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Wolf K, Kosinski J, Gibson TJ, Wesch N, Dötsch V, Genuardi M, Cordisco EL, Zeuzem S, Brieger A, Plotz G. A conserved motif in the disordered linker of human MLH1 is vital for DNA mismatch repair and its function is diminished by a cancer family mutation. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:6307-6320. [PMID: 37224528 PMCID: PMC10325900 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is essential for correction of DNA replication errors. Germline mutations of the human MMR gene MLH1 are the major cause of Lynch syndrome, a heritable cancer predisposition. In the MLH1 protein, a non-conserved, intrinsically disordered region connects two conserved, catalytically active structured domains of MLH1. This region has as yet been regarded as a flexible spacer, and missense alterations in this region have been considered non-pathogenic. However, we have identified and investigated a small motif (ConMot) in this linker which is conserved in eukaryotes. Deletion of the ConMot or scrambling of the motif abolished mismatch repair activity. A mutation from a cancer family within the motif (p.Arg385Pro) also inactivated MMR, suggesting that ConMot alterations can be causative for Lynch syndrome. Intriguingly, the mismatch repair defect of the ConMot variants could be restored by addition of a ConMot peptide containing the deleted sequence. This is the first instance of a DNA mismatch repair defect conferred by a mutation that can be overcome by addition of a small molecule. Based on the experimental data and AlphaFold2 predictions, we suggest that the ConMot may bind close to the C-terminal MLH1-PMS2 endonuclease and modulate its activation during the MMR process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla Wolf
- Department of Internal Medicine 1, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, 60590, Germany
| | - Jan Kosinski
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, 22607, Germany
| | - Toby J Gibson
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Structural and Computational Biology Unit, Heidelberg, 69117, Germany
| | - Nicole Wesch
- Institute of Biophysical Chemistry and Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany
| | - Volker Dötsch
- Institute of Biophysical Chemistry and Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany
| | - Maurizio Genuardi
- UOC Genetica Medica, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome00168, Italy
| | - Emanuela Lucci Cordisco
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e di Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome00168, Italy
| | - Stefan Zeuzem
- Department of Internal Medicine 1, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, 60590, Germany
| | - Angela Brieger
- Department of Internal Medicine 1, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, 60590, Germany
| | - Guido Plotz
- Department of Internal Medicine 1, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, 60590, Germany
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The more the merrier: high-throughput single-molecule techniques. Biochem Soc Trans 2017; 45:759-769. [PMID: 28620037 DOI: 10.1042/bst20160137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2016] [Revised: 03/26/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The single-molecule approach seeks to understand molecular mechanisms by observing biomolecular processes at the level of individual molecules. These methods have led to a developing understanding that for many processes, a diversity of behaviours will be observed, representing a multitude of pathways. This realisation necessitates that an adequate number of observations are recorded to fully characterise this diversity. The requirement for large numbers of observations to adequately sample distributions, subpopulations, and rare events presents a significant challenge for single-molecule techniques, which by their nature do not typically provide very high throughput. This review will discuss many developing techniques which address this issue by combining nanolithographic approaches, such as zero-mode waveguides and DNA curtains, with single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, and by drastically increasing throughput of force-based approaches such as magnetic tweezers and laminar-flow techniques. These methods not only allow the collection of large volumes of single-molecule data in single experiments, but have also made improvements to ease-of-use, accessibility, and automation of data analysis.
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