8-hydroxyguanine and thymidine-5--triphosphate

8-OxoGua (8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine) is produced in nucleic acids as well as in nucleotide pools of cells, by reactive oxygen species normally formed during cellular metabolic processes. MutT protein of Escherichia coli specifically degrades 8-oxoGua-containing deoxyribo- and ribonucleoside triphosphates to corresponding nucleoside monophosphates, thereby preventing misincorporation of 8-oxoGua into DNA and RNA, which would cause mutation and phenotypic suppression, respectively. Here, we report that the MutT protein has additional activities for cleaning up the nucleotide pools to ensure accurate DNA replication and transcription. It hydrolyzes 8-oxo-dGDP to 8-oxo-dGMP with a K(m) of 0.058 microM, a value considerably lower than that for its normal counterpart, dGDP (170 microM). Furthermore, the MutT possesses an activity to degrade 8-oxo-GDP to the related nucleoside monophosphate, with a K(m) value 8000 times lower than that for GDP. These multiple enzyme activities of the MutT protein would facilitate the high fidelity of DNA and RNA syntheses.

Topics: Deoxyadenine Nucleotides; Deoxycytosine Nucleotides; Deoxyguanine Nucleotides; DNA Replication; DNA, Bacterial; Escherichia coli Proteins; Guanine; Guanosine Triphosphate; Hydrolysis; Kinetics; Multienzyme Complexes; Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases; Pyrophosphatases; RNA, Bacterial; Thymine Nucleotides; Transcription, Genetic

8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoGua) can base pair with either cytosine (C) or adenine (A) when replicated by DNA polymerases. The 8-oxoGua.A mismatch is extended in preference to the 8-oxoGua.C pair. Using a model 25-mer/36-mer DNA duplex containing either guanine (Gua).C, 8-oxoGua.C, or 8-oxoGua.A base pairs at the primer terminus and A at the standing start position, we found that the pre-steady-state addition of dTTP opposite A following all three base pairs by bacteriophage T7 DNA polymerase exo- showed burst kinetics, suggesting that extension of all three base pairs is controlled by the rate of a step at or before phosphodiester bond formation. Substitution of dTTP alpha S for dTTP yielded modest thio effects of 1-6, suggesting that extension of all three pairs is limited by the rate of the conformational change prior to phosphodiester bond formation. Pre-steady-state values for kpol (maximum polymerization rate) were 120, 12, and 28 s-1, and Kd values were 2, 75, and 22 microM for insertion of dTTP following Gua.C, 8-oxoGua.C, and 8-oxoGua.A base pairs, respectively. Additional analysis of extension was provided by substitution of A in the standing start position by 2-aminopurine (2-AP), a fluorescent base analogue. Comparison of rapid-quench gel-based assays with stopped-flow fluorescence quenching assays suggested that during addition of dTTP opposite 2-AP phosphodiester bond formation was rate-limiting when 8-oxoGua.C or 8-oxoGua.A were the preceding base pairs, while conformational change was rate-limiting when Gua.C was the preceding base pair. Furthermore, the difference in apparent conformational change rates for addition of dTTP opposite 2-AP following the 8-oxoGua base pairs was greater than the differences in their phosphodiester bond formation rates, suggesting that discrimination in extension may be influenced more by conformational change rates than the rates of phosphodiester bond formation in this mispaired system.

Topics: Bacteriophage T7; Base Composition; Base Sequence; DNA; DNA Adducts; DNA Repair; DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; Guanine; Kinetics; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Thymine Nucleotides