Measuring DNA mechanics on the genome scale.

Mechanical deformations of DNA such as bending are ubiquitous and have been implicated in diverse cellular functions1. However, the lack of high-throughput tools to measure the mechanical properties of DNA has limited our understanding of how DNA mechanics influence chromatin transactions across the genome. Here we develop 'loop-seq'-a high-throughput assay to measure the propensity for DNA looping-and determine the intrinsic cyclizabilities of 270,806 50-base-pair DNA fragments that span Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome V, other genomic regions, and random sequences. We found sequence-encoded regions of unusually low bendability within nucleosome-depleted regions upstream of transcription start sites (TSSs). Low bendability of linker DNA inhibits nucleosome sliding into the linker by the chromatin remodeller INO80, which explains how INO80 can define nucleosome-depleted regions in the absence of other factors2. Chromosome-wide, nucleosomes were characterized by high DNA bendability near dyads and low bendability near linkers. This contrast increases for deeper gene-body nucleosomes but disappears after random substitution of synonymous codons, which suggests that the evolution of codon choice has been influenced by DNA mechanics around gene-body nucleosomes. Furthermore, we show that local DNA mechanics affect transcription through TSS-proximal nucleosomes. Overall, this genome-scale map of DNA mechanics indicates a 'mechanical code' with broad functional implications.

Active site alanine mutations convert deubiquitinases into high-affinity ubiquitin-binding proteins.

A common strategy for exploring the biological roles of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) in different pathways is to study the effects of replacing the wild-type DUB with a catalytically inactive mutant in cells. We report here that a commonly studied DUB mutation, in which the catalytic cysteine is replaced with alanine, can dramatically increase the affinity of some DUBs for ubiquitin. Overexpression of these tight-binding mutants thus has the potential to sequester cellular pools of monoubiquitin and ubiquitin chains. As a result, cells expressing these mutants may display unpredictable dominant negative physiological effects that are not related to loss of DUB activity. The structure of the SAGA DUB module bound to free ubiquitin reveals the structural basis for the 30-fold higher affinity of Ubp8C146A for ubiquitin. We show that an alternative option, substituting the active site cysteine with arginine, can inactivate DUBs while also decreasing the affinity for ubiquitin.

Hydrazide Mimics for Protein Lysine Acylation To Assess Nucleosome Dynamics and Deubiquitinase Action.

A range of acyl-lysine (acyl-Lys) modifications on histones and other proteins have been mapped over the past decade but for most, their functional and structural significance remains poorly characterized. One limitation in the study of acyl-Lys containing proteins is the challenge of producing them or their mimics in site-specifically modified forms. We describe a cysteine alkylation-based method to install hydrazide mimics of acyl-Lys post-translational modifications (PTMs) on proteins. We have applied this method to install mimics of acetyl-Lys, 2-hydroxyisobutyryl-Lys, and ubiquityl-Lys that could be recognized selectively by relevant acyl-Lys modification antibodies. The acyl-Lys modified histone H3 proteins were reconstituted into nucleosomes to study nucleosome dynamics and stability as a function of modification type and site. We also installed a ubiquityl-Lys mimic in histone H2B and generated a diubiquitin analog, both of which could be cleaved by deubiquitinating enzymes. Nucleosomes containing the H2B ubiquityl-Lys mimic were used to study the SAGA deubiquitinating module's molecular recognition. These results suggest that acyl-Lys mimics offer a relatively simple and promising strategy to study the role of acyl-Lys modifications in the function, structure, and regulation of proteins and protein complexes.

Stoichiometry and affinity for thymine DNA glycosylase binding to specific and nonspecific DNA.

Deamination of 5-methylcytosine to thymine creates mutagenic G · T mispairs, contributing to cancer and genetic disease. Thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) removes thymine from these G · T lesions, and follow-on base excision repair yields a G · C pair. A previous crystal structure revealed TDG (catalytic domain) bound to abasic DNA product in a 2:1 complex, one subunit at the abasic site and the other bound to undamaged DNA. Biochemical studies showed TDG can bind abasic DNA with 1:1 or 2:1 stoichiometry, but the dissociation constants were unknown, as was the stoichiometry and affinity for binding substrates and undamaged DNA. We showed that 2:1 binding is dispensable for G · U activity, but its role in G · T repair was unknown. Using equilibrium binding anisotropy experiments, we show that a single TDG subunit binds very tightly to G · U mispairs and abasic (G · AP) sites, and somewhat less tightly G · T mispairs. Kinetics experiments show 1:1 binding provides full G · T activity. TDG binds undamaged CpG sites with remarkable affinity, modestly weaker than G · T mispairs, and exhibits substantial affinity for nonspecific DNA. While 2:1 binding is observed for large excess TDG concentrations, our findings indicate that a single TDG subunit is fully capable of locating and processing G · U or G · T lesions.

Crystal structure of human thymine DNA glycosylase bound to DNA elucidates sequence-specific mismatch recognition.

Cytosine methylation at CpG dinucleotides produces m(5)CpG, an epigenetic modification that is important for transcriptional regulation and genomic stability in vertebrate cells. However, m(5)C deamination yields mutagenic G.T mispairs, which are implicated in genetic disease, cancer, and aging. Human thymine DNA glycosylase (hTDG) removes T from G.T mispairs, producing an abasic (or AP) site, and follow-on base excision repair proteins restore the G.C pair. hTDG is inactive against normal A.T pairs, and is most effective for G.T mispairs and other damage located in a CpG context. The molecular basis of these important catalytic properties has remained unknown. Here, we report a crystal structure of hTDG (catalytic domain, hTDG(cat)) in complex with abasic DNA, at 2.8 A resolution. Surprisingly, the enzyme crystallized in a 2:1 complex with DNA, one subunit bound at the abasic site, as anticipated, and the other at an undamaged (nonspecific) site. Isothermal titration calorimetry and electrophoretic mobility-shift experiments indicate that hTDG and hTDG(cat) can bind abasic DNA with 1:1 or 2:1 stoichiometry. Kinetics experiments show that the 1:1 complex is sufficient for full catalytic (base excision) activity, suggesting that the 2:1 complex, if adopted in vivo, might be important for some other activity of hTDG, perhaps binding interactions with other proteins. Our structure reveals interactions that promote the stringent specificity for guanine versus adenine as the pairing partner of the target base and interactions that likely confer CpG sequence specificity. We find striking differences between hTDG and its prokaryotic ortholog (MUG), despite the relatively high (32%) sequence identity.

Role of two strictly conserved residues in nucleotide flipping and N-glycosylic bond cleavage by human thymine DNA glycosylase.

Thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) promotes genomic integrity by excising thymine from mutagenic G.T mismatches arising by deamination of 5-methylcytosine, and follow-on base excision repair enzymes restore a G.C pair. TDG cleaves the N-glycosylic bond of dT and some other nucleotides, including 5-substituted 2'-deoxyuridine analogs, once they have been flipped from the helix into its active site. We examined the role of two strictly conserved residues; Asn(140), implicated in the chemical step, and Arg(275), implicated in nucleotide flipping. The N140A variant binds substrate DNA with the same tight affinity as wild-type TDG, but it has no detectable base excision activity for a G.T substrate, and its excision rate is vastly diminished (by approximately 10(4.4)-fold) for G.U, G.FU, and G.BrU substrates. Thus, Asn(140) does not contribute substantially to substrate binding but is essential for the chemical step, where it stabilizes the transition state by approximately 6 kcal/mol (compared with 11.6 kcal/mol stabilization provided by TDG overall). Our recent crystal structure revealed that Arg(275) penetrates the DNA minor groove, filling the void created by nucleotide flipping. We found that the R275A and R275L substitutions weaken substrate binding and substantially decrease the base excision rate for G.T and G.BrU substrates. Our results indicate that Arg(275) promotes and/or stabilizes nucleotide flipping, a role that is most important for target nucleotides that are relatively large (dT and bromodeoxyuridine) and/or have a stable N-glycosylic bond (dT). Arg(275) does not contribute substantially to the binding of TDG to abasic DNA product, and it cannot account for the slow product release exhibited by TDG.

FACT and Ubp10 collaborate to modulate H2B deubiquitination and nucleosome dynamics.

Monoubiquitination of histone H2B (H2B-Ub) plays a role in transcription and DNA replication, and is required for normal localization of the histone chaperone, FACT. In yeast, H2B-Ub is deubiquitinated by Ubp8, a subunit of SAGA, and Ubp10. Although they target the same substrate, loss of Ubp8 and Ubp10 cause different phenotypes and alter the transcription of different genes. We show that Ubp10 has poor activity on yeast nucleosomes, but that the addition of FACT stimulates Ubp10 activity on nucleosomes and not on other substrates. Consistent with a role for FACT in deubiquitinating H2B in vivo, a FACT mutant strain shows elevated levels of H2B-Ub. Combination of FACT mutants with deletion of Ubp10, but not Ubp8, confers increased sensitivity to hydroxyurea and activates a cryptic transcription reporter, suggesting that FACT and Ubp10 may coordinate nucleosome assembly during DNA replication and transcription. Our findings reveal unexpected interplay between H2B deubiquitination and nucleosome dynamics.

Competition Assay for Measuring Deubiquitinating Enzyme Substrate Affinity.

Assays of the affinity of a deubiquitinating enzyme for substrate, either through binding studies or determination of the Michaelis constant, KM, can shed light on substrate selectivity and the effects of mutations on substrate interactions. The difficulty in generating sufficient quantities of ubiquitinated substrate frequently presents a barrier to these studies. We describe here an alternative approach that can be used in cases where non-hydrolyzable, chemically ubiquitinated substrate analogs can be more readily generated. The substrate analog can be utilized as a competitive inhibitor in kinetics experiments monitoring cleavage of ubiquitin-AMC (Ub-AMC) by the deubiquitinating enzyme. The resulting inhibitory constant, Ki, provides a reliable approximation of the Kd for ubiquitinated substrate. We show how this approach can be used to assay the affinity of the yeast SAGA DUB module for nucleosomes containing monoubiquitinated H2B.

Recognition of ubiquitinated nucleosomes.

Histone ubiquitination plays a non-degradative role in regulating transcription and the DNA damage response. A mechanistic understanding of this chromatin modification has lagged that of small histone modifications because of the technical challenges in preparing ubiquitinated nucleosomes. The recent structure of the DUB module of the SAGA coactivator complex bound to a nucleosome containing monoubiquitinated H2B has provided the first view of how specialized subunits target this enzyme to its substrate. Single particle electron microscopy of the intact SAGA coactivator suggests how the DUB module and histone acetyltransferase module engage a nucleosomal substrate. A cryo EM study of 53BP1 bound to nucleosomes containing ubiquitinated H2A and H4 methylated at K20 extends our understanding of recognition of biologically distinct combinations of chromatin marks through multivalent interactions.

Structural basis for histone H2B deubiquitination by the SAGA DUB module.

Monoubiquitinated histone H2B plays multiple roles in transcription activation. H2B is deubiquitinated by the Spt-Ada-Gcn5 acetyltransferase (SAGA) coactivator, which contains a four-protein subcomplex known as the deubiquitinating (DUB) module. The crystal structure of the Ubp8/Sgf11/Sus1/Sgf73 DUB module bound to a ubiquitinated nucleosome reveals that the DUB module primarily contacts H2A/H2B, with an arginine cluster on the Sgf11 zinc finger domain docking on the conserved H2A/H2B acidic patch. The Ubp8 catalytic domain mediates additional contacts with H2B, as well as with the conjugated ubiquitin. We find that the DUB module deubiquitinates H2B both in the context of the nucleosome and in H2A/H2B dimers complexed with the histone chaperone, FACT, suggesting that SAGA could target H2B at multiple stages of nucleosome disassembly and reassembly during transcription.

Responsiveness of self-report measures in individuals with vertigo, dizziness, and unsteadiness.

OBJECTIVE: The responsiveness (sensitivity to change) of many self-report measures commonly used with individuals who have balance and vestibular dysfunction has not been assessed. The purpose of this study was to determine the responsiveness of 4 self-report measures including the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale, Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), and Vestibular Activities and Participation (VAP) scale in people seeking treatment for vertigo, dizziness, and unsteadiness. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective descriptive study. PATIENTS: Forty-five patients (mean age, 56 yr; range, 18-79 yr) with vertigo, dizziness, and unsteadiness were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants completed the measures at their initial physician examination and 4 to 6 weeks later. The follow-up visit included a Global Rating of Change Scale (GROC). The change in total scores for each self-report measure from initial visit to follow-up visit were recorded and compared against the GROC. A Spearman correlation was performed to determine the relationship between all 4 self-report measures and the GROC. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was also used to evaluate responsiveness. RESULTS: Significant correlations were found between the GROC and ABC (ρ = 0.50), DHI (ρ = 0.61), and FES-I (ρ = 0.36) but not the VAP (ρ = 0.27). The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve was significantly greater than 0.5 for the ABC, DHI, and FES-I. CONCLUSION: The DHI demonstrated the greatest responsiveness, with an optimal cutoff of a change in 3 points related to significant change.

Reliability and validity of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) in individuals with dizziness and imbalance.

HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this research is to establish the test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) in people with vestibular disorders. BACKGROUND: Individuals with vestibular dysfunction have an increased risk of falling. The FES-I is a measure used to quantify an individual's concern of falling during different tasks. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was used to determine the test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the FES-I. Fifty-three individuals with vestibular or balance dysfunction completed the FES-I twice during an initial evaluation by a neurotologist. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient. The convergent validity was measured by correlating the FES-I with the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale, Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Vestibular Activities and Participation (VAP) scale, 4-item Dynamic Gait Index (DGI-4), and measuring gait speed. RESULTS: The FES-I demonstrated high test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, model 3,1: 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.90-0.97) and had concurrent validity with other self-report and physical performance measures (correlation coefficients for the ABC, -0.84; DHI, 0.75; VAP, 0.78; gait speed, -0.55; and DGI-4, -0.55). CONCLUSION: The FES-I is a reliable and valid tool for measuring an individual's concern of falling in a sample of people with vestibular disorders.

Solution structure of S100A1 bound to the CapZ peptide (TRTK12).

As is typical for S100-target protein interactions, a Ca 2+-dependent conformational change in S100A1 is required to bind to a 12-residue peptide (TRTK12) derived from the actin-capping protein CapZ. In addition, the Ca 2+-binding affinity of S100A1 is found to be tightened (greater than threefold) when TRTK12 is bound. To examine the biophysical basis for these observations, we determined the solution NMR structure of TRTK12 in a complex with Ca 2+-loaded S100A1. When bound to S100A1, TRTK12 forms an amphipathic helix (residues N6 to S12) with several favorable hydrophobic interactions observed between W7, I10, and L11 of the peptide and a well-defined hydrophobic binding pocket in S100A1 that is only present in the Ca 2+-bound state. Next, the structure of S100A1-TRTK12 was compared to that of another S100A1-target complex (i.e., S100A1-RyRP12), which illustrated how the binding pocket in Ca 2+-S100A1 can accommodate peptide targets with varying amino acid sequences. Similarities and differences were observed when the structures of S100A1-TRTK12 and S100B-TRTK12 were compared, providing insights regarding how more than one S100 protein can interact with the same peptide target. Such comparisons, including those with other S100-target and S100-drug complexes, provide the basis for designing novel small-molecule inhibitors that could be specific for blocking one or more S100-target protein interactions.

Excision of 5-halogenated uracils by human thymine DNA glycosylase. Robust activity for DNA contexts other than CpG.

Thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) excises thymine from G.T mispairs and removes a variety of damaged bases (X) with a preference for lesions in a CpG.X context. We recently reported that human TDG rapidly excises 5-halogenated uracils, exhibiting much greater activity for CpG.FU, CpG.ClU, and CpG.BrU than for CpG.T. Here we examine the effects of altering the CpG context on the excision activity for U, T, FU, ClU, and BrU. We show that the maximal activity (k(max)) for G.X substrates depends significantly on the 5' base pair. For example, k(max) decreases by 6-, 11-, and 82-fold for TpG.ClU, GpG.ClU, and ApG.ClU, respectively, as compared with CpG.ClU. For the other G.X substrates, the 5'-neighbor effects have a similar trend but vary in magnitude. The activity for G.FU, G.ClU, and G.BrU, with any 5'-flanking pair, meets and in most cases significantly exceeds the CpG.T activity. Strikingly, human TDG activity is reduced 10(2.3)-10(4.3)-fold for A.X relative to G.X pairs and reduced further for A.X pairs with a 5' pair other than C.G. The effect of altering the 5' pair and/or the opposing base (G.X versus A.X) is greater for substrates that are larger (bromodeoxyuridine, dT) or have a more stable N-glycosidic bond (such as dT). The largest CpG context effects are observed for the excision of thymine. The potential role played by human TDG in the cytotoxic effects of ClU and BrU incorporation into DNA, which can occur under inflammatory conditions and in the cytotoxicity of FU, a widely used anticancer agent, are discussed.