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Title: Phosphate steering by Flap Endonuclease 1 promotes 5'-flap specificity and incision to prevent genome instability

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15855· OSTI ID:1408438
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2];  [2];  [4];  [2];  [2];  [2]; ORCiD logo [5];  [1];  [6]; ORCiD logo [6];  [4];  [2]; ORCiD logo [7]
  1. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  2. Univ. of Sheffield (United Kingdom). Centre for Chemical Biology, Sheffield Inst. for Nucleic Acids (SInFoNiA), Dept. of Chemistry
  3. Scripps Research Inst., La Jolla, CA (United States). Dept. of Molecular Biology
  4. Tufts Univ., Medford, MA (United States). Dept. of Biology
  5. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Biological Systems and Engineering
  6. King Abdullah Univ. of Science and Technology, Thuwal (Saudi Arabia). Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering
  7. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of Texas, Houston, TX (United States). Dept. of Molecular and Cellular Oncology

DNA replication and repair enzyme Flap Endonuclease 1 (FEN1) is vital for genome integrity, and FEN1 mutations arise in multiple cancers. FEN1 precisely cleaves single-stranded (ss) 5'-flaps one nucleotide into duplex (ds) DNA. Yet, how FEN1 selects for but does not incise the ss 5'-flap was enigmatic. Here we combine crystallographic, biochemical and genetic analyses to show that two dsDNA binding sites set the 5'polarity and to reveal unexpected control of the DNA phosphodiester backbone by electrostatic interactions. Via phosphate steering', basic residues energetically steer an inverted ss 5'-flap through a gateway over FEN1's active site and shift dsDNA for catalysis. Mutations of these residues cause an 18,000-fold reduction in catalytic rate in vitro and large-scale trinucleotide (GAA)n repeat expansions in vivo, implying failed phosphate-steering promotes an unanticipated lagging-strand template-switch mechanism during replication. Thus, phosphate steering is an unappreciated FEN1 function that enforces 5'-flap specificity and catalysis, preventing genomic instability.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Institutes of Health (NIH); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
1408438
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 8; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 68 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (13)

A conserved loop–wedge motif moderates reaction site search and recognition by FEN1 journal June 2018
Crystal structure and mutational analysis of Mycobacterium smegmatis FenA highlight active site amino acids and three metal ions essential for flap endonuclease and 5′ exonuclease activities journal April 2018
Initial state of DNA-Dye complex sets the stage for protein induced fluorescence modulation journal May 2019
Resolution of the Holliday junction recombination intermediate by human GEN1 at the single-molecule level journal December 2018
Structural basis of 5′ flap recognition and protein–protein interactions of human flap endonuclease 1 journal October 2018
Large-scale contractions of Friedreich’s ataxia GAA repeats in yeast occur during DNA replication due to their triplex-forming ability journal January 2020
Positioning the 5′-flap junction in the active site controls the rate of flap endonuclease-1–catalyzed DNA cleavage journal February 2018
Structure of the processive human Pol δ holoenzyme journal February 2020
Missed cleavage opportunities by FEN1 lead to Okazaki fragment maturation via the long-flap pathway. text January 2018
Precarious maintenance of simple DNA repeats in eukaryotes journal July 2017
PHENIX: a comprehensive Python-based system for macromolecular structure solution journal January 2010
RNA–DNA hybrids promote the expansion of Friedreich's ataxia (GAA)n repeats via break-induced replication journal February 2018
Missed cleavage opportunities by FEN1 lead to Okazaki fragment maturation via the long-flap pathway journal February 2018