Dysregulated DnaB unwinding induces replisome decoupling and daughter strand gaps that are countered by RecA polymerization.

The replicative helicase, DnaB, is a central component of the replisome and unwinds duplex DNA coupled with immediate template-dependent DNA synthesis by the polymerase, Pol III. The rate of helicase unwinding is dynamically regulated through structural transitions in the DnaB hexamer between dilated and constricted states. Site-specific mutations in DnaB enforce a faster more constricted conformation that dysregulates unwinding dynamics, causing replisome decoupling that generates excess ssDNA and induces severe cellular stress. This surplus ssDNA can stimulate RecA recruitment to initiate recombinational repair, restart, or activation of the transcriptional SOS response. To better understand the consequences of dysregulated unwinding, we combined targeted genomic dnaB mutations with an inducible RecA filament inhibition strategy to examine the dependencies on RecA in mitigating replisome decoupling phenotypes. Without RecA filamentation, dnaB:mut strains had reduced growth rates, decreased mutagenesis, but a greater burden from endogenous damage. Interestingly, disruption of RecA filamentation in these dnaB:mut strains also reduced cellular filamentation but increased markers of double strand breaks and ssDNA gaps as detected by in situ fluorescence microscopy and FACS assays, TUNEL and PLUG, respectively. Overall, RecA plays a critical role in strain survival by protecting and processing ssDNA gaps caused by dysregulated helicase activity in vivo.

Tau-mediated coupling between Pol III synthesis and DnaB helicase unwinding helps maintain genomic stability.

The τ-subunit of the clamp loader complex physically interacts with both the DnaB helicase and the polymerase III (Pol III) core α-subunit through domains IV and V, respectively. This interaction is proposed to help maintain rapid and efficient DNA synthesis rates with high genomic fidelity and plasticity, facilitating enzymatic coupling within the replisome. To test this hypothesis, CRISPR-Cas9 editing was used to create site-directed genomic mutations within the dnaX gene at the C terminus of τ predicted to interact with the α-subunit of Pol III. Perturbation of the α-τ binding interaction in vivo resulted in cellular and genomic stress markers that included reduced growth rates, fitness, and viabilities. Specifically, dnaX:mut strains showed increased cell filamentation, mutagenesis frequencies, and activated SOS. In situ fluorescence flow cytometry and microscopy quantified large increases in the amount of ssDNA gaps present. Removal of the C terminus of τ (I618X) still maintained its interactions with DnaB and stimulated unwinding but lost its interaction with Pol III, resulting in significantly reduced rolling circle DNA synthesis. Intriguingly, dnaX:L635P/D636G had the largest induction of SOS, high mutagenesis, and the most prominent ssDNA gaps, which can be explained by an impaired ability to regulate the unwinding speed of DnaB resulting in a faster rate of in vitro rolling circle DNA replication, inducing replisome decoupling. Therefore, τ-stimulated DnaB unwinding and physical coupling with Pol III acts to enforce replisome plasticity to maintain an efficient rate of synthesis and prevent genomic instability.

Targeted chromosomal Escherichia coli:dnaB exterior surface residues regulate DNA helicase behavior to maintain genomic stability and organismal fitness.

Helicase regulation involves modulation of unwinding speed to maintain coordination of DNA replication fork activities and is vital for replisome progression. Currently, mechanisms for helicase regulation that involve interactions with both DNA strands through a steric exclusion and wrapping (SEW) model and conformational shifts between dilated and constricted states have been examined in vitro. To better understand the mechanism and cellular impact of helicase regulation, we used CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to study four previously identified SEW-deficient mutants of the bacterial replicative helicase DnaB. We discovered that these four SEW mutations stabilize constricted states, with more fully constricted mutants having a generally greater impact on genomic stress, suggesting a dynamic model for helicase regulation that involves both excluded strand interactions and conformational states. These dnaB mutations result in increased chromosome complexities, less stable genomes, and ultimately less viable and fit strains. Specifically, dnaB:mut strains present with increased mutational frequencies without significantly inducing SOS, consistent with leaving single-strand gaps in the genome during replication that are subsequently filled with lower fidelity. This work explores the genomic impacts of helicase dysregulation in vivo, supporting a combined dynamic regulatory mechanism involving a spectrum of DnaB conformational changes and relates current mechanistic understanding to functional helicase behavior at the replication fork.

In vivo fluorescent TUNEL detection of single stranded DNA gaps and breaks induced by dnaB helicase mutants in Escherichia coli.

The genome of prokaryotes can be damaged by a variety of endogenous and exogenous factors, including reactive oxygen species, UV exposure, and antibiotics. To better understand these repair processes and the impact they may have on DNA replication, normal genome maintenance processes can be perturbed by removing or editing associated genes and monitoring DNA repair outcomes. In particular, the replisome activities of DNA unwinding by the helicase and DNA synthesis by the polymerase must be tightly coupled to prevent any appreciable single strand DNA (ssDNA) from accumulating and amplifying genomic stress. If decoupled, vulnerable ssDNA would persist, likely leading to double strand breaks (DSBs) or requiring replication restart mechanisms downstream of a stall. In either case, free 3'-OH strands would exist, resulting from ssDNA gaps in the leading strand or complete DSBs. Terminal deoxyribonucleotide transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) can enzymatically label ssDNA ends with bromo-deoxy uridine triphosphate (BrdU) to detect free 3'-OH DNA ends in the E. coli genome. Labeled DNA ends can be detected and quantified using fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry. This methodology is useful in applications where in situ investigation of DNA damage and repair are of interest, including effects from enzyme mutations or deletions and exposure to various environmental conditions.

Contacts and context that regulate DNA helicase unwinding and replisome progression.

Hexameric DNA helicases involved in the separation of duplex DNA at the replication fork have a universal architecture but have evolved from two separate protein families. The consequences are that the regulation, translocation polarity, strand specificity, and architectural orientation varies between phage/bacteria to that of archaea/eukaryotes. Once assembled and activated for single strand DNA translocation and unwinding, the DNA polymerase couples tightly to the helicase forming a robust replisome complex. However, this helicase-polymerase interaction can be challenged by various forms of endogenous or exogenous agents that can stall the entire replisome or decouple DNA unwinding from synthesis. The consequences of decoupling can be severe, leading to a build-up of ssDNA requiring various pathways for replication fork restart. All told, the hexameric helicase sits prominently at the front of the replisome constantly responding to a variety of obstacles that require transient unwinding/reannealing, traversal of more stable blocks, and alternations in DNA unwinding speed that regulate replisome progression.