scholarly journals Two checkpoint complexes are independently recruited to sites of DNA damage in vivo

2001 ◽  
Vol 15 (21) ◽  
pp. 2809-2821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine A. Melo ◽  
Jen Cohen ◽  
David P. Toczyski

The Ddc1/Rad17/Mec3 complex and Rad24 are DNA damage checkpoint components with limited homology to replication factors PCNA and RF-C, respectively, suggesting that these factors promote checkpoint activation by “sensing” DNA damage directly. Mec1 kinase, however, phosphorylates the checkpoint protein Ddc2 in response to damage in the absence of all other known checkpoint proteins, suggesting instead that Mec1 and/or Ddc2 may act as the initial sensors of DNA damage. In this paper, we show that Ddc1 or Ddc2 fused to GFP localizes to a single subnuclear focus following an endonucleolytic break. Other forms of damage result in a greater number of Ddc1–GFP or Ddc2–GFP foci, in correlation with the number of damage sites generated, indicating that Ddc1 and Ddc2 are both recruited to sites of DNA damage. Interestingly, Ddc2 localization is severely abrogated in mec1 cells but requires no other known checkpoint genes, whereas Ddc1 localization requires Rad17, Mec3, and Rad24, but not Mec1. Therefore, Ddc1 and Ddc2 recognize DNA damage by independent mechanisms. These data support a model in which assembly of multiple checkpoint complexes at DNA damage sites stimulates checkpoint activation. Further, we show that although Ddc1 remains strongly localized following checkpoint adaptation, many nuclei contain only dim foci of Ddc2–GFP, suggesting that Ddc2 localization may be down-regulated during resumption of cell division. Lastly, visualization of checkpoint proteins localized to damage sites serves as a useful tool for analysis of DNA damage in living cells.

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (15) ◽  
pp. 4782-4793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Puddu ◽  
Magda Granata ◽  
Lisa Di Nola ◽  
Alessia Balestrini ◽  
Gabriele Piergiovanni ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Following genotoxic insults, eukaryotic cells trigger a signal transduction cascade known as the DNA damage checkpoint response, which involves the loading onto DNA of an apical kinase and several downstream factors. Chromatin modifications play an important role in recruiting checkpoint proteins. In budding yeast, methylated H3-K79 is bound by the checkpoint factor Rad9. Loss of Dot1 prevents H3-K79 methylation, leading to a checkpoint defect in the G1 phase of the cell cycle and to a reduction of checkpoint activation in mitosis, suggesting that another pathway contributes to Rad9 recruitment in M phase. We found that the replication factor Dpb11 is the keystone of this second pathway. dot1Δ dpb11-1 mutant cells are sensitive to UV or Zeocin treatment and cannot activate Rad53 if irradiated in M phase. Our data suggest that Dpb11 is held in proximity to damaged DNA through an interaction with the phosphorylated 9-1-1 complex, leading to Mec1-dependent phosphorylation of Rad9. Dpb11 is also phosphorylated after DNA damage, and this modification is lost in a nonphosphorylatable ddc1-T602A mutant. Finally, we show that, in vivo, Dpb11 cooperates with Dot1 in promoting Rad9 phosphorylation but also contributes to the full activation of Mec1 kinase.


2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 539-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania M. Roberts ◽  
Michael S. Kobor ◽  
Suzanne A. Bastin-Shanower ◽  
Miki Ii ◽  
Sonja A. Horte ◽  
...  

RTT107 (ESC4, YHR154W) encodes a BRCA1 C-terminal-domain protein that is important for recovery from DNA damage during S phase. Rtt107 is a substrate of the checkpoint protein kinase Mec1, although the mechanism by which Rtt107 is targeted by Mec1 after checkpoint activation is currently unclear. Slx4, a component of the Slx1-Slx4 structure-specific nuclease, formed a complex with Rtt107. Deletion of SLX4 conferred many of the same DNA-repair defects observed in rtt107Δ, including DNA damage sensitivity, prolonged DNA damage checkpoint activation, and increased spontaneous DNA damage. These phenotypes were not shared by the Slx4 binding partner Slx1, suggesting that the functions of the Slx4 and Slx1 proteins in the DNA damage response were not identical. Of particular interest, Slx4, but not Slx1, was required for phosphorylation of Rtt107 by Mec1 in vivo, indicating that Slx4 was a mediator of DNA damage-dependent phosphorylation of the checkpoint effector Rtt107. We propose that Slx4 has roles in the DNA damage response that are distinct from the function of Slx1-Slx4 in maintaining rDNA structure and that Slx4-dependent phosphorylation of Rtt107 by Mec1 is critical for replication restart after alkylation damage.


2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 2046-2059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Paciotti ◽  
Michela Clerici ◽  
Giovanna Lucchini ◽  
Maria Pia Longhese

DDC2 is a novel component of the DNA integrity checkpoint pathway, which is required for proper checkpoint response to DNA damage and to incomplete DNA replication. Moreover, Ddc2 overproduction causes sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents and checkpoint defects. Ddc2 physically interacts with Mec1 and undergoes Mec1-dependent phosphorylation both in vitro and in vivo. The phosphorylation of Ddc2 takes place in late S phase and in G2 phase during an unperturbed cell cycle and is further increased in response to DNA damage. Because Ddc2 phosphorylation does not require any other known tested checkpoint factors but Mec1, the Ddc2–Mec1 complex might respond to the presence of some DNA structures independently of the other known checkpoint proteins. Our findings suggest that Ddc2 may be the functional homolog of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Rad26, strengthening the hypothesis that the mechanisms leading to checkpoint activation are conserved throughout evolution.


Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 164 (3) ◽  
pp. 855-865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miki Shinohara ◽  
Kazuko Sakai ◽  
Tomoko Ogawa ◽  
Akira Shinohara

Abstract We show here that deletion of the DNA damage checkpoint genes RAD17 and RAD24 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae delays repair of meiotic double-strand breaks (DSBs) and results in an altered ratio of crossover-to-noncrossover products. These mutations also decrease the colocalization of immunostaining foci of the RecA homologs Rad51 and Dmc1 and cause a delay in the disappearance of Rad51 foci, but not of Dmc1. These observations imply that RAD17 and RAD24 promote efficient repair of meiotic DSBs by facilitating proper assembly of the meiotic recombination complex containing Rad51. Consistent with this proposal, extra copies of RAD51 and RAD54 substantially suppress not only the spore inviability of the rad24 mutant, but also the γ-ray sensitivity of the mutant. Unexpectedly, the entry into meiosis I (metaphase I) is delayed in the checkpoint single mutants compared to wild type. The control of the cell cycle in response to meiotic DSBs is also discussed.


Cell Cycle ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1918-1928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin K. Daugherity ◽  
Gabriel Balmus ◽  
Ahmed Al Saei ◽  
Elizabeth S. Moore ◽  
Delbert Abi Abdallah ◽  
...  

2000 ◽  
Vol 275 (52) ◽  
pp. 40974-40980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jutta M. Pleschke ◽  
Hanna E. Kleczkowska ◽  
Mark Strohm ◽  
Felix R. Althaus

mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Soumitra Sau ◽  
Batia Liefshitz ◽  
Martin Kupiec

ABSTRACT The PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) ring plays central roles during DNA replication and repair. The yeast Elg1 RFC-like complex (RLC) is the principal unloader of chromatin-bound PCNA and thus plays a central role in maintaining genome stability. Here we identify a role for Elg1 in the unloading of PCNA during DNA damage. Using DNA damage checkpoint (DC)-inducible and replication checkpoint (RC)-inducible strains, we show that Elg1 is essential for eliciting the signal in the DC branch. In the absence of Elg1 activity, the Rad9 (53BP1) and Dpb11 (TopBP1) adaptor proteins are recruited but fail to be phosphorylated by Mec1 (ATR), resulting in a lack of checkpoint activation. The chromatin immunoprecipitation of PCNA at the Lac operator sites reveals that accumulated local PCNA influences the checkpoint activation process in elg1 mutants. Our data suggest that Elg1 participates in a mechanism that may coordinate PCNA unloading during DNA repair with DNA damage checkpoint induction. IMPORTANCE The Elg1protein forms an RFC-like complex in charge of unloading PCNA from chromatin during DNA replication and repair. Mutations in the ELG1 gene caused genomic instability in all organisms tested and cancer in mammals. Here we show that Elg1 plays a role in the induction of the DNA damage checkpoint, a cellular response to DNA damage. We show that this defect is due to a defect in the signal amplification process during induction. Thus, cells coordinate the cell's response and the PCNA unloading through the activity of Elg1.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document