1887

Abstract

DNA methylation is a common modification occurring in all living organisms. 5-methylcytosine, which is produced in a reaction catalysed by C-methyltransferases, can spontaneously undergo deamination to thymine, leading to the formation of T:G mismatches and C→T transitions. In K-12, such mismatches are corrected by the Very Short Patch (VSP) repair system, with Vsr endonuclease as the key enzyme. possesses genes that encode DNA methyltransferases, including C-methyltransferases. We report on the mutagenic potential of the meningococcal C-methyltransferases M.NmeDI and M.NmeAI resulting from deamination of 5-methylcytosine. strains also possess genes encoding potential Vsr endonucleases. Phylogenetic analysis of meningococcal Vsr endonucleases indicates that they belong to two phylogenetically distinct groups (type I or type II Vsr endonucleases). serogroup C (FAM18) is a representative of meningococcal strains that carry two Vsr endonuclease genes (V.Nme18IIP and V.Nme18VIP). The V.Nme18VIP (type II) endonuclease cut DNA containing T:G mismatches in all tested nucleotide contexts. V.Nme18IIP (type I) is not active , but the change of Tyr69 to His69 in the amino acid sequence of the protein restores its endonucleolytic activity. The presence of tyrosine in position 69 is a characteristic feature of type I meningococcal Vsr proteins, while type II Vsr endonucleases possess His69. In addition to the T:G mismatches, V.Nme18VIP and V.Nme18IIPY69H recognize and digest DNA with T:T or U:G mispairs. Thus, for the first time, we demonstrate that the VSP repair system may have a wider significance and broader substrate specificity than DNA lesions that only result from 5-methylcytosine deamination.

Keyword(s): DNA repair and Neisseria
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2017-07-01
2024-12-07
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