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Molecular and Cellular Biology, November 2003, p. 8386-8394, Vol. 23, No. 22
0270-7306/03/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/MCB.23.22.8386-8394.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Origin of Endogenous DNA Abasic Sites in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Marie Guillet and Serge Boiteux*
CEA, DSV, Département de Radiobiologie et Radiopathologie, UMR 217 CNRS/CEA Radiobiologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, F-92265 Fontenay aux Roses, France
Received 21 March 2003/
Returned for modification 2 May 2003/
Accepted 4 August 2003

ABSTRACT
Abasic (AP) sites are among the most frequent endogenous lesions
in DNA and present a strong block to replication. In
Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an
apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant is inviable because
of its incapacity to repair AP sites and related 3'-blocked
single-strand breaks (M. Guillet and S. Boiteux, EMBO J. 21:2833,
2002). Here, we investigated the origin of endogenous AP sites
in yeast. Our results show that the deletion of the
UNG1 gene
encoding the uracil DNA glycosylase suppresses the lethality
of the
apn1 apn2 rad1 mutant. In contrast, inactivation of the
MAG1,
OGG1, or
NTG1 and
NTG2 genes encoding DNA glycosylases
involved in the repair of alkylation or oxidation damages does
not suppress lethality. Although viable, the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant presents growth delay due to a G
2/M checkpoint.
These results point to uracil as a critical source of the formation
of endogenous AP sites in DNA. Uracil can arise in DNA by cytosine
deamination or by the incorporation of dUMP during replication.
Here, we show that the overexpression of the
DUT1 gene encoding
the dUTP pyrophosphatase (Dut1) suppresses the lethality of
the
apn1 apn2 rad1 mutant. Therefore, this result points to
the dUTP pool as an important source of the formation of endogenous
AP sites in eukaryotes.

INTRODUCTION
Endogenous abasic (AP) sites in DNA may arise from the hydrolytic
loss of normal and damaged bases or from the removal of damaged
or inappropriate bases by DNA glycosylases in the course of
the base excision repair (BER) process (
11,
26). The measured
spontaneous depurination rate in double-stranded DNA translates
to the loss of 10,000 purines per human cell per day (
26,
27).
Damaged DNA bases can arise in several ways, most importantly
from the methylation, oxidation, and deamination of normal bases,
yielding a variety of lesions, such as
N7-methylguanine (N7-meG),
8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoG), 5,6-dihydroxy-5,6-dihydrothymine
(Tg), or uracil (
5,
45,
49). Inappropriate bases such as uracil
can be incorporated into DNA during replication (
54). The vast
majority of damaged and inappropriate bases in DNA are removed
by specific DNA glycosylases, thus yielding AP sites (
23,
28,
47). Recent information indicates that normal human liver cells
present a steady-state level of about 50,000 AP sites per genome
(
33,
34). Thus, AP sites are likely to represent the most common
spontaneous lesions in DNA. In addition to being abundant, AP
sites may be cytotoxic, blocking DNA replication and transcription
(
16,
60). Furthermore, the bypass of AP sites is primarily mutagenic
and results in base substitutions and frameshift mutations (
16,
30). Moreover, AP sites can be converted into single-strand
breaks (SSBs) after cleavage by AP endonucleases or DNA glycosylases/AP
lyases (
23,
47). Finally, 3'- or 5'-blocked SSBs can be converted
into highly toxic double-strand breaks during replication (
24).
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae several DNA repair pathways are involved in the elimination of AP sites and related 3'-blocked SSBs (15). BER is the major pathway, and it is initiated by an AP endonuclease, Apn1 or Apn2 (18, 28). Apn1, which provides the major AP endonuclease activity, shares homology with Escherichia coli Nfo (endonuclease IV) (42, 43). Apn2 accounts for less than 5% of total AP endonuclease activity, and it shares homology with E. coli Xth (exonuclease III) (3, 20). Apn1 and Apn2 catalyze the hydrolytic cleavage of the phosphodiester backbone at the 5'-side of AP sites in DNA, yielding SSBs with 3'-OH and 5'-deoxyribose-phosphate (5'-dRP) ends (7). Apn1 and Apn2 are also endowed with a 3'-phosphodiesterase activity, removing 3'-blocking groups such as 3'-phosphate, 3'-phosphoglycolate, or 3'-dRP (42, 43, 56, 57). Besides BER, nucleotide excision repair (NER) acts as a backup activity in the repair of AP sites in yeast (51, 55). However, an apn1 apn2 rad14 triple mutant is viable and only presents a modest spontaneous mutator phenotype (55). Finally, our recent results have suggested that the Rad1/Rad10 and Mus81/Mms4 3'-flap endonucleases play a critical role in the repair of AP sites by removing 3'-blocking lesions (3'-dRP) generated after the cleavage of AP sites by DNA glycosylases/AP lyases (15). Indeed, apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutants and apn1 apn2 rad1 mus81 quadruple mutants are not viable, forming only microcolonies of about 300 cells or about 20 cells, respectively (15). The synthetic lethality of mutations in APN1, APN2, and RAD1 led us to conclude that, in the absence of DNA repair, endogenous AP sites are formed at a rate that causes cell death. This finding is in agreement with the proposal that AP sites are the most common lesions that are formed in DNA under physiological conditions.
In this study, we attempted to identify the origins of spontaneous AP sites in DNA in S. cerevisiae. Four sources of the formation of AP sites have been investigated: the removal of normal and alkylated purine by the 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase 1 (Mag1) (4, 6), the removal of oxidatively damaged guanine by the 8-oxoG DNA glycosylase 1 (Ogg1) (58), the removal of oxidatively damaged pyrimidines by the thymine glycol DNA glycosylases 1 and 2 (Ntg1 and Ntg2) (48), and the removal of uracil by the uracil DNA glycosylase 1 (Ung1) (41). The inactivation of Mag1, Ogg1, Ntg1, and Ntg2 or Ung1 should prevent the formation of AP sites from lesions such as N7-meG, 8-oxoG, Tg, or uracil residues in DNA. Therefore, we deleted the MAG1, OGG1, NTG1, and NTG2 or UNG1 genes in a yeast strain that cannot support the burden of spontaneous AP sites, such as the apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant (15). The results show that the deletion of the UNG1 gene suppresses the lethality of the apn1 apn2 rad1 mutant, whereas deletion of the MAG1, OGG1, or NTG1 and NTG2 genes does not. Furthermore, the overexpression of the dUTP pyrophosphatase Dut1 (12) also suppresses the lethality of the apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant. These results point to the incorporation of uracil from dUTP during replication and to cellular metabolism as primary sources of endogenous AP sites in yeast.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Yeast culture and genetic procedures.
Yeast strains were grown at 30°C in YP or YNB medium supplemented
with appropriate amino acids and bases and 2% glucose (YPD or
YNBD medium) or 2% galactose (YPGal or YNBGal medium). All media
including agar were from Difco. Presporulation and sporulation
procedures were performed as previously described (
44). Micromanipulation
and dissection of asci were performed with a Singer MSM system
as previously described (
50).
Yeast strains and plasmids.
S. cerevisiae strains used in this study are listed in Table 1. All yeast strains are isogenic to wild-type (WT) strain FF18733 (MATa leu2-3,112 trp1-289 his7-2 ura3-52 lys1-1). The APN2, MAG1, MUS81, and UNG1 gene deletions were produced by a PCR-mediated one-step replacement technique. All disruptions were confirmed by PCR and crossing and/or auxotrophy. APN1, NTG1, and NTG2 disruptions were produced as previously described (13, 15). RAD1 and RAD14 gene disruptions were performed by using plasmids pWJ163 (from R. Rothstein) and pBM190 (2). To construct plasmid p414GAL1-TDG, the TDG cDNA was amplified by PCR from pETZ8a TDG (T.R. O'Connor, City of Hope, Duarte, Calif.) with TDG Bam5 (5'-CGGATCCATGGAAGCGGAGAACGCGGGCAGC-3') and TDG EcoIII (5'-CGAATTCTTAAGCATGGCTTTCTTCTTCCTG-3') as primers. To construct p424GAL1-DUT1, the DUT1 gene was amplified from genomic DNA with DUT1 Bam5 (5'-ATCGGATCCATGACTGCTACTAGCGAC-3') and DUT1 EcoIII (5'-CTAGAATTCTCAAGGGTCCTTTGATTCTGAC-3') as primers. The PCR products were digested by EcoRI and BamHI (TDG and DUT1) and cloned in p414GAL1 (TDG) and p424GAL1 (DUT1) (31) previously digested with EcoRI and BamHI. Yeast strains were transformed with plasmids p414GAL1, p424GAL1, p414GAL1-TDG, or p424GAL1-DUT1 by the lithium acetate method as previously described (14). The haploid strain BG157/p414GAL1-TDG was isolated by tetrad dissection after sporulation of the diploid BG211 strain which had been previously transformed with p414GAL1-TDG.
FACS analysis and DAPI staining.
Flow cytometry analysis was done with a FACScalibur (Beckton-Dickinson)
cell sorter. For fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)
analysis, yeast cells were grown to exponential phase. Ten million
cells were harvested, fixed in 70% ethanol, washed in phosphate-buffered
saline, incubated with 1 mg of RNase/ml, centrifuged, and resuspended
in 50 µg of propidium iodide per ml. For DAPI (4', 6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole)
staining, 10
7 cells were fixed in 70% ethanol, washed, and resuspended
in 1 µg of DAPI per ml. Cells were analyzed on a Zeiss
Axiophot 2 microscope.
Determination of the genotypes.
The genotypes of inviable spores were inferred from the segregation patterns of the three viable spores. The genotypes of viable strains were inferred from the segregation patterns and PCR when two genes possessed the same markers. The genomic DNA of the different spores was extracted with a Dneasy tissue kit (Qiagen). PCRs were performed to determine the disruptions of APN1, APN2, MAG1, NTG1, and UNG1 by using the following primers: APN232 (5'-AGGATCCTTATTCTTTCTTAGTCTTCCTC-3') and APN25 (5'-GGGGATGCCTCGACACCTAGC-3'), KanR606 (5'-ACGGAATTTATGCCTCTTCCG-3') and APN13 (5'-AGGATCCTTAAACCCACTGAAAAAACCC-3'), 5URA392 (5'-GCGGTTTGAAGCAGGCGGCGGAGAAG-3') and MAG1flank3 (5'-GACAGTATACTCGCTTTTCCGC-3'), NTG1flank5 (5'-GCAGTTACAGTCACAGTCACAGCC-3') and NTG1lfank3 (5'-GGCTCTGATTGGTGTCGTGATG-3'), and 5URA392 and UNG1flank3 (5'-CTTCTCCTTACTCTCTCAATTTGG-3'), respectively.
Analysis of mutant strain colonies.
The number of cells per colony or microcolony was counted by microscopic observation. Alternatively, the number of cells per colony was estimated after suspension of the cells in sterile water and counting with a hemocytometer. For all crosses, cells were counted 4 days after dissection.
MMS sensitivity.
To estimate methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) sensitivity, yeast cells were grown in YPD medium at 30°C to an optical density at 600 nm (OD600) of 1.0 and resuspended in sterile water. Appropriate dilutions of MMS (Sigma) were added for 20 min at 30°C with agitation. The reaction was terminated by adding 1 volume of 10% sodium thiosulfate. To assess cell viability after treatment, appropriate dilutions of cell suspensions were plated on YPD medium and allowed to grow for 2 days.
Spontaneous mutation frequencies.
Yeast strains were grown in 2 ml of YNBD or YNBGal medium with the appropriate amino acids at 30°C for 3 days to a cell density of approximately 5 x 107 cells/ml. Cultures were inoculated at a starting density of 103 cells/ml. Cell density was measured by plating dilutions on YNBD or YNBGal plates and counting the colonies after 3 days. The quantification of canavanine-resistant mutants (Canr) was determined after plating 0.1 ml of undiluted culture on YNBD or YNBGal plates containing 60 µg of canavanine sulfate (Research Organics, Inc.) per ml. The plates were incubated for 5 days before cells were counted.
Preparation of cell extracts and assay for dUTPase activity.
Yeast strains (WT and apn1 apn2 rad1/p424GAL1-DUT1) were grown at 30°C in 200 ml of YNBGal medium to reach an OD600 of 1.0. The yeast cells were centrifuged, washed, and stored at -80°C. Cell-free protein extracts were prepared as previously described (52). After centrifugation, the proteins in the supernatant fraction were precipitated in the presence of ammonium sulfate (500 mg/ml), resuspended in 0.5 ml of 50 mM KH2PO4/K2HPO4 (pH 6.8), and dialyzed overnight at 2°C against the same buffer yielding the cell extract. The protein concentration in cell extract was measured according to the Bradford method. The dUTPase activity assay (100-µl final volume) contained 50 mM KH2PO4/K2HPO4 (pH 6.8), 100 pmol of dUTP (Sigma-Aldrich), and cell extract. The reactions were performed at 37°C for increasing lengths of time and/or increasing amounts of cell extract. The conversion of dUTP into dUMP was monitored after separation by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a C18 µBondapack column (Waters). The reaction mixture was directly injected in the system. The column was isocratically developed (1 ml/min) at room temperature with 50 mM NH4H2PO4, pH 4.5, as the mobile phase (39). The retention times of dUTP and dUMP (Sigma-Aldrich) were 4.1 min and 9.5 min, respectively. Products eluted from the HPLC column were detected by monitoring UV absorption at 254 nm. The amount of dUMP formed was calculated by using a calibration curve and an authentic dUMP marker molecule. One unit of dUTPase activity releases 1 pmol of dUMP per min at 37°C.

RESULTS
Deletion of the UNG1 gene suppresses lethality in cells lacking APN1, APN2, and RAD1, whereas inactivation of the MAG1, OGG1, or NTG1 and NTG2 genes does not.
The synthetic lethality of mutations in the
APN1,
APN2, and
RAD1 genes strongly suggests that the burden of endogenous AP
sites in DNA causes cell death in
S. cerevisiae (
15). Although
not viable, an
apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant can form microcolonies
of about 300 cells (
15). The origins of spontaneous AP sites
in DNA are presumably multiple; however, the involvement of
alkylated or oxidized purines, oxidized pyrimidines, and uracil
can be investigated by using
apn1 apn2 rad1 strains where the
MAG1,
OGG1,
NTG1, and
NTG2 or
UNG1 genes have been deleted.
To test the roles of Mag1 and Ogg1, an
apn2 mag1 strain was
crossed with an
apn1 rad1 mutant, and an
apn1 apn2 ogg1 strain
was crossed with a
rad1 mutant (Fig.
1A and B). A high degree
of spore lethality was observed in both cases, and no
apn1 apn2 rad1 mag1 or
apn1 apn2 rad1 ogg1 quadruple mutant was obtained
(36 tetrads dissected, with 9 quadruple mutants expected and
48 tetrads dissected, with 12 quadruple mutants expected, for
the crossing of
mag1 [Fig.
1A] and
ogg1 [Fig.
1B], respectively).
Microscopic analysis does not reveal significant differences
among the microcolonies of
apn1 apn2 rad1,
apn1 apn2 rad1 mag1,
and
apn1 apn2 rad1 ogg1 (Fig.
1E). To examine the role of Ntg1
and Ntg2, an
apn1 apn2 strain was crossed with an
ntg1 ntg2 rad1 mutant (Fig.
1C). A high degree of spore inviability was
observed, and no
apn1 apn2 rad1 ntg1 ntg2 mutant was obtained
(24 tetrads dissected with three
apn1 apn2 rad1 ntg1 ntg2 mutants
expected [Fig.
1C]). However, 4 days after dissection, two types
of microcolonies composed of an average of 300 cells and of
7 · 10
3 cells were observed (Fig.
1E). By replica plating
and PCR analysis, the microcolonies were genotyped as
apn1 apn2 rad1 and
apn1 apn2 rad1 ntg1 ntg2 mutants, respectively. This
result shows that the absence of the two DNA glycosylases/AP
lyases, Ntg1 and Ntg2, allows the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ntg1 ntg2 mutant
to form a larger colony but does not suppress lethality. To
evaluate the role of Ung1, the
apn1 rad1 ung1 strain was crossed
with the
apn2 mutant (Fig.
1D). Four days after dissection,
two types of unusual colonies were observed: 17 microcolonies
and 16 visible colonies, which were clearly smaller than those
of the WT (71 tetrads dissected) (Fig.
1D). By replica plating
and PCR analysis, the microcolonies were genotyped as
apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutants, and all the small colonies were genotyped
as
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 quadruple mutants. The
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 colonies were composed of an average of 2
x 10
6 cells at
4 days after dissection, whereas WT colonies were composed of
about 4
x10
7 cells (Fig.
1E). These results show that the deletion
of the
UNG1 gene suppresses the lethality of the
apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant, whereas the deletion of
MAG1,
OGG1, or
NTG1 and
NTG2 does not. Therefore, uracil is a critical source of the
formation of spontaneous AP sites in DNA.
The apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant presents a growth delay due to a G2/M checkpoint and possesses synthetic lethality with mus81.
Although viable, the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 quadruple mutant generates
colonies smaller than those of the WT, suggesting a growth defect.
Growth curves in YPD medium show that the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant has a doubling time of 150 min compared to 76 min for
the WT strain (Fig.
2A). Exponential phase cultures of the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant contain larger cells and a higher number
of large-budded cells than cultures of the WT strain (55% and
40%, respectively) (Fig.
2B). DAPI staining shows that most
of these large-budded cells have the nucleus at the bud neck:
52% of the large-budded cells of the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant
compared to 22% of those of the WT strain (Fig.
2B and data
not shown). This localization of the nucleus is characteristic
of cells arrested at the G
2/M checkpoint, more specifically,
at the preanaphase stage of mitosis (
53). FACS analysis of
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 shows a decrease in the number of cells in all
phases of the cell cycle and an accumulation of cells at the
right of the G
2 peak that could represent dead cells (Fig.
2C).
The presence of dead cells in exponentially growing cultures
of
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 is also suggested by a reduced plating
efficiency (52%) compared to that of the WT (

80%).
Taken together, these results suggest that the growth delay
of the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant is due to a G
2/M checkpoint
that causes a transient or irreversible arrest at the G
2/M transition.
The reduced viability of the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant points
to the formation of spontaneous AP sites and 3'-blocked SSBs
which are not generated by Ung1. To test this hypothesis the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant was crossed with the
mus81 rad1 strain.
After dissection of the spores, a high degree of spore lethality
was observed, and no
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mus81 colony was obtained
(47 tetrads were dissected, with 12 quintuple mutants expected).
Microscopic analysis allowed us to identify three classes of
microcolonies, one composed of an average of 20 cells, one composed
of an average of 300 cells, and one composed of an average of
10
4 cells (13, 12, and 8 spores, respectively). By replica plating
and segregation patterns, we identified the two first classes
as
apn1 apn2 rad1 mus81 and
apn1 apn2 rad1 mutants, respectively
(
15), and the third one as an
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mus81 quintuple
mutant. Therefore, the presence of the Mus81/Mms4 complex is
essential for the viability of the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant.
However, the inactivation of
UNG1 allows a substantial increase
in the number of generations that an
apn1 apn2 rad1 mus81 mutant
can undergo after dissection. These results confirm the critical
role of AP sites generated by Ung1, but they also show that
other endogenous sources of AP sites exist and generate a burden
of lesions that cause cell death and mutations in the absence
of the relevant repair systems.
NER-independent role of the Rad1/Rad10 heterodimer in the repair of AP sites in DNA.
The viability of the apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant allowed us to investigate the specific role of Rad1/Rad10 in the repair of DNA damages induced by MMS. The lethal effect of MMS is generally attributed to the formation of AP sites resulting from the chemical or enzymatic release of N3-methyladenine and N7-meG (59). The deletion of UNG1 does not enhance MMS sensitivity in WT and apn1 apn2 rad14 backgrounds (Fig. 3). Figure 3 also shows that the apn1 apn2 rad14 triple mutant is more sensitive than the apn1 apn2 double mutant to MMS, confirming the involvement of NER in the removal of AP sites (51, 55). Furthermore, the apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant exhibits an extreme sensitivity to MMS compared to the sensitivity of the apn1 apn2 rad14 ung1 mutant (Fig. 3). These results point to a role of Rad1/Rad10, independent of NER, in the repair of MMS-induced AP sites. These results are consistent with previous studies showing that mutations in APN1, APN2, and RAD1 are synthetic lethal mutations, whereas mutations in APN1, APN2, and RAD14 are not (15, 51, 55).
Origin of uracil in DNA: role of cytosine deamination and expression of the human TDG protein.
In double-stranded DNA, cytosine deamination occurs spontaneously,
leading to the formation of U · G mismatches that are
responsible for the CG-to-TA mutator phenotype of
ung1 mutants
of
E. coli and
S. cerevisiae (
8,
19). The role of cytosine deamination
on the formation of spontaneous AP sites can be specifically
investigated in
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 cells expressing a DNA glycosylase
that excises uracil in U · G mismatches but not in U
· A pairs, such as the human uracil or thymine DNA glycosylase
TDG (
17,
29,
35). If U · G is a critical source of the
formation of AP sites, the expression of TDG in the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant should mimic the expression of Ung1 and cause
cell death. Therefore, we cloned the human cDNA encoding TDG
under the control of a galactose-inducible promoter in the p414GAL1
centromeric plasmid yielding p414GAL1-TDG. To assess the expression
of a functional human TDG in yeast, we transformed an
ung1 mutant
with the empty p414GAL1 plasmid and with plasmid p414GAL1-TDG.
The spontaneous mutation frequencies of the resulting strains
were measured by using the
CAN1 gene as a reporter. Figure
4A shows that the
ung1 mutant exhibits a fourfold-higher frequency
of the spontaneous canavanine-resistant (Can
r) mutant than the
WT. Figure
4A also shows that the spontaneous mutator phenotype
of the
ung1 mutant is suppressed in the
ung1/p414GAL1-TDG strain
grown in the presence of galactose. In contrast, the
ung1/p414GAL1-TDG
strain grown in the presence of glucose exhibits a spontaneous
mutator phenotype (Fig.
4A). These results demonstrate that
the human TDG expressed in yeast is functional and regulated
by the growth medium. To explore the role of U · G mismatches
in the formation of endogenous AP sites, we transformed an
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant with plasmid p414GAL1-TDG. Figure
4B shows
that the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1/p414GAL1-TDG strain, expressing
(GAL) or not (GLU) TDG can form colonies on plates. These results
show that the removal of uracil in U · G mismatches does
not lead to cell death and, in turn, strongly suggest that cytosine
deamination is not a critical cause of the formation of spontaneous
AP sites in DNA.
Origin of uracil in DNA: role of dUMP incorporation during replication and expression of the dUTP pyrophosphatase Dut1.
In addition to cytosine deamination, uracil can arise in DNA
after the incorporation of dUMP by DNA polymerases by using
dUTP during replication or repair (
9,
12). The incorporation
of dUMP in DNA leads to the formation of the U · A pair
that is not mutagenic by itself; however, it can be at the origin
of the AP sites after the removal of uracil by a DNA glycosylase,
such as the yeast Ung1. To assess the role of dUMP incorporated
in DNA as a significant source of the formation of AP sites,
we overexpressed the
DUT1 gene in an
apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant.
In
S. cerevisiae, the
DUT1 gene encodes a dUTP pyrophosphatase
that hydrolyses dUTP to dUMP and PP
i (
12). Therefore, overexpression
of
DUT1 should decrease the intracellular dUTP/dTTP ratio and
thereby prevent the incorporation of uracil into DNA. The
DUT1 gene was cloned under the control of a galactose-inducible promoter
in the 2µm plasmid p424GAL1 yielding p424GAL1-
DUT1. Control
experiments showed that p424GAL1-
DUT1 expressed a functional
Dut1 that can rescue the lethality of the
dut1 deletion mutant
(data not shown). Therefore, the diploid strain BG83 (
apn1/APN1 apn2/APN2 rad1/RAD1) was transformed with p424GAL1-
DUT1. Four
days after dissection of the spores on galactose plates, we
observed microcolonies and slowly growing colonies (Fig.
5A).
The tetrads were analyzed, and the genotypes of the spores were
inferred from segregation patterns after replica plating. All
microcolonies were genotyped as
apn1 apn2 rad1 mutants, whereas
slowly growing colonies were
apn1 apn2 rad1/p424GAL1-
DUT1 (Fig.
5A). The
apn1 apn2 rad1/p424GAL1-
DUT1 strain is viable; it forms
colonies and grows to saturation in YNBGal medium. To confirm
the overexpression of Dut1, the dUTPase activity was measured
in cell-free protein extracts. Figure
5B shows that the dUTPase
activity of the
apn1 apn2 rad1 strain hosting p424GAL1-
DUT1 is four- to fivefold higher than that of the WT. Therefore,
the overexpression of Dut1 can suppress the lethality of an
apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant. These results strongly suggest
that the incorporation of dUMP from the dUTP pool and, consequently,
the U · A pairs in DNA, are at the origin of an important
part of endogenous AP sites in yeast.

DISCUSSION
AP sites are currently thought to be among the most frequent
spontaneous lesions that occur in DNA; they are potentially
lethal or mutagenic. Consistent with the expected abundance
and toxicity, the burden of the spontaneous AP sites is lethal
in the absence of Apn1, Apn2, and Rad1/Rad10 in
S. cerevisiae (
15). To explain the synthetic lethality of the
apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant, we proposed that AP endonucleases or 3'-phosphodiesterases
(Apn1 and Apn2) cooperate with 3'-flap endonucleases (Rad1/Rad10
and Mus81/Mms4) to repair AP sites and 3'-blocked SSBs resulting
from the chemical or enzymatic (AP lyase) cleavage of AP sites
in DNA (
15). In the present study, we explored the origin of
endogenous AP sites in yeast. The strategy used was to suppress
the synthetic lethality of an
apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant by
overexpressing or inactivating cellular function(s) that can
modulate the number of AP sites in DNA. Therefore, we inactivated
Mag1, Ogg1, Ntg1, and Ntg2 or Ung1 to assess the impact of endogenous
DNA base damage, such as N7-meG, 8-oxoG, Tg, and uracil lesions,
respectively, on the formation of AP sites. Here, we show that
the deletion of
MAG1 or
OGG1 in the
apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant
does not suppress lethality. Furthermore, the number of generations
that an
apn1 apn2 rad1 mag1 or
apn1 apn2 rad1 ogg1 quadruple
mutant can undergo is not significantly different from that
of an
apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant. These results strongly suggest
that N7-meG and 8-oxoG are not major sources of the formation
of AP sites in the DNA of dividing cells. Although we cannot
exclude the action of other repair pathways, it should be noted
that both BER and NER are inactivated in these mutants. The
deletion of
NTG1 and
NTG2 in an
apn1 apn2 rad1 background allows
the cells to undergo several more generations. This phenotype
might be due to a reduced number of AP sites that result from
the inactivation of the DNA glycosylase activity of Ntg1 and
Ntg2 (
48) or to an inefficient cleavage of AP sites by the AP
lyase activity of Ogg1, which is only able to cleave AP sites
opposite a cytosine (
58). The second mechanism would result
in a reduced number of 3'-blocked SSBs which have been suggested
to be more toxic than AP sites alone (
15). Together, these mechanisms
can contribute to enhance the survival of the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ntg1 ntg2 mutant versus the
apn1 apn2 rad1 mutant. In contrast,
the deletion of the
UNG1 gene suppresses the lethality of the
apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant. This result points to uracil as
a critical source of the formation of AP sites in DNA. These
data can be compared with those showing that
E. coli cells deficient
in AP endonuclease (lacking
xth and
nfo) and NER (lacking
uvrA)
are not viable, but they can be rescued by the inactivation
of the
ung1 gene (
10). Although viable, the
apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 quadruple mutant presents growth defects characterized by increased
doubling time, cellular abnormalities, and altered FACS profiles.
Indeed, cells at the right of the G
2 peak visible by FACS analysis
are probably dead cells that have accumulated too much DNA damage.
Furthermore, the deletion of
UNG1 cannot suppress lethality
in absence of Apn1, Apn2, Rad1/Rad10, and Mus81/Mms4. This finding
is consistent with the occurrence, independently of uracil,
of endogenous sources of AP sites, which can have a significant
impact on cell viability and, more importantly, on genetic stability.
Indeed, the hydrolytic depurination of DNA and the endogenous
oxidative stress are probably involved in the lethality of the
apn1 apn2 rad1 mus81 ung1 mutant. The deleterious action of
the spontaneous oxidative stress is unambiguously revealed by
the mutator phenotype of Ogg1-deficient strains (
52).
Our data strongly suggest that the removal of uracil in DNA by the Ung1 DNA glycosylase is a critical cause of the formation of spontaneous AP sites. However, the data do not say much about the origin of uracil in DNA. The role of U · G mismatches was investigated with yeast strains that express human TDG, which specifically excises uracil in U · G mismatches (36). The results show that expression of TDG suppresses the mutator phenotype of ung1 strains but does not affect the viability of the apn1 apn2 rad1 ung1 mutant. Therefore, cytosine deamination is not the major endogenous cause of uracil in DNA as expected from the modest spontaneous mutator phenotype of Ung1-deficient strains (19). Finally, our results point to U · A pairs formed by use of dUTP during replication as a critical source of AP sites in DNA. The role of dUTP was strongly suggested by our data showing that the overproduction of the Dut1 activity suppresses the lethality of the apn1 apn2 rad1 triple mutant. Although viable, the apn1 apn2 rad1/p424GAL1-DUT1 strain presents severe growth defects (unpublished data). This result is presumably due to the fact that the dUTP pool is rather low in WT strains, and a fourfold increase in dUTPase activity is not sufficient to completely deplete the dUTP pool in the cell. Taken together, our results show that Dut1 and Ung1 play a critical role in the formation of endogenous AP sites in DNA. This finding is in agreement with the fact that dUTP pyrophosphatase and uracil DNA glycosylase activities are found in all living organisms with dTMP in their DNA and also in viruses (1, 46). Mammalian cells possess several uracil DNA glycosylases; the major activity is associated with UNG proteins, whereas minor activities are associated with SMUG1, TDG, or MBD4 (36). The UNG gene has apparently evolved a specialized role in the repair of U · A pairs formed by use of dUMP from the dUTP pool during replication (21, 32, 40). In fact, UNG is associated with DNA replication foci in mammalian cells, probably due to direct interaction with PCNA and RPA (40). Moreover, both UNG and DUT proteins in mammalian cells have two isoforms, one in the nucleus and another in mitochondria (25, 37). Thus, it seems that mammalian cells have efficient systems to avoid the persistence of uracil in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA that comes from the incorporation of dUMP. Recent studies showed that the cells of ung-/- mice exhibit a steady-state level of
2,000 uracils per genome, which is most likely due to the incorporation of dUMP, but this number is probably an underestimation of the level of uracil in DNA since SMUG1 is present in these cells (38). In contrast, a steady-state level of only 400 8-oxoG residues per genome was measured in the cells of ogg1-/- mice (22). These results in mammalian cells are in agreement with our data in yeast and point to the incorporation of dUMP during replication and its removal by uracil DNA glycosylases as a critical source of endogenous AP sites in DNA. These results led us to conclude that a critical threat to DNA in dividing cells is due to DNA metabolism itself, since dUTP is a physiological intermediate in the course of dTTP biosynthesis in all organisms (11).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was supported by the Centre National de la Recherche
Scientifique and by the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique.
This work was also supported by the Comité de Radioprotection
of Electricité de France. Marie Guillet was supported
by a fellowship from the Association pour la Recherche contre
le Cancer.
We thank Patricia Auffret van der Kemp for her kind assistance in the measurement of the dUTPase activity. We thank T. R. O'Connor for the kind gift of the TDG cDNA and Marcelo de Padula and J. Pablo Radicella for their support.

FOOTNOTES
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: CEA, DSV, Département de Radiobiologie et Radiopathologie, UMR 217 CNRS/CEA Radiobiologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, BP 6, F-92265 Fontenay aux Roses, France. Phone: 33 (1) 46 54 88 58. Fax: 33 (1) 46 54 88 59. E-mail:
boiteux{at}dsvidf.cea.fr.


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Molecular and Cellular Biology, November 2003, p. 8386-8394, Vol. 23, No. 22
0270-7306/03/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/MCB.23.22.8386-8394.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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