Interaction between the mismatch repair and nucleotide excision repair pathways in the prevention of 5-azacytidine-induced CG-to-GC mutations in Escherichia coli.

5-Azacytidine induces CG-to-GC transversion mutations in Escherichia coli. The results presented in this paper provide evidence that repair of the drug-induced lesions that produce these mutations involves components of both the mismatch repair and nucleotide excision repair systems. Strains deficient in mutL, mutS, uvrA, uvrB or uvrC all showed an increase in mutation in response to 5-azacytidine. Using a bacterial two-hybrid assay, we showed that UvrB interacts with MutL and MutS in a drug-dependent manner, while UvrC interacts with MutL independent of drug. We suggest that 5-azacytidine-induced mismatches recruit MutS and MutL, but are poorly processed by mismatch repair. Instead, the stalled MutS-MutL complex recruits the Uvr proteins to complete repair.

Binding of mismatch repair protein MutS to mispaired DNA adducts of intercalating ruthenium(II) arene complexes.

The present study was performed to examine the affinity of Escherichia coli mismatch repair (MMR) protein MutS for DNA damaged by an intercalating compound. We examined the binding properties of this protein with various DNA substrates containing a single centrally located adduct of ruthenium(II) arene complexes [(eta(6)-arene)Ru(II)(en)Cl][PF(6)] [arene is tetrahydroanthracene (THA) or p-cymene (CYM); en is ethylenediamine]. These two complexes were chosen as representatives of two different classes of monofunctional ruthenium(II) arene compounds which differ in DNA-binding modes: one that involves combined coordination to G N7 along with noncovalent, hydrophobic interactions, such as partial arene intercalation (tricyclic-ring Ru-THA), and the other that binds to DNA only via coordination to G N7 and does not interact with double-helical DNA by intercalation (monoring Ru-CYM). Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we examined the binding properties of MutS protein with various DNA duplexes (homoduplexes or mismatched duplexes) containing a single centrally located adduct of ruthenium(II) arene compounds. We have shown that presence of the ruthenium(II) arene adducts decreases the affinity of MutS for ruthenated DNA duplexes that either have a regular sequence or contain a mismatch and that intercalation of the arene contributes considerably to this inhibitory effect. Since MutS initiates MMR by recognizing DNA lesions, the results of the present work support the view that DNA damage due to intercalation is removed from DNA by a mechanism(s) other than MMR.