A novel strategy for the expression and purification of the DNA methyltransferase, M.AhdI.

Biochemical and structural studies of the methylase from the type 1 1/2 R-M system AhdI require the ability to purify this multi-subunit enzyme in significant quantities in a soluble and active form. Several Escherichia coli expression systems were tested for their ability to produce the intact methylase but this could not be achieved in a simple co-expression system. Expression experiments were optimised to produce high yields of soluble M and S subunits as individual proteins. Temperature and conditions of induction proved to be the most useful factors and although purification of the S subunit was successful, an efficient strategy for the M subunit remained elusive. A novel strategy was developed in which individual subunits are expressed separately and the bacterial cells mixed before lysis. This method produced a high yield of the multi-subunit methylase when purified to homogeneity by means of heparin and size-exclusion chromatography. It was found to be essential, however, to remove tightly bound DNA by ammonium sulphate precipitation in 1 M NaCl. The intact methylase can now be consistently produced, avoiding the use of fusion proteins. The purified enzyme is stable over long time periods, unlike the individual subunits. This method may be of general application where the expression of multi-subunit proteins, or indeed their individual components, is problematic.

Purification and characterisation of a novel DNA methyltransferase, M.AhdI.

We have cloned the M and S genes of the restriction-modification (R-M) system AhdI and have purified the resulting methyltransferase to homogeneity. M.AhdI is found to form a 170 kDa tetrameric enzyme having a subunit stoichiometry M2S2 (where the M and S subunits are responsible for methylation and DNA sequence specificity, respectively). Sedimentation equilibrium experiments show that the tetrameric enzyme dissociates to form a heterodimer at low concentration, with K(d) approximately 2 microM. The intact (tetrameric) enzyme binds specifically to a 30 bp DNA duplex containing the AhdI recognition sequence GACN5GTC with high affinity (K(d) approximately 50 nM), but at low enzyme concentration the DNA binding activity is governed by the dissociation of the tetramer into dimers, leading to a sigmoidal DNA binding curve. In contrast, only non-specific binding is observed if the duplex lacks the recognition sequence. Methylation activity of the purified enzyme was assessed by its ability to prevent restriction by the cognate endonuclease. The subunit structure of the M.AhdI methyltransferase resembles that of type I MTases, in contrast to the R.AhdI endonuclease which is typical of type II systems. AhdI appears to be a novel R-M system with properties intermediate between simple type II systems and more complex type I systems, and may represent an intermediate in the evolution of R-M systems.