title: Mammalian mitochondrial endonuclease G. Digestion of R-loops and localization in intermembrane space.
abstract: Mammalian mitochondria contain strong nuclease activity. Endonuclease G (endoG), which predominantly resides in mitochondria, accounts for a large part of this nuclease activity. It has been proposed to act as an RNase H-like nuclease on RNA.DNA hybrids (R-loops) in the D-loop region where the origins of mitochondrial replication are mapped, providing RNA primers for mtDNA replication. However, in contrast with this proposed activity, endoG has recently been shown to translocate to nuclei on apoptotic stimulation and act as a nuclease without sequence specificity. To clarify the role of endoG in mtDNA replication, we examined its submitochondrial localization and its ability to cleave R-loops. At low concentration, it preferentially produces double-stranded breaks in R-loops, but does not act as an RNase H-like nuclease. In addition, it exists in the mitochondrial intermembrane space, but not in the matrix where mtDNA replication occurs. These results do not support the involvement of endoG in mtDNA replication. Based on the fact that guanine tracts, which are preferential targets of endoG, tend to form triplex structures and that endoG produces double-stranded breaks in R-loops, we propose that three-stranded DNA may be the preferred substrate of endoG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohsato
authors.forename: Naotada
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishihara
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muta
authors.forename: Shuyo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Katsuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mihara
authors.forename: Naotaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hamasaki
authors.forename: Dongchon
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D004261:DNA Replication; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D013367:Submitochondrial Particles / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases; C052391:endonuclease G