Ribonuclease H2, subunit B is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''RNASEH2B''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...
.
RNase H2 is composed of a single
catalytic
Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
subunit (
A) and two non-catalytic subunits (B and
C), and degrades the
RNA of RNA:DNA hybrids. The non-catalytic B subunit of RNase H2 is thought to play a role in DNA replication.
Mutations in this gene are a cause of
Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome type 2 (AGS2).
Model organisms
Model organisms have been used in the study of RNASEH2B function. A conditional
knockout mouse
A knockout mouse, or knock-out mouse, is a genetically modified mouse (''Mus musculus'') in which researchers have inactivated, or " knocked out", an existing gene by replacing it or disrupting it with an artificial piece of DNA. They are importa ...
line, called ''Rnaseh2b
tm1a(EUCOMM)Wtsi''
was generated as part of the
International Knockout Mouse Consortium program — a high-throughput mutagenesis project to generate and distribute animal models of disease to interested scientists.
Male and female animals underwent a standardized
phenotypic screen
In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological proper ...
to determine the effects of deletion.
Twenty four tests were carried out on
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
mice and three significant abnormalities were observed.
No
homozygous
Zygosity (the noun, zygote, is from the Greek "yoked," from "yoke") () is the degree to which both copies of a chromosome or gene have the same genetic sequence. In other words, it is the degree of similarity of the alleles in an organism.
Mo ...
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
embryos were identified during gestation, and therefore none survived until
weaning
Weaning is the process of gradually introducing an infant human or another mammal to what will be its adult diet while withdrawing the supply of its mother's milk.
The process takes place only in mammals, as only mammals produce milk. The infan ...
. The remaining tests were carried out on
heterozygous
Zygosity (the noun, zygote, is from the Greek "yoked," from "yoke") () is the degree to which both copies of a chromosome or gene have the same genetic sequence. In other words, it is the degree of similarity of the alleles in an organism.
Mo ...
mutant adult mice and an increased susceptibility to
bacterial infection
Pathogenic bacteria are bacteria that can cause disease. This article focuses on the bacteria that are pathogenic to humans. Most species of bacteria are harmless and are often beneficial but others can cause infectious diseases. The number ...
was observed in female animals.
Misincorporated
ribonucleotide
In biochemistry, a ribonucleotide is a nucleotide containing ribose as its pentose component. It is considered a molecular precursor of nucleic acids. Nucleotides are the basic building blocks of DNA and RNA. Ribonucleotides themselves are basic ...
s in
DNA are removed by RNASEH2. Deficient RNASEH2 activity in mice causes
white matter
White matter refers to areas of the central nervous system (CNS) that are mainly made up of myelinated axons, also called tracts. Long thought to be passive tissue, white matter affects learning and brain functions, modulating the distributi ...
defects,
neuroinflammation
Neuroinflammation is inflammation of the nervous tissue. It may be initiated in response to a variety of cues, including infection, traumatic brain injury,Ebert SE, Jensen P, Ozenne B, Armand S, Svarer C, Stenbaek DS ''et al.'' Molecular imaging of ...
and atrophy of the
cerebellum, conditions that mirror
Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome in humans.
Unrepaired DNA damage signalling appears to be the basic cause of the
neurodegenerative features that are characteristic of Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome.
Mutagenesis studies
Rnaseh2b gene knockout in mice leads to early embryonic lethality, hence genetically engineered mice with a premature stop codon in exon 7 Rnaseh2b was created.
It was hypothesized that growth arrest was a consequence of a
p53
p53, also known as Tumor protein P53, cellular tumor antigen p53 (UniProt name), or transformation-related protein 53 (TRP53) is a regulatory protein that is often mutated in human cancers. The p53 proteins (originally thought to be, and often s ...
-dependent DNA damage response associated with the accumulation of single RN in genomic
DNA.
Ribonucleotide
In biochemistry, a ribonucleotide is a nucleotide containing ribose as its pentose component. It is considered a molecular precursor of nucleic acids. Nucleotides are the basic building blocks of DNA and RNA. Ribonucleotides themselves are basic ...
accumulate in RNaseH2 null cells as a consequence of incorporation by
DNA polymerases. Ribonucleotide incorporation occurs in metazoans and these lesions are harmful to mammalian cells, and their removal is required for mouse embryonic development. Lesions are single or diRN covalently incorporated into genomic DNA, at a frequency of approx. 1.000.000 sites per cell, making it the most common endogenous base lesion in the mammalian genome. These lesions are best explained by misincorporation by the major replicative polymerases.
RNase H2 is a genome surveillance enzyme required for
ribonucleotide
In biochemistry, a ribonucleotide is a nucleotide containing ribose as its pentose component. It is considered a molecular precursor of nucleic acids. Nucleotides are the basic building blocks of DNA and RNA. Ribonucleotides themselves are basic ...
removal.
ribonucleotide
In biochemistry, a ribonucleotide is a nucleotide containing ribose as its pentose component. It is considered a molecular precursor of nucleic acids. Nucleotides are the basic building blocks of DNA and RNA. Ribonucleotides themselves are basic ...
accumulation in genomic DNA of RNaseH2null mice implicates the RNaseH2 complex in the maintenance of genome integrity. These
ribonucleotide
In biochemistry, a ribonucleotide is a nucleotide containing ribose as its pentose component. It is considered a molecular precursor of nucleic acids. Nucleotides are the basic building blocks of DNA and RNA. Ribonucleotides themselves are basic ...
changes are likely to be harmful, as their ribose 2’-hydroxyl group increases susceptibility of the adjacent phosphodiester bond to hydrolysis. Actually, they report that the ribonucleotides are being incorporated 1 every ~7.600 nt in null cells = 1.300.000 lesions per cell. This have the same order of magnitude predicted from in vitro incorporation rates by eukaryotic replicative polymerases.
Misincorporated
ribonucleotide
In biochemistry, a ribonucleotide is a nucleotide containing ribose as its pentose component. It is considered a molecular precursor of nucleic acids. Nucleotides are the basic building blocks of DNA and RNA. Ribonucleotides themselves are basic ...
induce
DNA damage. It is not that the ribonucleotides do not prevent replication; but rather polDNA can tolerate templates with ribonucleotides, having normal early
embryogenesis. The problem appears with excessive numbers of ribonucleotides. DNA damage response signaling activated maybe by incorporation of ribonucleotides in difficult to replicate regions or near other detrimental lesions. They also found chromosomal rearrangements: DNA breaks may origin by replication fork collapse or hydrolysis of RN on opposing DNA strands. Also, the marked activation of DNA damage signaling in embryo may produce a
p53
p53, also known as Tumor protein P53, cellular tumor antigen p53 (UniProt name), or transformation-related protein 53 (TRP53) is a regulatory protein that is often mutated in human cancers. The p53 proteins (originally thought to be, and often s ...
-mediated inhibition of proliferation that might contribute to the lethality of null embryos.
Ribonucleotide incorporation in health and disease. Previous studies reported only two contexts where there’s stable incorporation of ribonucleotides: 1) diRibonucleotides in S. pombe may be a signal to initiate homologous recombination. 2) Ribonucleotides in mtDNA (Mouse and HeLa cells). Low levels of ribonucleotides incorporation in the nuclear genome may be tolerated. Actually, aberrant nucleic acid substrates, generated by repair pathways non-RNaseH2 dependent (due to reduced RNaseH2 activity in Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome) are thought to drive innate immune response. Alternatively, ribonucleotides might induce DNA-damage response signaling that by itself may stimulates interferon production.
Ribonucleotides can be highly deleterious to the mammalian cell, causing genome instability, and that the RNaseH2 is a critical enzyme for ensuring integrity of genomic DNA. It also calls for attention and interest about the pathway(s) that remove ribonucleotides from genomic DNA, site and nature of ribonucleotides -induced DNA damage, and distribution of ribonucleotides in the genome. Knowing this, it may gain understanding about the pathological and physiological roles of RN in genomic DNA, of significance to both nucleic acid-driven autoimmunity and
carcinogenesis
Carcinogenesis, also called oncogenesis or tumorigenesis, is the formation of a cancer, whereby normal cells are transformed into cancer cells. The process is characterized by changes at the cellular, genetic, and epigenetic levels and abno ...
.
References
Further reading
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{{refend
External links
GeneReviews/NCBI/NIH/UW entry on Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome
Genes mutated in mice
Human proteins