Conformational Insights into the Mechanism of Acetylaminofluorene-dG-Induced Frameshift Mutations in the NarI Mutational Hotspot
Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
2-15-2016
Abstract
Frameshift mutagenesis encompasses the gain or loss of DNA base pairs, resulting in altered genetic outcomes. The NarI restriction site sequence 5′-G1G2CG3CX-3′ in Escherichia coli is a well-known mutational hotspot, in which lesioning of acetylaminofluorene (AAF) at G3∗ induces a greater '2 deletion frequency than that at other guanine sites. Its mutational efficiency is modulated by the nature of the nucleotide in the X position (C ∼A > G ∗T). Here, we conducted a series of polymerase-free solution experiments that examine the conformational and thermodynamic basis underlying the propensity of adducted G3 to form a slipped mutagenic intermediate (SMI) and its sequence dependence during translesion synthesis (TLS). Instability of the AAF-dG3:dC pair at the replication fork promoted slippage to form a G∗C bulge-out SMI structure, consisting of S- ("lesion stacked") and B-SMI ("lesion exposed") conformations, with conformational rigidity increasing as a function of primer elongation. We found greater stability of the S- compared to the B-SMI conformer throughout TLS. The dependence of their population ratios was determined by the 3′-next flanking base X at fully elongated bulge structures, with 59% B/41% S and 86% B/14% S for the dC and dT series, respectively. These results indicate the importance of direct interactions of the hydrophobic AAF lesion with the 3′-next flanking base pair and its stacking fit within the '2 bulge structure. A detailed conformational understanding of the SMI structures and their sequence dependence may provide a useful model for DNA polymerase complexes.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Chemical Research in Toxicology
Volume
29
Issue
2
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Xu, Lifang, and Bongsup P. Cho. "Conformational Insights into the Mechanism of Acetylaminofluorene-dG-Induced Frameshift Mutations in the NarI Mutational Hotspot." Chemical Research in Toxicology 29, 2 (2016): 213-226. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.5b00484.