beta (pol-beta) and alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (Aag) to determine the role of BER in the cytotoxic effect of temozolomide. Pol-beta-deficient cells were significantly more susceptible to killing by temozolomide than wild-type or Aag-deficient cells, a hypersensitivity likely caused by accumulation of BER intermediates. RNA interference-mediated pol-beta suppression was sufficient to increase temozolomide efficacy, whereas a deficiency in pol-iota or pol-lambda did not increase temozolomide-mediated cytotoxicity. Overexpression of Aag (the initiating BER enzyme) triggered a further increase in temozolomide-induced cytotoxicity. Enhanced Aag expression, coupled with pol-beta knockdown, increased temozolomide efficacy up to 4-fold. Furthermore, loss of pol-beta coupled with temozolomide treatment triggered the phosphorylation of H2AX, indicating the activation of the DNA damage response pathway as a result of unrepaired lesions. Thus, the BER pathway is a major contributor to cellular resistance to temozolomide and its efficacy depends on specific BER gene expression and activity.

Human 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase: effect of sequence context on excision, association with PCNA, and stimulation by AP endonuclease

Human 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase (MPG protein) is involved in the base excision repair (BER) pathway responsible mainly for the repair of small DNA base modifications. It initiates BER by recognizing DNA adducts and cleaving the glycosylic bond leaving an abasic site. Here, we explore several of the factors that could influence excision of adducts recognized by MPG, including sequence context, effect of APE1, and interaction with other proteins. To investigate sequence context, we used 13 different 25 bp oligodeoxyribonucleotides containing a unique hypoxanthine residue (Hx) and show that the steady-state specificity of Hx excision by MPG varied by 17-fold. If APE1 protein is used in the reaction for Hx removal by MPG, the steady-state kinetic parameters increase by between fivefold and 27-fold, depending on the oligodeoxyribonucleotide. Since MPG has a role in removing adducts such as 3-methyladenine that block DNA synthesis and there is a potential sequence for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) interaction, we hypothesized that MPG protein could interact with PCNA, a protein involved in repair and replication. We demonstrate that PCNA associates with MPG using immunoprecipitation with either purified proteins or whole cell extracts. Moreover, PCNA binds to both APE1 and MPG at different sites, and loading PCNA onto a nicked, closed circular substrate with a unique Hx residue enhances MPG catalyzed excision. These data are consistent with an interaction that facilitates repair by MPG or APE1 by association with PCNA. Thus, PCNA could have a role in short-patch BER as well as in long-patch BER. Overall, the data reported here show how multiple factors contribute to the activity of MPG in cells.

p53 Deficiency rescues neuronal apoptosis but not differentiation in DNA polymerase beta-deficient mice

In mammalian cells, DNA polymerase beta (Polbeta) functions in base excision repair. We have previously shown that Polbeta-deficient mice exhibit extensive neuronal cell death (apoptosis) in the developing nervous system and that the mice die immediately after birth. Here, we studied potential roles in the phenotype for p53, which has been implicated in DNA damage sensing, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. We generated Polbeta(-/-) p53(-/-) double-mutant mice and found that p53 deficiency dramatically rescued neuronal apoptosis associated with Polbeta deficiency, indicating that p53 mediates the apoptotic process in the nervous system. Importantly, proliferation and early differentiation of neuronal progenitors in Polbeta(-/-) p53(-/-) mice appeared normal, but their brains obviously displayed cytoarchitectural abnormalities; moreover, the mice, like Polbeta(-/-) p53(+/+) mice, failed to survive after birth. Thus, we strongly suggest a crucial role for Polbeta in the differentiation of specific neuronal cell types.

Repair and Genetic Consequences of Endogenous DNA Base Damage in Mammalian Cells

Living organisms dependent on water and oxygen for their existence face the major challenge of faithfully maintaining their genetic material under a constant attack from spontaneous hydrolysis and active oxygen species and from other intracellular metabolites that can modify DNA bases. Repair of endogenous DNA base damage by the ubiquitous base-excision repair pathway largely accounts for the significant turnover of DNA even in nonreplicating cells, and must be sufficiently accurate and efficient to preserve genome stability compatible with long-term cellular viability. The size of the mammalian genome has necessitated an increased complexity of repair and diversification of key enzymes, as revealed by gene knock-out mouse models. The genetic instability characteristic of cancer cells may be due, in part, to mutations in genes whose products normally function to ensure DNA integrity.

De novo DNA synthesis by human DNA polymerase lambda, DNA polymerase mu and terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase

DNA polymerases (pols) catalyse the synthesis of DNA. This reaction requires a primer-template DNA in order to grow from the 3'OH end of the primer along the template. On the other hand terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase (TdT) catalyses the addition of nucleotides at the 3'OH end of a DNA strand, without the need of a template. Pol lambda and pol micro are ubiquitous enzymes, possess both DNA polymerase and terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase activities and belong to pol X family, together with pol beta and TdT. Here we show that pol lambda, pol micro and TdT, all possess the ability to synthesise in vitro short fragments of DNA in the absence of a primer-template or even a primer or a template in the reaction. The DNA synthesised de novo by pol lambda, pol micro and TdT appears to have an unusual structure. Furthermore we found that the amino acid Phe506 of pol lambda is essential for the de novo synthesis. This novel catalytic activity might be related to the proposed functions of these three pol X family members in DNA repair and DNA recombination.

Base excision repair intermediates induce p53-independent cytotoxic and genotoxic responses

DNA alkylation damage is primarily repaired by the base excision repair (BER) machinery in mammalian cells. In repair of the N-alkylated purine base lesion, for example, alkyl adenine DNA glycosylase (Aag) recognizes and removes the base, and DNA polymerase beta (beta-pol) contributes the gap tailoring and DNA synthesis steps. It is the loss of beta-pol-mediated 5'-deoxyribose phosphate removal that renders mouse fibroblasts alkylation-hypersensitive. Here we report that the hypersensitivity of beta-pol-deficient cells after methyl methanesulfonate-induced alkylation damage is wholly dependent upon glycosylase-mediated initiation of repair, indicating that alkylated base lesions themselves are tolerated in these cells and demonstrate that beta-pol protects against accumulation of toxic BER intermediates. Further, we find that these intermediates are initially tolerated in vivo by a second repair pathway, homologous recombination, inducing an increase in sister chromatid exchange events. If left unresolved, these BER intermediates trigger a rapid block in DNA synthesis and cytotoxicity. Surprisingly, both the cytotoxic and genotoxic signals are independent of both the p53 response and mismatch DNA repair pathways, demonstrating that p53 is not required for a functional BER pathway, that the observed damage response is not part of the p53 response network, and that the BER intermediate-induced cytotoxic and genotoxic effects are distinct from the mechanism engaged in response to mismatch repair signaling. These studies demonstrate that, although base damage is repaired by the BER pathway, incomplete BER intermediates are shuttled into the homologous recombination pathway, suggesting possible coordination between BER and the recombination machinery.

The base substitution fidelity of DNA polymerase beta-dependent single nucleotide base excision repair

Damaged DNA bases are removed from mammalian genomes by base excision repair (BER). Single nucleotide BER requires several enzymatic activities, including DNA polymerase and 5',2'-deoxyribose-5-phosphate lyase. Both activities are intrinsic to four human DNA polymerases whose base substitution error rate during gap-filling DNA synthesis varies by more than 10,000-fold. This suggests that BER fidelity could vary over a wide range in an enzyme dependent manner. To investigate this possibility, here we describe an assay to measure the fidelity of BER reactions reconstituted with purified enzymes. When human uracil DNA glycosylase, AP endonuclease, DNA polymerase beta, and DNA ligase 1 replace uracil opposite template A or G, base substitution error rates are <or=0.3 to <or=2.8 x 10-4. BER error rates are higher when excess incorrect dNTPs are included in the reaction or when wild type DNA polymerase beta is replaced by DNA polymerase beta variants that fill single nucleotide gaps with lower fidelity. Under these conditions, the base substitution fidelity of polymerase beta-dependent BER is 3-8-fold higher than is single nucleotide gap filling by polymerase beta alone. Thus other proteins in the BER reaction may enhance the base substitution fidelity of DNA polymerase beta during single nucleotide BER.

Correlation of somatic hypermutation specificity and A-T base pair substitution errors by DNA polymerase eta during copying of a mouse immunoglobulin kappa light chain transgene

To test the hypothesis that inaccurate DNA synthesis by mammalian DNA polymerase eta (pol eta) contributes to somatic hypermutation (SHM) of Ig genes, we measured the error specificity of mouse pol eta during synthesis of each strand of a mouse Ig kappa light chain transgene. We then compared the results to the base substitution specificity of SHM of this same gene in the mouse. The in vitro and in vivo base substitution spectra shared a number of common features. A highly significant correlation was observed for overall substitutions at A-T pairs but not for substitutions at G-C pairs. Sixteen mutational hotspots at A-T pairs observed in vivo were also found in spectra generated by mouse pol eta in vitro. The correlation was strongest for errors made by pol eta during synthesis of the non-transcribed strand, but it was also observed for synthesis of the transcribed strand. These facts, and the distribution of substitutions generated in vivo, support the hypothesis that pol eta contributes to SHM of Ig genes at A-T pairs via short patches of low fidelity DNA synthesis of both strands, but with a preference for the non-transcribed strand.

Mutations associated with base excision repair deficiency and methylation-induced genotoxic stress

The long-term effect of exposure to DNA alkylating agents is entwined with the cell's genetic capacity for DNA repair and appropriate DNA damage responses. A unique combination of environmental exposure and deficiency in these responses can lead to genomic instability; this "gene-environment interaction" paradigm is a theme for research on chronic disease etiology. In the present study, we used mouse embryonic fibroblasts with a gene deletion in the base excision repair (BER) enzymes DNA beta-polymerase (beta-pol) and alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (AAG), along with exposure to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) to study mutagenesis as a function of a particular gene-environment interaction. The beta-pol null cells, defective in BER, exhibit a modest increase in spontaneous mutagenesis compared with wild-type cells. MMS exposure increases mutant frequency in beta-pol null cells, but not in isogenic wild-type cells; UV light exposure or N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine exposure increases mutant frequency similarly in both cell lines. The MMS-induced increase in mutant frequency in beta-pol null cells appears to be caused by DNA lesions that are AAG substrates, because overexpression of AAG in beta-pol null cells eliminates the effect. In contrast, beta-pol/AAG double null cells are slightly more mutable than the beta-pol null cells after MMS exposure. These results illustrate that BER plays a role in protecting mouse embryonic fibroblast cells against methylation-induced mutations and characterize the effect of a particular combination of BER gene defect and environmental exposure.