scholarly journals Separable, Ctf4-mediated recruitment of DNA Polymerase α for initiation of DNA synthesis at replication origins and lagging-strand priming during replication elongation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarina Y. Porcella ◽  
Natasha C. Koussa ◽  
Colin P. Tang ◽  
Daphne N. Kramer ◽  
Priyanka Srivastava ◽  
...  

AbstractDuring eukaryotic DNA replication, DNA polymerase alpha/primase (Pol α) initiates synthesis on both the leading and lagging strands. It is unknown whether leading- and lagging-strand priming are mechanistically identical, and whether Pol α associates processively or distributively with the replisome. Here, we titrate cellular levels of Pol α in S. cerevisiae and analyze Okazaki fragments to study both replication initiation and ongoing lagging-strand synthesis in vivo. We observe that both Okazaki fragment initiation and the productive firing of replication origins are sensitive to Pol α abundance, and that both processes are disrupted at similar Pol α concentrations. When the replisome adaptor protein Ctf4 is absent or cannot interact with Pol α, lagging-strand initiation is impaired at Pol α concentrations that still support normal origin firing. Additionally, we observe that activation of the checkpoint becomes essential for viability upon severe depletion of Pol α. Using strains in which the Pol α-Ctf4 interaction is disrupted, we demonstrate that this checkpoint requirement is not solely caused by reduced lagging-strand priming. Our results suggest that Pol α recruitment for replication initiation and ongoing lagging-strand priming are distinctly sensitive to the presence of Ctf4. We propose that the global changes we observe in Okazaki fragment length and origin firing efficiency are consistent with distributive association of Pol α at the replication fork, at least when Pol α is limiting.Author summaryHalf of each eukaryotic genome is replicated continuously as the leading strand, while the other half is synthesized discontinuously as Okazaki fragments on the lagging strand. The bulk of DNA replication is completed by DNA polymerases ε and δ on the leading and lagging strand respectively, while synthesis on each strand is initiated by DNA polymerase α-primase (Pol α). Using the model eukaryote S. cerevisiae, we modulate cellular levels of Pol α and interrogate the impact of this perturbation on both replication initiation on DNA synthesis and cellular viability. We observe that Pol α can associate dynamically at the replication fork for initiation on both strands. Although the initiation of both strands is widely thought to be mechanistically similar, we determine that Ctf4, a hub that connects proteins to the replication fork, stimulates lagging-strand priming to a greater extent than leading-strand initiation. We also find that decreased leading-strand initiation results in a checkpoint response that is necessary for viability when Pol α is limiting. Because the DNA replication machinery is highly conserved from budding yeast to humans, this research provides insights into how DNA replication is accomplished throughout eukaryotes.

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1382-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saravanabhavan Thangavel ◽  
Ramiro Mendoza-Maldonado ◽  
Erika Tissino ◽  
Julia M. Sidorova ◽  
Jinhu Yin ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Cellular and biochemical studies support a role for all five human RecQ helicases in DNA replication; however, their specific functions during this process are unclear. Here we investigate the in vivo association of the five human RecQ helicases with three well-characterized human replication origins. We show that only RECQ1 (also called RECQL or RECQL1) and RECQ4 (also called RECQL4) associate with replication origins in a cell cycle-regulated fashion in unperturbed cells. RECQ4 is recruited to origins at late G1, after ORC and MCM complex assembly, while RECQ1 and additional RECQ4 are loaded at origins at the onset of S phase, when licensed origins begin firing. Both proteins are lost from origins after DNA replication initiation, indicating either disassembly or tracking with the newly formed replisome. Nascent-origin DNA synthesis and the frequency of origin firing are reduced after RECQ1 depletion and, to a greater extent, after RECQ4 depletion. Depletion of RECQ1, though not that of RECQ4, also suppresses replication fork rates in otherwise unperturbed cells. These results indicate that RECQ1 and RECQ4 are integral components of the human replication complex and play distinct roles in DNA replication initiation and replication fork progression in vivo.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (21) ◽  
pp. 5916-5921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfredo J. Hernandez ◽  
Seung-Joo Lee ◽  
Charles C. Richardson

DNA replication occurs semidiscontinuously due to the antiparallel DNA strands and polarity of enzymatic DNA synthesis. Although the leading strand is synthesized continuously, the lagging strand is synthesized in small segments designated Okazaki fragments. Lagging-strand synthesis is a complex event requiring repeated cycles of RNA primer synthesis, transfer to the lagging-strand polymerase, and extension effected by cooperation between DNA primase and the lagging-strand polymerase. We examined events controlling Okazaki fragment initiation using the bacteriophage T7 replication system. Primer utilization by T7 DNA polymerase is slower than primer formation. Slow primer release from DNA primase allows the polymerase to engage the complex and is followed by a slow primer handoff step. The T7 single-stranded DNA binding protein increases primer formation and extension efficiency but promotes limited rounds of primer extension. We present a model describing Okazaki fragment initiation, the regulation of fragment length, and their implications for coordinated leading- and lagging-strand DNA synthesis.


2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 308-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prasanta K. Patel ◽  
Benoit Arcangioli ◽  
Stephen P. Baker ◽  
Aaron Bensimon ◽  
Nicholas Rhind

DNA replication initiates at discrete origins along eukaryotic chromosomes. However, in most organisms, origin firing is not efficient; a specific origin will fire in some but not all cell cycles. This observation raises the question of how individual origins are selected to fire and whether origin firing is globally coordinated to ensure an even distribution of replication initiation across the genome. We have addressed these questions by determining the location of firing origins on individual fission yeast DNA molecules using DNA combing. We show that the firing of replication origins is stochastic, leading to a random distribution of replication initiation. Furthermore, origin firing is independent between cell cycles; there is no epigenetic mechanism causing an origin that fires in one cell cycle to preferentially fire in the next. Thus, the fission yeast strategy for the initiation of replication is different from models of eukaryotic replication that propose coordinated origin firing.


2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 4374-4382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Yin ◽  
Alexandra Monica Locovei ◽  
Gennaro D'Urso

In the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, blocks to DNA replication elongation trigger the intra-S phase checkpoint that leads to the activation of the Cds1 kinase. Cds1 is required to both prevent premature entry into mitosis and to stabilize paused replication forks. Interestingly, although Cds1 is essential to maintain the viability of mutants defective in DNA replication elongation, mutants defective in DNA replication initiation require the Chk1 kinase. This suggests that defects in DNA replication initiation can lead to activation of the DNA damage checkpoint independent of the intra-S phase checkpoint. This might result from reduced origin firing that leads to an increase in replication fork stalling or replication fork collapse that activates the G2 DNA damage checkpoint. We refer to the Chk1-dependent, Cds1-independent phenotype as the rid phenotype (for replication initiation defective). Chk1 is active in rid mutants, and rid mutant viability is dependent on the DNA damage checkpoint, and surprisingly Mrc1, a protein required for activation of Cds1. Mutations in Mrc1 that prevent activation of Cds1 have no effect on its ability to support rid mutant viability, suggesting that Mrc1 has a checkpoint-independent role in maintaining the viability of mutants defective in DNA replication initiation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana B.A. Wallis ◽  
Conrad A. Nieduszynski

Background: Understanding DNA replication initiation is essential to understand the mis-regulation of replication seen in cancer and other human disorders. DNA replication initiates from DNA replication origins. In eukaryotes, replication is dependent on cell cycle kinases which function during S phase. Dbf4-dependent kinase (DDK) and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) act to phosphorylate the DNA helicase (composed of mini chromosome maintenance proteins: Mcm2-7) and firing factors to activate replication origins. It has recently been found that Rif1 can oppose DDK phosphorylation. Rif1 can recruit protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) to dephosphorylate MCM and restricts origin firing. In this study, we investigate a potential role for another phosphatase, protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), in regulating DNA replication initiation. The PP2A regulatory subunit Rts1 was previously identified in a large-scale genomic screen to have a genetic interaction with ORC2 (a DNA replication licensing factor). Deletion of RTS1 synthetically rescued the temperature-sensitive (ts-) phenotype of ORC2 mutants. Methods: We deleted RTS1 in multiple ts-replication factor Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, including ORC2.  Dilution series assays were carried out to compare qualitatively the growth of double mutant ∆rts1 ts-replication factor strains relative to the respective single mutant strains.   Results: No synthetic rescue of temperature-sensitivity was observed. Instead we found an additive phenotype, indicating gene products function in separate biological processes. These findings are in agreement with a recent genomic screen which found that RTS1 deletion in several ts-replication factor strains led to increased temperature-sensitivity. Conclusions: We find no evidence that Rts1 is involved in the dephosphorylation of DNA replication initiation factors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (47) ◽  
pp. 15883-15891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie A. Sparks ◽  
Peter M. Burgers ◽  
Roberto Galletto

Successful DNA replication requires carefully regulated mechanisms to overcome numerous obstacles that naturally occur throughout chromosomal DNA. Scattered across the genome are tightly bound proteins, such as transcription factors and nucleosomes, that are necessary for cell function, but that also have the potential to impede timely DNA replication. Using biochemically reconstituted systems, we show that two transcription factors, yeast Reb1 and Tbf1, and a tightly positioned nucleosome, are strong blocks to the strand displacement DNA synthesis activity of DNA polymerase δ. Although the block imparted by Tbf1 can be overcome by the DNA-binding activity of the single-stranded DNA-binding protein RPA, efficient DNA replication through either a Reb1 or a nucleosome block occurs only in the presence of the 5'-3' DNA helicase Pif1. The Pif1-dependent stimulation of DNA synthesis across strong protein barriers may be beneficial during break-induced replication where barriers are expected to pose a problem to efficient DNA bubble migration. However, in the context of lagging strand DNA synthesis, the efficient disruption of a nucleosome barrier by Pif1 could lead to the futile re-replication of newly synthetized DNA. In the presence of FEN1 endonuclease, the major driver of nick translation during lagging strand replication, Pif1-dependent stimulation of DNA synthesis through a nucleosome or Reb1 barrier is prevented. By cleaving the short 5' tails generated during strand displacement, FEN1 eliminates the entry point for Pif1. We propose that this activity would protect the cell from potential DNA re-replication caused by unwarranted Pif1 interference during lagging strand replication.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (18) ◽  
pp. 10353-10367
Author(s):  
Jan-Gert Brüning ◽  
Kenneth J Marians

Abstract The vast majority of the genome is transcribed by RNA polymerases. G+C-rich regions of the chromosomes and negative superhelicity can promote the invasion of the DNA by RNA to form R-loops, which have been shown to block DNA replication and promote genome instability. However, it is unclear whether the R-loops themselves are sufficient to cause this instability or if additional factors are required. We have investigated replisome collisions with transcription complexes and R-loops using a reconstituted bacterial DNA replication system. RNA polymerase transcription complexes co-directionally oriented with the replication fork were transient blockages, whereas those oriented head-on were severe, stable blockages. On the other hand, replisomes easily bypassed R-loops on either template strand. Replication encounters with R-loops on the leading-strand template (co-directional) resulted in gaps in the nascent leading strand, whereas lagging-strand template R-loops (head-on) had little impact on replication fork progression. We conclude that whereas R-loops alone can act as transient replication blocks, most genome-destabilizing replication fork stalling likely occurs because of proteins bound to the R-loops.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (24) ◽  
pp. 9484
Author(s):  
Milena Denkiewicz-Kruk ◽  
Malgorzata Jedrychowska ◽  
Shizuko Endo ◽  
Hiroyuki Araki ◽  
Piotr Jonczyk ◽  
...  

The CMG complex (Cdc45, Mcm2–7, GINS (Psf1, 2, 3, and Sld5)) is crucial for both DNA replication initiation and fork progression. The CMG helicase interaction with the leading strand DNA polymerase epsilon (Pol ε) is essential for the preferential loading of Pol ε onto the leading strand, the stimulation of the polymerase, and the modulation of helicase activity. Here, we analyze the consequences of impaired interaction between Pol ε and GINS in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells with the psf1-100 mutation. This significantly affects DNA replication activity measured in vitro, while in vivo, the psf1-100 mutation reduces replication fidelity by increasing slippage of Pol ε, which manifests as an elevated number of frameshifts. It also increases the occurrence of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) gaps and the demand for homologous recombination. The psf1-100 mutant shows elevated recombination rates and synthetic lethality with rad52Δ. Additionally, we observe increased participation of DNA polymerase zeta (Pol ζ) in DNA synthesis. We conclude that the impaired interaction between GINS and Pol ε requires enhanced involvement of error-prone Pol ζ, and increased participation of recombination as a rescue mechanism for recovery of impaired replication forks.


PLoS Genetics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e1008755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarina Y. Porcella ◽  
Natasha C. Koussa ◽  
Colin P. Tang ◽  
Daphne N. Kramer ◽  
Priyanka Srivastava ◽  
...  

The three different prokaryotic replication systems that have been most extensively studied use the same basic components for moving a DNA replication fork, even though the individual proteins are different and lack extensive amino acid sequence homology. In the T4 bacteriophage system, the components of the DNA replication complex can be grouped into functional classes as follows: DNA polymerase (gene 43 protein), helix-destabilizing protein (gene 32 protein), polymerase accessory proteins (gene 44/62 and 45 proteins), and primosome proteins (gene 41 DNA helicase and gene 61 RNA primase). DNA synthesis in the in vitro system starts by covalent addition onto the 3'OH end at a random nick on a double-stranded DNA template and proceeds to generate a replication fork that moves at about the in vivo rate, and with approximately the in vivo base-pairing fidelity. DNA is synthesized at the fork in a continuous fashion on the leading strand and in a discontinuous fashion on the lagging strand (generating short Okazaki fragments with 5'-linked pppApCpXpYpZ pentaribonucleotide primers). Kinetic studies reveal that the DNA polymerase molecule on the lagging strand stays associated with the fork as it moves. Therefore the DNA template on the lagging strand must be folded so that the stop site for the synthesis of one Okazaki fragment is adjacent to the start site for the next such fragment, allowing the polymerase and other replication proteins on the lagging strand to recycle.


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