Conformational change in human DNA repair enzyme O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase upon alkylation of its active site by SN1 (indirect-acting) and SN2 (direct-acting) alkylating agents: breaking a "salt-link".

Human O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) repairs DNA by transferring alkyl (R-) adducts from O6-alkylguanine (6RG) in DNA to its own cysteine residue at codon 145 (formation of R-MGMT). We show here that R-MGMT in cell extracts, which is sensitive to protease V8 cleavage at the glutamic acid residues at codons 30 (E30) and 172 (E172), can be specifically immunoprecipitated with an MGMT monoclonal antibody, Mab.3C7. This Mab recognizes an epitope of human MGMT including the lysine 107 (K107) which is within the most basic region that is highly conserved among mammalian MGMTs. Surprisingly, the K107L mutant protein is repair-deficient and readily cleaved by protease V8 similar to R-MGMT. We propose that R-MGMT adopted an altered conformation which exposed the Mab.3C7 epitope and rendered the protein sensitive to protease V8 attack. This proposal could be explained by the disruption of a structural “salt-link” within the molecule based on the available structural and biochemical data. The specific...