RESUMO
A( syn)-T and G( syn)-C+ Hoogsteen base pairs in protein-bound DNA duplexes can be difficult to resolve by X-ray crystallography due to ambiguous electron density and by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy due to poor chemical shift dispersion and size limitations with solution-state NMR spectroscopy. Here we describe an NMR strategy for characterizing Hoogsteen base pairs in protein-DNA complexes, which relies on site-specifically incorporating 13C- and 15N-labeled nucleotides into DNA duplexes for unambiguous resonance assignment and to improve spectral resolution. The approach was used to resolve the conformation of an A-T base pair in a crystal structure of an â¼43 kDa complex between a 34 bp duplex DNA and the integration host factor (IHF) protein. In the crystal structure (Protein Data Bank entry 1IHF ), this base pair adopts an unusual Hoogsteen conformation with a distorted sugar backbone that is accommodated by a nearby nick used to aid in crystallization. The NMR chemical shifts and interproton nuclear Overhauser effects indicate that this base pair predominantly adopts a Watson-Crick conformation in the intact DNA-IHF complex under solution conditions. Consistent with these NMR findings, substitution of 7-deazaadenine at this base pair resulted in only a small (â¼2-fold) decrease in the IHF-DNA binding affinity. The NMR strategy provides a new approach for resolving crystallographic ambiguity and more generally for studying the structure and dynamics of protein-DNA complexes in solution.
Assuntos
Pareamento de Bases , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/química , DNA/química , Substâncias Macromoleculares/química , Espectroscopia de Ressonância Magnética/métodos , Conformação de Ácido Nucleico , Sequência de Bases , Isótopos de Carbono/metabolismo , Cristalografia por Raios X , DNA/genética , DNA/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Substâncias Macromoleculares/metabolismo , Modelos Moleculares , Estrutura Molecular , Isótopos de Nitrogênio/metabolismo , Nucleotídeos/química , Nucleotídeos/genética , Nucleotídeos/metabolismo , Domínios ProteicosRESUMO
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a global public health threat. Methicillin resistance is carried on mobile genetic elements belonging to the staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) family. The molecular mechanisms that SCC elements exploit for stable maintenance and for horizontal transfer are poorly understood. Previously, we identified several conserved SCC genes with putative functions in DNA replication, including lp1413, which we found encodes a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein. We report here the 2.18 Å crystal structure of LP1413, which shows that it adopts a winged helix-turn-helix fold rather than the OB-fold normally seen in replication-related ssDNA-binding proteins. However, conserved residues form a hydrophobic pocket not normally found in winged helix-turn-helix domains. LP1413 also has a conserved but disordered C-terminal tail. As deletion of the tail does not significantly affect cooperative binding to ssDNA, we propose that it mediates interactions with other proteins. LP1413 could play several different roles in vivo.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Bactérias/química , DNA Bacteriano/química , DNA de Cadeia Simples/química , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/química , Staphylococcus aureus Resistente à Meticilina/química , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Proteínas de Bactérias/metabolismo , Sítios de Ligação , Clonagem Molecular , Sequência Conservada , Cristalografia por Raios X , Replicação do DNA , DNA Bacteriano/genética , DNA Bacteriano/metabolismo , DNA de Cadeia Simples/genética , DNA de Cadeia Simples/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Escherichia coli/genética , Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Expressão Gênica , Vetores Genéticos/química , Vetores Genéticos/metabolismo , Interações Hidrofóbicas e Hidrofílicas , Resistência a Meticilina/genética , Staphylococcus aureus Resistente à Meticilina/genética , Staphylococcus aureus Resistente à Meticilina/metabolismo , Modelos Moleculares , Ligação Proteica , Conformação Proteica em alfa-Hélice , Conformação Proteica em Folha beta , Domínios e Motivos de Interação entre Proteínas , Proteínas Recombinantes/química , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Alinhamento de Sequência , Especificidade por SubstratoRESUMO
Rad51 is a key enzyme involved in DNA double-strand break repair by homologous recombination. Here, we show that in response to DNA damage, budding yeast Rad51 is phosphorylated on Ser 192 in a manner that is primarily mediated by the DNA-damage-responsive protein kinase Mec1. We show that mutating Rad51 Ser 192 to Ala or Glu confers hypersensitivity to DNA damage and homologous-recombination defects. Furthermore, biochemical analyses indicate that Ser 192 is required for Rad51 adenosine triphosphate hydrolysis and DNA-binding activity in vitro, whereas mutation of Ser 192 does not interfere with Rad51 multimer formation. These data suggest a model in which Mec1-mediated phosphorylation of Rad51 Ser 192 in response to DNA damage controls Rad51 activity and DNA repair by homologous recombination.