ABSTRACT
Oxidative DNA damage caused by intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) is widely considered to be important in the pathology of a range of human diseases including cancer as well as in the aging process. A frequently occurring mutagenic base lesion produced by ROS is 8-oxo deoxyguanine (8-oxo dG) and the major enzyme for repair of 8-oxo dG is 8-oxoguanine-DNA glycosylase 1 (OGG1). There is now substantial evidence from bulk biochemical studies that a common human polymorphic variant of OGG1 (Ser326Cys) is repair deficient, and this has been linked to individual risk of pathologies related to oxidative stress. In the current study, we have used the technique of multiphoton microscopy to induce highly localized oxidative DNA damage in discrete regions of the nucleus of live cells. Cells transfected with GFP-tagged OGG1 proteins demonstrated rapid (<2 min) accumulation of OGG1 at sites of laser-induced damage as indicated by accumulation of GFP-fluorescence. This was followed by repair as evidenced by loss of the localized fluorescence over time. Quantification of the rate of repair confirmed that the Cys326 variant of OGG1 is repair deficient and that the initial repair rate of damage by Cys326 OGG1 was 3 to 4 fold slower than that observed for Ser326 OGG1. These values are in good agreement with kinetic data comparing the Ser326 and Cys326 proteins obtained by biochemical studies.
Subject(s)
Cell Nucleus/genetics , DNA Glycosylases/genetics , DNA Glycosylases/metabolism , DNA Repair/genetics , Oxidative Stress/genetics , Animals , Cell Line , Cell Nucleus/metabolism , DNA Damage/genetics , Fibroblasts , Kinetics , Mice , Mice, Knockout , Microscopy, Fluorescence, Multiphoton/methods , Mutagenesis/genetics , Polymorphism, Genetic/genetics , Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolismABSTRACT
An abundant form of DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species is 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine for which the base excision repair protein 8-oxoguanine-DNA glycosylase 1 (OGG1) is a major repair enzyme. To assess the location and intracellular activity of the OGG1 protein in response to oxidative stress, we have utilised a fluorescence-quench molecular beacon switch containing a 8-oxo-dG:C base pair and a fluorescent and quencher molecule at opposite ends of a hairpin oligonucleotide. Oxidative stress was induced by treatment with potassium bromate. Flow cytometry demonstrated a concentration-dependent increase in the activity of OGG1 that was detected by the fluorescence produced when the oligonucleotide was cleaved in the cells treated with potassium bromate. This signal is highly specific and not detectable in OGG1 knock out cells. Induction of OGG1 activity is not a result of induction of OGG1 gene expression as assessed by qPCR suggesting a role for protein stabilisation or increased OGG1 catalytic activity. High resolution confocal microscopy pinpointed the location of the fluorescent molecular beacon in live cells to perinuclear regions that were identified as mitochondria by co-staining with mitotracker dye. There is no evidence of cut beacon within the nuclear compartment of the cell. Control experiments with a positive control beacon (G:C base pair and lacking the DAB quencher) did not result in mitochondrial localisation of fluorescence signal indicating that the dye does not accumulate in mitochondria independent of OGG1 activity. Furthermore, faint nuclear staining was apparent confirming that the beacon structure is able to enter the nucleus. In conclusion, these data indicate that the mitochondria are the major site for OGG1 repair activity under conditions of oxidative stress.
Subject(s)
DNA Glycosylases/metabolism , DNA Repair , Deoxyguanosine/analogs & derivatives , Molecular Probes/metabolism , 8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine , Animals , Base Sequence , Bromates/pharmacology , Cell Death/drug effects , Cell Survival/drug effects , DNA Glycosylases/genetics , DNA Repair/drug effects , Deoxyguanosine/metabolism , Enzyme Induction/drug effects , Fibroblasts/cytology , Fibroblasts/enzymology , Glutathione/metabolism , Mice , Microscopy, Confocal , Mitochondria/drug effects , Mitochondria/enzymology , Molecular Probes/genetics , Molecular Sequence Data , Oxidative Stress/drug effects , Protein Transport/drug effects , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Transcriptional Activation/drug effectsABSTRACT
The high-resolution spatial induction of ultraviolet (UV) photoproducts in mammalian cellular DNA is a goal of many scientists who study UV damage and repair. Here we describe how UV photoproducts can be induced in cellular DNA within nanometre dimensions by near-diffraction-limited 750 nm infrared laser radiation. The use of multiphoton excitation to induce highly localized DNA damage in an individual cell nucleus or mitochondrion will provide much greater resolution for studies of DNA repair dynamics and intracellular localization as well as intracellular signalling processes and cell-cell communication. The technique offers an advantage over the masking method for localized irradiation of cells, as the laser radiation can specifically target a single cell and subnuclear structures such as nucleoli, nuclear membranes or any structure that can be labelled and visualized by a fluorescent tag. It also increases the time resolution with which migration of DNA repair proteins to damage sites can be monitored. We define the characteristics of localized DNA damage induction by near-infrared radiation and suggest how it may be used for new biological investigations.
