2. Academic Validation
  3. Structural and functional characterization of the PNKP-XRCC4-LigIV DNA repair complex

Structural and functional characterization of the PNKP-XRCC4-LigIV DNA repair complex

  • Nucleic Acids Res. 2017 Jun 2;45(10):6238-6251. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkx275.
R Daniel Aceytuno 1,  Cortt G Piett 2,  Zahra Havali-Shahriari 1,  Ross A Edwards 1,  Martial Rey 2,  Ruiqiong Ye 2,  Fatima Javed 1,  Shujuan Fang 2,  Rajam Mani 3,  Michael Weinfeld 3,  Michal Hammel 4,  John A Tainer 4 5,  David C Schriemer 2,  Susan P Lees-Miller 2,  J N Mark Glover 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G-2H7, Canada.
  • 2 Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Robson DNA Science Centre, Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
  • 3 Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Cross Cancer Institute, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2, Canada.
  • 4 Molecular Biophysics & Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
  • 5 Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
PMID: 28453785 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx275
Abstract

Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repairs DNA double strand breaks in non-cycling eukaryotic cells. NHEJ relies on polynucleotide kinase/Phosphatase (PNKP), which generates 5΄-phosphate/3΄-hydroxyl DNA termini that are critical for ligation by the NHEJ DNA Ligase, LigIV. PNKP and LigIV require the NHEJ scaffolding protein, XRCC4. The PNKP FHA domain binds to the CK2-phosphorylated XRCC4 C-terminal tail, while LigIV uses its tandem BRCT repeats to bind the XRCC4 coiled-coil. Yet, the assembled PNKP-XRCC4-LigIV complex remains uncharacterized. Here, we report purification and characterization of a recombinant PNKP-XRCC4-LigIV complex. We show that the stable binding of PNKP in this complex requires XRCC4 phosphorylation and that only one PNKP protomer binds per XRCC4 dimer. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) reveals a flexible multi-state complex that suggests that both the PNKP FHA and catalytic domains contact the XRCC4 coiled-coil and LigIV BRCT repeats. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange indicates protection of a surface on the PNKP Phosphatase domain that may contact XRCC4-LigIV. A mutation on this surface (E326K) causes the hereditary neuro-developmental disorder, MCSZ. This mutation impairs PNKP recruitment to damaged DNA in human cells and provides a possible disease mechanism. Together, this work unveils multipoint contacts between PNKP and XRCC4-LigIV that regulate PNKP recruitment and activity within NHEJ.

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