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DNA polymerase θ (Pol θ) is a DNA repair enzyme widely conserved in animals and plants. Pol θ uses short DNA sequence homologies to initiate repair of double-strand breaks by theta-mediated end joining. The DNA polymerase domain of Pol θ is at the C terminus and is connected to an N-terminal DNA helicase–like domain by a central linker. Pol θ is crucial for maintenance of damaged genomes during development, protects DNA against extensive deletions, and limits loss of heterozygosity. The cost of using Pol θ for genome protection is that a few nucleotides are usually deleted or added at the repair site. Inactivation of Pol θ often enhances the sensitivity of cells to DNA strand–breaking chemicals and radiation. Since some homologous recombination–defective cancers depend on Pol θ for growth, inhibitors of Pol θ may be useful in treating such tumors.

DNA Polymerase θ is the key actuator of the recently identified double-strand break repair pathway, theta-mediated end joining (TMEJ). It is the only known polymerase to have a 3-domain architecture containing an independently functional family A DNA polymerase tethered by a long central region to an N-terminal helicase-like domain (HLD). Full-length polymerase θ and the isolated HLD hydrolyze ATP in the presence of DNA, but no processive DNA duplex unwinding has been observed. Based on sequence and structure conservation, the HLD is classified as a member of helicase superfamily II and, more specifically, the Ski2-like family. The specific subdomain composition and organization most closely resemble that of archaeal DNA repair helicases Hel308 and Hjm. The underlying structural basis as to why the HLD is not able to processively unwind duplex DNA, despite its similarity to bona fide helicases, remains elusive. Activities of the HLD include ATP hydrolysis, protein displacement, and annealing of complementary DNA. These observations have led to speculation about the role of the HLD within the context of double-strand break repair via TMEJ, such as removal of single-stranded DNA binding proteins like RPA and RAD51 and microhomology alignment. This review summarizes the structural classification and organization of the polymerase θ HLD and its homologs and explores emerging data on its biochemical activities. We conclude with a simple, speculative model for the HLD's role in TMEJ.

DNA polymerase β (Pol β) is essential for maintaining genomic integrity. During short-patch base excision repair (BER), Pol β incorporates a nucleotide into a single-gapped DNA substrate. Pol β may also function in long-patch BER, where the DNA substrate consists of larger gap sizes or 5′-modified downstream DNA. We have recently shown that Pol β fills small gaps in DNA during microhomology-mediated end-joining as part of a process that increases genomic diversity. Our previous results with single-nucleotide gapped DNA show that Pol β undergoes two pre-catalytic conformational changes upon binding to the correct nucleotide substrate. Here we use FRET to investigate nucleotide incorporation of Pol β with various DNA substrates. The results show that increasing the gap size influences the fingers closing step by increasing its reverse rate. However, the 5′-phosphate group has a more significant effect. The absence of the 5′-phosphate decreases the DNA binding affinity of Pol β and results in a conformationally more open binary complex. Moreover, upon addition of the correct nucleotide in the absence of 5′-phosphate, a slow fingers closing step is observed. Interestingly, either increasing the gap size or removing the 5′-phosphate group results in loss of the noncovalent step. Together, these results suggest that the character of the DNA substrate impacts the nature and rates of pre-catalytic conformational changes of Pol β. Our results also indicate that conformational changes are important for the fidelity of DNA synthesis by Pol β.

DNA polymerase β (pol β) fills single nucleotide gaps in DNA during base excision repair and non-homologous end-joining. Pol β must select the correct nucleotide from among a pool of four nucleotides with similar structures and properties in order to maintain genomic stability during DNA repair. Here, we use a combination of X-ray crystallography, fluorescence resonance energy transfer and nuclear magnetic resonance to show that pol β‘s ability to access the appropriate conformations both before and upon binding to nucleotide substrates is integral to its fidelity. Importantly, we also demonstrate that the inability of the I260Q mutator variant of pol β to properly navigate this conformational landscape results in error-prone DNA synthesis. Our work reveals that precatalytic conformational rearrangements themselves are an important underlying mechanism of substrate selection by DNA pol β.

With the formidable growth in the volume of genetic information, it has become essential to identify and characterize mutations in macromolecules not only to predict contributions to disease processes but also to guide the design of therapeutic strategies. While mutations of certain residues have a predictable phenotype based on their chemical nature and known structural position, many types of mutations evade prediction based on current information. Described in this work are the crystal structures of two cancer variants located in the palm domain of DNA polymerase β (pol β), S229L and G231D, whose biological phenotype was not readily linked to a predictable structural implication. Structural results demonstrate that the mutations elicit their effect through subtle influences on secondary interactions with a residue neighboring the active site. Residues 229 and 231 are 7.5 and 12.5 Å, respectively, from the nearest active site residue, with a β-strand between them. A residue on this intervening strand, M236, appears to transmit fine structural perturbations to the catalytic metal-coordinating residue D256, affecting its conformational stability.

Cancers with hereditary defects in homologous recombination rely on DNA polymerase θ (pol θ) for repair of DNA double-strand breaks. During end-joining, pol θ aligns microhomology tracts internal to 5′-resected broken ends, after which an unidentified nuclease trims the 3′-end before synthesis can occur. We report here that such a nuclease activity, which differs from the proofreading activity often associated with DNA polymerases, is intrinsic to the polymerase domain of pol θ. Like the DNA synthesis activity, the nuclease activity requires conserved metal-binding residues, metal ions and dNTPs, and is inhibited by ddNTPs or chain-terminated DNA. Our data indicate that pol θ repurposes metal ions in the polymerase active site for endonucleolytic cleavage, and that the polymerase-active and end-trimming conformations of the enzyme are distinct. We reveal a nimble strategy of substrate processing that allows pol θ to trim or extend DNA depending on the DNA repair context.

The 16.5 kb human mitochondrial genome encodes for 13 polypeptides, 22 tRNAs and 2 rRNAs involved in oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), unlike its nuclear counterpart, is not packaged into nucleosomes and is more prone to the adverse effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during oxidative phosphorylation. The past few decades have witnessed an increase in the number of proteins observed to translocate to the mitochondria for the purposes of mitochondrial genome maintenance. The mtDNA damage produced by ROS, if not properly repaired, leads to instability and can ultimately manifest in mitochondrial dysfunction and disease. The base excision repair (BER) pathway is employed for the removal and consequently the repair of deaminated, oxidized, and alkylated DNA bases. Specialized enzymes called DNA glycosylases, which locate and cleave the damaged base, catalyze the first step of this highly coordinated repair pathway. This review focuses on members of the four human BER DNA glycosylase superfamilies and their subcellular localization in the mitochondria and/or the nucleus, as well as summarizes their structural features, biochemical properties, and functional role in the excision of damaged bases.

DNA polymerase θ protects against genomic instability via an alternative end-joining repair pathway for DNA double-strand breaks. Polymerase θ is overexpressed in breast, lung and oral cancers, and reduction of its activity in mammalian cells increases sensitivity to double-strand break-inducing agents, including ionizing radiation. Reported here are crystal structures of the C-terminal polymerase domain from human polymerase θ, illustrating two potential modes of dimerization. One structure depicts insertion of ddATP opposite an abasic-site analog during translesion DNA synthesis. The second structure describes a cognate ddGTP complex. Polymerase θ uses a specialized thumb subdomain to establish unique upstream contacts to the primer DNA strand, including an interaction with the 3'-terminal phosphate from one of five distinctive insertion loops. These observations demonstrate how polymerase θ grasps the primer to bypass DNA lesions or extend poorly annealed DNA termini to mediate end-joining.

Assault to DNA that leads to oxidative base damage is repaired by the base excision repair (BER) pathway with specialized enzymes called DNA glycosylases catalyzing the first step of this pathway. These glycosylases can be categorized into two families: the HhH superfamily, which includes endonuclease III (or Nth), and the Fpg/Nei family, which comprises formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (or Fpg) and endonuclease VIII (or Nei). In humans there are three Nei-like (NEIL) glycosylases: NEIL1, 2, and 3. Here we present the first crystal structure of a viral ortholog of the human NEIL2/NEIL3 proteins, Mimivirus Nei2 (MvNei2), determined at 2.04 Å resolution. The C-terminal region of the MvNei2 enzyme comprises two conserved DNA binding motifs: the helix-two-turns-helix (H2TH) motif and a C-H-C-C type zinc-finger similar to that of human NEIL2. The N-terminal region of MvNei2 is most closely related to NEIL3. Like NEIL3, MvNei2 bears a valine at position 2 instead of the usual proline and it lacks two of the three conserved void-filling residues present in other members of the Fpg/Nei family. Mutational analysis of the only conserved void-filling residue methionine 72 to alanine yields an MvNei2 variant with impaired glycosylase activity. Mutation of the adjacent His73 causes the enzyme to be more productive thereby suggesting a plausible role for this residue in the DNA lesion search process.

DNA polymerase β (pol β) is responsible for gap filling synthesis during repair of damaged DNA as part of the base excision repair pathway. Human pol β mutations were recently identified in a high percentage (∼30%) of tumors. Characterization of specific cancer variants is particularly useful to further the understanding of the general mechanism of pol β while providing context to disease contribution. We showed that expression of the carcinoma variant E295K induces cellular transformation. The poor polymerase activity exhibited by the variant was hypothesized to be caused by the destabilization of proper active site assembly by the glutamate to lysine mutation. Here, we show that this variant exhibits an unusual preference for binding dCTP opposite a templating adenine over the cognate dTTP. Biochemical studies indicate that the noncognate competes with the cognate nucleotide for binding to the polymerase active site with the noncognate incorporation a function of higher affinity and not increased activity. In the crystal structure of the variant bound to dA:dCTP, the fingers domain closes around the mismatched base pair. Nucleotide incorporation is hindered because key residues in the polymerase active site are not properly positioned for nucleotidyl transfer. In contrast to the noncognate dCTP, neither the cognate dTTP nor its nonhydrolyzable analog induced fingers closure, as isomorphous difference Fourier maps show that the cognate nucleotides are bound to the open state of the polymerase. Comparison with published structures provides insight into the structural rearrangements within pol β that occur during the process of nucleotide discrimination.

Amongst the four bases that form DNA, guanine is the most susceptible to oxidation, and its oxidation product, 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) is the most prevalent base lesion found in DNA. Fortunately, throughout evolution cells have developed repair mechanisms, such as the 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylases (OGG), which recognize and excise 8-oxoG from DNA thereby preventing the accumulation of deleterious mutations. OGG are divided into three subfamilies, OGG1, OGG2 and AGOG, which are all involved in the base excision repair (BER) pathway. The published structures of OGG1 and AGOG, as well as the recent availability of OGG2 structures in both apo- and liganded forms, provide an excellent opportunity to compare the structural and functional properties of the three OGG subfamilies. Among the observed differences, the three-dimensional fold varies considerably between OGG1 and OGG2 members, as the latter lack the A-domain involved in 8-oxoG binding. In addition, all three OGG subfamilies bind 8-oxoG in a different manner even though the crucial interaction between the enzyme and the protonated N7 of 8-oxoG is conserved. Finally, the three OGG subfamilies differ with respect to DNA binding properties, helix-hairpin-helix motifs, and specificity for the opposite base.

Thymine glycol (Tg) and 5-hydroxyuracil (5-OHU) are common oxidized products of pyrimidines, which are recognized and cleaved by two DNA glycosylases of the base excision repair pathway, endonuclease III (Nth) and endonuclease VIII (Nei). Although there are several structures of Nei enzymes unliganded or bound to an abasic (apurinic or apyrimidinic) site, until now there was no structure of an Nei bound to a DNA lesion. Mimivirus Nei1 (MvNei1) is an ortholog of human NEIL1, which was previously crystallized bound to DNA containing an apurinic site (Imamura, K., Wallace, S. S., and Doublié, S. (2009) J. Biol. Chem. 284, 26174-26183). Here, we present two crystal structures of MvNei1 bound to two oxidized pyrimidines, Tg and 5-OHU. Both lesions are flipped out from the DNA helix. Tg is in the anti conformation, whereas 5-OHU adopts both anti and syn conformations in the glycosylase active site. Only two protein side chains (Glu-6 and Tyr-253) are within hydrogen-bonding contact with either damaged base, and mutating these residues did not markedly affect the glycosylase activity. This finding suggests that lesion recognition by Nei occurs before the damaged base flips into the glycosylase active site.

Deducing the structure of the DNA double helix in 1953 implied the mode of its replication: Watson-Crick (WC) base pairing might instruct an enzyme, now known as the DNA polymerase, during the synthesis of a daughter stand complementary to a single strand of the parental double helix. What has become increasingly clear in the last 60 years, however, is that adducted and oxidatively generated DNA bases are ubiquitous in physiological DNA, and all organisms conserve multiple DNA polymerases specialized for DNA synthesis opposite these damaged templates. Here, we review recent crystal structures depicting replicative and bypass DNA polymerases encountering two typical lesions arising from the oxidation of DNA: abasic sites, which block the replication fork, and the miscoding premutagenic lesion 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG).

Poly(A) polymerase (PAP) synthesizes the polyadenine tail at the 3'-end of messenger RNA. A disulfide cross-linking strategy was implemented to obtain a complex between bovine PAP (bPAP) and a 15-mer oligo(A). All seven endogenous cysteines were mutated to eliminate nonspecific cross-linked complexes. A cysteine residue was introduced at several different positions and A152C was found to achieve maximum specific cross-linking efficiency. The resulting bPAP construct was active and, when mixed with a chemically modified RNA, yielded crystals of a bPAP-RNA complex. The crystals, which belonged to space group P2 and harbored two protein-RNA complexes per asymmetric unit, diffracted X-rays to 2.25 Å resolution.

DNA polymerase θ (POLQ, polθ) is a large, multidomain DNA polymerase encoded in higher eukaryotic genomes. It is important for maintaining genetic stability in cells and helping protect cells from DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation. POLQ contains an N-terminal helicase-like domain, a large central domain of indeterminate function, and a C-terminal polymerase domain with sequence similarity to the A-family of DNA polymerases. The enzyme has several unique properties, including low fidelity and the ability to insert and extend past abasic sites and thymine glycol lesions. It is not known whether the abasic site bypass activity is an intrinsic property of the polymerase domain or whether helicase activity is also required. Three "insertion" sequence elements present in POLQ are not found in any other A-family DNA polymerase, and it has been proposed that they may lend some unique properties to POLQ. Here, we analyzed the activity of the DNA polymerase in the absence of each sequence insertion. We found that the pol domain is capable of highly efficient bypass of abasic sites in the absence of the helicase-like or central domains. Insertion 1 increases the processivity of the polymerase but has little, if any, bearing on the translesion synthesis properties of the enzyme. However, removal of insertions 2 and 3 reduces activity on undamaged DNA and completely abrogates the ability of the enzyme to bypass abasic sites or thymine glycol lesions.

7,8-Dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) is a major oxidative lesion found in DNA. The 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylases (Ogg) responsible for the removal of 8-oxoG are divided into three families Ogg1, Ogg2 and AGOG. The Ogg2 members are devoid of the recognition loop used by Ogg1 to discriminate between 8-oxoG and guanine and it was unclear until recently how Ogg2 enzymes recognize the oxidized base. We present here the first crystallographic structure of an Ogg2 member, Methanocaldococcus janischii Ogg, in complex with a DNA duplex containing the 8-oxoG lesion. This structure highlights the crucial role of the C-terminal lysine, strictly conserved in Ogg2, in the recognition of 8-oxoG. The structure also reveals that Ogg2 undergoes a conformational change upon DNA binding similar to that observed in Ogg1 glycosylases. Furthermore, this work provides a structural rationale for the lack of opposite base specificity in this family of enzymes.

The oxidation of guanine generates one of the most common DNA lesions, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoG). The further oxidation of 8-oxoG can produce either guanidinohydantoin (Gh) in duplex DNA or spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) in nucleosides and ssDNA. Although Gh can be a strong block for replicative DNA polymerases such as RB69 DNA polymerase, this lesion is also mutagenic: DNA polymerases bypass Gh by preferentially incorporating a purine with a slight preference for adenine, which results in G.C --T.A or G.C --C.G transversions. The 2.15 A crystal structure of the replicative RB69 DNA polymerase in complex with DNA containing Gh reveals that Gh is extrahelical and rotated toward the major groove. In this conformation Gh is no longer in position to serve as a templating base for the incorporation of an incoming nucleotide. This work also constitutes the first crystallographic structure of Gh, which is stabilized in the R configuration in the two polymerase/DNA complexes present in the crystal asymmetric unit. In contrast to 8-oxoG, Gh is found in a high syn conformation in the DNA duplex and therefore presents the same hydrogen bond donor and acceptor pattern as thymine, which explains the propensity of DNA polymerases to incorporate a purine opposite Gh when bypass occurs.

7,8-Dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) is the major oxidative product of guanine and the most prevalent base lesion observed in DNA molecules. Because 8-oxoG has the capability to form a Hoogsteen pair with adenine (8-oxoG:A) in addition to a normal Watson–Crick pair with cytosine (8-oxoG:C), this lesion can lead to a G:C → T:A transversion after replication. However, 8-oxoG is recognized and excised by the 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (Ogg) of the base excision repair pathway. Members of the Ogg1 family usually display a strong preference for a C opposite the lesion. In contrast, the atypical Ogg1 from Clostridium actetobutylicum (CacOgg) can excise 8-oxoG when paired with either one of the four bases, albeit with a preference for C and A. Here we describe the first high-resolution crystal structures of CacOgg in complex with duplex DNA containing the 8-oxoG lesion paired to cytosine and to adenine. A structural comparison with human OGG1 provides a rationale for the lack of opposite base specificity displayed by the bacterial Ogg.

Endonuclease VIII (Nei) is a DNA glycosylase of the base excision repair pathway that recognizes and excises oxidized pyrimidines. We determined the crystal structures of a NEIL1 ortholog from the giant Mimivirus (MvNei1) unliganded and bound to DNA containing tetrahydrofuran (THF), which is the first structure of any Nei with an abasic site analog. The MvNei1 structures exhibit the same overall architecture as other enzymes of the Fpg/Nei family, which consists of two globular domains joined by a linker region. MvNei1 harbors a zincless finger, first described in human NEIL1, rather than the signature zinc finger generally found in the Fpg/Nei family. In contrast to Escherichia coli Nei, where a dramatic conformational change was observed upon binding DNA, the structure of MvNei1 bound to DNA does not reveal any substantial movement compared with the unliganded enzyme. A protein segment encompassing residues 217-245 in MvNei1 corresponds to the "missing loop" in E. coli Nei and the "alphaF-beta10 loop" in E. coli Fpg, which has been reported to be involved in lesion recognition. Interestingly, the corresponding loop in MvNei1 is ordered in both the unliganded and furan-bound structures, unlike other Fpg/Nei enzymes where the loop is generally ordered in the unliganded enzyme or in complexes with a lesion, and disordered otherwise. In the MvNei1.tetrahydrofuran complex a tyrosine located at the tip of the putative lesion recognition loop stacks against the furan ring; the tyrosine is predicted to adopt a different conformation to accommodate a modified base.

SummaryAmong the four DNA bases, guanine is particularly vulnerable to oxidative damage and the most common oxidative product, 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG), is the most prevalent lesion observed in DNA molecules. Fortunately, 8-oxoG is recognized and excised by the 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (Ogg) of the base excision repair pathway. Ogg enzymes are divided into three separate families, namely, Ogg1, Ogg2, and archaeal GO glycosylase (AGOG). To date, structures of members of both Ogg1 and AGOG families are known but no structural information is available for members of Ogg2. Here we describe the first crystal structures of two archaeal Ogg2: Methanocaldococcus janischii Ogg and Sulfolobus solfataricus Ogg. A structural comparison with OGG1 and AGOG suggested that the C-terminal lysine of Ogg2 may play a key role in discriminating between guanine and 8-oxoG. This prediction was substantiated by measuring the glycosylase/lyase activity of a C-terminal deletion mutant of MjaOgg.

DNA is subject to a multitude of oxidative damages generated by oxidizing agents from metabolism and exogenous sources and by ionizing radiation. Guanine is particularly vulnerable to oxidation, and the most common oxidative product 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) is the most prevalent lesion observed in DNA molecules. 8-OxoG can form a normal Watson–Crick pair with cytosine (8-oxoG:C), but it can also form a stable Hoogsteen pair with adenine (8-oxoG:A), leading to a G:C → T:A transversion after replication. Fortunately, 8-oxoG is recognized and excised by either of two DNA glycosylases of the base excision repair pathway: formamidopyrimidine–DNA glycosylase and 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (Ogg). While Clostridium acetobutylicum Ogg (CacOgg) DNA glycosylase can specifically recognize and remove 8-oxoG, it displays little preference for the base opposite the lesion, which is unusual for a member of the Ogg1 family. This work describes the crystal structures of CacOgg in its apo form and in complex with 8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine. A structural comparison between the apo form and the liganded form of the enzyme reveals a structural reorganization of the C-terminal domain upon binding of 8-oxoG, similar to that reported for human OGG1. A structural comparison of CacOgg with human OGG1, in complex with 8-oxoG containing DNA, provides a structural rationale for the lack of opposite base specificity displayed by CacOgg.

ATP phosphoribosyl transferase (ATP-PRT) joins ATP and 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) in a highly regulated reaction that initiates histidine biosynthesis. The unusual hetero-octameric version of ATP-PRT includes four HisG(S) catalytic subunits based on the periplasmic binding protein fold and four HisZ regulatory subunits that resemble histidyl-tRNA synthetases. Here, we present the first structure of a PRPP-bound ATP-PRT at 2.9 A and provide a structural model for allosteric activation based on comparisons with other inhibited and activated ATP-PRTs from both the hetero-octameric and hexameric families. The activated state of the octameric enzyme is characterized by an interstitial phosphate ion in the HisZ-HisG interface and new contacts between the HisZ motif 2 loop and the HisG(S) dimer interface. These contacts restructure the interface to recruit conserved residues to the active site, where they activate pyrophosphate to promote catalysis. Additionally, mutational analysis identifies the histidine binding sites within a region highly conserved between HisZ and the functional HisRS. Through the oligomerization and functional re-assignment of protein domains associated with aminoacylation and phosphate binding, the HisZ-HisG octameric ATP-PRT acquired the ability to initiate the synthesis of a key metabolic intermediate in an allosterically regulated fashion.

Significant advances have been made recently in the study of polymerases. First came the realization that there are many more DNA polymerases than originally thought; indeed, no fewer than 14 template-dependent DNA polymerases are found in mammals. Concurrent structural studies of DNA polymerases bound to DNA and incoming nucleotide have revealed how these remarkable copying machines select the correct deoxynucleoside triphosphate among a sea of nucleotides. A whole new level of insight into DNA replication fidelity has been reached as a result of recently determined crystal structures of DNA lesions in the context of the active sites of repair, replicative and specialized DNA polymerases. These structures illustrate why some lesions can be bypassed readily, whereas others are strong blocks to DNA replication.

Polyadenylation of messenger RNA precursors is an essential process in eukaryotes. Poly(A) polymerase (PAP), a member of the nucleotidyltransferase family that includes DNA polymerase beta, incorporates ATP at the 3' end of mRNAs in a template-independent manner. Although the structures of mammalian and yeast PAPs are known, their mechanism of ATP selection has remained elusive. In a recent bovine PAP structure complexed with an analog of ATP and Mn2+, strictly conserved residues interact selectively with the adenine base, but the nucleotide was found in a "non-productive" conformation. Here we report a second bovine crystal structure, obtained in the presence of Mg2+, where 3'-dATP adopts a "productive" conformation similar to that seen in yeast PAP or DNA polymerase beta. Mutational analysis and activity assays with ATP analogs suggest a role in catalysis for one of the two adenine-binding sites revealed by our structural data. The other site might function to prevent futile hydrolysis of ATP. In order to investigate the role of metals in catalysis we performed steady state kinetics experiments under distributive polymerization conditions. These tests suggest a sequential random mechanism in vitro in the presence of ATP and RNA, without preference for a particular order of binding of the two substrates. In vivo, however, where polyadenylation is processive and the primer does not dissociate from the enzyme, an ordered mechanism with the primer as the leading substrate is more likely.

The 16.5 kb human mitochondrial genome encodes for 13 polypeptides, 22 tRNAs and 2 rRNAs involved in oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), unlike its nuclear counterpart, is not packaged into nucleosomes and is more prone to the adverse effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during oxidative phosphorylation. The past few decades have witnessed an increase in the number of proteins observed to translocate to the mitochondria for the purposes of mitochondrial genome maintenance. The mtDNA damage produced by ROS, if not properly repaired, leads to instability and can ultimately manifest in mitochondrial dysfunction and disease. The base excision repair (BER) pathway is employed for the removal and consequently the repair of deaminated, oxidized, and alkylated DNA bases. Specialized enzymes called DNA glycosylases, which locate and cleave the damaged base, catalyze the first step of this highly coordinated repair pathway. This review focuses on members of the four human BER DNA glycosylase superfamilies and their subcellular localization in the mitochondria and/or the nucleus, as well as summarizes their structural features, biochemical properties, and functional role in the excision of damaged bases.

DNA glycosylases repair oxidative DNA damage caused by free radicals. Recently, NEIL1, a human homolog of Escherichia coli DNA glycosylase endonuclease VIII, has been identified and shown to exhibit broad substrate specificity for a variety of types of pyrimidine-base damage. An active C-terminal deletion construct of NEIL1 was overexpressed in E. coli and crystallized. The unliganded NEIL1 crystallizes in space group R3, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 132.2, c = 51.1 A. Complete data sets were collected from native, selenomethionyl and iodinated NEIL1 to 2.1, 2.3 and 2.4 angstroms, respectively.

Formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (Fpg; MutM) is a DNA repair enzyme widely distributed in bacteria. Fpg recognizes and excises oxidatively modified purines, 4,6-diamino-5-formamidopyrimidine, 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamidopyrimidine and 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG), with similar excision kinetics. It exhibits some lesser activity toward 8-oxoadenine. Fpg enzymes are also present in some plant and fungal species. The eukaryotic Fpg homologs exhibit little or no activity on DNA containing 8-oxoG, but they recognize and process its oxidation products, guanidinohydantoin (Gh) and spiroiminohydantoin (Sp). To date, several structures of bacterial Fpg enzymes unliganded or in complex with DNA containing a damaged base have been published but there is no structure of a eukaryotic Fpg. Here we describe the first crystal structure of a plant Fpg, Arabidopsis thaliana (AthFpg), unliganded and bound to DNA containing an abasic site analog, tetrahydrofuran (THF). Although AthFpg shares a common architecture with other Fpg glycosylases, it harbors a zincless finger, previously described in a subset of Nei enzymes, such as human NEIL1 and Mimivirus Nei1. Importantly the "αF-β9/10 loop" capping 8-oxoG in the active site of bacterial Fpg is very short in AthFpg. Deletion of a segment encompassing residues 213-229 in Escherichia coli Fpg (EcoFpg) and corresponding to the "αF-β9/10 loop" does not affect the recognition and removal of oxidatively damaged DNA base lesions, with the exception of 8-oxoG. Although the exact role of the loop remains to be further explored, it is now clear that this protein segment is specific to the processing of 8-oxoG.

Cleavage factor I(m) is an essential component of the pre-messenger RNA 3'-end processing machinery in higher eukaryotes, participating in both the polyadenylation and cleavage steps. Cleavage factor I(m) is an oligomer composed of a small 25 kDa subunit (CF I(m)25) and a variable larger subunit of either 59, 68 or 72 kDa. The small subunit also interacts with RNA, poly(A) polymerase, and the nuclear poly(A)-binding protein. These protein-protein interactions are thought to be facilitated by the Nudix domain of CF I(m)25, a hydrolase motif with a characteristic alpha/beta/alpha fold and a conserved catalytic sequence or Nudix box. We present here the crystal structures of human CF I(m)25 in its free and diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap(4)A) bound forms at 1.85 and 1.80 A, respectively. CF I(m)25 crystallizes as a dimer and presents the classical Nudix fold. Results from crystallographic and biochemical experiments suggest that CF I(m)25 makes use of its Nudix fold to bind but not hydrolyze ATP and Ap(4)A. The complex and apo protein structures provide insight into the active oligomeric state of CF I(m) and suggest a possible role of nucleotide binding in either the polyadenylation and/or cleavage steps of pre-messenger RNA 3'-end processing.

DNA polymerases change their specificity for nucleotide substrates with each catalytic cycle, while achieving error frequencies in the range of 10(-5) to 10(-6). Here we present a 2.2 A crystal structure of the replicative DNA polymerase from bacteriophage T7 complexed with a primer-template and a nucleoside triphosphate in the polymerase active site. The structure illustrates how nucleotides are selected in a template-directed manner, and provides a structural basis for a metal-assisted mechanism of phosphoryl transfer by a large group of related polymerases.

The crystal structures of DNA polymerase β in complex with two different mispairs (A-C and T-C) reveal that the two bases stack partially, rather than engage in hydrogen bonding with each other (Krahn et al., 2004, this issue of Structure ). The N-domain of the polymerase, which is closed when the correct nucleotide pairs with the template base, adopts a partially open conformation suboptimal for catalysis.