AP endonuclease

Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease is an enzyme that is involved in the DNA base excision repair pathway (BER). Its main role in the repair of damaged or mismatched nucleotides in DNA is to create a nick in the phosphodiester backbone of the AP site created when DNA glycosylase removes the damaged base.

There are four types of AP endonucleases that have been classified according to their mechanism and site of incision. Class I AP endonucleases (EC 4.2.99.18) cleave 3′ to AP sites by a β-lyase mechanism, leaving an unsaturated aldehyde, termed a 3′-(4-hydroxy-5-phospho-2-pentenal) residue, and a 5′-phosphate. Class II AP endonucleases incise DNA 5′ to AP sites by a hydrolytic mechanism, leaving a 3′-hydroxyl and a 5′-deoxyribose phosphate residue.^[2] Class III and class IV AP endonucleases also cleave DNA at the phosphate groups 3′ and 5′ to the baseless site, but they generate a 3′-phosphate and a 5′-OH.^[3]

Humans have two AP endonucleases, APE1 and APE2. APE1 exhibits robust AP-endonuclease activity, which accounts for >95% of the total cellular activity, and APE1 is considered to be the major AP endonuclease in human cells.^[4] Human AP endonuclease (APE1), like most AP endonucleases, is of class II and requires an Mg²⁺ in its active site in order to carry out its role in base excision repair. The yeast homolog of this enzyme is APN1.^[5]

Human AP Endonuclease 2 (APE2), like most AP endonucleases, is also of class II. The exonuclease activity of APE2 is strongly dependent upon metal ions. However, APE2 was more than 5-fold more active in the presence of manganese than of magnesium ions.^[4] The conserved domains involved in catalytic activity are located at the N-terminal part of both APE1 and APE2. In addition, the APE2 protein has a C-terminal extension, which is not present in APE1, but can also be found in homologs of human APE2 such as APN2 proteins of S. cerevisiae and S. pombe.^[4]