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Upon binding double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is activated and initiates the cGAS-stimulator of IFN genes (STING)-type I interferon pathway. DEAD-box helicase 41 (DDX41) is a DEAD-box helicase, and mutations in DDX41 cause myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, we show that DDX41-knockout (KO) cells have reduced type I interferon production after DNA virus infection. Unexpectedly, activations of cGAS and STING are affected in DDX41 KO cells, suggesting that DDX41 functions upstream of cGAS. The recombinant DDX41 protein exhibits ATP-dependent DNA-unwinding activity and ATP-independent strand-annealing activity. The MDS/AML-derived mutant R525H has reduced unwinding activity but retains normal strand-annealing activity and stimulates greater cGAS dinucleotide-synthesis activity than wild-type DDX41. Overexpression of R525H in either DDX41-deficient or -proficient cells results in higher type I interferon production. Our results have led to the hypothesis that DDX41 utilizes its unwinding and annealing activities to regulate the homeostasis of dsDNA and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), which, in turn, regulates cGAS-STING activation.

Upon binding double-stranded (ds)DNA, cGAS is activated and initiates the cGAS-STING-type I interferon pathway; thus, the availability of dsDNA ligand is critical for cGAS activation. DDX41 is a DEAD-box helicase and mutations in DDX41 cause myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, we found that DDX41-knockout (KO) human cells and mice primary cells had reduced type I interferon production after viral infection, which is consistent with previous reports. Unexpectedly, cGAS and STING activation were affected in DDX41 KO cells, suggesting that DDX41 functions upstream of cGAS. The recombinant DDX41 protein exhibited ATP-dependent DNA unwinding activity and ATP-independent strand annealing activity. The MDS/AML-derived mutant R525H had reduced unwinding activities but retained normal strand annealing activity and stimulated greater cGAS dinucleotide synthesis activity than WT-DDX41. Overexpression of R525H in either DDX41-deficient or -proficient cells resulted in higher type I interferon production, indicating that DDX41 inactivates cGAS-STING-type I interferon pathway by unwinding dsDNA to single-stranded (ss)DNA. Our results demonstrate that DDX41 utilizes its unwinding and annealing activities to regulate the homeostasis of dsDNA and ssDNA, which in turn modulates the cGAS-STING pathway; dysregulation of this pathway leads to MDS/AML. Funding Information: This work was supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC, RGPIN 2019-04578) to YZ, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI33364) and Cancer Research Society (CRS-22493) to FJV, the National Institutes of Health (R01-AI-085015) to SRR, and NSERC (RGPIN-2019-05487), the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF-R1636), and the Cancer Research Society (CRS-24139) to YW. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: All studies were performed following the recommendations in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the National Institutes of Health. The experiments performed with mice in this study were approved by the UIC ACC (protocol no. 15-222). Bone marrow aspirates were collected from 23 patients with AML or MDS who participated in the study according to the protocol approved by the ethics committee on human genome research at Hiroshima University.

The K-homology (KH) domain is a nucleic acid–binding domain present in many proteins. Recently, we found that the DEAD-box helicase DDX43 contains a KH domain in its N-terminus; however, its function remains unknown. Here, we purified recombinant DDX43 KH domain protein and found that it prefers binding ssDNA and ssRNA. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and NMR revealed that the KH domain favors pyrimidines over purines. Mutational analysis showed that the GXXG loop in the KH domain is involved in pyrimidine binding. Moreover, we found that an alanine residue adjacent to the GXXG loop is critical for binding. Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment, chromatin immunoprecipitation–seq, and cross-linking immunoprecipitation–seq showed that the KH domain binds C-/T-rich DNA and U-rich RNA. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that the KH domain prefers to bind promoters. Using 15N-heteronuclear single quantum coherence NMR, the optimal binding sequence was identified as TTGT. Finally, we found that the full-length DDX43 helicase prefers DNA or RNA substrates with TTGT or UUGU single-stranded tails and that the KH domain is critically important for sequence specificity and unwinding processivity. Collectively, our results demonstrated that the KH domain facilitates the substrate specificity and processivity of the DDX43 helicase.

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is characterized by bone marrow failure, congenital abnormalities, and cancer. Of over 20 FA-linked genes, FANCJ uniquely encodes a DNA helicase and mutations are also associated with breast and ovarian cancer. fancj−/− cells are sensitive to DNA interstrand cross-linking (ICL) and replication fork stalling drugs. We delineated the molecular defects of two FA patient-derived FANCJ helicase domain mutations. FANCJ-R707C was compromised in dimerization and helicase processivity, whereas DNA unwinding by FANCJ-H396D was barely detectable. DNA binding and ATP hydrolysis was defective for both FANCJ-R707C and FANCJ-H396D, the latter showing greater reduction. Expression of FANCJ-R707C or FANCJ-H396D in fancj−/− cells failed to rescue cisplatin or mitomycin sensitivity. Live-cell imaging demonstrated a significantly compromised recruitment of FANCJ-R707C to laser-induced DNA damage. However, FANCJ-R707C expressed in fancj-/- cells conferred resistance to the DNA polymerase inhibitor aphidicolin, G-quadruplex ligand telomestatin, or DNA strand-breaker bleomycin, whereas FANCJ-H396D failed. Thus, a minimal threshold of FANCJ catalytic activity is required to overcome replication stress induced by aphidicolin or telomestatin, or to repair bleomycin-induced DNA breakage. These findings have implications for therapeutic strategies relying on DNA cross-link sensitivity or heightened replication stress characteristic of cancer cells.

Human nucleic acid-binding protein 1 and 2 (hNABP1 and hNABP2, also known as hSSB2 and hSSB1 respectively) form two separate and independent complexes with two identical proteins, integrator complex subunit 3 (INTS3) and C9ORF80. We and other groups have demonstrated that hNABP1 and 2 are single-stranded (ss) DNA- and RNA-binding proteins, and function in DNA repair; however, the function of INTS3 and C9OFR80 remains elusive. In the present study, we purified recombinant proteins INTS3 and C9ORF80 to near homogeneity. Both proteins exist as a monomer in solution; however, C9ORF80 exhibits anomalous behavior on SDS–PAGE and gel filtration because of 48% random coil present in the protein. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), INTS3 displays higher affinity toward ssRNA than ssDNA, and C9ORF80 binds ssDNA but not ssRNA. Neither of them binds dsDNA, dsRNA, or RNA : DNA hybrid. INTS3 requires minimum of 30 nucleotides, whereas C9OFR80 requires 20 nucleotides for its binding, which increased with the increasing length of ssDNA. Interestingly, our GST pulldown results suggest that the N-terminus of INTS3 is involved in protein–protein interaction, while EMSA implies that the C-terminus is required for nucleic acid binding. Furthermore, we purified the INTS3–hNABP1/2–C9ORF80 heterotrimeric complex. It exhibits weaker binding compared with the individual hNABP1/2; interestingly, the hNABP1 complex prefers ssDNA, whereas hNABP2 complex prefers ssRNA. Using reconstituted heterotrimeric complex from individual proteins, EMSA demonstrates that INTS3, but not C9ORF80, affects the nucleic acid-binding ability of hNABP1 and hNABP2, indicating that INTS3 might regulate hNABP1/2's biological function, while the role of C9ORF80 remains unknown.

The K-homology (KH) domain is a nucleic acid-binding domain present in many proteins but has not been reported in helicases. DDX43, also known as HAGE (helicase antigen gene), is a member of the DEAD-box protein family. It contains a helicase core domain in its C terminus and a potential KH domain in its N terminus. DDX43 is highly expressed in many tumors and is, therefore, considered a potential target for immunotherapy. Despite its potential as a therapeutic target, little is known about its activities. Here, we purified recombinant DDX43 protein to near homogeneity and found that it exists as a monomer in solution. Biochemical assays demonstrated that it is an ATP-dependent RNA and DNA helicase. Although DDX43 was active on duplex RNA regardless of the orientation of the single-stranded RNA tail, it preferred a 5′ to 3′ polarity on RNA and a 3′ to 5′ direction on DNA. Truncation mutations and site-directed mutagenesis confirmed that the KH domain in DDX43 is responsible for nucleic acid binding. Compared with the activity of the full-length protein, the C-terminal helicase domain had no unwinding activity on RNA substrates and had significantly reduced unwinding activity on DNA. Moreover, the full-length DDX43 protein, with single amino acid change in the KH domain, had reduced unwinding and binding activates on RNA and DNA substrates. Our results demonstrate that DDX43 is a dual helicase and the KH domain is required for its full unwinding activity.

Helicases are molecular motors that couple the energy of ATP hydrolysis to the unwinding and remodeling of structured DNA or RNA, which is coordinated by conserved helicase motifs. FANCJ is a DNA helicase that is genetically linked to Fanconi anemia, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. Here, we characterized two Fanconi anemia patient mutations, R251C and Q255H, that are localized in helicase motif Ia. Our genetic complementation analysis revealed that both the R251C and Q255H alleles failed to rescue cisplatin sensitivity of a FANCJ null cell line as detected by cell survival or γ-H2AX foci formation. Furthermore, our biochemical assays demonstrated that both purified recombinant proteins abolished DNA helicase activity and failed to disrupt the DNA-protein complex. Intriguingly, R251C impaired DNA binding ability to single-strand DNA and double-strand DNA, whereas Q255H retained higher binding activity to these DNA substrates compared with wild-type FANCJ protein. Consequently, R251C abolished its DNA-dependent ATP hydrolysis activity, whereas Q255H retained normal ATPase activity. Physically, R251C had reduced ATP binding ability, whereas Q255H had normal ATP binding ability and could translocate on single-strand DNA. Although both proteins were recruited to damage sites in our laser-activated confocal assays, they lost their DNA repair function, which explains why they exerted a domain negative effect when expressed in a wild-type background. Taken together, our work not only reveals the structural function of helicase motif Ia but also provides the molecular pathology of FANCJ in related diseases.

Bacteriocins, an antimicrobial peptide, is known to have wide spectrum antimicrobial activity against various pathogens. Because they are easily digested in the intestine, they are considered as safe and are widely used as food preservatives. Hence their purification and characterization have attracted considerable attraction, especially for those having activity against human pathogens. In this study, the bacteriocin produced by Pediococcus pentosaceus VJ13 was precipitated with cold acetone and purified by gel permeation chromatography and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The bacteriocin exhibited antimicrobial activity against various pathogens, like Mycobacterium smegmatis, Klebsiella pneumonia, Clostridium perfringens and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The activity of bacteriocin was lost completely after treatment with protease, which revealed its proteinaceous nature. The bacteriocin was stable up to 100°C and exhibited antilisterial property which is a characteristic feature of class IIa bacteriocins. It was active within the pH range of 2-8 and stable against various chemicals and denaturants. Tricine SDS-PAGE revealed its molecular weight to be 4.0 kDa, where the corresponding activity against Listeria monocytogenes was also noted. Treatment of L. monocytogenes with bacteriocin decreased the viable cell count, and scanning electron microscope analysis revealed membrane pore formation that resulted in the release of intracellular content, suggesting its bactericidal effect.

Idly batter is a traditional fermented food in South India and distribution of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) varies with season. Six bacteriocinogenic Pediococcus pentosaceus strains isolated from Idly batter were evaluated for probiotic properties in vitro. These isolates exhibited effective inhibition against various intestinal Gram positive and negative pathogens like Escherichia coli. These isolates especially, VJ13, VJ31 and VJ49 could tolerate 0.3% bile salt, gastric and intestinal conditions. All isolates exhibited strong auto-aggregation and co-aggregation (against Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli) with higher hydrophobicity and thus they could eliminate pathogen and prevent its adhesion to intestinal cells. All isolates except VJ41 assimilate cholesterol effectively, suggesting that they can lower the cholesterol, and because they produce β-galactosidase they can be used for lactose intolerance. Heat-killed P. pentosaceus VJ13 also assimilated cholesterol (19%) but not as effectively as live strains (73%). Among these isolates, VJ13 and VJ49, which exhibited efficient probiotic property, were evaluated for in vitro adhesion with Caco-2 cells. These isolates adhere more effectively with Caco-2 cells than the intestinal pathogen L. monocytogenes and prevent the pathogen adhesion to intestinal cells. Among these isolates, VJ13 has beneficial probiotic properties which can be exploited for formulation of functional foods.

FANCJ is a superfamily 2 DNA helicase, which also belongs to the iron-sulfur domain containing helicases that include XPD, ChlR1 (DDX11), and RTEL1. Mutations in FANCJ are genetically linked to Fanconi anemia (FA), breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. FANCJ plays a critical role in genome stability and participates in DNA interstrand crosslink and double-strand break repair. Enormous sequence alterations in exons and introns of FANCJ have been identified in patients, including 15 mutations in the coding region which are linked to breast cancer, 12 to FA, and two to ovarian cancer. We and other groups have characterized several FANCJ missense mutations, including M299I, A349P, R251C, and Q255H. As an increasing number of clinically relevant FANCJ mutations are identified, understanding the mechanism whereby FANCJ mutation leads to diseases is critical. Mutational analysis of FANCJ will help us elucidate the pathogenesis and potentially lead to therapeutic strategies by targeting FANCJ.

Background Human Nucleic Acid Binding Protein 1 and 2 (hNABP1 and 2; also known as hSSB2 and 1, respectively) are two newly identified single-stranded (ss) DNA binding proteins (SSB). Both NABP1 and NABP2 have a conserved oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB)-fold domain and a divergent carboxy-terminal domain, the functional importance of which is unknown. Methods Recombinant hNABP1/2 proteins were purified using affinity and size exclusion chromatography and their identities confirmed by mass spectrometry. Oligomerization state was checked by sucrose gradient centrifugation. Secondary structure was determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy. Nucleic acid binding ability was examined by EMSA and ITC. Results Both hNABP1 and hNABP2 exist as monomers in solution; however, hNABP2 exhibits anomalous behavior. CD spectroscopy revealed that the C-terminus of hNABP2 is highly disordered. Deletion of the C-terminal tail diminishes the DNA binding ability and protein stability of hNABP2. Although both hNABP1 and hNABP2 prefer to bind ssDNA than double-stranded (ds) DNA, hNABP1 has a higher affinity for ssDNA than hNABP2. Unlike hNABP2, hNABP1 protein binds and multimerizes on ssDNA with the C-terminal tail responsible for its multimerization. Both hNABP1 and hNABP2 are able to bind single-stranded RNA, with hNABP2 having a higher affinity than hNABP1. Conclusions Biochemical evidence suggests that the C-terminal region of NABP1 and NABP2 is essential for their functionality and may lead to different roles in DNA and RNA metabolism. General significance This is the first report demonstrating the regulation and functional properties of the C-terminal domain of hNABP1/2, which might be a general characteristic of OB-fold proteins.

Helicases are molecular motors that couple the energy of ATP hydrolysis to the unwinding of structured DNA or RNA and chromatin remodeling. The conversion of energy derived from ATP hydrolysis into unwinding and remodeling is coordinated by seven sequence motifs (I, Ia, II, III, IV, V, and VI). The Q motif, consisting of nine amino acids (GFXXPXPIQ) with an invariant glutamine (Q) residue, has been identified in some, but not all helicases. Compared to the seven well-recognized conserved helicase motifs, the role of the Q motif is less acknowledged. Mutations in the human ChlR1 (DDX11) gene are associated with a unique genetic disorder known as Warsaw Breakage Syndrome, which is characterized by cellular defects in genome maintenance. To examine the roles of the Q motif in ChlR1 helicase, we performed site directed mutagenesis of glutamine to alanine at residue 23 in the Q motif of ChlR1. ChlR1 recombinant protein was overexpressed and purified from HEK293T cells. ChlR1-Q23A mutant abolished the helicase activity of ChlR1 and displayed reduced DNA binding ability. The mutant showed impaired ATPase activity but normal ATP binding. A thermal shift assay revealed that ChlR1-Q23A has a melting point value similar to ChlR1-WT. Partial proteolysis mapping demonstrated that ChlR1-WT and Q23A have a similar globular structure, although some subtle conformational differences in these two proteins are evident. Finally, we found ChlR1 exists and functions as a monomer in solution, which is different from FANCJ, in which the Q motif is involved in protein dimerization. Taken together, our results suggest that the Q motif is involved in DNA binding but not ATP binding in ChlR1 helicase.

Mutations in the human ChlR1 (DDX11) gene are associated with a unique genetic disorder known as Warsaw breakage syndrome characterized by cellular defects in genome maintenance. The DNA triplex helix structures that form by Hoogsteen or reverse Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding are examples of alternate DNA structures that can be a source of genomic instability. In this study, we have examined the ability of human ChlR1 helicase to destabilize DNA triplexes. Biochemical studies demonstrated that ChlR1 efficiently melted both intermolecular and intramolecular DNA triplex substrates in an ATP-dependent manner. Compared with other substrates such as replication fork and G-quadruplex DNA, triplex DNA was a preferred substrate for ChlR1. Also, compared with FANCJ, a helicase of the same family, the triplex resolving activity of ChlR1 is unique. On the other hand, the mutant protein from a Warsaw breakage syndrome patient failed to unwind these triplexes. A previously characterized triplex DNA-specific antibody (Jel 466) bound triplex DNA structures and inhibited ChlR1 unwinding activity. Moreover, cellular assays demonstrated that there were increased triplex DNA content and double-stranded breaks in ChlR1-depleted cells, but not in FANCJ(-/-) cells, when cells were treated with a triplex stabilizing compound benzoquinoquinoxaline, suggesting that ChlR1 melting of triple-helix structures is distinctive and physiologically important to defend genome integrity. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the abundance of ChlR1 known to exist in vivo is likely to be a strong deterrent to the stability of triplexes that can potentially form in the human genome.

Lactic acid bacteria are known to produce numerous antimicrobial compounds that are active against various pathogens. Here, we have purified and characterized a novel low-molecular-weight (LMW) antimicrobial compound produced by Lactobacillus and Pediococcus isolated from fermented idly and uttapam batter. The LMW compound was extracted from cell-free supernatant using ice-cold acetone, purified by gel permeation and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. It exhibited antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria sparing the probiotic strains like Lactobacillus rhamnosus. The molecular weight of the LMW compound was identified as 204 Da using LC-MS-ESI. In addition, the structure of the compound was predicted using spectroscopic methods like FTIR and NMR and identified as 2-hydroxyl indole-3-propanamide. The LMW compound was differentiated from its related compound, tryptophan, by Salkowski reaction and thin-layer chromatography. This novel LMW compound, 2-hydroxyl indole-3-propanamide, may have an effective application as an antibiotic which can spare prevailing probiotic organisms but target only the pathogenic strains.

Bacteriocins, an antimicrobial peptide, is known to have wide spectrum antimicrobial activity against various pathogens. Because they are easily digested in the intestine, they are considered as safe and are widely used as food preservatives. Hence their purification and characterization have attracted considerable attraction, especially for those having activity against human pathogens. In this study, the bacteriocin produced by Pediococcus pentosaceus VJ13 was precipitated with cold acetone and purified by gel permeation chromatography and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The bacteriocin exhibited antimicrobial activity against various pathogens, like Mycobacterium smegmatis, Klebsiella pneumonia, Clostridium perfringens and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The activity of bacteriocin was lost completely after treatment with protease, which revealed its proteinaceous nature. The bacteriocin was stable up to 100°C and exhibited antilisterial property which is a characteristic feature of class IIa bacteriocins. It was active within the pH range of 2-8 and stable against various chemicals and denaturants. Tricine SDS-PAGE revealed its molecular weight to be 4.0 kDa, where the corresponding activity against Listeria monocytogenes was also noted. Treatment of L. monocytogenes with bacteriocin decreased the viable cell count, and scanning electron microscope analysis revealed membrane pore formation that resulted in the release of intracellular content, suggesting its bactericidal effect.