ABSTRACT Regulation of gene transcription by structural interconversions of genomic DNA is an emerging biochemical and genetic paradigm that adds to the already diverse repertoire of eukaryotic gene regulatory mechanisms. The appearance of paranemic structures coincident with changes in gene activity, as well as participation of transcription factors that recognize and bind single-stranded DNA at numerous gene promoters in vivo illustrates the authenticity of this concept and its importance in cellular homeostasis. Despite its acceptance, this concept has been minimally described at the biochemical and biophysical levels, as the means by which sequence-specific single-stranded DNAbinding proteins exert transcriptional influence in double-stranded genomes remains largely undefined. Pur is a sequence-specific single-stranded DNA/RNA-binding protein that acts as a repressor of smooth muscle -actin (SM A) gene transcription, and mRNA translation. SM A is an important cytoskeletal protein that contributes contractile, antimigratory, and nonproliferative functions in smooth muscle. In concert with Pur protein family member Pur , and Y-box protein MSY1, Pur enacts repression of SM A gene expression by interacting with a cryptic cis-regulatory element in the 5’ region of the SM A promoter that has been shown to transiently adopt single-stranded conformations in vivo, and to confer transcriptional activation when trans-activator occupied while in a doublestranded conformation. Downregulation of SM A gene expression has been identified to be a contributing factor to cardiovascular disease progression; therefore a thorough understanding of SM A repression mechanisms is critical for clinical management of these conditions. Although highly homologous at the primary sequence level, Pur and Pur display significant conserved regions of sequence divergence that suggest these paralogs exert distinct cellular functions in various vertebrate classes. A goal of the studies presented herein was to delineate exhibited functional differences with respect to SM A repression in pertinent mouse cell lines. Loss-of-function and chromatin immunoprecipitation studies verified that Pur differs from Pur in that Pur is the dominant Pur protein repressor of SM A expression in embryonic fibroblasts and vascular smooth muscle cells, although by different, cell type-specific mechanisms. Biophysical assessment of Pur single-stranded DNA binding properties showed that despite the ability of Pur to self-dimerize in the absence of nucleic acid, Pur binds to the cryptic SM A enhancer by a sequential and cooperative mechanism, with remarkable affinity and a terminal stoichiometry of 2 to 1. Footprinting and in vitro binding site characterization confirms two Pur binding sites exist within this element and display slight degeneracy from a proposed Pur protein-binding consensus motif. These findings delineate binding mechanisms adopted by Pur and provide a means to identify putative Pur binding sites throughout the genome.

DNA double strand breaks can occur from various sources and the timely and accurate repair of these breaks is critical to maintain the genomic integrity of the cell. Break-induced replication (BIR) is a repair pathway that has been shown to repair DSBs where only one end of the break can locate homology, similar to ends seen at collapsed replication forks or eroded telomeres. BIR progresses by an unusual bubble-like intermediate. The asynchrony between the synthesis of leading and lagging strand synthesis during BIR leads to the accumulation of long single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) behind the bubble. This mechanism leads to the conservative inheritance of newly synthesized DNA. BIR repair can lead to increased mutations, loss of heterozygosity and gross chromosomal rearrangements. In this thesis I investigated the deleterious effects of the ssDNA formed during BIR. Using yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, I showed that the regulation of Rad51 that binds ssDNA during BIR is important to prevent the accumulation of toxic joint intermediates. Here, I demonstrate that a known Rad51-interacting protein, Srs2, plays two key roles in counteracting the accumulation of lethal recombination intermediates. First, Srs2 dislodges Rad51 from long ssDNA formed during DSB repair and therefore prevents promiscuous strand invasions that generate lethal joint molecules. Second, Srs2 helicase dismantles toxic intermediates that have already formed. We also demonstrate that the structure-specific endonucleases, Mus81 and Yen1, can resolve toxic joint molecules formed in the absence of Srs2, thus promoting cell survival. The other goal of this thesis was to study the effects of ssDNA accumulated during BIR in the formation of base-substitution mutagenesis. I test whether this ssDNA is mutagenic by analyzing BIR with and without the presence of DNA damaging agents, including methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and APOBEC3A. I observed a hypermutagenic effect of BIR with respect to base- substitutions in both cases. Importantly, BIR synergizes with ssDNA damaging agents to produce mutation clusters similar to those previously observed in cancer. I also report the critical role translesion polymerase Polζ plays in the formation of base-substitutions resulting from BIR. Finally, I have discovered a completely novel, UNG1-dependent mechanism of supposed error-free bypasses of APOBEC-induced DNA lesions during BIR that promotes chromosomal rearrangements.

Beak and feather disease virus (BFDV), a non-enveloped, icosahedral virus with a circular single stranded DNA (ssDNA) genome, is the causative agent behind psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD), an often fatal disease affecting parrots. Symptoms include feathering abnormalities, loss of feathers, and occasionally beak and claw deformities. BFDV-induced immunosuppression results in an increased susceptibility to secondary microbial infections, which is often the cause of death in infected parrots. There is no cure, no effective treatment, and no protective vaccine for BFDV. The international trade in exotic parrots has facilitated the spread of BFDV, so that it now has a global presence. Given that over a quarter of the currently recognised 356 psittacine species are considered to be at risk of extinction in the wild, the worldwide presence of BFDV, coupled with its extreme environmental stability, poses serious concerns for the future of some of the worlds most endangered parrots. That genetic diversity exists among BFDV isolates has been established, yet in the 14 years since the genome was fully sequenced, very few full-length BFDV genome sequences have been deposited in GenBank, despite the technology to rapidly isolate and amplify entire circular ssDNA genomes being readily available. Most studies have sequenced just a portion of the genome, usually one of the open reading frames (ORFs) encoding the major viral proteins, to investigate phylogenetic relationships between isolates. However the two major BFDV ORFs, encoding the replication associated protein (Rep) and the capsid protein (CP), have been shown to evolve at different rates, with the functional Rep being generally more conserved while CP is more variable. When also considering the fact that ssDNA viruses are notoriously recombinant, it becomes clear that an analysis based on a portion of the genome is unlikely to accurately establish evolutionary relationships. Therefore the focus of the studies described in this thesis was on isolation and amplification of full-length BFDV genomes from avian blood and feather samples that first tested positive to a PCR-based BFDV screening method. Samples were collected by appropriately trained people in New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Poland, before being sent to the University of Canterbury for molecular and bioinformatic analysis. The sequences of the BFDV genomes from each region were compared to each other and to all other full BFDV genome sequences publically available in GenBank, to compare the genetic diversity among these isolates. Recombination analyses were also performed, to assess how recombination is impacting on the evolution of BFDV. New strains of BFDV and new subtypes of existing BFDV strains were discovered, indicating that the global genetic diversity may be greater than previously thought. Many strains also proved to be recombinants, in particular those from Poland. Europe has had a long history with importing and breeding exotic parrots, and the high degree of recombination among the Polish BFDV isolates coupled with the number of previously unsampled strains is an example of how maintaining populations of multiple species in captivity enables evolution through recombination, and emergence of novel viral strains. Full genome analyses can also enable tracking the source of an infection. A total of 78 full genome sequences from 487 samples tested were deposited into GenBank as a direct result of the work undertaken as part of this thesis, thereby adding to the existing knowledge base regarding BFDV. With continued global sampling and full genome analysis it may one day be possible to trace the history of BFDV to its original emergence.

Defects in BRCA1 and BRCA2 tumor suppressors predispose one to breast and ovarian cancer. The current treatment for BRCA-deficient cancers is mastectomy. Because both copies of the tumor suppressor need to be defective for cancer to occur, identifying cellular mechanisms that specifically target BRCA-deficient cells is of paramount importance. Luckily, recent experiments have shown that depletion of a protein named RAD52 in BRCA1 or BRCA2 cancer cells causes them to die. Therefore, we can use small molecules to stop the RAD52 protein from functioning. We need, however, to know which of the RAD52 activities to inhibit and how. One function of RAD52 that likely underlies all cellular activities is its ability to bind single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). To identify if small molecules could inhibit the RAD52-ssDNA complex, I screened a small library of compounds and found 13 potential inhibitors. We validated that these small molecules bind to RAD52 and inhibit RAD52 DNA binding and annealing activities. The identification of these small molecules is important because we can use them to dissect the function of RAD52 in normal and malignant cells, which to date remains elusive. In an attempt to further advance our understanding of RAD52 function and regulation we are also investigating how a novel binding partner, DSS1, interacts with RAD52 and modulates its activities. My data show that this protein enhances the way RAD52 finds separate complementary DNA templates and anneals them to make a double-stranded product. At least in part, these studies have identified some residues likely involved in the binding site of DSS1 on RAD52. In aggregate, the outcome of the two projects deepens our understanding of the complex and interconnected cellular pathways that support the integrity of genomes.

Recent metagenomic studies have shown that there is a higher diversity of ssDNA viruses in the environment than previously thought. While some viral families are well characterised, novel ssDNA isolates discovered with sequence-independent molecular techniques are often too divergent to fit within the currently established viral taxonomy. Several factors have contributed to the gap in knowledge, including: the (previously) high cost of sequencing, the disproportionate amount of research that occurs after a threat is identified, and the use of sequence-based molecular techniques to isolate viral sequences. Recent studies have begun to explore viral diversity in the environment, however, most of these studies have occurred outside New Zealand. Several benefits would come from uncovering the true ssDNA viral diversity and global distribution including improving the resolution of the current taxonomic structure for identifying unknown isolates and inferring possible virus-host relationships, and providing baseline data for the development of disease prevention and monitoring strategies. Studies specific to the New Zealand environment are essential. With its geographical isolation and Gondwana ancestry, New Zealand will possess a unique viral sequence space. Studies on local viral diversity and the spread of ssDNA viruses are going to be most relevant if they are conducted within the established ecosystems in New Zealand. In this dissertation, a novel protocol was developed for exploring viral diversity in the New Zealand environment using basic molecular techniques and animal faecal samples. Design considerations included: identifying highly novel small circular viral sequences with DNA genomes without the use of specific primers, inflicting as little environmental impact as possible, and keeping the cost low. The faecal sampling approach does not require animal handling and therefore incorporates the use of viral reservoirs while remaining non-invasive. The molecular techniques in this protocol used non-specific rolling circle amplification (RCA) followed by restriction enzyme (RE) digests, cloning, and sequencing of the cloned genomes via sanger sequencing. This inexpensive exploratory method provided preliminary sequence information from which primers were designed for recovery of full viral genomes. The success of this protocol was demonstrated by the recovery and molecular characterisation of a novel ssDNA virus isolate from a pig faecal sample, which was tentatively named porcine stool-associated circular virus (PoSCV). This protocol was then applied to sample viruses in the faecal matter from variety of domesticated, wild, and farmed animals in New Zealand. The faecal samples were collected from the North and South Island of New Zealand as well as South East Island of the Chatham Islands (Rangatira). Several putative gemycircularviral isolates (novel viruses with similarities to geminiviruses and the recently discovered ssDNA virus infecting Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) were identified in the sequencing results based on BLASTx similarities to viral sequences available in public databases (GenBank). The full genomes of these isolates were recovered and characterised. Identification was based on genome organization, phylogenetic analysis of the replication associated protein (Rep), and full genome nucleotide pairwise identities. Fourteen novel ssDNA virus sequences relating to gemycircularviruses were discovered, of which ten were representative of new species (FaSCV-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10) and three were identified as strains of the same species (FasGCV-1). Two additional isolates were discovered to be distantly related to these viruses: Ostrich faecal associated ssDNA virus (OfaV) and Rabbit faecal associated ssDNA virus (RfaV). Additionally, this protocol was used to recover novel ssDNA viruses from the nesting material of a dead Yellow-crowned Parakeet chick found in the Poulter Valley in the South Island of New Zealand. The nesting material likely contained faecal matter and thus represented another approach strategy for exploring ssDNA viruses in the environment. Two novel ssDNA isolates were discovered and molecularly characterised: Cyanoramphus nest-associated circular X virus (CynNCXV), and Cyanoramphus nest-associated circular K virus CynNCKV.

Background. Viruses strongly influence microbial population dynamics and ecosystem functions However, our ability to quantitatively evaluate those viral impads is limited to the few cultivated viruses and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viral genomes captured in quantitative viral metagenornes (vromes). This leaves the ecology of nondsDNA viruses nearly unlmovvn, including single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses that have been frequently observed in viromes, but not quantified due to amplification biases in sequencing library preparations (Multiple Displacement Amplification, Linker Amplification or Tagmentation). Methods. Here we designed mock viral communities including both ssDNA and dsDNA viruses to evaluate the capability of a sequencing library preparation approach including an Adaptase step prior to Linker Amplification for quantitative amplification of both dsDNA and ssDNA templates. We then surveyed aquatic samples to provide first estimates of the abundance of ssDNA viruses. Results. Mock community experiments confirmed the biased nature of existing library preparation methods for ssDNA templates (either largely enriched or selected against) and showed that the protocol using Adaptase plus Linker Amplification yielded viromes that were 1.8-fold quantitative for ssDNA and dsDNA viruses. Application of this protocol to community virus DNA from three freshwater and three marine samples revealed that ssDNA viruses as a whole represent only a minor fraction (<5%) of DNA virus communities, though individual ssDNA genomes, both eukaryoteinfecting Circular Rep-Encoding Single-Stranded DNA (CRESS-DNA) viruses and bacteriophages from the Microviridae family, can be among the most abundant viral genomes in a sample. Discussion. Together these findings provide empirical data for a new virome library preparation protocol, and a first estimate of ssDNA virus abundance in aquatic systems.

The introduction of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies has dramatically changed the field of virology, with many significant discoveries of novel circular replication-associated protein (Rep) encoding single-stranded (CRESS) DNA viruses. Traditionally, most research into CRESS DNA viruses has often focused on investigating plant and animal pathogens that are of significant economic importance. This research has led to the discovery and establishment of three different CRESS DNA families including Geminiviridae, Nanoviridae and Circoviridae, which infect eukaryotes. CRESS DNA viruses can have single or multicomponent genomes, with the latter requiring all components for infection. CRESS DNA viruses have circular single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) genomes with at least one protein encoding a Rep which is responsible for viral replication. It has been shown that CRESS DNA viruses are able to evolve rapidly with nucleotide substitution rates that are similar to those observed in RNA viruses. The Rep gene has conserved regions known as motifs which are often used to determine relatedness between CRESS DNA virus. NGS has expanded our knowledge on the diversity of novel CRESS DNA viruses. Viral genomes are now routinely recovered from different sample types without any prior knowledge of the viral sequence. This has led to the development of the field of viral ecology. This field places an emphasis on viruses being one of the most abundant organisms on earth, and are therefore likely to play a major role in ecosystems. Environmental metagenomic studies have isolated CRESS DNA viruses from sea water, freshwater, faecal matter from various animals, soil, the atmosphere, sediments and sewage; dramatically increasing the known CRESS DNA viral genomes in the public domain. These studies are shedding light on the distribution of CRESS DNA viruses, as well as providing baseline data for future studies to examine virus-host interactions, community structure and ultimately viral evolution. Vector enable metagenomics (VEM) is another novel approach utilising NGS techniques for discovering CRESS DNA viruses. As many plant-infecting CRESS DNA viruses such as geminiviruses and nanoviruses are vectored by insects, this approach exploits this mechanism by using insect vectors as a surveillance tool to monitor and survey these viruses circulating in ecosystems. Recent studies have used these methods to identify known viral plant pathogens as well as novel viruses circulating in insect vectors such as whiteflies and other higher order insects such a mosquitoes and dragonflies. These approaches successfully demonstrated that VEM can be used as a unique method, with the first mastrevirus discovered in the new world being recovered from dragonfly species Erythrodiplax fusca using this approach. The research in this thesis uses metagenomics to survey CRESS DNA viral diversity in different organisms and environments. Two hundred and sixty eight novel CRESS DNA viruses were recovered and verified in this study from a range of sample types (adult Odonata, Odonata larvae, Mollusca, benthic sediment, water, Oligochaeta and Chironomidae) collected in the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. All viral genomes isolated had two major proteins encoding for a putative Rep and coat protein (CP), with major Rep motifs identified in most Reps. Phylogenetic analysis of the Reps encoded by the viral genomes highlighted that most were extremely diverse falling outside of the previously described ssDNA viral families. A top-down approach was implemented to recover CRESS DNA viruses and possible viral pathogens from Odonata and their larvae. Thirty six viral genomes were recovered from terrestrial adult dragonflies as well as the twenty four from aquatic larvae. Dragonfly cycloviruses were isolated from the some adult Odonata species which were closely related to the isolates previously described by Rosario et al. (2012). The viruses isolated in the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems differed substantially indicating that different CRESS DNA viromes exist in both land and water. The diversity of CRESS DNA viruses in seven different mollusc species (Amphibola crenata, Austrolvenus stutchburyi, Paphies subtriangulata, Musculium novazelandiae, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, Physella acuta and Echyridella menziesi) from Lake Sarah and the Avon-Heathcote estuary both in New Zealand, were also investigated. One hundred and forty nine novel viral genomes were recovered. Two CRESS DNA genomes were recovered from molluscs which have Rep-like sequences most closely related to those found in some bacterial genomes. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum hypovirulence-associated DNA virus 1 (SsHADV-1) was originally isolated from fungal species Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in china and was later found in benthic sediments in New Zealand. As part of this study, SsHADV-1 was recovered from dragonflies (Erythemis simplicicollis, Ischnura ramburii and Pantala hymenaea) collected in Arizona and Oklahoma, USA suggesting a larger distribution of these viruses and not surprising given the near global distribution of S. sclerotiorum. Dragonfly larvae-associated circular DNA viruses (DflaCVs) that were originally isolated in Odonata larvae samples from three New Zealand lakes were later recovered from water, benthic sediment, worms and molluscs from one of the lakes initially sampled, suggesting that these viruses are ubiquitous in freshwater environments. This study has attempted to generate baseline data of CRESS DNA viruses in certain environments using NGS-informed approaches. This data was used to try and establish whether viral distribution in different samples types can potentially be explained by the food web interactions between different samples types. Although the analysis did not show any significant relationships between sample type interactions and viral distribution a few common associations between Odonata larvae and benthic sediment were evident. This was expected as the larvae live within the sediment so it could be assumed that they potentially have similar CRESS DNA viral distribution. Although the distribution of viruses varied across sample types, molluscs proved the best sampling tool for isolating largest numbers of CRESS DNA viruses in an ecosystem with extensive diversity. Overall, this research demonstrates the applications of NGS for investigating the diversity of CRESS DNA viruses. It demonstrates that some sample types such as Odonata in terrestrial systems and molluscs in aquatic environments, can be used as effective sampling tool to determine the diversity of CRESS DNA viruses in different environments as well as detecting previously isolated viruses. The CRESS DNA viruses isolated in this body of work provides baseline data that can potentially be used in future research to investigate hosts of these viruses and their interactions with hosts and potential flow in their environments.

Thesis advisor: Tim van Opijnen / Thesis advisor: Michelle Meyer / Molecules that have high affinity and specificity for their target are critical for functioning biosensors and effective therapeutics. Aptamers, or single-stranded oligonucleotides, are one type of molecule capable of both high affinity and specificity. Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX) is the iterative in vitro process for identifying aptamers with high affinity and specificity from an initial pool of approximately 1015 randomized nucleotide molecules. There have been a multitude of SELEX variations developed over the years to include incorporation of machine learning algorithms to address the limited success (~30%), cost, and time required to identify high affinity and specific aptamers. While some SELEX variations have been more successful than others in addressing some of the challenges, issues remain. To confront these challenges, the digitalSELEX platform introduces a novel de novo design approach. The platform has two main components. The first component analyzes the target molecule identifying clusters of amino acids along the molecule’s surface based on their accessibility and proximity of atoms relevant to target-aptamer binding. The platform then proposes aptamers built from sequences of nucleotides that paired to the amino acids in the clusters. The second component improves these aptamers sequentially. This is done via simulation-based optimization procedure which uses molecular docking and stochastic optimization techniques. It explores small adjustments made on the starting aptamer that increase the affinity and specificity that is calculated extracting binding related features from the output of the docker. Once in silico counter-selection is complete, the best possible sequences are extracted for in vitro validation. To validate digitalSELEX, aptamers were designed for four different target molecules of varying size ranging from 18 – 140 kDa. Some of the aptamers were designed with specific counter-targets while others did not have counter-target molecules. In total, 19 oligonucleotides were chemically synthesized, and their affinity and specificity tested for five explicit validation problems. All 19 aptamers demonstrated high affinity for their respective target molecules. Sixteen of the 19 oligonucleotides were tested for specificity with nine meeting the 4-times Kd-value difference specificity criteria. Depending on the computational capacity being employed for each problem, the approximate time required from initiating the de novo design to the point of validation was 170 hours. The cost of in silico oligonucleotide design is negligible while validation of a few aptamers is few hundred dollars. The digitalSELEX platform was comprehensively tested examining the initial de novo design through affinity and specificity determination. The digtalSELEX platform is a prototype that has the opportunity for further development such as employing different molecular simulators. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Biology.

Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse belegen eine essentielle Rolle der Beseitigung von intrazellulären DNA-Metaboliten aus der DNA-Reparatur für die Aufrechterhaltung von Immuntoleranz. So führt eine unangemessene Akkumulation körpereigener DNA im Zytosol, über die Erkennung durch Nukleinsäuresensoren, zu einer Aktivierung des angeborenen Immunsystems. Dies weist auf einen bisher unbekannten Zusammenhang zwischen DNA-Schäden, der DNA-Schadensantwort und einer Typ 1-IFN-vermittelten Aktivierung des angeborenen Immunsystems bei der Pathogenese von Autoimmunität hin.

Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse belegen eine essentielle Rolle der Beseitigung von intrazellulären DNA-Metaboliten aus der DNA-Reparatur für die Aufrechterhaltung von Immuntoleranz. So führt eine unangemessene Akkumulation körpereigener DNA im Zytosol, über die Erkennung durch Nukleinsäuresensoren, zu einer Aktivierung des angeborenen Immunsystems. Dies weist auf einen bisher unbekannten Zusammenhang zwischen DNA-Schäden, der DNA-Schadensantwort und einer Typ 1-IFN-vermittelten Aktivierung des angeborenen Immunsystems bei der Pathogenese von Autoimmunität hin.