Modeling DNA Repair: Approaching In Vivo Techniques in the Hyperthermophile Sulfolobus Solfataricus

Archaea are found in some of the most extreme environments on earth and represent a third domain of life distinct from Eukarya and Eubacteria. The hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus, isolated from acidic hot springs (80oC, pH 3) in Yellowstone National Park, has emerged as a potential model system for studying human DNA repair processes. Archaea are more closely related to Eukarya than to Eubacteria, suggesting that archaeal DNA repair machinery may model the complex human system much more closely than that of other prokaryotes. DNA repair requires coordinated protein-protein interactions that are frequently transient. Protein complexes that are transient at extreme temperatures where archaea thrive may be more stable at room temperature, allowing for the characterization of otherwise short-lived complexes. However, characterization of these systems in archaea has been limited by the absence of a stable in vivo transformation and expression system. The work presented here is a pilot study in gene cloning and recombinant protein expression in S. solfataricus. Three genes associated with DNA repair were selected for expression: MRE11, PCNA1, and a putative CSB homologue. Though preparation of these recombinant genes followed standard methods, preparation of a suitable vector proved more challenging. The shuttle vector pSSV64, derived from the SSV1 virus and the E. coli vector pBSSK+, was most successfully isolated from the DH5α E. coli strain. Currently, alternative vectors are being designed for more efficient genetic manipulations in S. solfataricus.