Footprinting of Chlorella virus DNA ligase bound at a nick in duplex DNA Journal Article


Authors: Odell, M.; Shuman, S.
Article Title: Footprinting of Chlorella virus DNA ligase bound at a nick in duplex DNA
Abstract: The 298-amino acid ATP-dependent DNA ligase of Chlorella virus PBCV-1 is the smallest eukaryotic DNA ligase known. The enzyme has intrinsic specificity for binding to nicked duplex DNA. To delineate the ligase-DNA interface, we have footprinted the enzyme binding site on DNA and the DNA binding site on ligase. The size of the exonuclease III footprint of ligase bound a single nick in duplex DNA is 19-21 nucleotides. The footprint is asymmetric, extending 8-9 nucleotides on the 3'-OH side of the nick and 11- 12 nucleotides on the 5'-phosphate side. The 5'-phosphate moiety is essential for the binding of Chlorella virus ligase to nicked DNA. Here we show that the 3'-OH moiety is not required for nick recognition. The Chlorella virus ligase binds to a nicked ligand containing 2',3'-dideoxy and 5'-phosphate termini, but cannot catalyze adenylation of the 5'-end. Hence, the 3'-OH is important for step 2 chemistry even though it is not itself chemically transformed during DNA-adenylate formation. A2'-OH cannot substitute for the essential 3'-OH in adenylation at a nick or even in strand closure at a preadenylated nick. The protein side of the ligase-DNA interface was probed by limited proteolysis of ligase with trypsin and chymotrypsin in the presence and absence of nicked DNA. Protease accessible sites are clustered within a short segment from amino acids 210-225 located distal to conserved motif V. The ligase is protected from proteolysis by nicked DNA. Protease cleavage of the native enzyme prior to DNA addition results in loss of DNA binding. These results suggest a bipartite domain structure in which the interdomain segment either comprises part of the DNA binding site or undergoes a conformational change upon DNA binding. The domain structure of Chlorella virus ligase inferred from the solution experiments is consistent with the structure of T7 DNA ligase determined by x-ray crystallography.
Keywords: controlled study; nonhuman; protein conformation; protein dna binding; enzyme activity; structure activity relation; dna strand breakage; dna; double stranded dna; amino acid sequence; molecular sequence data; molecular recognition; base sequence; binding site; binding sites; conformational transition; catalysis; enzyme kinetics; nucleic acid conformation; structure analysis; polydeoxyribonucleotide synthase; enzyme specificity; aspartic acid; chymotrypsin; chlorella virus; dna ligases; viral proteins; trypsin; exodeoxyribonucleases; adenylation; peptide mapping; virus dna; dna footprinting; surface properties; exodeoxyribonuclease iii; priority journal; article
Journal Title: Journal of Biological Chemistry
Volume: 274
Issue: 20
ISSN: 0021-9258
Publisher: American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology  
Date Published: 1999-05-14
Start Page: 14032
End Page: 14039
Language: English
DOI: 10.1074/jbc.274.20.14032
PUBMED: 10318816
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Export Date: 16 August 2016 -- Source: Scopus
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  1. Mark Odell
    5 Odell
  2. Stewart H Shuman
    546 Shuman