Fungal cryptochrome with DNA repair activity reveals an early stage in cryptochrome evolution

Abstract

DASH (Drosophila, Arabidopsis, Synechocystis, Human)-type cryp- tochromes (cry-DASH) belong to a family of flavoproteins acting as repair enzymes for UV-B–induced DNA lesions (photolyases) or as UV-A/blue light photoreceptors (cryptochromes). They are present in plants, bacteria, various vertebrates, and fungi and were originally considered as sensory photoreceptors because of their incapability to repair cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) lesions in duplex DNA. However, cry-DASH can repair CPDs in single-stranded DNA, but their role in DNA repair in vivo remains to be clarified. The genome of the fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus contains a single gene for a protein of the cryptochrome/photolyase family (CPF) encoding a cry-DASH, cryA, despite its ability to photoreactivate. Here, we show that cryA expression is induced by blue light in a Mad complex-dependent man- ner. Moreover, we demonstrate that CryA is capable of binding flavin (FAD) and methenyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF), fully complements the Escherichia coli photolyase mutant and repairs in vitro CPD lesions in single-stranded and double-stranded DNA with the same efficiency. These results support a role for Phycomyces cry-DASH as a photolyase and suggest a similar role for cry-DASH in mucoromycotina fung

Two Photolyases Repair Distinct DNA Lesions and Reactivate UVB-Inactivated Conidia of an Insect Mycopathogen under Visible Light

“…The results indicated a more prominent role of Phr1 than of Phr2 but little role of CryD in photoreactivation of UVB-inactivated conidia. Previously, cry-DASH homologs in bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals were shown to repair CPD lesions of single-stranded DNAs in vitro (36)(37)(38)(39). Since fungal DNA is double-stranded, the cryD mutants showing little change in photoreactivation efficiency were not included in the experiments relating to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) lesions in vivo.…”

Photoenzymes and Related Topics: An Update

“…In the “phylogenetic trees,” photolyases are intermingled with the cryptochromes. In fact, the Cry‐DASH family of cryptochrome photoreceptors was also shown to possess single‐stranded DNA repair activity ; some, but not all, of these can repair both double‐stranded and single‐stranded DNA . The most recent phylogenetic diagrams are those in Refs (,) other versions can be found in Refs .…”

“…In fact, the Cry-DASH family of cryptochrome photoreceptors was also shown to possess singlestranded DNA repair activity (15); some, but not all, of these can repair both double-stranded and single-stranded DNA (18,19). The most recent phylogenetic diagrams are those in Refs (15,20,21) other versions can be found in Refs (19,22). The primary chromophore in all photolyases is the flavin-adenine dinucleotide.…”

The second International Symposium on Fungal Stress: ISFUS

“…Most fungi respond to light by regulating gene transcription, and a key response to light is the activation of genes for repairing UV-induced DNA damage. In Phycomyces, a cryptochrome seems to act as a blue-light regulated DNA repair enzyme (Tagua et al, 2015).…”