Martin Egli

DNA-cation interactions: quo vadis?

The interactions between double helical DNA and cations, specifically mono- and divalent metal ions, have recently received increased attention. Molecular dynamics simulations, solution NMR, and X-ray crystallography have all shed light on the coordination of ions in the major and minor grooves of DNA. Metal ion interactions may play key roles in the control of DNA conformation and topology, but despite progress in locating the ions and determining their precise binding modes, it remains difficult to figure out just how important ions really are. What have we learned and what remains to be done?

DNA Adduct Bypass Polymerization by Sulfolobus Solfataricus DNA Polymerase Dpo4: Analysis and Crystal Structures of Multiple Base Pair Substitution and Frameshift Products with the Adduct 1,N2-Ethenoguanine.

1,N2-Etheno(ϵ)guanine is a mutagenic DNA lesion derived from lipid oxidation products and also from some chemical carcinogens. Gel electrophoretic analysis of the products of primer extension by Sulfolobus solfataricus P2 DNA polymerase IV (Dpo4) indicated preferential incorporation of A opposite 3′-(1,N2-ϵ-G)TACT-5′, among the four dNTPs tested individually. With the template 3′-(1,N2-ϵ-G)CACT-5′, both G and A were incorporated. When primer extension was done in the presence of a mixture of all four dNTPs, high pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the products indicated that (opposite 3′-(1,N2-ϵ-G)CACT-5′) the major product was 5′-GTGA-3′ and the minor product was 5′-AGTGA-3′. With the template 3′-(1,N2-ϵ-G)TACT-5′, the following four products were identified by high pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry: 5′-AATGA-3′, 5′-ATTGA-3′, 5′-ATGA-3′, and 5′-TGA-3′. An x-ray crystal structure of Dpo4 was solved (2.1 Å) with a primer-template and A placed in the primer to be opposite the 1,N2-ϵ-G in the template 3′-(1,N2-ϵ-G)TACT 5′. The added A in the primer was paired across the template T with classic Watson-Crick geometry. Similar structures were observed in a ternary Dpo4-DNA-dATP complex and a ternary Dpo4-DNA-ddATP complex, with d(d)ATP opposite the template T. A similar structure was observed with a ddGTP adjacent to the primer and opposite the C next to 1,N2-ϵ-G in 3′-(1,N2-ϵ-G)CACT-5′. We concluded that Dpo4 uses several mechanisms, including A incorporation opposite 1,N2-ϵ-G and also a variation of dNTP-stabilized misalignment, to generate both base pair and frameshift mutations.

Efficient and High Fidelity Incorporation of Dctp Opposite 7,8-Dihydro-8-Oxodeoxyguanosine by Sulfolobus Solfataricus DNA Polymerase Dpo4

DNA polymerases insert dATP opposite the oxidative damage product 7,8-dihydro-8-oxodeoxyguanosine (8-oxoG) instead of dCTP, to the extent of >90% with some polymerases. Steady-state kinetics with the Y-family Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA polymerase IV (Dpo4) showed 90-fold higher incorporation efficiency of dCTP > dATP opposite 8-oxoG and 4-fold higher efficiency of extension beyond an 8-oxoG:C pair than an 8-oxoG:A pair. The catalytic efficiency for these events (with dCTP or C) was similar for G and 8-oxoG templates. Mass spectral analysis of extended DNA primers showed ≥95% incorporation of dCTP > dATP opposite 8-oxoG. Pre-steady-state kinetics showed faster rates of dCTP incorporation opposite 8-oxoG than G. The measured Kd,dCTP was 15-fold lower for an oligonucleotide containing 8-oxoG than with G. Extension beyond an 8-oxoG:C pair was similar to G:C and faster than for an 8-oxoG:A pair, in contrast to other polymerases. The Ea for dCTP insertion opposite 8-oxoG was lower than for opposite G. Crystal structures of Dpo4 complexes with oligonucleotides were solved with C, A, and G nucleoside triphosphates placed opposite 8-oxoG. With ddCTP, dCTP, and dATP the phosphodiester bonds were formed even in the presence of Ca2+. The 8-oxoG:C pair showed classic Watson-Crick geometry; the 8-oxoG:A pair was in the syn:anti configuration, with the A hybridized in a Hoogsteen pair with 8-oxoG. With dGTP placed opposite 8-oxoG, pairing was not to the 8-oxoG but to the 5′ C (and in classic Watson-Crick geometry), consistent with the low frequency of this frameshift event observed in the catalytic assays.

X-ray crystallographic analysis of the hydration of A- and B-form DNA at atomic resolution.

We have determined single crystal structures of an A-DNA decamer and a B-DNA dodecamer at 0.83 and 0.95 A, respectively. The resolution of the former is the highest reported thus far for any right-handed nucleic acid duplex and the quality of the diffraction data allowed determination of the structure with direct methods. The structures reveal unprecedented details of DNA fine structure and hydration; in particular, we have reexamined the overall hydration of A- and B-form DNA, the distribution of water around phosphate groups, and features of the water structure that may underlie the B to A transition.

Crystal structures of the catalytic domain of human protein kinase associated with apoptosis and tumor suppression.

We have determined X-ray crystal structures with up to 1.5 Å resolution of the catalytic domain of death-associated protein kinase (DAPK), the first described member of a novel family of pro-apoptotic and tumor-suppressive serine/threonine kinases. The geometry of the active site was studied in the apo form, in a complex with nonhydrolyzable AMPPnP and in a ternary complex consisting of kinase, AMPPnP and either Mg2+ or Mn2+. The structures revealed a previously undescribed water-mediated stabilization of the interaction between the lysine that is conserved in protein kinases and the β- and γ-phosphates of ATP, as well as conformational changes at the active site upon ion binding. Comparison between these structures and nucleotide triphosphate complexes of several other kinases disclosed a number of unique features of the DAPK catalytic domain, among which is a highly ordered basic loop in the N-terminal domain that may participate in enzyme regulation.

The Cyanobacterial Circadian System: From Biophysics to Bioevolution

Recent studies have unveiled the molecular machinery responsible for the biological clock in cyanobacteria and found that it exerts pervasive control over cellular processes including global gene expression. Indeed, the entire chromosome undergoes daily cycles of topology/compaction! The circadian system comprises both a posttranslational oscillator (PTO) and a transcriptional/translational feedback loop (TTFL). The PTO can be reconstituted in vitro with three purified proteins (KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC) and ATP. These are the only circadian proteins for which high-resolution structures are available. Phase in this nanoclockwork has been associated with key phosphorylations of KaiC. Structural considerations illuminate the mechanism by which the KaiABC oscillator ratchets unidirectionally. Models of the complete in vivo system have important implications for our understanding of circadian clocks in higher organisms, including mammals. The conjunction of structural, biophysical, and biochemical approaches to this system has brought our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of biological timekeeping to an unprecedented level.

An aminopyridazine-based inhibitor of a pro-apoptotic protein kinase attenuates hypoxia-ischemia induced acute brain injury.

Death associated protein kinase (DAPK) is a calcium and calmodulin regulated enzyme that functions early in eukaryotic programmed cell death, or apoptosis. To validate DAPK as a potential drug discovery target for acute brain injury, the first small molecule DAPK inhibitor was synthesized and tested in vivo. A single injection of the aminopyridazine-based inhibitor administered 6 h after injury attenuated brain tissue or neuronal biomarker loss measured, respectively, 1 week and 3 days later. Because aminopyridazine is a privileged structure in neuropharmacology, we determined the high-resolution crystal structure of a binary complex between the kinase domain and a molecular fragment of the DAPK inhibitor. The co-crystal structure describes a structural basis for interaction and provides a firm foundation for structure-assisted design of lead compounds with appropriate molecular properties for future drug development.

Analysis of KaiA¿KaiC protein interactions in the cyano-bacterial circadian clock using hybrid structural methods

The cyanobacterial circadian clock can be reconstituted in vitro by mixing recombinant KaiA, KaiB and KaiC proteins with ATP, producing KaiC phosphorylation and dephosphorylation cycles that have a regular rhythm with a ca. 24‐h period and are temperature‐compensated. KaiA and KaiB are modulators of KaiC phosphorylation, whereby KaiB antagonizes KaiAs action. Here, we present a complete crystallographic model of the Synechococcus elongatus KaiC hexamer that includes previously unresolved portions of the C‐terminal regions, and a negative‐stain electron microscopy study of S. elongatus and Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP‐1 KaiA–KaiC complexes. Site‐directed mutagenesis in combination with EM reveals that KaiA binds exclusively to the CII half of the KaiC hexamer. The EM‐based model of the KaiA–KaiC complex reveals protein–protein interactions at two sites: the known interaction of the flexible C‐terminal KaiC peptide with KaiA, and a second postulated interaction between the apical region of KaiA and the ATP binding cleft on KaiC. This model brings KaiA mutation sites that alter clock period or abolish rhythmicity into contact with KaiC and suggests how KaiA might regulate KaiC phosphorylation.

Structural Insights into a Circadian Oscillator

An endogenous circadian system in cyanobacteria exerts pervasive control over cellular processes, including global gene expression. Indeed, the entire chromosome undergoes daily cycles of topological changes and compaction. The biochemical machinery underlying a circadian oscillator can be reconstituted in vitro with just three cyanobacterial proteins, KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC. These proteins interact to promote conformational changes and phosphorylation events that determine the phase of the in vitro oscillation. The high-resolution structures of these proteins suggest a ratcheting mechanism by which the KaiABC oscillator ticks unidirectionally. This posttranslational oscillator may interact with transcriptional and translational feedback loops to generate the emergent circadian behavior in vivo. The conjunction of structural, biophysical, and biochemical approaches to this system reveals molecular mechanisms of biological timekeeping.

Metal ions and flexibility in a viral RNA pseudoknot at atomic resolution.

Many pathogenic viruses use programmed −1 ribosomal frameshifting to regulate translation of their structural and enzymatic proteins from polycistronic mRNAs. Frameshifting is commonly stimulated by a pseudoknot located downstream from a slippery sequence, the latter positioned at the ribosomal A and P sites. We report here the structures of two crystal forms of the frameshifting RNA pseudoknot from beet western yellow virus at resolutions of 1.25 and 2.85 Å. Because of the very high resolution of 1.25 Å, ten mono- and divalent metal ions per asymmetric unit could be identified, giving insight into potential roles of metal ions in stabilizing the pseudoknot. A magnesium ion located at the junction of the two pseudoknot stems appears to play a crucial role in stabilizing the structure. Because the two crystal forms exhibit mostly unrelated packing interactions and local crystallographic disorder in the high-resolution form was resolvable, the two structures offer the most detailed view yet of the conformational preference and flexibility of an RNA pseudoknot.