Project description:Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions are associated with mitochondrial disease, and also accumulate during normal human ageing. The mechanisms underlying mtDNA deletions remain unknown although several models have been proposed. Here we use deep sequencing to characterize abundant mtDNA deletions in patients with mutations in mitochondrial DNA replication factors, and show that these have distinct directionality and repeat characteristics. Furthermore, we recreate the deletion formation process in vitro using only purified mitochondrial proteins and defined DNA templates. Based on our in vivo and in vitro findings, we conclude that mtDNA deletion formation involves copy-choice recombination during replication of the mtDNA light strand.
Project description:BackgroundIron overload is the primary cause of morbidity in transfusion-dependent thalassemia. Increase in iron causes mitochondrial dysfunction under experimental conditions, but the occurrence and significance of mitochondrial damage is not understood in patients with thalassemia.MethodsMitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to nuclear DNA copy number (Mt/N) and frequency of the common 4977-bp mitochondrial deletion (ΔmtDNA4977) were quantified using a quantitative PCR assay on whole blood samples from 38 subjects with thalassemia who were receiving regular transfusions.ResultsCompared with healthy controls, Mt/N and ΔmtDNA4977 frequency were elevated in thalassemia (P = 0.038 and P < 0.001, respectively). ΔmtDNA4977 was increased in the presence of either liver iron concentration > 15 mg/g dry-weight or splenectomy, with the highest levels observed in subjects who had both risk factors (P = 0.003). Myocardial iron (MRI T2* < 20 ms) was present in 0%, 22%, and 46% of subjects with ΔmtDNA4977 frequency < 20, 20-40, and > 40/1 × 107 mtDNA, respectively (P = 0.025). Subjects with Mt/N values below the group median had significantly lower Matsuda insulin sensitivity index (5.76 ± 0.53) compared with the high Mt/N group (9.11 ± 0.95, P = 0.008).ConclusionIndividuals with transfusion-dependent thalassemia demonstrate age-related increase in mtDNA damage in leukocytes. These changes are markedly amplified by splenectomy and are associated with extrahepatic iron deposition. Elevated mtDNA damage in blood cells may predict the risk of iron-associated organ damage in thalassemia.
Project description:In this study, we present the first genome-wide recombination map for mitochondrial DNA in yeast. We also assess the impact of the genetic background and of several gene deletions on the recombination profiles.
Project description:Homologous recombination is a universal process, conserved from bacteriophage to human, which is important for the repair of double-strand DNA breaks. Recombination in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was documented more than 4 decades ago, but the underlying molecular mechanism has remained elusive. Recent studies have revealed the presence of a Rad52-type recombination system of bacteriophage origin in mitochondria, which operates by a single-strand annealing mechanism independent of the canonical RecA/Rad51-type recombinases. Increasing evidence supports the notion that, like in bacteriophages, mtDNA inheritance is a coordinated interplay between recombination, repair, and replication. These findings could have profound implications for understanding the mechanism of mtDNA inheritance and the generation of mtDNA deletions in aging cells.
Project description:Problems that arise during DNA replication can drive genomic alterations that are instrumental in the development of cancers and many human genetic disorders. Replication fork barriers are a commonly encountered problem, which can cause fork collapse and act as hotspots for replication termination. Collapsed forks can be rescued by homologous recombination, which restarts replication. However, replication restart is relatively slow and, therefore, replication termination may frequently occur by an active fork converging on a collapsed fork. We find that this type of non-canonical fork convergence in fission yeast is prone to trigger deletions between repetitive DNA sequences via a mechanism we call Inter-Fork Strand Annealing (IFSA) that depends on the recombination proteins Rad52, Exo1 and Mus81, and is countered by the FANCM-related DNA helicase Fml1. Based on our findings, we propose that IFSA is a potential threat to genomic stability in eukaryotes.
Project description:mtDNA recombination events in yeasts are known, but altered mitochondrial genomes were not completed. Therefore, we analyzed recombined mtDNAs in six Saccharomyces cerevisiae × Saccharomyces paradoxus hybrids in detail. Assembled molecules contain mostly segments with variable length introgressed to other mtDNA. All recombination sites are in the vicinity of the mobile elements, introns in cox1, cob genes and free standing ORF1, ORF4. The transplaced regions involve co-converted proximal exon regions. Thus, these selfish elements are beneficial to the host if the mother molecule is challenged with another molecule for transmission to the progeny. They trigger mtDNA recombination ensuring the transfer of adjacent regions, into the progeny of recombinant molecules. The recombination of the large segments may result in mitotically stable duplication of several genes.
Project description:UvrD, a highly conserved helicase involved in mismatch repair, nucleotide excision repair (NER), and recombinational repair, plays a critical role in maintaining genomic stability and facilitating DNA lesion repair in many prokaryotic species. In this report, we focus on the UvrD homolog in Helicobacter pylori, a genetically diverse organism that lacks many known DNA repair proteins, including those involved in mismatch repair and recombinational repair, and that is noted for high levels of inter- and intragenomic recombination and mutation. H. pylori contains numerous DNA repeats in its compact genome and inhabits an environment rich in DNA-damaging agents that can lead to increased rearrangements between such repeats. We find that H. pylori UvrD functions to repair DNA damage and limit homologous recombination and DNA damage-induced genomic rearrangements between DNA repeats. Our results suggest that UvrD and other NER pathway proteins play a prominent role in maintaining genome integrity, especially after DNA damage; thus, NER may be especially critical in organisms such as H. pylori that face high-level genotoxic stress in vivo.
Project description:Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions are a primary cause of mitochondrial disease and are believed to contribute to the aging process and to various neurodegenerative diseases. Despite strong observational and experimental evidence, the molecular basis of the deletion process remains obscure. In this study, we test the hypothesis that the primary cause of mtDNA vulnerability to breakage resides in the formation of non-B DNA conformations, namely hairpin, cruciform and cloverleaf-like elements. Using the largest database of human mtDNA deletions built thus far (753 different cases), we show that site-specific breakage hotspots exist in the mtDNA. Furthermore, we discover that the most frequent deletion breakpoints occur within or near predicted structures, a result that is supported by data from transgenic mice with mitochondrial disease. There is also a significant association between the folding energy of an mtDNA region and the number of breakpoints that it harbours. In particular, two clusters of hairpins (near the D-loop 3'-terminus and the L-strand origin of replication) are hotspots for mtDNA breakage. Consistent with our hypothesis, the highest number of 5'- and 3'-breakpoints per base is found in the highly structured tRNA genes. Overall, the data presented in this study suggest that non-B DNA conformations are a key element of the mtDNA deletion process.
Project description:ObjectiveCerebral atrophy is a correlate of clinical progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). Mitochondria are now established to play a part in the pathogenesis of MS. Uniquely, mitochondria harbor their own mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), essential for maintaining a healthy central nervous system. We explored mitochondrial respiratory chain activity and mtDNA deletions in single neurons from secondary progressive MS (SPMS) cases.MethodsNinety-eight snap-frozen brain blocks from 13 SPMS cases together with complex IV/complex II histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, laser dissection microscopy, long-range and real-time PCR and sequencing were used to identify and analyze respiratory-deficient neurons devoid of complex IV and with complex II activity.ResultsThe density of respiratory-deficient neurons in SPMS was strikingly in excess of aged controls. The majority of respiratory-deficient neurons were located in layer VI and immediate subcortical white matter (WM) irrespective of lesions. Multiple deletions of mtDNA were apparent throughout the gray matter (GM) in MS. The respiratory-deficient neurons harbored high levels of clonally expanded mtDNA deletions at a single-cell level. Furthermore, there were neurons lacking mtDNA-encoded catalytic subunits of complex IV. mtDNA deletions sufficiently explained the biochemical defect in the majority of respiratory-deficient neurons.InterpretationThese findings provide evidence that neurons in MS are respiratory-deficient due to mtDNA deletions, which are extensive in GM and may be induced by inflammation. We propose induced multiple deletions of mtDNA as an important contributor to neurodegeneration in MS.
Project description:ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation of large mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions in skin samples of people with HIV (PWH) with measures of neuropathy and prior exposure to therapy. We hypothesized that deletions would be associated with neuropathy. As secondary objectives, we determined the correlation of deletion burden with demographic data and neuropathy measures.MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, we measured the accumulation of large mtDNA deletions in skin biopsies from PWH recruited as part of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). Our cohort includes individuals with and without sensory neuropathy, as well as individuals with normal or abnormal skin biopsies. Skin biopsies, sural and peroneal nerve conduction studies, total neuropathy score, and deletion burden scores were measured, along with baseline demographic data such as age, CD4+ cell count, viral counts, and prior nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor exposures.ResultsSixty-seven PWH were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the cohort (n = 67) was 44 years (SD 6.8, range 32-65 years), and 9 participants were female. The mean CD4+ T-cell count was 168 cells/mm3 (SD 97 cells/mm3, range 1-416 cells/mm3) and mean viral load was 51,129 copies/mL (SD 114,586 copies/mL, range 147-657,775 copies/mL). We determined that there was a correlation between the total mtDNA deletion and intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) (r = -0.344, p = 0.04) and sural nerve amplitude (r = -0.359, p = 0.004).ConclusionsBoth IENFD and sural nerve amplitude statistically correlate with mitochondrial mutation burden in PWH, specifically in those with HIV-associated sensory neuropathy as assessed by skin biopsy.