Identification of a mutant DNA polymerase delta in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with an antimutator phenotype for frameshift mutations.

We propose that a beta-turn-beta structure, which plays a critical role in exonucleolytic proofreading in the bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase, is also present in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA pol delta. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to test this proposal by introducing a mutation into the yeast POL3 gene in the region that encodes the putative beta-turn-beta structure. The mutant DNA pol delta has a serine substitution in place of glycine at position 447. DNA replication fidelity of the G447S-DNA pol delta was determined in vivo by using reversion and forward assays. An antimutator phenotype for frameshift mutations in short homopolymeric tracts was observed for the G447S-DNA pol delta in the absence of postreplication mismatch repair, which was produced by inactivation of the MSH2 gene. Because the G447S substitution reduced frameshift but not base substitution mutagenesis, some aspect of DNA polymerase proofreading appears to contribute to production of frameshifts. Possible roles of DNA polymerase proofreading in frameshift mutagenesis are discussed.

Dinucleotide repeat expansion catalyzed by bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase in vitro.

DNA replication normally occurs with high fidelity, but certain "slippery" regions of DNA with tracts of mono-, di-, and trinucleotide repeats are frequently mutation hot spots. We have developed an in vitro assay to study the mechanism of dinucleotide repeat expansion. The primer-template resembles a base excision repair substrate with a single nucleotide gap centered opposite a tract of nine CA repeats; nonrepeat sequences flank the dinucleotide repeats. DNA polymerases are expected to repair the gap, but further extension is possible if the DNA polymerase can displace the downstream oligonucleotide. We report here that the wild type bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase carries out gap and strand displacement replication and also catalyzes a dinucleotide expansion reaction. Repeat expansion was not detected for an exonuclease-deficient T4 DNA polymerase or for Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I. The dinucleotide repeat expansion reaction catalyzed by wild type T4 DNA polymerase required a downstream oligonucleotide to "stall" replication and 3' --> 5' exonuclease activity to remove the 3'-nonrepeat sequence adjacent to the repeat tract in the template strand. These results suggest that dinucleotide repeat expansion may be stimulated in vivo during DNA repair or during processing of Okazaki fragments.

Identification of Escherichia coli dnaE (polC) mutants with altered sensitivity to 2',3'-dideoxyadenosine.

Bacteria with reduced DNA polymerase I activity have increased sensitivity to killing by chain-terminating nucleotides (S. A. Rashbaum and N. R. Cozzarelli, Nature 264:679-680, 1976). We have used this observation as the basis of a genetic strategy to identify mutations in the dnaE (polC) gene of Escherichia coli that alter sensitivity to 2',3'-dideoxyadenosine (ddA). Two dnaE (polC) mutant strains with increased sensitivity to ddA and one strain with increased resistance were isolated and characterized. The mutant phenotypes are due to single amino acid substitutions in the alpha subunit, the protein product of the dnaE (polC) gene. Increased sensitivity to ddA is produced by the L329F and H417Y substitutions, and increased resistance is produced by the G365S substitution. The L329F and H417Y substitutions also reduce the accuracy of DNA replication (the mutator phenotype), while the G365S substitution increases accuracy (the antimutator phenotype). All of the amino acid substitutions are in conserved regions near essential aspartate residues. These results prove the effectiveness of the genetic strategy in identifying informative dnaE (polC) mutations that can be used to elucidate the molecular basis of nucleotide interactions in the alpha subunit of the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme.

Mutational and pH studies of the 3' --> 5' exonuclease activity of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase.

The 3' --> 5' exonuclease activity of proofreading DNA polymerases requires two divalent metal ions, metal ions A and B. Mutational studies of the 3' --> 5' exonuclease active center of the bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase indicate that residue Asp-324, which binds metal ion A, is the single most important residue for the hydrolysis reaction. In the absence of a nonenzymatic source of hydroxide ions, an alanine substitution for residue Asp-324 reduced exonuclease activity 10-100-fold more than alanine substitutions for the other metal-binding residues, Asp-112 and Asp-219. Thus, exonuclease activity is reduced 10(5)-fold for the D324A-DNA polymerase compared with the wild-type enzyme, while decreases of 10(3)- to 10(4)-fold are detected for the D219A- and D112A/E114A-DNA polymerases, respectively. Our results are consistent with the proposal that a water molecule, coordinated by metal ion A, forms a metal-hydroxide ion that is oriented to attack the phosphodiester bond at the site of cleavage. Residues Glu-114 and Lys-299 may assist the reaction by lowering the pK(a) of the metal ion-A coordinated water molecule, whereas residue Tyr-320 may help to reorient the DNA from the binding conformation to the catalytically active conformation.

In vitro selection of sequence contexts which enhance bypass of abasic sites and tetrahydrofuran by T4 DNA polymerase holoenzyme.

The influence of sequence context on the ability of DNA polymerase to bypass sites of base loss was addressed using an in vitro selection system. Oligonucleotides containing either an aldehydic abasic site or tetrahydrofuran surrounded by four randomized bases on both the 5' and 3' sides were used as templates for synthesis by phage T4 DNA polymerase holoenzyme proficient or deficient in the 3'-->5' proofreading exonuclease activity. Successful bypass products were purified, subcloned and the sequences of approximately 100 subclones were determined for each of the four polymerase/lesion combinations tested. Between 7 and 19 % of the bypass products contained deletions of one to three nucleotides in the randomized region. In bypass products not containing deletions, biases for and against certain nucleotides were readily noticeable across the entire randomized region. Template strands from successful bypass products of abasic sites had a high frequency of T in most of the randomized positions, while those from bypass products of tetrahydrofuran had a high frequency of G at the positions immediately to the 3' and 5' side of the lesion. Consensus sequences were shared by successful bypass products of the same lesion but not between bypass products of the two lesions. The consensus sequence for efficient bypass of tetrahydrofuran was over-represented in several frames relative to the lesion. T4 DNA polymerase inserted A opposite abasic sites 63 % of the time in the presence of proofreading and 79 % of the time in its absence, followed by G>T>C, while the insertion of A opposite tetrahydrofuran ranged between 93 % and 100 % in the presence and absence of proofreading, respectively. Finally, sequence context influenced the choice of nucleotide inserted opposite abasic sites and consensus sequences which favored the incorporation of nucleotides other than A were defined.

The proofreading pathway of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase.

The base analog, 2-aminopurine (2AP), was used as a fluorescent reporter of the biochemical steps in the proofreading pathway catalyzed by bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase. "Mutator" DNA polymerases that are defective in different steps in the exonucleolytic proofreading pathway were studied so that transient changes in fluorescence intensity could be equated with specific reaction steps. The G255S- and D131N-DNA polymerases can hydrolyze DNA, the final step in the proofreading pathway, but the mutator phenotype indicates a defect in one or more steps that prepare the primer-terminus for the cleavage reaction. The hydrolysis-defective D112A/E114A-DNA polymerase was also examined. Fluorescent enzyme-DNA complexes were preformed in the absence of Mg2+, and then rapid mixing, stopped-flow techniques were used to determine the fate of the fluorescent complexes upon the addition of Mg2+. Comparisons of fluorescence intensity changes between the wild type and mutant DNA polymerases were used to model the exonucleolytic proofreading pathway. These studies are consistent with a proofreading pathway in which the protein loop structure that contains residue Gly255 functions in strand separation and transfer of the primer strand from the polymerase active center to form a preexonuclease complex. Residue Asp131 acts at a later step in formation of the preexonuclease complex.

In search of a mutational hotspot.

In vitro selection was used to define sequence contexts that significantly enhanced the mutagenic potential of 7, 8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG). Contexts that simultaneously reduced the efficiency of 8-oxoG cleavage by formamidopyrimidine DNA N-glycosylase and increased the efficiency of misincorporating A opposite the lesion by DNA polymerase were isolated from a pool of 4(8) random octanucleotide sequences. Kinetic analysis showed that the combined effects of poor repair and high miscoding resulted in 10(2)- to 10(3)-fold increase in the mutagenic potential of 8-oxoG. Furthermore, the isolated sequence contexts correlated strongly with G --> T transversion hotspots in spontaneous mutational spectra reported for the Escherichia coli lacI and human p53 and factor IX genes. We present an example directly linking the interplay between DNA repair and replication to a "high risk sequence" for base substitution.

Exonuclease-polymerase active site partitioning of primer-template DNA strands and equilibrium Mg2+ binding properties of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase.

The binding of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase (T4 pol) to primer-template DNA with 2-aminopurine (2AP) located at the primer terminus results in the formation of a hyperfluorescent 2AP state. Changes in this hyperfluorescent state were utilized to investigate the fractional concentration of primer-templates bound at the exonuclease and statically quenched polymerase sites. In the absence of Mg2+, a hydrophobic exonuclease site dominates over the polymerase site for possession of the primer terminus. The fractional concentration of primer termini in the exonuclease site was found to be 64 and 84% for correct (AP-T) and mismatched (AP-C) primer-templates, respectively. Exonuclease-deficient mutants, polymerase-switching mutants, and nucleoside triphosphates all shift this equilibrium toward the polymerase site. Synthesis of stereospecific hydrolysis resistant phosphorothioate 2AP-labeled DNA allowed Mg2+ ion binding titrations to be performed in the presence of bound DNA without the complication of the excision reaction. High- and low-affinity Mg2+ binding sites were observed in the presence of bound double-stranded (ds) DNA, with dissociation constants in the micromolar (WT Kd = 5.1 microM) and millimolar (WT Kd = 2.5 mM) concentration ranges. Mg2+ binding was found to be a key "conformational switch" for T4 pol. As the high-affinity Mg2+ binding sites are filled, the primer terminus migrates from the exonuclease site to a highly based stacked polymerase active site. Filling the low-affinity Mg2+ sites further shifts the primer terminus into the polymerase site. As the low-affinity Mg2+ sites are filled, T4 pol "loosens its grip" on the primer terminus, as shown by a large amplitude increase in the nanosecond rotational mobility of 2AP within the bound T4 complex. The hyperfluorescent exonuclease site is spatially localized to 2AP positioned on the primer end. The penultimate (n - 1) position, as well as n - 2 and n - 5 positions, reveals no detectable fluorescent enhancement upon binding. The observed position-dependent fluorescence data, when combined with time-resolved total-intensity and anisotropy data, suggest that the creation of the hyperfluorescent state is caused by phenylalanine 120 (F120) of T4 pol intercalating into 2AP primers much like that observed for phenylalanine 123 of RB69 DNA polymerase intercalating into deoxythymidine primers [Wang, J., et al. (1997) Cell 89, 1087-1099]. As Mg2+ binds in the exonuclease site of T4 pol, the primer terminus appears to be "pulled backward" into the active site, decreasing the concentration of F120-intercalated primer termini, and bringing the exonuclease active site residues closer to the primer terminus scissile phosphate bond.

Identification of a transient excision intermediate at the crossroads between DNA polymerase extension and proofreading pathways.

DNA polymerases achieve accurate DNA replication through a delicate balance between primer elongation and proofreading. While insufficient proofreading results in DNA replication errors, indiscriminate removal of correct along with incorrect nucleotides is wasteful and may prevent completion of DNA synthesis. The transition between polymerization and proofreading modes is proposed to be governed by a kinetic barrier that prevents proofreading unless the rate of primer elongation is significantly reduced by the presence of an incorrect base pair at the primer-terminus. We have used mutational analysis, coupled with a sensitive, fluorescence-based assay to characterize intermediate steps in the proofreading pathway. A highly fluorescent complex forms between the bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase and DNA primer-templates labeled at the 3' terminus with the base analog 2-aminopurine. Formation of the fluorescent complex appears to be a rate-determining step in the proofreading pathway and is impaired for several mutator T4 DNA polymerases with amino acid substitutions in the exonuclease domain. Although these mutant DNA polymerases are proficient in hydrolysis, their reduced ability to form the fluorescent complex imposes a higher kinetic barrier. As a consequence, the mutant DNA polymerases proofread less frequently, resulting in more DNA replication errors.

Using 2-aminopurine fluorescence and mutational analysis to demonstrate an active role of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase in strand separation required for 3' --> 5'-exonuclease activity.

The fluorescence of 2-aminopurine deoxynucleotide positioned in a 3'-terminal mismatch was used to evaluate the pre-steady state kinetics of the 3' --> 5' exonuclease activity of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase on defined DNA substrates. DNA substrates with one, two, or three preformed terminal mispairs simulated increasing degrees of strand separation at a primer terminus. The effects of base pair stability and local DNA sequence on excision rates were investigated by using DNA substrates that were either relatively G + C- or A + T-rich. The importance of strand separation as a prerequisite to the hydrolysis of a terminal nucleotide was demonstrated by using a unique mutant DNA polymerase that could degrade single-stranded but not double-stranded DNA, unless two or more 3'-terminal nucleotides were unpaired. Our results led us to conclude that the reduced exonuclease activity of this mutant DNA polymerase on duplex DNA substrates is due to a defect in melting the primer terminus in preparation for the excision reaction. The mutated amino acid (serine substitution for glycine at codon 255) resides in a critical loop structure determined from a crystallographic study of an amino-terminal fragment of T4 DNA polymerase. These results suggest an active role for amino acid residues in the exonuclease domain of the T4 DNA polymerase in the strand separation step.

Replication of O6-methylguanine-containing DNA by repair and replicative DNA polymerases.

The biological consequences of O6-methylguanine (m6G) in DNA are well recognized. When template m6G is encountered by DNA polymerases, replication is hindered and trans-lesion replication results in the preferential incorporation of dTMP opposite template m6G. Thus, unrepaired m6G in DNA is both cytotoxic and mutagenic. Yet, cell lines tolerant to m6G in DNA have been isolated, which indicates that some cellular DNA polymerases may replicate m6G-containing DNA with reasonable efficiency. Previous reports suggested that mammalian pol beta could not replicate m6G-containing DNA, but we find that pol beta can catalyze trans-lesion replication; however, the lesion must reside in the optimal context for pol beta activity, single- or short nucleotide gapped substrates. Primed single-stranded DNA templates, with or without template m6G, were poor substrates for pol beta as reported in earlier studies. In contrast, trans-lesion replication by bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase was observed for primed single-stranded DNA templates. Replication of m6G-containing DNA by T4 DNA polymerase required the gp45 accessory protein that clamps the polymerase to the DNA template. The rate-limiting step in replicating m6G-containing DNAs by both DNA polymerases tested was incorporation of dTMP across from the lesion.

Selection of bacteriophage T4 antimutator DNA polymerases: a link between proofreading and sensitivity to phosphonoacetic acid.

During DNA replication, DNA polymerases alternate between DNA synthesis and proofreading the newly synthesized DNA. In order to understand the molecular details of how DNA polymerases determine the balance between polymerase and proofreading activities, it would be useful to have mutants which switch between the two activities either more or less frequently. Antimutator DNA polymerases switch more frequently and thus have more opportunity for proofreading. We have observed that mutant DNA polymerases which proofread less frequently have a mutator phenotype and are inhibited by the pyrophosphate analogue phosphonoacetic acid. Sensitivity to phosphonoacetic acid can be used to isolate second-site suppressor mutations. These suppressor mutations encode amino acid substitutions which produce antimutator DNA polymerases.

Dynamics of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase function: identification of amino acid residues that affect switching between polymerase and 3' --> 5' exonuclease activities.

Many DNA polymerases are multifunctional with the ability to replicate DNA as well as to proofread misincorporated nucleotides. Since polymerase and 3'--> 5' exonuclease activities appear to reside in spatially distinct active centers, there must be some mechanism for coordinating replication with proofreading and for transferring DNA between the two active centers. We have designed a genetic selection scheme to isolate bacteriophage T4 mutant DNA polymerases that are defective in "switching" between polymerase and exonuclease activities. Amino acid residues that affected active-site-switching were identified in four regions of the T4 DNA polymerase: two regions in the proposed exonuclease domain. Representative mutant DNA polymerases from each region were purified for biochemical studies. We propose that amino acid substitutions identified by mutational analysis affect critical contacts between T4 DNA polymerase and DNA that are required for transfer of DNA between the polymerase and exonuclease active centers.

Learning about DNA polymerase function by studying antimutator DNA polymerases.

Mutant bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerases exist that appear primarily to reduce the frequency of AT-to-GC transitions when this [antimutator' phenotype is assessed by genetic methods. This observation disagrees with in vitro studies, which indicate that T4 antimutator DNA polymerases have increased proofreading abilities and effectively edit all types of base substitution errors. One explanation that reconciles the apparent in vivo mutational specificity of antimutator DNA polymerases with their biochemical properties is that the in vivo mutational specificity identifies mismatched primer-termini that are corrected less efficiently by the wild-type level of proofreading activity, but are corrected if proofreading is increased.

Use of genetic analyses to probe structure, function, and dynamics of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase.

Functionally distinct mutant DNA polymerases have been isolated by the genetic selection strategies described here. These methods can be supplemented by the use of targeted mutagenesis procedures to enhance mutagenesis of DNA polymerase genes and to direct mutagenesis to specific sites in cloned DNA polymerases (see [22-24, 28], this volume). The power of genetic selection is in the ability to identify amino acid residues that are critical for protein structure and function that may not be obvious from studies of structural data alone. For the study of DNA polymerases, it is essential to identify residues involved in the movement of the DNA polymerase along the DNA template and in shuttling the DNA between the polymerase and exonuclease active centers. Ongoing studies are directed toward these goals.

Pre-steady-state kinetic analysis of sequence-dependent nucleotide excision by the 3'-exonuclease activity of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase.

The effects of local DNA sequence on the proofreading efficiency of wild-type T4 DNA polymerase were examined by measuring the kinetics of removal of the fluorescent nucleotide analog 2-aminopurine deoxynucleoside monophosphate (dAPMP) from primer/templates of defined sequences. The effects of (1) interactions with the 5'-neighboring bases, (2) base pair stability, and (3) G.C content of the surrounding sequences on the pre-steady-state kinetics of dAPMP excision were measured. Rates of excision dAPMP from a primer 3'-terminus located opposite a template T (AP.T base pair) increased, over a 3-fold range, with the 5'-neighbor to AP in the order C < G < T < A. Rates of removal of dAPMP from AP.X base pairs located in the same surrounding sequence increased as AP.T < AP.A < AP.C < AP.G, which correlates with the decrease in the stabilities of these base pairs predicted by Tm measurements. A key finding was that AP was excised at a slower rate when mispaired opposite C located next to four G.C base pairs than when correctly paired opposite T next to four A.T base pairs, suggesting that exonuclease mismatch removal specificities may be enhanced to a much greater extent by instabilities of local primer termini than by specific recognition of incorrect base pairs. In polymerase-initiated reactions, biphasic reaction kinetics were observed for the excision of AP within most but not all sequence contexts. Rates of the rapid phases (30-40 s-1) were relatively insensitive to sequence context. Rapid-phase rates reflect the rate constants for exonucleolytic excision of dAPMP from melted primer termini for both correct and incorrect base pairs and were roughly comparable to rates of removal of dAPMP from single-stranded DNA (65-80 s-1). Rates of the slow phases (3-13 s-1) were dependent on sequence context; the slow phase may reflect the rate of switching from the polymerase to the exonuclease active site, or perhaps the conversion of a primer/template terminus from an annealed to a melted state in the exonuclease active site. These data, using wild-type T4 DNA polymerase and two exonuclease-deficient T4 polymerases, support a model in which exonuclease excision occurs on melted primer 3'-termini for both mismatched and correctly matched primer termini, and where specificity favoring removal of terminally mismatched base pairs is determined by the much larger fraction of melted-out primer 3'-termini for mispairs compared to that for correct pairs.

Motif A of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase: role in primer extension and DNA replication fidelity. Isolation of new antimutator and mutator DNA polymerases.

Polymerases in general share only a few regions of amino acid similarity. One of the most conserved regions, called motif A, has the sequence DXXSLYPSII or a similar sequence in many eukaryotic and viral DNA polymerases and in bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase. We designed genetic techniques to isolate mutant T4 DNA polymerases with amino acid substitutions in this highly conserved motif. The mutant DNA polymerases differed from wild type T4 DNA polymerase in several ways. For one mutant DNA polymerase, the pyrophosphate analog, phosphonoacetic acid, was a potent inhibitor of DNA replication, and this mutant DNA polymerase replicated DNA with reduced fidelity. Another mutant DNA polymerase replicated DNA with increased accuracy, but this mutant DNA polymerase was less processive in primer extension reactions, and DNA replication required high concentrations of deoxynucleoside triphosphates. We provide evidence that indicates that all of these changes to DNA polymerase function are due to differences in how the mutant DNA polymerases partition between states active for DNA replication or exonucleolytic proofreading. These studies also provide further support for the hypothesis that the accuracy of DNA replication observed for DNA polymerases and 3'-->5' exonuclease activities (Muzyczka, N., Poland, R. L., and Bessman, M. J. (1972) J. Biol. Chem. 247, 7116-7122).

Analysis of inhibitors of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase.

Bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase was inhibited by butylphenyl nucleotides, aphidicolin and pyrophosphate analogs, but with lower sensitivities than other members of the B family DNA polymerases. The nucleotides N2-(p-n-butylphenyl)dGTP (BuPdGTP) and 2-(p-n-butylanilino)dATP (BuAdATP) inhibited T4 DNA polymerase with competitive Ki values of 0.82 and 0.54 microM with respect to dGTP and dATP, respectively. The same compounds were more potent inhibitors in truncated assays lacking the competitor dNTP, displaying apparent Ki values of 0.001 and 0.0016 microM, respectively. BuPdGTP was a substrate for T4 DNA polymerase, and the resulting 3'-BuPdG-primer:template was bound strongly by the enzyme. Each of the non-substrate derivatives, BuPdGDP and BuPdGMPCH2PP, inhibited T4 DNA polymerase with similar potencies in both the truncated and variable competitor assays. These results indicate that BuPdGTP inhibits T4 DNA polymerase by distinct mechanisms depending upon the assay conditions. Reversible competitive inhibition predominates in the presence of dGTP, and incorporation in the absence of dGTP leads to potent inhibition by the modified primer:template. The implications of these findings for the use of these inhibitors in the study of B family DNA polymerases is discussed.

Genetic and biochemical studies of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase 3'-->5'-exonuclease activity.

DNA polymerase exonucleolytic proofreading is important in attaining high fidelity DNA replication. One of the most well characterized proofreading activities is the 3'-->5'-exonuclease activity of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase. We have used genetic analyses and protein sequence comparisons to Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I to identify amino acids in the N-terminal region of T4 DNA polymerase that are required for exonucleolytic proofreading. Mutant DNA polymerases with amino acid substitutions D112A/E114A, D219A, or D324A reduced 3'-->5'-exonuclease activity 10(2)-10(4)-fold in various in vitro assays and decreased DNA replication fidelity in vivo. DNA replication activity was also reduced for the exonuclease-deficient DNA polymerases in vitro and in vivo. Reduction in DNA replication appeared to be due primarily to the interdependence of T4 DNA polymerase replication and proofreading activities; T4 DNA polymerase requires 3'-->5'-exonuclease activity to repair primer termini that are not suitable substrates for extension. Observations reported here provide further evidence in support of the proposal that DNA polymerases have distinct 3'-->5'-exonuclease and polymerase active sites.