Investigating DNA repair by harnessing the dynamic power of chemical biology
Home
Welcome to the David Lab Website!
The David Lab at UC Davis utilizes numerous tools of chemical biology to explore the complex mechanistic details of DNA repair enzymes. DNA repair proteins such as MutY and NEIL, among the targets of research of the David Lab, help catalyze necessary repair of oxidative DNA damage, and are critical to maintaining genomic integrity in organisms living in the oxygen-rich environment of Earth. The David Lab is headed by Dr. Sheila S. David, who has led at the forefront of DNA repair research for over 25 years. The David Lab continues to push forward the world’s current understanding of DNA repair enzymes by leveraging our unique expertise in DNA repair enzymology while venturing into new areas and collaborating with scientists around the world.
Congratulations to our R. Bryan Miller Symposium 2021 Award Winners!
Featured Article:
Unique Hydrogen Bonding of Adenine with the Oxidatively Damaged Base 8-Oxoguanine Enables Specific Recognition and Repair by DNA Glycosylase MutY
Journal of the American Chemical Society
“Here we present a structure–activity relationship (SAR) study using analogues of A to probe the basis for OG:A specificity of MutY. We correlate observed in vitro MutY activity on A analogue substrates with their experimental and calculated acidities to provide mechanistic insight into the factors influencing MutY base excision efficiency.”
Authors: Chandrima Majumdar, Paige L. McKibbin, Allison E. Krajewski, Amelia H. Manlove, Jeehiun K. Lee*, and Sheila S. David*
J. Am. Chem. Soc.Nov. 17 2020, 142, 48, 20340–20350.
Recent Articles:
Unique Hydrogen Bonding of Adenine with the Oxidatively Damaged Base 8-Oxoguanine Enables Specific Recognition and Repair by DNA Glycosylase MutY.
DNA repair protein MutY employs specific interactions to differentiate OG:A basepairs from canonical G:C and T:A basepairs. Prior work from our lab has focused on understanding the structural requirements of OG on lesion recognition and catalysis, and we have shown that MutY relies on the exocyclic 2-amino group of OG to identify and distinguish OG:A from other basepairs. Additionally, we’ve shown that OG binding induces conformational changes that influence A excision.
This new work uses structure-activity relationships (SARs) to identify the structural features of A that influence OG:A recognition, verification, base excision, and overall cellular repair. We correlate observed in vitro MutY activity on A analogue substrates with their experimental and calculated acidities to provide mechanistic insight into the factors influencing MutY base excision efficiency. Our results herein can be used to guide future design of MutY/MUTYH specific probes to monitor the activity, or lack thereof, of MutY/MUTYH variants. These results can also applied toward the development of MUTY/MUTYH specific inhibitors that may find utility in cancer therapeutics.
Designer Fluorescent Adenines Enable Real-Time Monitoring of MUTYH Activity
The human DNA base excision repair enzyme MUTYH (MutY homolog DNA glycosylase) excises undamaged adenine that has been misincorporated opposite the oxidatively damaged 8-oxoG, preventing transversion mutations and serving as an important defense against the deleterious effects of this damage. Mutations in the MUTYH gene predispose patients to MUTYH-associated polyposis and colorectal cancer, and MUTYH expression has been documented as a biomarker for pancreatic cancer. Measuring MUTYH activity is therefore critical for evaluating and diagnosing disease states as well as for testing this enzyme as a potential therapeutic target. However, current methods for measuring MUTYH activity rely on indirect electrophoresis and radioactivity assays, which are difficult to implement in biological and clinical settings. Herein, we synthesize and identify novel fluorescent adenine derivatives that can act as direct substrates for excision by MUTYH as well as bacterial MutY. When incorporated into synthetic DNAs, the resulting fluorescently modified adenine-release turn-on (FMART) probes report on enzymatic base excision activity in real time, both in vitro and in mammalian cells and human blood. We also employ the probes to identify several promising small-molecule modulators of MUTYH by employing FMART probes for in vitro screening.
The DNA repair enzyme MUTYH potentiates cytotoxicity of the alkylating agent MNNG by interacting with abasic sites
Inherited defects in the DNA repair gene MUTYH lead to cancer, proof that MUTYH has a critical role in preventing cancer in normal cells. In a new study from the David Lab, MUTYH is shown to have a new role that implicates it in the response to a common class of chemotherapy drugs, alkylating agents.
Cancer cells evolve resistance to chemotherapy drugs by a number of mechanisms, including upregulating DNA repair enzymes such as BRCA1, which helps cancer cells survive DNA damaging chemotherapy agents. Surprisingly, MUTYH does not help repair alkylating agent DNA damage, but instead enhance alkylating agent toxicity. This study uncovers the underlying molecular mechanism of this activity, which involves MUTYH stimulating cells to create more toxic DNA repair intermediates. By uncovering the molecular mechanism, this research suggests that MUTYH has both a role in preventing DNA mutations that cause cancer, and a separate role in helping kill cancer cells that are treated with chemotherapy drugs, thus the loss of MUTYH is a “double-whammy”. Tests to determine if cancer patients have normal versus functionally-deficient MUTYH may alter chemotherapy treatment choices if these results can be generalized to clinical practice.
Detection of OG:A Lesion Mispairs by MutY Relies on a Single His Residue and the 2-Amino Group of 8-Oxoguanine
MutY glycosylase excises adenines misincorporated opposite the oxidatively damaged lesion, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (OG), to initiate base excision repair and prevent G to T transversion mutations. Successful repair requires MutY recognition of the OG:A mispair amidst highly abundant and structurally similar undamaged DNA base pairs. Herein we use a combination of in vitro and bacterial cell repair assays with single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to demonstrate that both a C-terminal domain histidine residue and the 2-amino group of OG base are critical for MutY detection of OG:A sites. These studies are the first to directly link deficiencies in MutY lesion detection with incomplete cellular repair. These results suggest that defects in lesion detection of human MutY (MUTYH) variants may prove predictive of early-onset colorectal cancer known an MUTYH-associated polyposis. Furthermore, unveiling these specific molecular determinants for repair makes it possible to envision new MUTYH-specific cancer therapies.
Featured Photos:
Savannah completed her 3rd Year Seminar on Zoom - Congrats Savannah!
David Lab Alumni Scott Williams and family showing their BER pride.
Cindy and Liz with 2018 Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold, whose breakthrough work established the use of directed evolution to engineer enzymes.
For #NPAW2020, the David lab would like to thank Carlos for all of his hard work, mentorship, and creativity! Fun facts about Carlos, he loves glycosylases, soccer, and his family, and he has a black belt in Taekwondo! We know he will be a great PI some day!
ACS Chemical Biology LiveSlides Presentation:
Structure–Activity Relationships Reveal Key Features of 8-Oxoguanine: A Mismatch Detection by the MutY Glycosylase
Listen in while Chandrima Majumdar explains this recent work from the David Lab, which was selected as an ACS Editor’s Choice article.
For the latest David Lab updates, check out the News section.
Click on Research for an overview of The David Lab’s research.
A thorough list of publications is available in the Publications section.
Research in the David Lab:
Liz is preparing to image her enzymatic activity assay which utilizes radiolabeled DNA.
Cindy inspects for colonies of transformed bacteria strain E. coli.
Robert pours fractions during purification of his crude compound using flash column chromatography.
Undergraduate researcher Sunbal is preparing reagents and dilutions to set up for a kinetics assay.
Kori is pipetting the necessary reagents into a well plate for her fluorescence-based enzyme activity assay.
Graduate Student Spotlight
Introducing the David Lab Graduate Student Spotlight! Check out our conversation with Nicole as she discusses her journey as a Ph.D. student working in the David Lab.
Undergraduate Student Spotlight
Meet UC Davis Undergraduate Researcher Madeline Bright in our lab’s new Undergraduate Student Spotlight Video!
David Lab FYI Video
How to efficiently pour column fractions: Run a column <60 min.
Doing this will greatly increase your already-existing love of columns. And your productivity.
Get the most out of your flash column. It’s not called slow column chromatography.
Use this information at your own risk. This video is intended for graduate / professional level researchers. Be sure to follow your lab’s safety protocols.
Recent Article Published by Sheila David’s Lab: Unique Hydrogen Bonding of Adenine with the Oxidatively Damaged Base 8-Oxoguanine Enables Specific Recognition and Repair by DNA…
5/31/2017 Congratulations to David Lab authors Doug, Nicole, Michael, and Katie on their recently released article, “Repair of 8-OXOG:A Mismatches by the MUTYH Glycosylase: Mechanisms,…
Woolly mammoths may have walked the landscape at the same time as the earliest humans in what is now New England, according to a new study. Through the radiocarbon dating of a rib fragment from the Mount Holly mammoth from Mount Holly, Vt., the researchers learned that this mammoth existed approximately 12,800 years ago. This […]
New research shows that slight alterations in transfer-RNA molecules (tRNAs) allow them to self-assemble into a functional unit that can replicate information exponentially. tRNAs are key elements in the evolution of early life-forms.
Higher consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of death in men and women, according to data representing nearly 2 million adults. Five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, eaten as 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables, may be the optimal amount and combination for a longer life. […]
Contact:
Dr. Sheila S. David
ssdavid@ucdavis.edu
(530)-752-4280
Department of Chemistry
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616