DNA translocation by human uracil DNA glycosylase: role of DNA phosphate charge.

Human DNA repair glycosylases must encounter and inspect each DNA base in the genome to discover damaged bases that may be present at a density of <1 in 10 million normal base pairs. This remarkable example of specific molecular recognition requires a reduced dimensionality search process (facilitated diffusion) that involves both hopping and sliding along the DNA chain. Despite the widely accepted importance of facilitated diffusion in protein-DNA interactions, the molecular features of DNA that influence hopping and sliding are poorly understood. Here we explore the role of the charged DNA phosphate backbone in sliding and hopping by human uracil DNA glycosylase (hUNG), which is an exemplar that efficiently locates rare uracil bases in both double-stranded DNA and single-stranded DNA. Substitution of neutral methylphosphonate groups for anionic DNA phosphate groups weakened nonspecific DNA binding affinity by 0.4-0.5 kcal/mol per substitution. In contrast, sliding of hUNG between uracil sites embedded in duplex and single-stranded DNA substrates persisted unabated when multiple methylphosphonate linkages were inserted between the sites. Thus, a continuous phosphodiester backbone negative charge is not essential for sliding over nonspecific DNA binding sites. We consider several alternative mechanisms for these results. A model consistent with previous structural and nuclear magnetic resonance dynamic results invokes the presence of open and closed conformational states of hUNG. The open state is short-lived and has weak or nonexistent interactions with the DNA backbone that are conducive for sliding, and the populated closed state has stronger interactions with the phosphate backbone. These data suggest that the fleeting sliding form of hUNG is a distinct weakly interacting state that facilitates rapid movement along the DNA chain and resembles the transition state for DNA dissociation.