DNA repair is a collection of several multienzyme, multistep processes keeping the cellular genome intact against genotoxic insults. One of these processes is base excision repair, which deals with the most ubiquitous lesions in DNA: oxidative base damage, alkylation, deamination, sites of base loss and single-strand breaks, etc. Individual enzymes acting in base excision repair have been identified. The recent years were marked with many advances in understanding of their structure and many interactions that make base excision repair a functional, versatile system. This review describes the current knowledge of structural biology and biochemistry of individual steps of base excision repair, several subpathways of the common base excision repair pathway, and interactions of the repair process with other cellular processes.

Base excision DNA repair.

Oxidatively induced DNA damage: mechanisms, repair and disease.

Nuclear and mitochondrial genomes are under continuous assault by a combination of environmentally and endogenously derived reactive oxygen species, inducing the formation and accumulation of mutagenic, toxic, and/or genome-destabilizing DNA lesions. Failure to resolve these lesions through one or more DNA-repair processes is associated with genome instability, mitochondrial dysfunction, neurodegeneration, inflammation, aging, and cancer, emphasizing the importance of characterizing the pathways and proteins involved in the repair of oxidative DNA damage. This review focuses on the repair of oxidative damage–induced lesions in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA mediated by the base excision repair (BER) pathway in mammalian cells. We discuss the multiple BER subpathways that are initiated by one of 11 different DNA glycosylases of three subtypes: (a) bifunctional with an associated β-lyase activity; (b) monofunctional; and (c) bifunctional with an associated β,δ-lyase activity. These three subtypes of DNA glycosylases all initiate BER but yield different chemical intermediates and hence different BER complexes to complete repair. Additionally, we briefly summarize alternate repair events mediated by BER proteins and the role of BER in the repair of mitochondrial DNA damage induced by ROS. Finally, we discuss the relation of BER and oxidative DNA damage in the onset of human disease. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 14, 2491–2507.

Base Excision Repair and Lesion-Dependent Subpathways for Repair of Oxidative DNA Damage

Oxidatively induced DNA damage is caused in living organisms by endogenous and exogenous reactive species. DNA lesions resulting from this type of damage are mutagenic and cytotoxic and, if not repaired, can cause genetic instability that may lead to disease processes including carcinogenesis. Living organisms possess DNA repair mechanisms that include a variety of pathways to repair multiple DNA lesions. Mutations and polymorphisms also occur in DNA repair genes adversely affecting DNA repair systems. Cancer tissues overexpress DNA repair proteins and thus develop greater DNA repair capacity than normal tissues. Increased DNA repair in tumors that removes DNA lesions before they become toxic is a major mechanism for development of resistance to therapy, affecting patient survival. Accumulated evidence suggests that DNA repair capacity may be a predictive biomarker for patient response to therapy. Thus, knowledge of DNA protein expressions in normal and cancerous tissues may help predict and guide development of treatments and yield the best therapeutic response. DNA repair proteins constitute targets for inhibitors to overcome the resistance of tumors to therapy. Inhibitors of DNA repair for combination therapy or as single agents for monotherapy may help selectively kill tumors, potentially leading to personalized therapy. Numerous inhibitors have been developed and are being tested in clinical trials. The efficacy of some inhibitors in therapy has been demonstrated in patients. Further development of inhibitors of DNA repair proteins is globally underway to help eradicate cancer.

Oxidatively induced DNA damage and its repair in cancer

To protect cells from oxidative DNA damage and mutagenesis, organisms possess multiple glycosylases to recognize the damaged bases and to initiate the Base Excision Repair pathway. Three DNA glycosylases have been identified in mammals that are homologous to the Escherichia coli Fpg and Nei proteins, Neil1, Neil2, and Neil3. Neil1 and Neil2 in human and mouse have been well characterized while the properties of the Neil3 protein remain to be elucidated. In this study, we report the characterization of Mus musculus (house mouse) Neil3 (MmuNeil3) as an active DNA glycosylase both in vitro and in vivo. In duplex DNA, MmuNeil3 recognizes the oxidized purines, spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp), guanidinohydantoin (Gh), 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamidopyrimidine (FapyG) and 4,6-diamino- 5-formamidopyrimidine (FapyA), but not 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoG). Interestingly, MmuNeil3 prefers lesions in single-stranded DNA and in bubble structures. In contrast to other members of the family that use the N-terminal proline as the nucleophile, MmuNeil3 forms a Schiff base intermediate via its N-terminal valine. We expressed the glycosylase domain of MmuNeil3 (MmuNeil3Δ324) in an Escherichia coli triple mutant lacking Fpg, Nei, and MutY glycosylase activities and showed that MmuNeil3 greatly reduced both the spontaneous mutation frequency and the level of FapyG in the DNA, suggesting that Neil3 plays a role in repairing FapyG in vivo.

The mouse ortholog of NEIL3 is a functional DNA glycosylase in vitro and in vivo

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (ES09127, ES013324 (to A.K.B), ES03775 (to E.L.L.); National Cancer Institute (CA74954 (to M.M.G), CA50432 (to E.L.L.), CA76163, CA47995 (to M.M.))

Genetic effects of oxidative DNA damages: comparative mutagenesis of the imidazole ring-opened formamidopyrimidines (Fapy lesions) and 8-oxo-purines in simian kidney cells

Clustered DNA damages are well-established characteristics of ionizing radiation. As a model clustered lesion in the same strand of DNA, we have evaluated the mutagenic potential of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) adjacent to a uracil in simian kidney cells using a phagemid vector. The uracil residue would be excised by the enzyme uracil DNA glycosylase in vivo generating an abasic site (AP site). A solitary uracil in either GUGTC or GTGUC sequence context provided >60% progeny containing GTGTC indicating that dAMP incorporation opposite the AP site or uracil occurred, but a >30% population showed replacement of U by A, C, or G, which suggests that dTMP, dGMP, or dCMP incorporation also occurred, respectively, opposite the AP site. While the preference for targeted base substitutions at the GUG site was T >> C > A > G, the same at the GUC site was T >> A > C > G. We conclude that base incorporation opposite an AP site is sequence-dependent. For 8-oxoG, as compared to 23-24% G-->T mutants from a single 8-oxoG in a TG(8-oxo)T sequence context, the tandem lesions UG(8-oxo)T and TG(8-oxo)U generated approximately 60 and >85% progeny, respectively, that did not contain the TGT sequence. A significant fraction of tandem mutations were detected when uracil was adjacent to 8-oxoG. What we found most interesting is that the total targeted G(8-oxo)-->T transversions that included both single and tandem mutations at the TG(8-oxo)U site was nearly 60% relative to about 30% at the UG(8-oxo)T site. A higher mutational frequency at the TG(8-oxo)U sequence may arise from a change in DNA polymerase that is more error prone. Thermal melting experiments showed that the Tm for the 8-oxoG:C pair in the TG(8-oxo)(AP*) sequence in a 12-mer was lower than the same in a (AP*)G(8-oxo)T 12-mer with deltadeltaG 0.8 kcal/mol (where AP* represents tetrahydrofuran, the model abasic site). When the 8-oxoG:C pair in each sequence was compared with a 8-oxoG:A pair, the former was found to be more stable than the latter. The preference for C over A opposite 8-oxoG for the (AP*)G(8-oxo)T 12-mer duplex with a deltadeltaG of 1.6 kcal/mol dropped to 0.4 kcal/mol in the TG(8-oxo)(AP*) 12-mer duplex. This suggests that the polymerase discrimination to incorporate dCMP over dAMP would be less efficient in the TG(8-oxo)(AP*) sequence relative to (AP*)G(8-oxo)T. Additionally, the efficiency of recognition and excision of A opposite 8-oxoG by a mismatch repair protein may be impaired in the TG(8-oxo)(AP*) sequence context.

M. Abul Kalam

Papers

Genetic effects of oxidative DNA damages: comparative mutagenesis of the imidazole ring-opened formamidopyrimidines (Fapy lesions) and 8-oxo-purines in simian kidney cells

Mutagenesis of 8-oxoguanine adjacent to an abasic site in simian kidney cells: tandem mutations and enhancement of G-->T transversions.