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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Visualizing and Quantifying Endonuclease-Based Site-Specific DNA Damage
Published on: August 21, 2021
[Interactions of pro- and eukaryotic DNA repair enzymes with oligodeoxyribonucleotides containing clustered lesions]
Abstract:
Interactions of oxoGuanine-DNA glycosylases from Escherichia coli (Fpg) and human (OGG1) and abasic site endonucleases from yeast (Apnl) and E. coli (Nfo) with oligodeoxyribonucleotides containing oxoGuanine (oxoG) and tetrahydrofuran (F, a stable analog of an abasic site) separated by various numbers of nucleotides have been studied. Inhibitor analysis has shown that the affinity of Fpg for single-stranded ligands does not depend on the relative positions of oxoG and F lesions. KM and kcat values have been determined for all double-stranded substrates and all enzymes under study. The effect of introducing the second lesion was strongly dependent on the relative positions of the lesions and the nature of the enzyme. The highest drop in the affinity (1.6-148-fold) and the reaction rate (4.8-58-fold) has been observed with Fpg and OGG1 for substrates containing F immediately 5' or 3' adjacent to oxoG. Introduction of the second lesion barely changed the KM values for Apnl and Nfo substrates. At the same time, the reaction rates were 5-10-fold lower for substrates containing two adjacent lesions. For all enzymes studied, increasing the distance between two lesions in duplex DNA reduced the effect of the lesion in KM and kcat values.
Insights
DNA repair enzymes like Fpg and OGG1 show reduced efficiency when oxoGuanine (oxoG) and abasic sites (F) are adjacent. Enzyme activity is less affected by lesion proximity for Apnl and Nfo, with increasing distance improving function.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- DNA Repair Mechanisms
Context:
- Oxidative DNA damage, including 8-oxoguanine (oxoG), is implicated in aging and diseases.
- DNA glycosylases and abasic site endonucleases are crucial for repairing such damage.
- Understanding enzyme kinetics and substrate interactions is key to deciphering repair pathways.
Purpose:
- To investigate the impact of dual DNA lesions (oxoG and abasic site analog F) on the activity of specific DNA repair enzymes.
- To determine how the proximity and relative positions of these lesions affect enzyme affinity (KM) and catalytic rate (kcat).
- To compare the responses of oxoG-DNA glycosylases (Fpg, OGG1) and abasic site endonucleases (Apnl, Nfo) to dual-lesion substrates.
Summary:
- Studies examined Escherichia coli Fpg, human OGG1, yeast Apnl, and E. coli Nfo interactions with DNA containing oxoG and tetrahydrofuran (F) lesions.
- Fpg and OGG1 exhibited significantly reduced affinity and reaction rates when F was adjacent to oxoG.
- Apnl and Nfo showed minimal changes in affinity but decreased reaction rates with adjacent lesions, with activity improving as lesion distance increased.
Impact:
- Reveals enzyme-specific sensitivities to the spatial arrangement of DNA lesions.
- Provides insights into the substrate recognition and processing mechanisms of key DNA repair enzymes.
- Contributes to understanding how DNA repair efficiency is modulated by the complexity of oxidative damage.
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