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Structure of monoubiquitinated PCNA and implications for translesion synthesis and DNA polymerase exchange

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology volume 17, pages 479–484 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

DNA synthesis by classical polymerases can be blocked by many lesions. These blocks are overcome by translesion synthesis, whereby the stalled classical, replicative polymerase is replaced by a nonclassical polymerase. In eukaryotes this polymerase exchange requires proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) monoubiquitination. To better understand the polymerase exchange, we developed a means of producing monoubiquitinated PCNA, by splitting the protein into two self-assembling polypeptides. We determined the X-ray crystal structure of monoubiquitinated PCNA and found that the ubiquitin moieties are located on the back face of PCNA and interact with it through their canonical hydrophobic surface. Moreover, the attachment of ubiquitin does not change PCNA's conformation. We propose that PCNA ubiquitination facilitates nonclassical polymerase recruitment to the back of PCNA by forming a new binding surface for nonclassical polymerases, consistent with a 'tool belt' model of the polymerase exchange.

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Figure 1: Stimulation of pol η activity by split PCNA and UbiPCNA.
Figure 2: Viability and UV sensitivity of yeast cells expressing split PCNA and UbiPCNA.
Figure 3: Structure of split PCNA.
Figure 4: Structure of UbiPCNA.
Figure 5: Interactions between ubiquitin and PCNA within UbiPCNA.
Figure 6: Model of the complex between UbiPCNA and pol η.

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Acknowledgements

The project described was supported by award number R01GM081433 from the US National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences or the National Institutes of Health. We thank E. Cho and S. Perkins for technical assistance. We thank C. Kondratick, L. Dieckman, J. Pryor and M. Wold for discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    Bret D Freudenthal, S Ramaswamy & M Todd Washington

  2. Protein Crystallography Facility, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    Lokesh Gakhar

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  1. Bret D Freudenthal
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Contributions

B.D.F. performed the biochemical and genetics experiments. B.D.F. and L.G. collected the X-ray diffraction data. B.D.F., L.G. and S.R. analyzed the X-ray diffraction data. M.T.W. supervised the study. B.D.F. and M.T.W. wrote the manuscript. All authors discussed the results and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to M Todd Washington.

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Freudenthal, B., Gakhar, L., Ramaswamy, S. et al. Structure of monoubiquitinated PCNA and implications for translesion synthesis and DNA polymerase exchange. Nat Struct Mol Biol 17, 479–484 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.1776

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