Biochemical and functional characterization of Plasmodium falciparum DNA polymerase ?.
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ABSTRACT: Emergence of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum has created an urgent need for new drug targets. DNA polymerase ? is an essential enzyme required for chromosomal DNA replication and repair, and therefore may be a potential target for anti-malarial drug development. However, little is known of the characteristics and function of this P. falciparum enzyme.The coding sequences of DNA polymerase ? catalytic subunit (PfPol?-cat), DNA polymerase ? small subunit (PfPol?S) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PfPCNA) from chloroquine- and pyrimethamine-resistant P. falciparum strain K1 were amplified, cloned into an expression vector and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant proteins were analysed by SDS-PAGE and identified by LC-MS/MS. PfPol?-cat was biochemically characterized. The roles of PfPol?S and PfPCNA in PfPol?-cat function were investigated. In addition, inhibitory effects of 11 compounds were tested on PfPol?-cat activity and on in vitro parasite growth using SYBR Green I assay.The purified recombinant protein PfPol?-cat, PfPol?S and PfPCNA showed on SDS-PAGE the expected size of 143, 57 and 34 kDa, respectively. Predicted amino acid sequence of the PfPol?-cat and PfPol?S had 59.2 and 24.7 % similarity respectively to that of the human counterpart. The PfPol?-cat possessed both DNA polymerase and 3'-5' exonuclease activities. It used both Mg(2+) and Mn(2+) as cofactors and was inhibited by high KCl salt (>200 mM). PfPol?S stimulated PfPol?-cat activity threefolds and up to fourfolds when PfPCNA was included in the assay. Only two compounds were potent inhibitors of PfPol?-cat, namely, butylphenyl-dGTP (BuPdGTP; IC50 of 38 µM) and 7-acetoxypentyl-(3, 4 dichlorobenzyl) guanine (7-acetoxypentyl-DCBG; IC50 of 55 µM). The latter compound showed higher inhibition on parasite growth (IC50 of 4.1 µM).Recombinant PfPol?-cat, PfPol?S and PfPCNA were successfully expressed and purified. PfPolS and PfPCNA increased DNA polymerase activity of PfPol?-cat. The high sensitivity of PfPol? to BuPdGTP can be used to differentiate parasite enzyme from mammalian and human counterparts. Interestingly, 7-acetoxypentyl-DCBG showed inhibitory effects on both enzyme activity and parasite growth. Thus, 7-acetoxypentyl-DCBG is a potential candidate for future development of a new class of anti-malarial agents targeting parasite replicative DNA polymerase.
SUBMITTER: Vasuvat J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4766629 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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