J. Saturno et al., PHI-29 DNA-POLYMERASE RESIDUE LYS383, INVARIANT AT MOTIF-B OF DNA-DEPENDENT POLYMERASES, IS INVOLVED IN DNTP BINDING, Journal of Molecular Biology, 269(3), 1997, pp. 313-325
Bacteriophage empty set29 DNA polymerase shares with other DNA-depende
nt DNA polymerases several regions of amino acid homology along the pr
imary structure. Among them, motif B, characterized by the consensus x(3)Kx(6-7)YG (+ being a positively charged amino acid), appears to be
specifically conserved in those polymerases that use DNA but not RNA
as template. In particular, the lysine residue of this motif is invari
ant in all members of DNA-dependent polymerases.In this paper we repor
t a mutational analysis of this invariant residue of motif B with the
construction and characterization of two mutant proteins in the corres
ponding residue (Lys383) of empty set29 DNA polymerase. Mutant protein
s (K383R and K383P) were overexpressed, purified and analyzed under st
eady-state conditions. In agreement with the modular organization prop
osed for empty set29 DNA polymerase, the exonuclease activity was not
affected in either mutant protein. Conversely, mutant K383P showed no
detectable capacity to incorporate dNTP substrates using either DNA or
TP as primer, although its affinity for DNA was not affected. The con
servative substitution of Lys383 by arginine (K383R) resulted in a con
siderable impairment to use dNTPs, in both processive and non-processi
ve DNA synthesis; the K-m for dNTPs being 200-fold higher than that of
the wild-type enzyme. Mutant K383R recovered the wild-type polymerase
/exonuclease ratio when Mn2+ was used instead of Mg2+ as metal activat
or, indicating a distorted binding of the [dNTP-metal] chelate at the
mutant enzyme active site. The positive charge at residue Lys383 was a
lso critical in the catalysis of deoxynucleotidylation of the terminal
protein by empty set29 DNA polymerase. The results obtained suggest a
direct role for the lysine residue in motif B in forming an evolution
arily conserved DNA templated dNTP binding pocket. Additionally, K383R
mutant protein was also affected in the progression from protein-prim
ed initiation to DNA elongation, a switch between two modes of priming
that characterizes empty set29 DNA replication. (C) 1997 Academic Pre
ss Limited.