Efficacy and site specificity of hydrogen abstraction from DNA 2-deoxyribose by carbonate radicals.

The carbonate radical anion CO(3)(•-) is a potent reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in vivo through enzymatic one-electron oxidation of bicarbonate or, mostly, via the reaction of CO(2) with peroxynitrite. Due to the vitally essential role of the carbon dioxide/bicarbonate buffer system in regulation of physiological pH, CO(3)(•-) is arguably one of the most important ROS in biological systems. So far, the studies of reactions of CO(3)(•-) with DNA have been focused on the pathways initiated by oxidation of guanines in DNA. In this study, low-molecular products of attack of CO(3)(•-) on the sugar-phosphate backbone in vitro were analyzed by reversed phase HPLC. The selectivity of damage in double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) was found to follow the same pattern C4' > C1' > C5' for both CO(3)(•-) and the hydroxyl radical, though the relative contribution of the C1' damage induced by CO(3)(•-) is substantially higher. In single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) oxidation at C1' by CO3(•-) prevails over all other sugar damages. An approximately 2000-fold preference for 8-oxoguanine (8oxoG) formation over sugar damage found in our study identifies CO(3)(•-) primarily as a one-electron oxidant with fairly low reactivity toward the sugar-phosphate backbone.

DNA-PK, ATM and ATR collaboratively regulate p53-RPA interaction to facilitate homologous recombination DNA repair.

Homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) are two distinct DNA double-stranded break (DSB) repair pathways. Here, we report that DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), the core component of NHEJ, partnering with DNA-damage checkpoint kinases ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and ATM- and Rad3-related (ATR), regulates HR repair of DSBs. The regulation was accomplished through modulation of the p53 and replication protein A (RPA) interaction. We show that upon DNA damage, p53 and RPA were freed from a p53-RPA complex by simultaneous phosphorylations of RPA at the N-terminus of RPA32 subunit by DNA-PK and of p53 at Ser37 and Ser46 in a Chk1/Chk2-independent manner by ATR and ATM, respectively. Neither the phosphorylation of RPA nor of p53 alone could dissociate p53 and RPA. Furthermore, disruption of the release significantly compromised HR repair of DSBs. Our results reveal a mechanism for the crosstalk between HR repair and NHEJ through the co-regulation of p53-RPA interaction by DNA-PK, ATM and ATR.

Effects of mutations in the N terminal region of the yeast G protein alpha-subunit Gpa1p on signaling by pheromone receptors.

The sites and modes of interaction between G protein-coupled receptors and their cognate heterotrimeric G proteins remain poorly defined. The C-terminus of the Galpha subunit is the best established site of contact of G proteins with receptors, but structural analyses and crosslinking studies suggest the possibility of interactions at the N-terminus of Galpha as well. We screened for mutations in the N-terminal region of the Galpha subunit encoded by the yeast GPA1 gene that specifically affect the ability of the G protein to be activated by the yeast alpha-mating factor receptor. The screen led to identification of substitutions of glutamine or proline for Leu18 of Gpa1p that reduce the response to the pheromones alpha-factor and a-factor without affecting cellular levels of the subunit or its ability to interact with beta and gamma subunits. The mutations do not appear to affect the intrinsic ability of the G protein to be converted to the activated state. The low yield of different mutations with this phenotype indicates either that the N-terminal segment of the yeast Galpha subunit does not undergo extensive interactions with the alpha-factor receptor, or that this region can not be altered without detrimental effects upon the formation of G protein trimers.

Reductively activated cleavage of DNA mediated by o, o'-diphenylenehalonium compounds.

o,o'-Diphenylenehalonium (DPH) cations represent a novel class of DNA-affinic compounds characterized by binding constants within the range of 10(5)-10(6) M(-1). The maximum binding capacity of 2-2.5 base pairs per DPH cation and about 30% hypochromic reduction in the optical absorption of DPH cations upon binding to DNA suggest intercalation as a likely binding mode. In a DNA-bound form, DPH cations induce strand breaks upon reduction by radiation-produced electrons in aqueous solutions. In keeping with this mechanism, the cleavage is strongly inhibited by oxygen and is not affected by OH radical scavengers in the bulk. The yields of DPH-mediated base release significantly exceed the yield of base release caused by hydroxyl radical (in the absence of scavenger) in anoxic solutions. The yields are weakly dependent on DNA loading within the range from 5 to 50 base pairs per intercalator, which indicates the ability of excess electrons in DNA to react with a scavenger separated by tens of base pairs from the electron attachment site. The question regarding the mechanism by which the distant reactants reach each other in DNA remains unanswered, although it most likely involves electron hopping rather than a single-step long-distance tunneling. The latter conclusion is based on our finding that the electron affinity of DPH cations does not affect their properties as electron scavengers in DNA as would be expected if the direct long-distance tunneling is involved.

Modification of the reductive pathway in gamma-irradiated DNA by electron scavengers: targeting the sugar-phosphate backbone.

Several electron scavengers that irreversibly form potential hydrogen-abstracting species upon one-electron reduction have been tested as agents for conversion of reductive damage to DNA bases into damage to the sugar-phosphate backbone. Electron spin resonance spectroscopy is employed to follow the production of radicals and transformations after irradiation. The scavengers tested included neutral (acrylamide, iodoacetamide) and cationic [triphenylsulfonium (Ph3S+), o,o'-diphenylenebromonium (DPB) and o,o'-diphenyleneiodonium (DPI)] compounds. Modification of reductive radiation damage in DNA is found to occur by scavenging of initial mobile electrons at low temperatures as well as thermally activated electron transfer from DNA electron-gain centers upon annealing. Electron transfer from the bases to hydrogen-bonded acrylamide has the smallest activation energy among other scavengers but produces a secondary alkyl radical incapable of abstracting hydrogen from the sugar-phosphate backbone. A primary alkyl radical generated from iodoacetamide has been shown to abstract preferentially from the thymine methyl group but not from deoxyribose moieties. Aryl radicals generated from aromatic onium salts such as Ph3S+, and especially DPI and DPB, are found to be the agents which best abstract hydrogen atoms from the deoxyribose portion of DNA. The use of DPB and DPI as radiation modifiers allows the elimination of undesirable side reactions of aryl radicals and through hydrogen abstraction results in high yields of a species identified as the DNA C1'. sugar radical. The second reaction pathway found for DPI and DPB in DNA is addition of an aryl radical to the thymine 5,6 double bond. Cysteamine is shown to preferentially eliminate sugar radicals upon annealing and to have little impact on the thermal stability of the thymine adduct radical.