5-Formylcytosine mediated DNA-peptide cross-link induces predominantly semi-targeted mutations in both Escherichia coli and human cells.

Histone proteins can become trapped on DNA in the presence of 5-formylcytosine (5fC) to form toxic DNA-protein conjugates. Their repair may involve proteolytic digestion resulting in DNA-peptide cross-links (DpCs). Here, we have investigated replication of a model DpC comprised of an 11-mer peptide (NH2-GGGKGLGK∗GGA) containing an oxy-lysine residue (K∗) conjugated to 5fC in DNA. Both CXG and CXT (where X = 5fC-DpC) sequence contexts were examined. Replication of both constructs gave low viability (<10%) in Escherichia coli, whereas TLS efficiency was high (72%) in HEK 293T cells. In E. coli, the DpC was bypassed largely error-free, inducing only 2 to 3% mutations, which increased to 4 to 5% with SOS. For both sequences, semi-targeted mutations were dominant, and for CXG, the predominant mutations were G→T and G→C at the 3'-base to the 5fC-DpC. In HEK 293T cells, 7 to 9% mutations occurred, and the dominant mutations were the semi-targeted G → T for CXG and T → G for CXT. These mutations were reduced drastically in cells deficient in hPol η, hPol ι or hPol ζ, suggesting a role of these TLS polymerases in mutagenic TLS. Steady-state kinetics studies using hPol η confirmed that this polymerase induces G → T and T → G transversions at the base immediately 3' to the DpC. This study reveals a unique replication pattern of 5fC-conjugated DpCs, which are bypassed largely error-free in both E. coli and human cells and induce mostly semi-targeted mutations at the 3' position to the lesion.

Synergistic effects on mutagenicity of tandem lesions containing 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine or Fapy•dG flanked by a 3' 5-formyl-2'-deoxyuridine in human cells.

Modified nucleotides often hinder and/or decrease the fidelity of DNA polymerases. Tandem lesions, which are comprised of DNA modifications at two contiguous nucleotide positions, can be even more detrimental to genome stability. Recently, tandem lesions containing 5-formyl-2'-deoxyuridine (5fdU) flanked at the 5'-position by 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OxodGuo) or N-(2-deoxy-α,ß-D-erythropentofuranosyl)-N-(2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamidopyrimidine (Fapy•dG) were discovered. We examined the replication of 5'- 8-OxodGuo-5fdU and 5'-Fapy•dG-5fdU tandem lesions in HEK 293T cells and several polymerase deficient variants by transfecting single-stranded vectors containing them. The local sequence of the tandem lesions encompasses the 273 codon of the p53 gene, a mutational hot-spot. The bypass efficiency and mutation spectra of the tandem lesions were compared to those of the isolated lesions. Replication of weakly mutagenic 5-fdU is little changed when part of the 5'- 8-OxodGuo-5fdU tandem lesion. G → T transversions attributable to 8-OxodGuo increase > 10-fold when the tandem lesion is bypassed. 5'-Fapy•dG-5fdU has a synergistic effect on the error-prone bypass of both lesions. The mutation frequency (MF) of 5'-Fapy•dG-5fdU increases 3-fold compared to isolated Fapy•dG. In addition, a 5'-adjacent Fapy•dG significantly increases the MF of 5fdU. The major mutation, G → T transversions, decrease by almost a third in hPol κ- cells, which is the opposite effect when isolated Fapy•dG in the same sequence context is replicated in HEK 293T cells in the same sequence. Steady-state kinetics indicate that hPol κ contributes to greater G → T transversions by decreasing the specificity constant for dCTP compared to an isolated Fapy•dG. The greater conformational freedom of Fapy•dG compared to 8-OxodGuo and its unusual ability to epimerize at the anomeric center is believed to be the source of the complex effects of 5'-Fapy•dG-5fdU on replication.

8-Oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine Replication in Mutational Hot Spot Sequences of the p53 Gene in Human Cells Is Less Mutagenic than That of the Corresponding Formamidopyrimidine.

7,8-Dihydro-8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OxodGuo) is a ubiquitous DNA damage formed by oxidation of 2'-deoxyguanosine. In this study, plasmid DNA containing 8-OxodGuo located in three mutational hot spots of human cancers, codons 248, 249, and 273 of the Tp53 tumor suppressor gene, was replicated in HEK 293T cells. 8-OxodGuo was only a weak block of replication, and the bypass was largely error-free. The mutations (1-5%) were primarily G → T transversions, and the mutation frequency was generally lower than that of the chemically related Fapy·dG. A unique 8-OxodGuo mutation spectrum was observed at each site, as reflected by replication in translesion synthesis (TLS) polymerase- or hPol λ-deficient cells. In codon 248 (CG*G) and 249 (AG*G), where G* denotes 8-OxodGuo, hPol η and hPol ζ carried out largely error-free bypass of the lesion, whereas hPol κ and hPol ι were involved mostly in error-prone TLS, resulting in G → T mutations. 8-OxodGuo bypass in codon 273 (CG*T) was unlike the other two sites, as hPol κ participated in the mostly error-free bypass of the lesion. Yet, in all three sites, including codon 273, simultaneous deficiency of hpol κ and hPol ι resulted in reduction of G → T transversions. This indicates a convincing role of these two TLS polymerases in error-prone bypass of 8-OxodGuo. Although the dominant mutation was G → T in each site, in codon 249, and to a lesser extent in codon 248, significant semi-targeted single-base deletions also occurred, which suggests that 8-OxodGuo can initiate slippage of a base near the lesion site. This study underscores the importance of sequence context in 8-OxodGuo mutagenesis in human cells. It also provides a more comprehensive comparison between 8-OxodGuo and the sister lesion, Fapy·dG. The greater mutagenicity of the latter in the same sequence contexts indicates that Fapy·dG is a biologically significant lesion and biomarker on par with 8-OxodGuo.

Structural Dynamics of a Common Mutagenic Oxidative DNA Lesion in Duplex DNA and during DNA Replication.

N6-(2-Deoxy-α,ß-d-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamido pyrimidine (Fapy•dG) is a prevalent form of genomic DNA damage. Fapy•dG is formed in greater amounts under anoxic conditions than the well-studied, chemically related 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo). Fapy•dG is more mutagenic in mammalian cells than 8-oxodGuo. A distinctive property of Fapy•dG is facile epimerization, but prior works with Fapy•dG analogues have precluded determining its effect on chemistry. We present crystallographic characterization of natural Fapy•dG in duplex DNA and as the template base for DNA polymerase ß (Pol ß). Fapy•dG adopts the ß-anomer when base paired with cytosine but exists as a mixture of α- and ß-anomers when promutagenically base paired with adenine. Rotation about the bond between the glycosidic nitrogen atom and the pyrimidine ring is also affected by the opposing nucleotide. Sodium cyanoborohydride soaking experiments trap the ring-opened Fapy•dG, demonstrating that ring opening and epimerization occur in the crystalline state. Ring opening and epimerization are facilitated by propitious water molecules that are observed in the structures. Determination of Fapy•dG mutagenicity in wild type and Pol ß knockdown HEK 293T cells indicates that Pol ß contributes to G → T transversions but also suppresses G → A transitions. Complementary kinetic studies have determined that Fapy•dG promotes mutagenesis by decreasing the catalytic efficiency of dCMP insertion opposite Fapy•dG, thus reducing polymerase fidelity. Kinetic studies have determined that dCMP incorporation opposite the ß-anomer is ∼90 times faster than the α-anomer. This research identifies the importance of anomer dynamics, a feature unique to formamidopyrimidines, when considering the incorporation of nucleotides opposite Fapy•dG and potentially the repair of this structurally unusual lesion.

Sequence context effects of replication of Fapy•dG in three mutational hot spot sequences of the p53 gene in human cells.

Fapy•dG and 8-OxodGuo are formed in DNA from a common N7-dG radical intermediate by reaction with hydroxyl radical. Although cellular levels of Fapy•dG are often greater, its effects on replication are less well understood than those of 8-OxodGuo. In this study plasmid DNA containing Fapy•dG in three mutational hotspots of human cancers, codons 248, 249, and 273 of the p53 tumor suppressor gene, was replicated in HEK 293T cells. TLS efficiencies for the Fapy•dG containing plasmids varied from 72 to 89%, and were further reduced in polymerase-deficient cells. The mutation frequency (MF) of Fapy•dG ranged from 7.3 to 11.6%, with G→T and G→A as major mutations in codons 248 and 249 compared to primarily G→T in codon 273. Increased MF in hPol ι-, hPol κ-, and hPol ζ-deficient cells suggested that these polymerases more frequently insert the correct nucleotide dC opposite Fapy•dG, whereas decreased G→A in codons 248 and 249 and reduction of all mutations in codon 273 in hPol λ-deficient cells indicated hPol λ's involvement in Fapy•dG mutagenesis. In vitro kinetic analysis using isolated translesion synthesis polymerases and hPol λ incompletely corroborated the mutagenesis experiments, indicating codependence on other proteins in the cellular milieu. In conclusion, Fapy•dG mutagenesis is dependent on the DNA sequence context, but its bypass by the TLS polymerases is largely error-free.

Translesion synthesis of 6-nitrochrysene-derived 2'-deoxyadenosine adduct in human cells.

6-Nitrochrysene (6-NC) is a potent mutagen in bacteria and carcinogenic in animals. It is the most potent carcinogen ever tested in newborn mouse assay. DNA lesions resulting from 6-NC modification are likely to induce mutations if they are not removed by cellular defense pathways prior to DNA replication. Earlier studies showed that 6-NC-derived C8-2'-deoxyadenosine adduct, N-(dA-8-yl)-6-AC, is very slowly repaired in human cells. In this study, we have investigated replication of N-(dA-8-yl)-6-AC in human embryonic kidney (HEK 293T) cells and the roles of translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases in bypassing it. Replication of a plasmid containing a single site-specific N-(dA-8-yl)-6-AC adduct in HEK 293 T cells showed that human DNA polymerase (hPol) η and hPol κ played important roles in bypassing the adduct, since TLS efficiency was reduced to 26 % in the absence of these two polymerases compared to 83 % in polymerase-competent HEK 293T cells. The progeny from HEK 293T cells provided 12.7 % mutants predominantly containing A→T transversions. Mutation frequency (MF) was increased to 17.8 % in hPol η-deficient cells, whereas it was decreased to 3.3 % and 3.9 % when the adduct containing plasmid was replicated in hPol κ- and hPol ζ-deficient cells, respectively. The greatest reduction in MF by more than 90 % (to MF 1.2 %) was observed in hPol ζ-knockout cells in which hPol κ was knocked down. Taken together, these results suggest that hPol κ and hPol ζ are involved in the error-prone TLS of N-(dA-8-yl)-6-AC, while hPol η performs error-free bypass.