title: The Cfr10I restriction enzyme is functional as a tetramer.
abstract: It is thought that most of the type II restriction endonucleases interact with DNA as homodimers. Cfr10I is a typical type II restriction enzyme that recognises the 5'-Pu decreases CCGGPy sequence and cleaves it as indicated by the arrow. Gel-filtration and analytical ultracentrifugation data presented here indicate that Cfr10I is a homotetramer in isolation. The only SfiI restriction enzyme that recognises the long interrupted recognition sequence 5'-GGCCNNNNNGGCC has been previously reported to operate as a tetramer however, its structure is unknown. Analysis of Cfr10I crystals revealed that a single molecule in the asymmetric unit is repeated by D2 symmetry to form a tetramer. To determine whether the packing of the Cfr10I in the crystal reflects the quaternary structure of the protein in solution, the tryptophan W220 residue located at the putative dimer-dimer interface was mutated to alanine, and the structural and functional consequences of the substitution were analysed. Equilibrium sedimentation experiments revealed that, in contrast to the wild-type Cfr10I, the W220A mutant exists in solution predominantly as a dimer. In addition, the tetramer seems to be a catalytically important form of Cfr10I, since the DNA cleavage activity of the W220A mutant is < 0.1% of that of the wild-type enzyme. Further, analysis of plasmid DNA cleavage suggests that the Cfr10I tetramer is able to interact with two copies of the recognition sequence, located on the same DNA molecule. Indeed, electron microscopy studies demonstrated that two distant recognition sites are brought together through the DNA looping induced by the simultaneous binding of the Cfr10I tetramer to both sites. These data are consistent with the tetramer being a functionally important form of Cfr10I.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology, Lithuania. Siksnys@ibt.lt
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Siksnys
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Skirgaila
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sasnauskas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Urbanke
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cherny
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grazulis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huber
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D001665:Binding Sites; D002384:Catalysis; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D003460:Crystallization; D004278:DNA, Superhelical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D019281:Dimerization; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010957:Plasmids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics; D014461:Ultracentrifugation
chemical_list: D004278:DNA, Superhelical; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C066244:endodeoxyribonuclease Cfr10I; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific