Publications

• Iron-catalysed oxidation intermediates captured in a DNA repair dioxygenase.

  Yi C., Jia G., Hou G., Dai Q., Zhang W., Zheng G., Jian X., Yang C.G., Cui Q., He C.

  Mononuclear iron-containing oxygenases conduct a diverse variety of oxidation functions in biology, including the oxidative demethylation of methylated nucleic acids and histones. Escherichia coli AlkB is the first such enzyme that was discovered to repair methylated nucleic acids, which are other ... >> More

  Mononuclear iron-containing oxygenases conduct a diverse variety of oxidation functions in biology, including the oxidative demethylation of methylated nucleic acids and histones. Escherichia coli AlkB is the first such enzyme that was discovered to repair methylated nucleic acids, which are otherwise cytotoxic and/or mutagenic. AlkB human homologues are known to play pivotal roles in various processes. Here we present structural characterization of oxidation intermediates for these demethylases. Using a chemical cross-linking strategy, complexes of AlkB-double stranded DNA (dsDNA) containing 1,N(6)-etheno adenine (εA), N(3)-methyl thymine (3-meT) and N(3)-methyl cytosine (3-meC) are stabilized and crystallized, respectively. Exposing these crystals, grown under anaerobic conditions containing iron(II) and α-ketoglutarate (αKG), to dioxygen initiates oxidation in crystallo. Glycol (from εA) and hemiaminal (from 3-meT) intermediates are captured; a zwitterionic intermediate (from 3-meC) is also proposed, based on crystallographic observations and computational analysis. The observation of these unprecedented intermediates provides direct support for the oxidative demethylation mechanism for these demethylases. This study also depicts a general mechanistic view of how a methyl group is oxidatively removed from different biological substrates. << Less

  Nature 468:330-333(2010) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Structural and mutational analysis of Escherichia coli AlkB provides insight into substrate specificity and DNA damage searching.

  Holland P.J., Hollis T.

  <h4>Background</h4>In Escherichia coli, cytotoxic DNA methyl lesions on the N1 position of purines and N3 position of pyrimidines are primarily repaired by the 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) iron(II) dependent dioxygenase, AlkB. AlkB repairs 1-methyladenine (1-meA) and 3-methylcytosine (3-meC) lesions, but ... >> More

  <h4>Background</h4>In Escherichia coli, cytotoxic DNA methyl lesions on the N1 position of purines and N3 position of pyrimidines are primarily repaired by the 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) iron(II) dependent dioxygenase, AlkB. AlkB repairs 1-methyladenine (1-meA) and 3-methylcytosine (3-meC) lesions, but it also repairs 1-methylguanine (1-meG) and 3-methylthymine (3-meT) at a much less efficient rate. How the AlkB enzyme is able to locate and identify methylated bases in ssDNA has remained an open question.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>We determined the crystal structures of the E. coli AlkB protein holoenzyme and the AlkB-ssDNA complex containing a 1-meG lesion. We coupled this to site-directed mutagenesis of amino acids in and around the active site, and tested the effects of these mutations on the ability of the protein to bind both damaged and undamaged DNA, as well as catalyze repair of a methylated substrate.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>A comparison of our substrate-bound AlkB-ssDNA complex with our unliganded holoenzyme reveals conformational changes of residues within the active site that are important for binding damaged bases. Site-directed mutagenesis of these residues reveals novel insight into their roles in DNA damage recognition and repair. Our data support a model that the AlkB protein utilizes at least two distinct conformations in searching and binding methylated bases within DNA: a "searching" mode and "repair" mode. Moreover, we are able to functionally separate these modes through mutagenesis of residues that affect one or the other binding state. Finally, our mutagenesis experiments show that amino acid D135 of AlkB participates in both substrate specificity and catalysis. << Less

  PLoS ONE 5:E8680-E8680(2010) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• A non-heme iron-mediated chemical demethylation in DNA and RNA.

  Yi C., Yang C.G., He C.

  DNA methylation is arguably one of the most important chemical signals in biology. However, aberrant DNA methylation can lead to cytotoxic or mutagenic consequences. A DNA repair protein in Escherichia coli, AlkB, corrects some of the unwanted methylations of DNA bases by a unique oxidative demeth ... >> More

  DNA methylation is arguably one of the most important chemical signals in biology. However, aberrant DNA methylation can lead to cytotoxic or mutagenic consequences. A DNA repair protein in Escherichia coli, AlkB, corrects some of the unwanted methylations of DNA bases by a unique oxidative demethylation in which the methyl carbon is liberated as formaldehyde. The enzyme also repairs exocyclic DNA lesions--that is, derivatives in which the base is augmented with an additional heterocyclic subunit--by a similar mechanism. Two proteins in humans that are homologous to AlkB, ABH2 and ABH3, repair the same spectrum of lesions; another human homologue of AlkB, FTO, is linked to obesity. In this Account, we describe our studies of AlkB, ABH2, and ABH3, including our development of a general strategy to trap homogeneous protein-DNA complexes through active-site disulfide cross-linking. AlkB uses a non-heme mononuclear iron(II) and the cofactors 2-ketoglutarate (2KG) and dioxygen to effect oxidative demethylation of the DNA base lesions 1-methyladenine (1-meA), 3-methylcytosine (3-meC), 1-methylguanine (1-meG), and 3-methylthymine (3-meT). ABH3, like AlkB, works better on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and is capable of repairing damaged bases in RNA. Conversely, ABH2 primarily repairs lesions in double-stranded DNA (dsDNA); it is the main housekeeping enzyme that protects the mammalian genome from 1-meA base damage. The AlkB-family proteins have moderate affinities for their substrates and bind DNA in a non-sequence-specific manner. Knowing that these proteins flip the damaged base out from the duplex DNA and insert it into the active site for further processing, we first engineered a disulfide cross-link in the active site to stabilize the Michaelis complex. Based on the detailed structural information afforded by the active-site cross-linked structures, we can readily install a cross-link away from the active site to obtain the native-like structures of these complexes. The crystal structures show a distinct base-flipping feature in AlkB and establish ABH2 as a dsDNA repair protein. They also provide a molecular framework for understanding the demethylation reaction catalyzed by these proteins and help to explain their substrate preferences. The chemical cross-linking method demonstrated here can be applied to trap other labile protein-DNA interactions and can serve as a general strategy for exploring the structural and functional aspects of base-flipping proteins. << Less

  Acc Chem Res 42:519-529(2009) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• AlkB-mediated oxidative demethylation reverses DNA damage in Escherichia coli.

  Falnes P.O., Johansen R.F., Seeberg E.

  The bacterial AlkB protein is known to be involved in cellular recovery from alkylation damage; however, the function of this protein remains unknown. AlkB homologues have been identified in several organisms, including humans, and a recent sequence alignment study has suggested that these protein ... >> More

  The bacterial AlkB protein is known to be involved in cellular recovery from alkylation damage; however, the function of this protein remains unknown. AlkB homologues have been identified in several organisms, including humans, and a recent sequence alignment study has suggested that these proteins may belong to a superfamily of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent and iron-dependent oxygenases (2OG-Fe(ii)-oxygenases). Here we show that AlkB from Escherichia coli is indeed a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent and iron-dependent DNA repair enzyme that releases replication blocks in alkylated DNA by a mechanism involving oxidative demethylation of 1-methyladenine residues. This mechanism represents a new pathway for DNA repair and the third type of DNA damage reversal mechanism so far discovered. << Less

  Nature 419:178-182(2002) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]