Uracil DNa-glycosylase from HeLa cells: general properties, substrate specificity and effect of uracil analogs

Uracil-DNA glycosylase was partially purified from HeLa cells. Various substrates containing [3H]dUMP residues were prepared by nick-translation of calf thymus DNA. The standard substrate was double-stranded DNA with [3H]dUMP located internally in the chain. Compared to the release of uracil from this substrate, a 3-fold increase in the rate was seen with single-stranded DNA, and a 20-fold reduction in the rate was observed when the [3H]dUMP-residue was located at the 3'end. The rate of [3H]uracil release decreased progressively when one, two or three of the dNMP residues were replaced by the corresponding rNMP; in the extreme case when the substrate contained [3H]dUMP in addition to rCMP, rGMP, and rAMP, the rate of [3H]uracil release was less than 3% of that of the control. The enzyme was inhibited to the same extent by uracil and the uracil analogs 6-aminouracil and 5-azauracil, but very weakly, or not at all, by 5 other analogs. Our results suggest strongly that uracil-DNA glycosylase has a high degree of selectivity for uracil in dUMP residues located internally in DNA chains and that the recognition of the correct substrate also depends on the residues flanking dUMP being deoxyribonucleotides.