Summary DNA mismatch repair corrects errors that have escaped polymerase proofreading, increasing replication fidelity 100- to 1000-fold in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. The MutL protein plays a central role in mismatch repair by coordinating multiple protein-protein interactions that signal strand removal upon mismatch recognition by MutS. Here we report the crystal structure of the endonuclease domain of Bacillus subtilis MutL. The structure is organized in dimerization and regulatory subdomains connected by a helical lever spanning the conserved endonuclease motif. Additional conserved motifs cluster around the lever and define a Zn2+-binding site that is critical for MutL function in vivo. The structure unveils a powerful inhibitory mechanism to prevent undesired DNA nicking and allows us to propose a model describing how the interaction with MutS and the processivity clamp could license the endonuclease activity of MutL. The structure also provides a molecular framework to propose and test additional roles of MutL in mismatch repair.

SUMMARY Hydroxyurea (HU) specifically inhibits class I ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), depleting dNTP pools and leading to replication fork arrest. While HU inhibition of RNR has been recognized for decades, the mechanism by which it leads to cell death remains unknown. To investigate the mechanism of HU-induced cell death we used a systems-level approach to determine the genomic and physiological responses of E. coli to HU treatment. Our results suggest a model by which HU treatment rapidly induces a set of protective responses to manage genomic instability in the majority of the cell population. Continued HU stress activates iron uptake as well as the toxins MazF and RelE whose activity causes the synthesis of incompletely translated proteins and stimulation of the envelope stress response system. These effects alter the properties of one of the cell’s two terminal cytochrome oxidases in the electron transport chain, causing an increase in the production of superoxide. The increased superoxide production from the respiratory chain together with the increased iron uptake fuels the formation of hydroxyl radicals that contribute to HU-induced cell death. This work significantly expands our understanding of HU-mediated cell death and more broadly suggests a pathway whereby replication fork arrest leads to cell death.

SummaryThe UPF0054 protein family is highly conserved with homologues present in nearly every sequenced bacterium. In some bacteria, the respective gene is essential, while in others its loss results in a highly pleiotropic phenotype. Despite detailed structural studies, a cellular role for this protein family has remained unknown. We report here that deletion of the Escherichia coli homologue, YbeY, causes striking defects that affect ribosome activity, translational fidelity and ribosome assembly. Mapping of 16S, 23S and 5S rRNA termini reveals that YbeY influences the maturation of all three rRNAs, with a particularly strong effect on maturation at both the 5Ј-and 3Ј-ends of 16S rRNA as well as maturation of the 5Ј-termini of 23S and 5S rRNAs. Furthermore, we demonstrate strong genetic interactions between ybeY and rnc (encoding RNase III), ybeY and rnr (encoding RNase R), and ybeY and pnp (encoding PNPase), further suggesting a role for YbeY in rRNA maturation. Mutation of highly conserved amino acids in YbeY, allowed the identification of two residues (H114, R59) that were found to have a significant effect in vivo. We discuss the implications of these findings for rRNA maturation and ribosome assembly in bacteria.