The EcoRI restriction endonuclease with bacteriophage lambda DNA. Kinetic studies.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Halford SE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC1162250 | biostudies-other | 1980 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:The EcoRI restriction endonuclease was found by the filter binding technique to form stable complexes, in the absence of Mg2+, with the DNA from derivatives of bacteriophage lambda that either contain or lack EcoRI recognition sites. The amount of complex formed at different enzyme concentrations followed a hyperbolic equilibrium-binding curve with DNA molecules containing EcoRI recognition sites, but a sigmoidal equilibrium-binding curve was obtained with a DNA molecule lacking EcoRI recognition sites. The EcoRI enzyme displayed the same affinity for individual recognition sites on lambda DNA, even under conditions where it cleaves these sites at different rates. The binding of the enzyme to a DNA molecule lacking EcoRI sites was decreased by Mg2+. These observations indicate that (a) the EcoRI restriction enzyme binds preferentially to its recognition site on DNA, and that different reaction rates at different recognition sites are due to the rate of breakdown of this complex; (b) the enzyme also binds to other DNA sequences, but that two molecules of enzyme, in a different protein conformation, are involved in the formation of the complex at non-specific consequences; (c) the different affinities of the enzyme for the recognition site and for other sequences on DNA, coupled with the different protein conformations, account for the specificity of this enzyme for the cleavage of DNA at this recognition site; (d) the decrease in the affinity of the enzyme for DNA, caused by Mg2+, liberates binding energy from the DNA-protein complex that can be used in the catalytic reaction.
| S-EPMC1162251 | biostudies-other
Project description:The reactions of the EcoRI restriction endonuclease on the covalently closed DNA of plasmid pMB9 were studied in the presence of ethidium bromide. At the concentrations of ethidium bromide tested, which covered the range over which the DNA is changed from negatively to positively supercoiled, the dye caused no alteration to the rate at which this enzyme cleaved the covalently closed DNA to yield the open-circle form, but the rate at which these open circles were cleaved to the linear product could be inhibited. The fluorescence change, caused by ethidium bromide binding with different stoichiometries to covalently closed and open-circle DNA, provided a direct and sensitive signal for monitoring the cleavage of DNA by this enzyme. This method was used for a steady-state kinetic analysis of the reaction catalysed by the EcoRI restriction enzyme. Reaction mechanisms where a complex between DNA and Mg2+ is the substrate for this enzyme were eliminated, and instead DNA and Mg2+ must bind to the enzyme in separate stages. The requisite controls for this fluorimetric assay in both steady-state and transient kinetics studies, and its application to other enzymes that alter the structure of covalently closed DNA, are described.
| S-EPMC1163435 | biostudies-other
Project description:Single turnovers of the EcoRI restriction endonuclease, cleaving its recognition site on the covalently closed form of plasmid pMB9, were examined. Two methods were used to monitor the progress of the reactions: one involved quenching the reaction at various times followed by the electrophoretic separation of the products cleaved in one and in both strands of the duplex; the other employed a stopped-flow fluorimeter to measure the amount of ethidium bromide bound to the DNA as it changes when the DNA, cleaved in at least one strand, dissociates from the enzyme. Two procedures were used to initiate the reactions. For some, one solution containing the enzyme was mixed with a second containing both DNA and MgCl2: in these reactions, the fluorescence changed at the same rate as the cleavage of the first strand of the duplex. Other reactions were started by the addition of MgCl2 to a pre-equilibrium of enzyme and DNA: here, both strands of the DNA were cleaved faster than before, with the fluorescence signal now occurring at the same time as the cleavage of the second strand. The different kinetics from the two assays and the two mixing procedures are consistent with the rates of these reactions being controlled by protein conformational changes. These may affect either one subunit alone within the dimeric EcoRI enzyme, allowing the enzyme to cleave only one strand of the DNA in each turnover. Alternatively, both subunits of the dimer may change, so that the enzyme then cleaves both strands during the life-time of one enzyme-DNA complex.
| S-EPMC1154373 | biostudies-other
Project description:Many specific sequence DNA binding proteins locate their target sequence by first binding to DNA nonspecifically, then by linearly diffusing or hopping along DNA until either the protein dissociates from the DNA or it finds the recognition sequence. We have devised a method for measuring one-dimensional diffusion along DNA based on the ratio of the dissociation rate of protein from DNA fragments containing one specific binding site to the dissociation rate from DNA fragments containing two specific binding sites. Our extensive measurements of dissociation rates and specific-nonspecific relative binding constants of the restriction nuclease EcoRI enable us to determine the diffusion rate of nonspecifically bound protein along the DNA. By varying the distance between the two binding sites, we confirm a linear diffusion mechanism. The sliding rate is relatively insensitive to salt concentration and osmotic pressure, indicating that the protein moves smoothly along the DNA probably following the helical phosphate-sugar backbone of DNA. We calculate a diffusion coefficient for EcoRI of 3 x 10(4) bp(2) s(-)(1) EcoRI is able to diffuse approximately 150 bp, on average, along the DNA in 1 s. This diffusion rate is about 2000-fold slower than the diffusion of free protein in solution. A factor of 40-50 can be accounted for by rotational friction resulting from following the helical path of the DNA backbone. Two possibilities could account for the remaining activation energy: salt bridges between the DNA and the protein are transiently broken, or the water structure at the protein-DNA interface is disrupted as the two surfaces move past each other.
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Project description:Promiscuous mutant EcoRI endonucleases bind to the canonical site GAATTC more tightly than does the wild-type endonuclease, yet cleave variant (EcoRI(*)) sites more rapidly than does wild-type. The crystal structure of the A138T promiscuous mutant homodimer in complex with a GAATTC site is nearly identical to that of the wild-type complex, except that the Thr138 side chains make packing interactions with bases in the 5'-flanking regions outside the recognition hexanucleotide while excluding two bound water molecules seen in the wild-type complex. Molecular dynamics simulations confirm exclusion of these waters. The structure and simulations suggest possible reasons why binding of the A138T protein to the GAATTC site has DeltaS degrees more favorable and DeltaH degrees less favorable than for wild-type endonuclease binding. The interactions of Thr138 with flanking bases may permit A138T, unlike wild-type enzyme, to form complexes with EcoRI(*) sites that structurally resemble the specific wild-type complex with GAATTC.
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Project description:Terminase enzymes are common to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses and are responsible for packaging viral DNA into the confines of an empty capsid shell. In bacteriophage lambda the catalytic terminase subunit is gpA, which is responsible for maturation of the genome end prior to packaging and subsequent translocation of the matured DNA into the capsid. DNA packaging requires an ATPase catalytic site situated in the N terminus of the protein. A second ATPase catalytic site associated with the DNA maturation activities of the protein has been proposed; however, direct demonstration of this putative second site is lacking. Here we describe biochemical studies that define protease-resistant peptides of gpA and expression of these putative domains in Escherichia coli. Biochemical characterization of gpA-DeltaN179, a construct in which the N-terminal 179 residues of gpA have been deleted, indicates that this protein encompasses the DNA maturation domain of gpA. The construct is folded, soluble and possesses an ATP-dependent nuclease activity. Moreover, the construct binds and hydrolyzes ATP despite the fact that the DNA packaging ATPase site in the N terminus of gpA has been deleted. Mutation of lysine 497, which alters the conserved lysine in a predicted Walker A "P-loop" sequence, does not affect ATP binding but severely impairs ATP hydrolysis. Further, this mutation abrogates the ATP-dependent nuclease activity of the protein. These studies provide direct evidence for the elusive nucleotide-binding site in gpA that is directly associated with the DNA maturation activity of the protein. The implications of these results with respect to the two roles of the terminase holoenzyme, DNA maturation and DNA packaging, are discussed.
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Project description:We studied the control parameters that govern the dynamics of in vitro DNA ejection in bacteriophage lambda. Previous work demonstrated that bacteriophage DNA is highly pressurized, and this pressure has been hypothesized to help drive DNA ejection. Ions influence this process by screening charges on DNA; however, a systematic variation of salt concentrations to explore these effects has not been undertaken. To study the nature of the forces driving DNA ejection, we performed in vitro measurements of DNA ejection in bulk and at the single-phage level. We present measurements on the dynamics of ejection and on the self-repulsion force driving ejection. We examine the role of ion concentration and identity in both measurements, and show that the charge of counterions is an important control parameter. These measurements show that the mobility of ejecting DNA is independent of ionic concentrations for a given amount of DNA in the capsid. We also present evidence that phage DNA forms loops during ejection, and confirm that this effect occurs using optical tweezers.
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Project description:In this study, we specifically visualized DNA molecules at their AT base pairs after in vitro phage ejection. Our AT-specific visualization revealed that either end of the DNA molecule could be ejected first with a nearly 50% probability. This observation challenges the generally accepted theory of Last In First Out (LIFO), which states that the end of the phage λ DNA that enters the capsid last during phage packaging is the first to be ejected, and that both ends of the DNA are unable to move within the extremely condensed phage capsid. To support our observations, we conducted computer simulations that revealed that both ends of the DNA molecule are randomized, resulting in the observed near 50% probability. Additionally, we found that the length of the ejected DNA by LIFO was consistently longer than that by First In First Out (FIFO) during in vitro phage ejection. Our simulations attributed this difference in length to the stiffness difference of the remaining DNA within the phage capsid. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that a DNA molecule within an extremely dense phage capsid exhibits a degree of mobility, allowing it to switch ends during ejection.
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Project description:DNA recombination, replication, and repair are intrinsically interconnected processes. From viruses to humans, they are ubiquitous and essential to all life on Earth. Single-strand annealing homologous DNA recombination is a major mechanism for the repair of double-stranded DNA breaks. An exonuclease and an annealase work in tandem, forming a complex known as a two-component recombinase. Red? annealase and ?-exonuclease from phage lambda form the archetypal two-component recombinase complex. In this short review article, we highlight some of the in vitro studies that have led to our current understanding of the lambda recombinase system. We synthesize insights from more than half a century of research, summarizing the state of our current understanding. From this foundation, we identify the gaps in our knowledge and cast an eye forward to consider what the next 50?years of research may uncover.
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Project description:Phage T4 protects its DNA from the two-gene-encoded gmrS/gmrD (glucose-modified hydroxymethylcytosine restriction endonuclease) CT of pathogenic Escherichia coli, CT596, by injecting several hundred copies of the 76-amino-acid-residue nuclease inhibitor, IPI*, into the infected host. Here, the three-dimensional solution structure of mature IPI* is reported as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance techniques using 1290 experimental nuclear Overhauser effect and dipolar coupling constraints ( approximately 17 constraints per residue). Close examination of this oblate-shaped protein structure reveals a novel fold consisting of two small beta-sheets (beta1: B1 and B2; beta2: B3-B5) flanked at the N- and C-termini by alpha-helices (H1 and H2). Such a fold is very compact in shape and allows ejection of IPI* through the narrow 30-A portal and tail tube apertures of the virion without unfolding. Structural and dynamic measurements identify an exposed hydrophobic knob that is a putative gmrS/gmrD-binding site. A single gene from the uropathogenic E. coli UT189, which codes for a gmrS/gmrD-like UT fusion enzyme (with approximately 90% identity to the heterodimeric CT enzyme), has evolved IPI* inhibitor immunity. Analysis of the gmrS/gmrD restriction endonuclease enzyme family and its IPI* family phage antagonists reveals an evolutionary pathway that has elaborated a surprisingly diverse and specifically fitted set of coevolving attack and defense structures.
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