The Devil Is in the Details for DNA Mismatch Repair COMMENTARY
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COMMENTARY The Devil is in the details for DNA mismatch repair COMMENTARY Peggy Hsieha,1 and Yongliang Zhanga Ensuring high-fidelity DNA replication is essential a strand-specific signal for excision can be far apart) (7–9). for maintaining genome stability in organisms from MMR in eukaryotes features two families of MMR pro- Escherichia coli to humans. This task requires an intricate teins, heterodimeric homologs of bacterial MutS (MSH) network of cellular components that carries out replica- or MutL (MLH). Early models of E. coli MMR invoke tion and postreplication DNA repair (1). In eukaryotes, MMR protein-mediated DNA looping between a mis- replication is carried out by Pol e and Pol δ that synthesize match and a DNA-methylation excision signal or ATP- the leading and lagging strands, respectively, using short driven MutS translocation along the DNA. The nucleotide RNA–DNA primers synthesized by Pol α. Although repli- switch model posits the existence of multiple diffusing cation gives rise to a low spontaneous mutation rate of MSH–MLH clamps (8). Other studies suggest that a single − ∼10 10 mutations per base pair per generation, errors in MSH clamp at a mismatch can load multiple MLH clamps the nucleotide incorporation step occur about once every to license excision (1, 9). MutSα (MSH2-MSH6) and MutSβ + 104 to 105 insertions on average, although the frequency (MSH2-MSH3) are related to the AAA family of ATPases varies considerably depending on a number of parame- and carry out mismatch recognition (10, 11). MutL homo- ters including the particular mismatch, chromosomal con- logs MutLα (yeast ScMlh1-Pms1 and human HsMLH1- text, and the DNA polymerase. In addition to stringent PMS2), MutLβ (Mlh1-Mlh2), and MutLγ (Mlh1-Mlh3) have selectivity at each step of nucleotide incorporation, high- N- and C-terminal domains connected by a long helix fidelity DNA polymerases possess 3′-endonuclease activ- (12). The N-terminal domain mediates interactions with ities that act as proofreaders, removing errant bases MutS proteins and DNA and has a GHKL family ATP- whose abnormal geometries act as speed bumps, allow- binding motif. The C-terminal dimerization domain has ing excision of the incorrect base and insertion of the a latent endonuclease activity in Pms1 (HsPMS2) and correct one. Working closely with the replication machin- Mlh3 that is activated by proliferating cell nuclear antigen ery is a postreplication DNA repair pathway: DNA mis- (PCNA), a replication processivity clamp. Mismatches be- match repair (MMR). MMR targets replication errors long to two classes, base–base mispairs (e.g., G opposite that have escaped proofreading by excising a region T) and unpaired insertion and deletion (indel) mismatches that contains the mismatched base(s) on the newly at repetitive sequences caused by strand slippage. Indels synthesized strand and giving a high-fidelity DNA are recalcitrant to proofreading because they are often too polymerase a second chance. In cells whose MMR far from the polymerase active site, leading to microsatel- function is compromised by mutation or epigenetic lite instability, the contraction and expansion of mono- silencing a hypermutator phenotype ensues. Loss of and dinucleotide repeats whose presence in MMR- MMR results in inherited cancer susceptibility (e.g., Lynch deficient bacteria and yeast presaged the discovery of syndrome), as well as an increased incidence of sporadic MMR defects in Lynch syndrome colorectal cancer (13). cancers (2). MMR has been reconstituted with a heterodu- In vitro, 5′ MMR requires MutSα or β,EXO1,anobligate5′ plex (mismatched) DNA substrate and purified proteins to 3′ exonuclease, RPA single-strand binding protein, RFC from E. coli and subsequently with yeast and human pro- clamp loader PCNA, and Pol δ or e, whereas 3′ MMR teins (3–5). Until now, eukaryotic systems have all used Pol requires these proteins plus MLH (e.g., MutLα)(3–6). δ. In PNAS, Bowen and Kolodner report the first reconsti- The first stage of MMR is mismatch recognition by tution with purified Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteins of MutSα or MutSβ (Fig. 1A). Using related but distinct mis- 5′ and 3′ MMR that is dependent on Pol e (6). match binding sites, MutSα repairs base–base mispairs and The general schemes of MMR seem deceptively small indels of 1–2 nt, whereas MutSβ handles primarily simple (Fig. 1). The newly synthesized strand containing indels of 1–15 bases. Mismatch provoked ADP → ATP mismatches is targeted for excision followed by high- exchange in the nucleotide binding sites converts MutSα fidelity resynthesis and ligation. Nevertheless, any scheme and MutSβ into sliding clamps that diffuse along the DNA, mustreconcileactionatadistance(i.e.,themismatchand facilitating the mismatch search and subsequent interaction aGenetics & Biochemistry Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 Author contributions: P.H. and Y.Z. wrote the paper. The authors declare no conflict of interest. See companion article 10.1073/pnas.1701753114. 1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: [email protected]. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1702747114 PNAS Early Edition | 1of3 Downloaded by guest on September 29, 2021 Fig. 1. Schemes for in vitro eukaryotic MMR. (Left)5′ MMR. (A) The MutS homolog proteins (MSH, purple) MutSα (MSH2-MSH6), or MutSβ (MSH2-MSH3) recognize and bind a mismatch. RPA (green) bound to single-strand DNA prevents EXO1 (blue) from accessing and degrading DNA. (B) In the sliding clamp model, MutSα/β at a mismatch binds ATP (yellow) and undergoes nucleotide switch activation, becoming a sliding clamp that diffuses along the DNA. Multiple MSH clamps are loaded at a single mismatch. The interaction of EXO1 with MSH sliding clamps overcomes the RPA barrier and activates EXO1 for 5′ to 3′ excision from the 5′ nick. MutL homolog proteins (MLH, pink) (MutLα is ScMlh1-Pms1 or HsMLH1-PMS2) bind ATP and may interact with MSH sliding clamps, though MLH is not absolutely required in vitro for 5’ MMR. In other models, MSH remains at the mismatch to authorize excision or can load multiple MLH clamps onto the DNA in the vicinity of the mismatch (not shown). (C) In the sliding clamp model, the EXO1/MSH complex dissociates after excising several hundred nucleotides. Iterative rounds of MSH-EXO1 excision create an excision tract coated with RPA that extends from the 5′ nick to just beyond the mismatch. MLH may limit excision by modulating the number of MSH clamps on DNA. (D) RFC (not shown) loads PCNA clamps (orange) with specific orientation at 3′ termini of strand breaks or gaps, and PCNA facilitates high-fidelity DNA synthesis by Pol δ or e (red). (E) DNA ligase I (green) seals the nick. (Right)3′ MMR. (A) MSH recognizes a mismatch. (B) In the sliding clamp model, ATP-dependent binding and nucleotide switching creates MSH sliding clamps that diffuse from the mismatch. The interaction of ATP-bound MLH heterodimers with MSH sliding clamps and PCNA oriented with respect to 3′ termini activates MLH strand-specific nicking. Alternatively, ATP-activated MSH may remain at the mismatch to load MLH and activate nicking (not shown). (C) Excision is EXO1-dependent or -independent, leading to an RPA-coated excision track. An EXO1-independent Pol δ strand- displacement pathway is not shown. (D)Polδ or e (red) with the aid of PCNA completes gap filling. (E) DNA ligase I (green) seals the nick. with MutLα. PCNA interacts with several MMR components including originate elsewhere. Currently, the leading candidate is PCNA. In MutS and MutL homologs, EXO1, Pol δ,andPole.MSH3and vitro MMR reactions require a preexisting nick or single-strand gap MSH6 interact with PCNA via PCNA-interaction-peptide (PIP) motifs in the heteroduplex DNA substrate that can reside on the 5′ (5′ MMR) in an N-terminal domain. The ability of PCNA to provide a link be- or 3′ (3′ MMR) side of the mismatch. Importantly, this strand discon- tween replication and MMR and to facilitate the mismatch search is tinuity serves to direct excision exclusively to the nicked strand. These supported by the observation that colocalization of ScMutSα foci with nicks and gaps are potential PCNA loading sites. replication centers is dependent on an intact PIP motif in Msh6 (14). In 5′ MMR reactions, excision is catalyzed by EXO1, a 5′ to 3′ Paradoxically, the mutator phenotype of Msh6 PIP mutants is relatively exonuclease that is activated by MutSα in a mismatch-dependent mild, suggesting an alternate pathway for mismatch recognition that manner (Fig. 1, Left). Although HsMLH1-PMS2 is not required for re- does not require interaction with the replication machinery. ScMsh2, pair in vitro, its presence modulates the excision step such that exci- but not Msh6, has been implicated in MSH–MLH interactions, and a sion tracts terminate just past the mismatch (5). Real-time single- cocrystal structure of E. coli MutS cross-linked to the N-terminal do- molecule imaging studies of the excision step of 5′ MMR support a main of MutL indicates extensive conformational changes in the com- dynamic molecular switch/sliding clamp model in which multiple ATP- plex (9, 15). Defining the physical interaction between MSH and MLH bound HsMutSα sliding clamps diffuse along the DNA following mis- proteins and PCNA and determining the dynamics of complex forma- match binding (16). Although HsRPA bound to a single-strand gap or tion and dissociation remain important problems. nick inhibits EXO1, preventing runaway excision, an HsMutSα-EXO1 The next stage is excision, a carefully regulated step whose details complex at the 5′ break can promote excision over a distance of are unresolved (Fig. 1 B and C). A central tenet of MMR is that DNA ∼800 nt. In the case of a mismatch located some distance from the excision must be targeted to the newly synthesized strand containing initiating strand break or gap, iterations of MutSα/EXO1-mediated the error rather than the parental or template strand.