Does the XPA-FEN1 Interaction Concern to Nucleotide Excision Repair or Beyond?

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is the most universal repair pathway, which removes a wide range of DNA helix-distorting lesions caused by chemical or physical agents. The final steps of this repair process are gap-filling repair synthesis and subsequent ligation. XPA is the central NER scaffolding protein factor and can be involved in post-incision NER stages. Replication machinery is loaded after the first incision of the damaged strand that is performed by the XPF-ERCC1 nuclease forming a damaged 5'-flap processed by the XPG endonuclease. Flap endonuclease I (FEN1) is a critical component of replication machinery and is absolutely indispensable for the maturation of newly synthesized strands. FEN1 also contributes to the long-patch pathway of base excision repair. Here, we use a set of DNA substrates containing a fluorescently labeled 5'-flap and different size gap to analyze possible repair factor-replication factor interactions. Ternary XPA-FEN1-DNA complexes with each tested DNA are detected. Furthermore, we demonstrate XPA-FEN1 complex formation in the absence of DNA due to protein-protein interaction. Functional assays reveal that XPA moderately inhibits FEN1 catalytic activity. Using fluorescently labeled XPA, formation of ternary RPA-XPA-FEN1 complex, where XPA accommodates FEN1 and RPA contacts simultaneously, can be proposed. We discuss possible functional roles of the XPA-FEN1 interaction in NER related DNA resynthesis and/or other DNA metabolic processes where XPA can be involved in the complex with FEN1.

Double-Stranded DNA Fragments Bearing Unrepairable Lesions and Their Internalization into Mouse Krebs-2 Carcinoma Cells.

Murine Krebs-2 tumor-initiating stem cells are known to natively internalize extracellular double-stranded DNA fragments. Being internalized, these fragments interfere in the repair of chemically induced interstrand cross-links. In the current investigation, 756 bp polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product containing bulky photoreactive dC adduct was used as extracellular DNA. This adduct was shown to inhibit the cellular system of nucleotide excision repair while being resistant to excision by this DNA repair system. The basic parameters for this DNA probe internalization by the murine Krebs-2 tumor cells were characterized. Being incubated under regular conditions (60 min, 24°C, 500 µL of the incubation medium, in the dark), 0.35% ± 0.18% of the Krebs-2 ascites cells were shown to natively internalize modified DNA. The saturating amount of the modified DNA was detected to be 0.37 µg per 106 cells. For the similar unmodified DNA fragments, this ratio is 0.73 µg per 106 cells. Krebs-2 tumor cells were shown to be saturated internalizing either (190 ± 40) × 103 molecules of modified DNA or (1,000 ± 100) × 103 molecules of native DNA. On internalization, the fragments of DNA undergo partial and nonuniform hydrolysis of 3' ends followed by circularization. The degree of hydrolysis, assessed by sequencing of several clones with the insertion of specific PCR product, was 30-60 nucleotides.

Structural basis for the recognition and processing of DNA containing bulky lesions by the mammalian nucleotide excision repair system.

Mammalian nucleotide excision repair (NER) eliminates the broadest diversity of bulky lesions from DNA with wide specificity. However, the double incision efficiency for structurally different adducts can vary over several orders of magnitude. Therefore, great attention is drawn to the question of the relationship among structural properties of bulky DNA lesions and the rate of damage elimination. This paper studies the properties of several structurally diverse synthetic (model) DNAs containing bulky modifications. Model DNAs have been designed using modified nucleosides (exo-N-{2-N-[N-(4-azido-2,5-difluoro-3-chloropyridin-6-yl)-3-aminopropionyl]aminoethyl}-2'-deoxycytidine (Fap-dC) and 5-{1-[6-(5[6]-fluoresceinylcarbomoyl)hexanoyl]-3-aminoallyl}-2'-deoxyuridine (Flu-dU)) and the nonnucleosidic reagent N-[6-(9-antracenylcarbomoyl)hexanoyl]-3-amino-1,2-propandiol (nAnt). The impact of these lesions on spatial organization and stability of the model DNA was evaluated. Their affinity for the damage sensor XPC was also studied. It was expected, that the values of melting temperature decrease, bending angles and KD values clearly define the row of model DNA substrate properties such as Flu-dU-DNA>>nAnt≈Fap-dC-DNA. Unexpectedly the experimentally estimated levels of the substrate properties were actually in the row: nAnt-DNA>>Flu-dU-DNA>>Fap-dC-DNA. Molecular dynamics simulations have revealed structural and energetic bases for the discrepancies observed. DNA destabilization patterns plotted explain these results on a structural basis in terms of differences in dynamic perturbations of stacking interactions.