Category: open access

J.N.A. Vink, K.J.A. Martens, M. Vlot, R.E. McKenzie, C. Almendros, B. Estrada Bonilla, D.J.W. Brocken, J. Hohlbein, S.J.J. Brouns, bioRxiv, 2019, [link]

CRISPR-Cas systems encode RNA-guided surveillance complexes to find and cleave invading DNA elements. While it is thought that invaders are neutralized minutes after cell entry, the mechanism and kinetics of target search and its impact on CRISPR protection levels have remained unknown. Here we visualized individual Cascade complexes in a native type I CRISPR-Cas system. We uncovered an exponential relationship between Cascade copy number and CRISPR interference levels, pointing to a time-driven arms race between invader replication and target search, in which 20 Cascade complexes provide 50% protection. Driven by PAM-interacting subunit Cas8e, Cascade spends half its search time rapidly probing DNA (∼30 ms) in the nucleoid. We further demonstrate that target DNA transcription and CRISPR arrays affect the integrity of Cascade and impact CRISPR interference. Our work establishes the mechanism of cellular DNA surveillance by Cascade that allows the timely detection of invading DNA in a crowded, DNA-packed environment.

K.J.A. Martens, S. van Beljouw, S. van der Els, S. Baas, J.N.A. Vink, S.J.J. Brouns, P. van Baarlen, M. Kleerebezem, J. Hohlbein, bioRxiv, 2018 [link]

Super-resolution microscopy is frequently employedin the life sciences, but the number of freely accessible and affordable microscopy frameworks, especially for single particle tracking photo-activation localization microscopy (sptPALM), remains limited. To this end, we designed the miCube: a versatile super-resolution capable fluorescence microscope, which combines high spatiotemporal resolution, good adaptability, low price, and easy installation. By providing all details, we hope to enable interested researchers to build an identical or derivative instrument. The capabilities of the miCube are assessed with a novel sptPALM assay relying on the heterogeneous expression of target genes. Here, we elucidate mechanistic details of catalytically inactive Cas9 (dead Cas9) in live Lactococcus lactis. We show that, lacking specific DNA target sites, the binding and unbinding of dCas9 to DNA can be described using simplified rate constants of k_{bound_free} = 30 – 80 s^-1 and k_{free_bound} = 15 – 40 s^-1. Moreover, after providing specific DNA target sites via DNA plasmids, the plasmid-bound dCas9 population size decreases with increasing dCas9 copy number via a mono-exponential decay, indicative of simple disassociation kinetics.

C. Fijen, M. Mahmoud, R. Kaup, J. Towle-Weicksel, J. Sweasy, and J. Hohlbein, bioRxiv, 2018 [link]

The eukaryotic DNA polymerase βplays an important role in cellular DNA repair as it fills gaps in single nucleotide gapped DNA that result from removal of damaged bases. Since defects in DNA repair may lead to cancer and genetic instabilities, Pol β has been extensively studied, especially substrate binding and a fidelity-related conformational change called fingers closing. Here, we applied single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer to study the conformational dynamics of Pol β. Using an acceptor labelled polymerase and a donor labelled DNA substrate, we measured distance changes associated with DNA binding and fingers movement. Our findings suggest that Pol β does not bend its gapped DNA substrate to the extent related crystal structures indicate: instead, bending seems to be significantly less profound. Furthermore, we visualized dynamic fingers closing in single Pol β-DNA complexes upon addition of complementary nucleotides and derived rates of conformational changes. Additionally, we provide evidence that the fingers close only partially when an incorrect nucleotide is bound. This ajar conformation found in Pol β, a polymerase of the X-family, suggests the existence of an additional fidelity checkpoint similar to what has been previously proposed for a member of the A-family, the bacterial DNA polymerase I.

T.D. Craggs, M. Sustarsic, A. Plochowietz, M. Mosayebi, H. Kaju, A. Cuthbert, J. Hohlbein, L. Domicevica, P.C. Biggin, J.P. K. Doye, A.N. Kapanidis, bioRxiv, 2018 [link]

DNA-binding proteins utilisedifferent recognition mechanisms to locate their DNA targets. Some proteins recognise specific nucleotide sequences, while many DNA repair proteins interact with specific (often bent) DNA structures. While sequence-specific DNA binding mechanisms have been studied extensively, structure-specific mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we study structure-specific DNA recognition by examining the structure and dynamics of DNA polymerase I (Pol) substrates both alone and in Pol-DNA complexes. Using a rigid-body docking approach based on a network of 73 distance restraints collected using single-molecule FRET, we determined a novel solution structure of the singlenucleotide-gapped DNA-Pol binary complex. The structure was highly consistent with previous crystal structures with regards to the downstream primer-template DNA substrate; further, our structure showed a previously unobserved sharp bend (~120°) in the DNA substrate; we also showed that this pronounced bending of the substrate is present in living bacteria. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations and single-molecule quenching assays revealed that 4-5 nt of downstream gap-proximal DNA are unwound in the binary complex. Coarse-grained simulations on free gapped substrates reproduced our experimental FRET values with remarkable accuracy ( = -0.0025 across 34 independent distances) and revealed that the one-nucleotide-gapped DNA frequently adopted highly bent conformations similar to those in the Pol-bound state (ΔG 7 kT) or duplex (>> 10 kT) DNA. Our results suggest a mechanism by which Pol and other structure-specific DNA-binding proteins locate their DNA targets through sensing of the conformational dynamics of DNA substrates.

C. Fijen, M. Fontana, S.G. Lemay, K. Mathwig, J. Hohlbein, bioRxiv, 2017, [link]

Single-molecule detection schemesoffer powerful means to overcome static and dynamic heterogeneity inherent to complex samples. Probing chemical and biological interactions and reactions with high throughput and time resolution, however, remains challenging and often requires surface-immobilized entities. Here, utilizing camera-based fluorescence microscopy, we present glass-made nanofluidic devices in which fluorescently labelled molecules flow through nanochannels that confine their diffusional movement. The first design features an array of parallel nanochannels for high-throughput analysis of molecular species under equilibrium conditions allowing us to record 200.000 individual localization events in just 10 minutes. Using these localizations for single particle tracking, we were able to obtain accurate flow profiles including flow speeds and diffusion coefficients inside the channels. A second design featuring a T-shaped nanochannel enables precise mixing of two different species as well as the continuous observation of chemical reactions. We utilized the design to visualize enzymatically driven DNA synthesis in real time and at the single-molecule level. Based on our results, we are convinced that the versatility and performance of the nanofluidic devices will enable numerous applications in the life sciences.