MCM7 Ubiquitination Regulates CMG Helicase Disassembly in Human

BackgroundThe disassembly of the replisome plays an essential role in maintaining genome stability at the termination of DNA replication. However, the mechanism of replisome disassembly remains unknown in human. In this study, we screened E3 ligases and deubiquitinases (DUBs) for the ubiquitination of minichromosome maintenance protein (MCM) 7 and provided evidence of this process driving CMG helicase disassembly in human tumor cells. MethodsSILAC-MS/MS was analyzed to identify ubiquitinated proteins in HeLa cells. The ubiquitination/deubiquitylation assay in vitro and in vivo were detected by Western blot. Thymidine and HU were implied to synchronized cell cycle，and detect the role of ubiquitinated MCM7 in cell cycle. Cell fractionation assay was used to detect the function of ubiquitination of MCM7 in chromatin and non-chromatin. Aphidicolin、Etoposide、ICRF-193 and IR were applied to cause replication fork stalling. MG-132 and NMS-873 were used to inhibit the proteasome degradation and p97 segregase. Flow cytometer and FlowJo flow cytometry software were used to cell cycle analysis.ResultsIn our study, we found that the ubiquitin ligase RNF8 catalyzes the k63-linked poly-ubiquitination of MCM7 both in vivo and in vitro, and lysine 145 of MCM7 is the primary ubiquitination site. Moreover, the poly-ubiquitination of MCM7 mainly exists in the chromatin, which is dynamically regulated by the cell cycle, mainly occurs in the late S phase. And DNA damage can significantly reduce the poly-ubiquitylation of MCM7 in the late S phage. Furthermore, the proteasome, p97 segregase, USP29 and ATXN3 are required for the removal of MCM7 ubiquitination to promote the disassembly of CMG on chromatin. ConclusionsIn the late S phage of cell cycle, RNF8 catalyzes the poly-ubiquitination of MCM7, and then initiates the disassembly of CMG helicase from chromatin, which is mediated by p97, proteasome, USP29 and ATXN3 in human. We reveal the novel function of the poly-ubiquitylation of MCM7, which is a regulatory signal to control CMG complex unloading at replication termination sites.

Zebrafish Minichromosome Maintenance Protein 5 Gene Regulates the Development and Migration of Facial Motor Neurons via Fibroblast Growth Factor Signaling

Minichromosome maintenance protein 5 (MCM5), a member of the microchromosomal maintenance protein family, plays an important role in the initiation and extension of DNA replication. However, its role in neural development in zebrafish remains unclear. Here, we used morpholino (MO) and CRISPR/Cas9 to knock down <i>mcm5</i> and investigated the developmental features of facial motor neurons (FMNs) in the hindbrain of zebrafish. We found that knockdown of <i>mcm5</i> using <i>mcm5</i> MO resulted in a small head, small eyes, and a blurred midbrain-hindbrain boundary, while MO injection of <i>mcm5</i> led to decrease in FMNs and their migration disorder. However, the mutant of <i>mcm5</i> only resulted in the migration defect of FMNs rather than quantity change. We further investigated the underlying mechanism of <i>mcm5</i> in the development of hindbrain using in situ hybridization (ISH) and <i>fgfr1a</i> mRNA co-injected with <i>mcm5</i> MO. Results from ISH showed that the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling pathway was changed when the MCM5 function was lost, with the decrease in <i>fgfr1a</i> and the increase in <i>fgf8</i>, while that of <i>pea3</i> had opposite trend. FMN development defects were rescued by <i>fgfr1a</i> mRNA co-injected with <i>mcm5</i> MO. Our results demonstrated that FGF signaling pathway is required for FMN development in zebrafish. Specifically, <i>mcm5</i> regulates FMN development during zebrafish growing.

Bi-allelic MCM10 variants associated with immune dysfunction and cardiomyopathy cause telomere shortening

Minichromosome maintenance protein 10 (MCM10) is essential for eukaryotic DNA replication. Here, we describe compound heterozygous MCM10 variants in patients with distinctive, but overlapping, clinical phenotypes: natural killer (NK) cell deficiency (NKD) and restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) with hypoplasia of the spleen and thymus. To understand the mechanism of MCM10-associated disease, we modeled these variants in human cell lines. MCM10 deficiency causes chronic replication stress that reduces cell viability due to increased genomic instability and telomere erosion. Our data suggest that loss of MCM10 function constrains telomerase activity by accumulating abnormal replication fork structures enriched with single-stranded DNA. Terminally-arrested replication forks in MCM10-deficient cells require endonucleolytic processing by MUS81, as MCM10:MUS81 double mutants display decreased viability and accelerated telomere shortening. We propose that these bi-allelic variants in MCM10 predispose specific cardiac and immune cell lineages to prematurely arrest during differentiation, causing the clinical phenotypes observed in both NKD and RCM patients.

Bi-allelic MCM10 mutations cause telomere shortening with immune dysfunction and cardiomyopathy

ABSTRACTMinichromosome maintenance protein 10 (Mcm10) is essential for eukaryotic DNA replication. Here, we describe compound heterozygous MCM10 mutations in patients with distinctive but overlapping clinical phenotypes – natural killer (NK) cell deficiency (NKD) and restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) with hypoplasia of the spleen and thymus. To understand the mechanism of Mcm10-associated disease, we modeled these mutations in human cell lines. Mcm10 deficiency causes chronic replication stress that reduces cell viability due to increased genomic instability and telomere erosion. Our data suggest that loss of Mcm10 function constrains telomerase activity by accumulating abnormal replication fork structures enriched with single-stranded DNA. Terminally-arrested replication forks in Mcm10-deficient cells require endonucleolytic processing by Mus81, as MCM10:MUS81 double mutants display decreased viability and accelerated telomere shortening. We propose that these bi-allelic mutations in MCM10 predispose specific cardiac and immune cell lineages to prematurely arrest during differentiation, causing the clinical phenotypes in both NKD and CM patients.

Phenotypic Analysis Combined with Tandem Mass Tags (TMT) Labeling Reveals the Heterogeneity of Strawberry Stolon Buds

Background: Ramet propagation in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is the most effective way in production. However, the lack of systematically phenotypic observations and high-throughput methods limits our ability to analyze the key factors regulating the heterogeneity in strawberry stolon buds. Results: From observation, we found that the axillary bud located in the first node quickly stepped into dormancy (DSB), after several bract and leaf buds were differentiated. The stolon apical meristem (SAM) degenerated as the new ramet leaf buds (RLB) and the new active axillary stolon buds (ASB) differentiated continually, after the differentiation of the first leaf. Using tandem mass tags (TMT) labeling method, totally 7,271 strawberry proteins were identified, and were used for further bioinformatics analysis in differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between the groups of ASB and DSB, RLB and DSB, and RLB and ASB. Between ASB and DSB, the spliceosome DEPs, such as Ser/Arg-rich (SR) and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle (hnRNP), showed the highest enrichment and high PPI connectivity. This indicated that the differences in DEPs (e.g., SF-3A subunit 2 isoform X1, hnRBP C1827.05c, and PK, cytosolic isozyme) at the transcriptional level may be causing the differences between the physiological statuses of ASB and DSB. As expected, the photosynthetic pre-form RLB mainly differentiated from ASB and DSB judging by the DEP enrichment of photosynthesis. However, there are still other specialized features of DEPs between RLB and DSB and between ASB and DSB. The DEPs relative to DNA duplication [e.g., minichromosome maintenance protein (MCM 2, 3, 4, 7)], provide a strong hint of functional gene duplication leading the bud heterogeneity between RLB and DSB. In addition, the top fold change in DEP LSH 10-like protein might be involved in the degeneration of SAM into RLBs. As for RLB/ASB, the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway probably regulates the ramet axillary bud specialization, and further promotes the differentiation of xylem when ASB develops into a new stolon [e.g., cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (CAD1) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 1 (PAL1)]. Conclusions: The definite dormancy phase of DSB, and the biological pathways and gene networks that might be responsible for stolon buds heterogeneity were also revealed.