Biology subjects

Woodgate, R.

Publications and source records attributed to Woodgate, R..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

DNA polymerase η is regulated by mutually exclusive mono-ubiquitination and mono-NEDDylation

DNA polymerase eta (Pol {eta}) is a Y-family translesion polymerase responsible for synthesizing new DNA across UV-damaged templates. It is recruited to replication forks following mono-ubiquitination of the PCNA DNA clamp. This interaction is mediated by PCNA-interacting protein (PIP) motifs within Pol {eta}, as well as by its C-terminal ubiquitin-binding zinc finger (UBZ) domain. Previous work has suggested that Pol {eta} itself is mono-ubiquitinated at four C-terminal lysine residues, which is dependent on prior ubiquitin-binding by its UBZ domain. Here, we show that Pol {eta} can be modified at the same lysine residues by the ubiquitin-like protein, NEDD8. Like ubiquitination, this modification is driven by non-covalent interactions between NEDD8 and the UBZ domain. While only a small proportion of Pol {eta} is mono-NEDDylated under normal conditions, these levels rapidly increase by inhibiting the COP9 signalosome, suggesting that mono-NEDDylation is maintained under strong negative regulation. Finally, we provide data to support that mono-ubiquitination is important for Pol {eta} foci formation and suggest that NEDDylation disrupts this process. These results reveal a new mechanism of Pol {eta} regulation by ubiquitin-like proteins.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2021

The mycobacterial mutasome: composition and recruitment in live cells

A DNA damage-inducible mutagenic gene cassette has been implicated in the emergence of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis during anti-tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapy. However, the molecular composition and operation of the encoded "mycobacterial mutasome" - minimally comprising DnaE2 polymerase and ImuA' and ImuB accessory proteins - remain elusive. Following exposure of mycobacteria to DNA damaging agents, we observe that DnaE2 and ImuB co-localize with the DNA polymerase III {beta} subunit ({beta} clamp) in distinct intracellular foci. Notably, genetic inactivation of the mutasome in an imuBAAAAGG mutant containing a disrupted {beta} clamp-binding motif abolishes ImuB-{beta} clamp focus formation, a phenotype recapitulated pharmacologically by treating bacilli with griselimycin and in biochemical assays in which this {beta} clamp-binding antibiotic collapses pre-formed ImuB-{beta} clamp complexes. These observations establish the essentiality of the ImuB-{beta} clamp interaction for mutagenic DNA repair in mycobacteria, identifying the mutasome as target for adjunctive therapeutics designed to protect anti-TB drugs against emerging resistance.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2019

DNA double-strand breaks induced by reactive oxygenspecies promote DNA polymerase IV activity in Escherichia coli

Under many conditions the killing of bacterial cells by antibiotics is potentiated by DNA damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS)1-3. A primary cause of ROS-induced cell death is the accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs)1,4-6. DNA polymerase IV (pol IV), an error-prone DNA polymerase produced at elevated levels in cells experiencing DNA damage, has been implicated both in ROS-dependent killing and in DSBR7-15. Here, we show using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy that ROS-induced DSBs promote pol IV activity in two ways. First, exposure to the antibiotics ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim triggers an SOS-mediated increase in intracellular pol IV concentrations that is strongly dependent on both ROS and DSBR. Second, in cells that constitutively express pol IV, treatment with an ROS scavenger dramatically reduces the number of pol IV foci formed upon exposure to antibiotics, indicating a role for pol IV in the repair of ROS-induced DSBs.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Spatial and temporal organization of RecA in the Escherichia coli DNA-damage response

The RecA protein orchestrates the cellular response to DNA damage via its multiple roles in the bacterial SOS response. Lack of tools that provide unambiguous access to the various RecA states within the cell have prevented understanding of the spatial and temporal changes in RecA structure/function that underlie control of the damage response. Here, we develop a monomeric C-terminal fragment of the {lambda} repressor as a novel fluorescent probe that specifically interacts with RecA filaments on single-stranded DNA (RecA*). Single-molecule imaging techniques in live cells demonstrate that RecA is largely sequestered in storage structures during normal metabolism. Upon DNA damage, the storage structures dissolve and the cytosolic pool of RecA rapidly nucleates to form early SOS-signaling complexes, maturing into DNA-bound RecA bundles at later time points. Both before and after SOS induction, RecA* largely appears at locations distal from replisomes. Upon completion of repair, RecA storage structures reform.

biophysics↗