Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mhr1 can bind Xho I-induced mitochondrial DNA double-strand breaks in vivo

Publication date: Available online 12 October 2017Source: MitochondrionAuthor(s): Kanchanjunga Prasai, Lucy C. Robinson, Kelly Tatchell, Lynn HarrisonAbstractMitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) double-strand break (DSB) repair is essential for maintaining mtDNA integrity, but little is known about the proteins involved in mtDNA DSB repair. Here, we utilize Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a eukaryotic model to identify proteins involved in mtDNA DSB repair. We show that Mhr1, a protein known to possess homologous DNA pairing activity in vitro, binds to mtDNA DSBs in vivo, indicating its involvement in mtDNA DSB repair. Our data also indicate that Yku80, a protein previously implicated in mtDNA DSB repair, does not compete with Mhr1 for binding to mtDNA DSBs. In fact, C-terminally tagged Yku80 could not be detected in yeast mitochondrial extracts. Therefore, we conclude that Mhr1, but not Yku80, is a potential mtDNA DSB repair factor in yeast.
Source: Mitochondrion - Category: Biochemistry Source Type: research