An archaeal endonuclease displays key properties of both XPF-ERCC1 and Mus81

Structure-specific nucleases of the XPF/Mus81 family function in several DNA recombination and repair pathways in eukaryotes, cleaving a variety of flap and branched DNA substrates. Mus81 and XPF are clearly related evolutionarily but differ markedly in their substrate specificity and protein partners. We demonstrate that the XPF endonuclease from Sulfolobus solfataricus, which is dependent on the sliding clamp proliferating cell nuclear antigen for activity, represents an ancestral form of the XPF/Mus81 family, with key properties in common with both enzymes. The archaeal XPF has a domain organization and sequence preference very similar to eukaryal XPF-ERCC1. However, the archaeal enzyme has a pronounced preference for Mus81-type substrates such as D loops, nicked four-way junctions, and 3' flaps. These all have in common a 5'-DNA end next to the cleavage site. The availability of the sliding clamp proliferating cell nuclear antigen may dictate the activity of Sulfolobus XPF in vivo.