scholarly journals Excess Mcm2–7 license dormant origins of replication that can be used under conditions of replicative stress

2006 ◽  
Vol 173 (5) ◽  
pp. 673-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Woodward ◽  
Thomas Göhler ◽  
M. Gloria Luciani ◽  
Maren Oehlmann ◽  
Xinquan Ge ◽  
...  

In late mitosis and early G1, replication origins are licensed for subsequent use by loading complexes of the minichromosome maintenance proteins 2–7 (Mcm2–7). The number of Mcm2–7 complexes loaded onto DNA greatly exceeds the number of replication origins used during S phase, but the function of the excess Mcm2–7 is unknown. Using Xenopus laevis egg extracts, we show that these excess Mcm2–7 complexes license additional dormant origins that do not fire during unperturbed S phases because of suppression by a caffeine-sensitive checkpoint pathway. Use of these additional origins can allow complete genome replication in the presence of replication inhibitors. These results suggest that metazoan replication origins are actually comprised of several candidate origins, most of which normally remain dormant unless cells experience replicative stress. Consistent with this model, using Caenorhabditis elegans, we show that partial RNAi-based knockdown of MCMs that has no observable effect under normal conditions causes lethality upon treatment with low, otherwise nontoxic, levels of the replication inhibitor hydroxyurea.

2004 ◽  
Vol 165 (6) ◽  
pp. 789-800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Ekholm-Reed ◽  
Juan Méndez ◽  
Donato Tedesco ◽  
Anders Zetterberg ◽  
Bruce Stillman ◽  
...  

Deregulation of cyclin E expression has been associated with a broad spectrum of human malignancies. Analysis of DNA replication in cells constitutively expressing cyclin E at levels similar to those observed in a subset of tumor-derived cell lines indicates that initiation of replication and possibly fork movement are severely impaired. Such cells show a specific defect in loading of initiator proteins Mcm4, Mcm7, and to a lesser degree, Mcm2 onto chromatin during telophase and early G1 when Mcm2–7 are normally recruited to license origins of replication. Because minichromosome maintenance complex proteins are thought to function as a heterohexamer, loading of Mcm2-, Mcm4-, and Mcm7-depleted complexes is likely to underlie the S phase defects observed in cyclin E–deregulated cells, consistent with a role for minichromosome maintenance complex proteins in initiation of replication and fork movement. Cyclin E–mediated impairment of DNA replication provides a potential mechanism for chromosome instability observed as a consequence of cyclin E deregulation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoko Hayashi-Takanaka ◽  
Yuichiro Hayashi ◽  
Yasuhiro Hirano ◽  
Atsuko Miyawaki-Kuwakado ◽  
Yasuyuki Ohkawa ◽  
...  

Replication of genomic DNA is a key step in initiating cell proliferation. Loading hexameric complexes of minichromosome maintenance (MCM) helicase on DNA replication origins during the G1 phase is essential in initiating DNA replication. Here, we show that stepwise loading of two hexamer complexes of MCM occurs during G1 progression in human cells. This transition from the single-to-double hexamer was associated with levels of methylation at lysine 20 of histone H4 (H4K20). A single hexamer of MCM complexes was loaded at the replication origins with the presence of H4K20 monomethylation (H4K20me1) in the early G1 phase, then another single hexamer was recruited to form a double hexamer later in G1 as H4K20me1 was converted to di-/tri-methylation (H4K20me2/me3). Under non-proliferating conditions, cells stay halted at the single-hexamer state in the presence of H4K20me1. We propose that the single-hexamer state on chromatin is a limiting step in making the proliferation-quiescence decision.


2007 ◽  
Vol 179 (4) ◽  
pp. 643-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enbo Liu ◽  
Alan Yueh-Luen Lee ◽  
Takuya Chiba ◽  
Erin Olson ◽  
Peiqing Sun ◽  
...  

DNA replication in eukaryotic cells is tightly controlled by a licensing mechanism, ensuring that each origin fires once and only once per cell cycle. We demonstrate that the ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related (ATR)–mediated S phase checkpoint acts as a surveillance mechanism to prevent rereplication. Thus, disruption of licensing control will not induce significant rereplication in mammalian cells when the ATR checkpoint is intact. We also demonstrate that single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is the initial signal that activates the checkpoint when licensing control is compromised in mammalian cells. We demonstrate that uncontrolled DNA unwinding by minichromosome maintenance proteins upon Cdt1 overexpression is an important mechanism that leads to ssDNA accumulation and checkpoint activation. Furthermore, we show that replication protein A 2 and retinoblastoma protein are both downstream targets for ATR that are important for the inhibition of DNA rereplication. We reveal the molecular mechanisms by which the ATR-mediated S phase checkpoint pathway prevents DNA rereplication and thus significantly improve our understanding of how rereplication is prevented in mammalian cells.


2010 ◽  
Vol 188 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander M. Thomson ◽  
Peter J. Gillespie ◽  
J. Julian Blow

In the metazoan replication timing program, clusters of replication origins located in different subchromosomal domains fire at different times during S phase. We have used Xenopus laevis egg extracts to drive an accelerated replication timing program in mammalian nuclei. Although replicative stress caused checkpoint-induced slowing of the timing program, inhibition of checkpoint kinases in an unperturbed S phase did not accelerate it. Lowering cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) activity slowed both replication rate and progression through the timing program, whereas raising Cdk activity increased them. Surprisingly, modest alteration of Cdk activity changed the amount of DNA synthesized during different stages of the timing program. This was associated with a change in the number of active replication factories, whereas the distribution of origins within active factories remained relatively normal. The ability of Cdks to differentially effect replication initiation, factory activation, and progression through the timing program provides new insights into the way that chromosomal DNA replication is organized during S phase.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongzheng Li ◽  
Boxin Xue ◽  
Mengling Zhang ◽  
Liwei Zhang ◽  
Yingping Hou ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Metazoan cells only utilize a small subset of the potential DNA replication origins to duplicate the whole genome in each cell cycle. Origin choice is linked to cell growth, differentiation, and replication stress. Although various genetic and epigenetic signatures have been linked to the replication efficiency of origins, there is no consensus on how the selection of origins is determined. Results We apply dual-color stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) super-resolution imaging to map the spatial distribution of origins within individual topologically associating domains (TADs). We find that multiple replication origins initiate separately at the spatial boundary of a TAD at the beginning of the S phase. Intriguingly, while both high-efficiency and low-efficiency origins are distributed homogeneously in the TAD during the G1 phase, high-efficiency origins relocate to the TAD periphery before the S phase. Origin relocalization is dependent on both transcription and CTCF-mediated chromatin structure. Further, we observe that the replication machinery protein PCNA forms immobile clusters around TADs at the G1/S transition, explaining why origins at the TAD periphery are preferentially fired. Conclusion Our work reveals a new origin selection mechanism that the replication efficiency of origins is determined by their physical distribution in the chromatin domain, which undergoes a transcription-dependent structural re-organization process. Our model explains the complex links between replication origin efficiency and many genetic and epigenetic signatures that mark active transcription. The coordination between DNA replication, transcription, and chromatin organization inside individual TADs also provides new insights into the biological functions of sub-domain chromatin structural dynamics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (22) ◽  
pp. 12751-12777
Author(s):  
Cathia Rausch ◽  
Patrick Weber ◽  
Paulina Prorok ◽  
David Hörl ◽  
Andreas Maiser ◽  
...  

Abstract To ensure error-free duplication of all (epi)genetic information once per cell cycle, DNA replication follows a cell type and developmental stage specific spatio-temporal program. Here, we analyze the spatio-temporal DNA replication progression in (un)differentiated mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells. Whereas telomeres replicate throughout S-phase, we observe mid S-phase replication of (peri)centromeric heterochromatin in mES cells, which switches to late S-phase replication upon differentiation. This replication timing reversal correlates with and depends on an increase in condensation and a decrease in acetylation of chromatin. We further find synchronous duplication of the Y chromosome, marking the end of S-phase, irrespectively of the pluripotency state. Using a combination of single-molecule and super-resolution microscopy, we measure molecular properties of the mES cell replicon, the number of replication foci active in parallel and their spatial clustering. We conclude that each replication nanofocus in mES cells corresponds to an individual replicon, with up to one quarter representing unidirectional forks. Furthermore, with molecular combing and genome-wide origin mapping analyses, we find that mES cells activate twice as many origins spaced at half the distance than somatic cells. Altogether, our results highlight fundamental developmental differences on progression of genome replication and origin activation in pluripotent cells.


BIOspektrum ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-249
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Kruse ◽  
Stephan Hamperl

AbstractTimely and accurate duplication of DNA prior to cell division is a prerequisite for propagation of the genetic material to both daughter cells. DNA synthesis initiates at discrete sites, termed replication origins, and proceeds in a bidirectional manner until all genomic DNA is replicated. Despite the fundamental nature of these events, a uniform method that identifies origins of replication in a comprehensive manner is still missing. Here, we present currently available and discuss new approaches to map replication origins in mammalian genomes.


1995 ◽  
Vol 108 (6) ◽  
pp. 2187-2196 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.J. Wangh ◽  
D. DeGrace ◽  
J.A. Sanchez ◽  
A. Gold ◽  
Y. Yeghiazarians ◽  
...  

Rapid genome replication is one of the hallmarks of the frog embryonic cell cycle. We report here that complete reactivation of quiescent somatic cell nuclei in Xenopus egg extracts depends on prior restructuring of the nuclear substrate and prior preparation of cytoplasmic extract with the highest capacity to initiate and sustain DNA synthesis. Nuclei from mature erythrocytes swell, replicate their DNA efficiently, and enter mitosis in frozen/thawed extracts prepared from activated Xenopus eggs, provided the nuclei are first treated with trypsin, heparin, and an extract prepared from unactivated, meiotically arrested, eggs. Optimal replicating extracts are prepared from large batches of unfertilized eggs that are synchronously activated into the cell cycle for 28 minutes (at 20 degrees C). Because the Xenopus cell cycle progresses so rapidly, extracts prepared just a few minutes before or after this time have substantially lower DNA synthetic capacities. At the optimal time and temperature, eggs have just reached the G1/S boundary of the first cell cycle. This fact was revealed by injecting and replicating an SV40 plasmid in intact unfertilized eggs as described previously. We estimate that under optimal conditions approximately 6.14 × 10(9) base pairs of DNA/per nucleus are synthesized in 30–40 minutes, a rate that rivals that observed in the zygotic nucleus. The findings reported here are one step in our long term effort to develop a new in vitro/in vivo approach to nuclear transplantation. Nuclear transplantation in amphibian embryos has been used to establish that the genomes of many types of differentiated somatic cells are pluripotent. But very few such nuclei have ever developed into advanced tadpoles or adult frogs, probably because somatic nuclei injected directly into activated eggs fail to reactivate quickly enough to avoid being damaged during first mitosis. We have already shown that unfertilized eggs can be injected prior to activation of the first cell cycle. Future experiments will reveal whether in vitro reactivated somatic cell nuclei transplanted into such eggs reliably reach advanced stages of development.


2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (21) ◽  
pp. 7594-7602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret L. Hoang ◽  
Ronald P. Leon ◽  
Luis Pessoa-Brandao ◽  
Sonia Hunt ◽  
M. K. Raghuraman ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Eukaryotic chromosomal replication is a complicated process with many origins firing at different efficiencies and times during S phase. Prereplication complexes are assembled on all origins in G1 phase, and yet only a subset of complexes is activated during S phase by DDK (for Dbf4-dependent kinase) (Cdc7-Dbf4). The yeast mcm5-bob1 (P83L) mutation bypasses DDK but results in reduced intrinsic firing efficiency at 11 endogenous origins and at origins located on minichromosomes. Origin efficiency may result from Mcm5 protein assuming an altered conformation, as predicted from the atomic structure of an archaeal MCM (for minichromosome maintenance) homologue. Similarly, an intragenic mutation in a residue predicted to interact with P83L suppresses the mcm5-bob1 bypass phenotype. We propose DDK phosphorylation of the MCM complex normally results in a single, highly active conformation of Mcm5, whereas the mcm5-bob1 mutation produces a number of conformations, only one of which is permissive for origin activation. Random adoption of these alternate states by the mcm5-bob1 protein can explain both how origin firing occurs independently of DDK and why origin efficiency is reduced. Because similar mutations in mcm2 and mcm4 cannot bypass DDK, Mcm5 protein may be a unique Mcm protein that is the final target of DDK regulation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 1098-1108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masayoshi Iizuka ◽  
Tomoko Matsui ◽  
Haruhiko Takisawa ◽  
M. Mitchell Smith

ABSTRACT The initiation of DNA replication is tightly regulated in eukaryotic cells to ensure that the genome is precisely duplicated once and only once per cell cycle. This is accomplished by controlling the assembly of a prereplicative complex (pre-RC) which involves the sequential binding to replication origins of the origin recognition complex (ORC), Cdc6/Cdc18, Cdt1, and the minichromosome maintenance complex (Mcm2-Mcm7, or Mcm2-7). Several mechanisms of pre-RC regulation are known, including ATP utilization, cyclin-dependent kinase levels, protein turnover, and Cdt1 binding by geminin. Histone acetylation may also affect the initiation of DNA replication, but at present neither the enzymes nor the steps involved are known. Here, we show that Hbo1, a member of the MYST histone acetyltransferase family, is a previously unrecognized positive regulatory factor for pre-RC assembly. When Hbo1 expression was inhibited in human cells, Mcm2-7 failed to associate with chromatin even though ORC and Cdc6 loading was normal. When Xenopus egg extracts were immunodepleted of Xenopus Hbo1 (XHbo1), chromatin binding of Mcm2-7 was lost, and DNA replication was abolished. The binding of Mcm2-7 to chromatin in XHbo1-depleted extracts could be restored by the addition of recombinant Cdt1.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document