Human RAD51 Protein Forms Amyloid-like Aggregates <i>In Vitro</i>

oleh: Daniel V. Kachkin, Kirill V. Volkov, Julia V. Sopova, Alexander G. Bobylev, Sergei A. Fedotov, Sergei G. Inge-Vechtomov, Oxana V. Galzitskaya, Yury O. Chernoff, Aleksandr A. Rubel, Anna Y. Aksenova

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-10-01

Deskripsi

RAD51 is a central protein of homologous recombination and DNA repair processes that maintains genome stability and ensures the accurate repair of double-stranded breaks (DSBs). In this work, we assessed amyloid properties of RAD51 <i>in vitro</i> and in the bacterial curli-dependent amyloid generator (C-DAG) system. Resistance to ionic detergents, staining with amyloid-specific dyes, polarized microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction and other methods were used to evaluate the properties and structure of RAD51 aggregates. The purified human RAD51 protein formed detergent-resistant aggregates <i>in vitro</i> that had an unbranched cross-β fibrillar structure, which is typical for amyloids, and were stained with amyloid-specific dyes. Congo-red-stained RAD51 aggregates demonstrated birefringence under polarized light. RAD51 fibrils produced sharp circular X-ray reflections at 4.7 Å and 10 Å, demonstrating that they had a cross-β structure. Cytoplasmic aggregates of RAD51 were observed in cell cultures overexpressing <i>RAD51</i>. We demonstrated that a key protein that maintains genome stability, RAD51, has amyloid properties <i>in vitro</i> and in the C-DAG system and discussed the possible biological relevance of this observation.