scholarly journals Non-canonical outcomes of break-induced replication produce complex, extremely long-tract gene conversion events in yeast

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph A Stewart ◽  
Michael B Hillegass ◽  
Joseph H Oberlitner ◽  
Ellen M Younkin ◽  
Beth F Wasserman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sanger Sequencing ◽  
Fragile Site ◽  
Repair Process ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Replication Forks ◽  
Homogeneous Electric Field ◽  
Template Switch ◽  
Break Induced Replication ◽  
Gene Conversions

Abstract Long-tract gene conversions (LTGC) can result from the repair of collapsed replication forks, and several mechanisms have been proposed to explain how the repair process produces this outcome. We studied LTGC events produced from repair collapsed forks at yeast fragile site FS2. Our analysis included chromosome sizing by contour-clamped homogeneous electric field (CHEF) electrophoresis, next-generation whole genome sequencing, and Sanger sequencing across repair event junctions. We compared the sequence and structure of LTGC events in our cells to the expected qualities of LTGC events generated by proposed mechanisms. Our evidence indicates that some LTGC events arise from half-crossover during BIR, some LTGC events arise from gap repair, and some LTGC events can be explained by either gap repair or “late” template switch during BIR. Also based on our data, we propose that models of collapsed replication forks be revised to show not a one-end double-strand break (DSB), but rather a two-end DSB in which the ends are separated in time and subject to gap repair.

scholarly journals Repairing a double–strand chromosome break by homologous recombination: revisiting Robin Holliday's model

2004 ◽  
Vol 359 (1441) ◽  
pp. 79-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Haber ◽  
Gregorz Ira ◽  
Anna Malkova ◽  
Neal Sugawara
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Repair Process ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Holliday Junctions ◽  
Chromosome Break ◽  
Invasion Mechanism ◽  
Strand Invasion ◽  
Strand Annealing ◽  
Break Induced Replication ◽  
Mutant Cells

Since the pioneering model for homologous recombination proposed by Robin Holliday in 1964, there has been great progress in understanding how recombination occurs at a molecular level. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae , one can follow recombination by physically monitoring DNA after the synchronous induction of a double–strand break (DSB) in both wild–type and mutant cells. A particularly well–studied system has been the switching of yeast mating–type ( MAT ) genes, where a DSB can be induced synchronously by expression of the site–specific HO endonuclease. Similar studies can be performed in meiotic cells, where DSBs are created by the Spo11 nuclease. There appear to be at least two competing mechanisms of homologous recombination: a synthesis–dependent strand annealing pathway leading to noncrossovers and a two–end strand invasion mechanism leading to formation and resolution of Holliday junctions (HJs), leading to crossovers. The establishment of a modified replication fork during DSB repair links gene conversion to another important repair process, break–induced replication. Despite recent revelations, almost 40 years after Holliday's model was published, the essential ideas he proposed of strand invasion and heteroduplex DNA formation, the formation and resolution of HJs, and mismatch repair, remain the basis of our thinking.

scholarly journals Transcription-Associated Recombination Is Dependent on Replication in Mammalian Cells

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ponnari Gottipati ◽  
Tobias N. Cassel ◽  
Linda Savolainen ◽  
Thomas Helleday
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Double Strand Break ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Replication Forks ◽  
Higher Eukaryotes ◽  
Stalled Replication Forks ◽  
Gene Conversions

ABSTRACT Transcription can enhance recombination; this is a ubiquitous phenomenon from prokaryotes to higher eukaryotes. However, the mechanism of transcription-associated recombination in mammalian cells is poorly understood. Here we have developed a construct with a recombination substrate in which levels of recombination can be studied in the presence or absence of transcription. We observed a direct enhancement in recombination when transcription levels through the substrate were increased. This increase in homologous recombination following transcription is locus specific, since homologous recombination at the unrelated hprt gene is unaffected. In addition, we have shown that transcription-associated recombination involves both short-tract and long-tract gene conversions in mammalian cells, which are different from double-strand-break-induced recombination events caused by endonucleases. Transcription fails to enhance recombination in cells that are not in the S phase of the cell cycle. Furthermore, inhibition of transcription suppresses induction of recombination at stalled replication forks, suggesting that recombination may be involved in bypassing transcription during replication.

scholarly journals The structure-specific endonuclease complex SLX4/XPF regulates Tus/Ter-induced homologous recombination

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Scully ◽  
Rajula Elango ◽  
Arvind Panday ◽  
Francis Lach ◽  
Nicholas Willis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Replication Fork ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Replication Forks ◽  
Chromosomal Dna ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
A Site ◽  
Break Induced Replication

Abstract Vertebrate replication forks arrested at an interstrand DNA crosslink (ICL) can engage the Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway of ICL repair. The FANCP product, SLX4, binds the FANCQ/XPF/ERCC4-ERCC1 endonuclease, which incises bidirectionally arrested forks to ‘unhook’ the ICL. The resulting double strand break (DSB) is repaired by homologous recombination (HR). Whether this mechanism operates at replication blocks other than ICLs is unknown. Here, we study the role of mammalian SLX4 in HR triggered by a site-specific, chromosomal DNA-protein replication fork barrier formed by the Escherichia coli-derived Tus/Ter complex. We identify an SLX4-XPF-mediated step that is required for Tus/Ter-induced HR but not for HR induced by a replication-independent DSB. We additionally identify a requirement for SLX4-XPF in DSB-induced ‘long tract’ gene conversion, a replicative HR pathway related to break-induced replication. Our work suggests that Tus/Ter-induced HR recapitulates the incision step of replication-coupled ICL repair, and that the full FA mechanism can process DNA-protein barriers for HR.

scholarly journals Rad51-Independent Interchromosomal Double-Strand Break Repair by Gene Conversion Requires Rad52 but Not Rad55, Rad57, or Dmc1

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 897-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Pohl ◽  
Jac A. Nickoloff
Keyword(s):  
Gene Conversion ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Double Strand Break ◽  
Single Strand ◽  
Homology Search ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Dsb Repair ◽  
Single Strand Annealing ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Break Induced Replication

ABSTRACT Homologous recombination (HR) is critical for DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair and genome stabilization. In yeast, HR is catalyzed by the Rad51 strand transferase and its “mediators,” including the Rad52 single-strand DNA-annealing protein, two Rad51 paralogs (Rad55 and Rad57), and Rad54. A Rad51 homolog, Dmc1, is important for meiotic HR. In wild-type cells, most DSB repair results in gene conversion, a conservative HR outcome. Because Rad51 plays a central role in the homology search and strand invasion steps, DSBs either are not repaired or are repaired by nonconservative single-strand annealing or break-induced replication mechanisms in rad51Δ mutants. Although DSB repair by gene conversion in the absence of Rad51 has been reported for ectopic HR events (e.g., inverted repeats or between plasmids), Rad51 has been thought to be essential for DSB repair by conservative interchromosomal (allelic) gene conversion. Here, we demonstrate that DSBs stimulate gene conversion between homologous chromosomes (allelic conversion) by >30-fold in a rad51Δ mutant. We show that Rad51-independent allelic conversion and break-induced replication occur independently of Rad55, Rad57, and Dmc1 but require Rad52. Unlike DSB-induced events, spontaneous allelic conversion was detected in both rad51Δ and rad52Δ mutants, but not in a rad51Δ rad52Δ double mutant. The frequencies of crossovers associated with DSB-induced gene conversion were similar in the wild type and the rad51Δ mutant, but discontinuous conversion tracts were fivefold more frequent and tract lengths were more widely distributed in the rad51Δ mutant, indicating that heteroduplex DNA has an altered structure, or is processed differently, in the absence of Rad51.

scholarly journals Structural characterization and duplication modes of pseudogenes in plants

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavia Mascagni ◽  
Gabriele Usai ◽  
Andrea Cavallini ◽  
Andrea Porceddu
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Rate ◽  
Populus Trichocarpa ◽  
Sequence Divergence ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Flanking Sequence ◽  
Plant Genomes ◽  
High Sequence Divergence ◽  
Flanking Regions

AbstractWe identified and characterized the pseudogene complements of five plant species: four dicots (Arabidopsis thaliana, Vitis vinifera, Populus trichocarpa and Phaseolus vulgaris) and one monocot (Oryza sativa). Retroposition was considered of modest importance for pseudogene formation in all investigated species except V. vinifera, which showed an unusually high number of retro-pseudogenes in non coding genic regions. By using a pipeline for the classification of sequence duplicates in plant genomes, we compared the relative importance of whole genome, tandem, proximal, transposed and dispersed duplication modes in the pseudo and functional gene complements. Pseudogenes showed higher tendencies than functional genes to genomic dispersion. Dispersed pseudogenes were prevalently fragmented and showed high sequence divergence at flanking regions. On the contrary, those deriving from whole genome duplication were proportionally less than expected based on observations on functional loci and showed higher levels of flanking sequence conservation than dispersed pseudogenes. Pseudogenes deriving from tandem and proximal duplications were in excess compared to functional loci, probably reflecting the high evolutionary rate associated with these duplication modes in plant genomes. These data are compatible with high rates of sequence turnover at neutral sites and double strand break repairs mediated duplication mechanisms.

scholarly journals Multiple Heterologies Increase Mitotic Double-Strand Break-Induced Allelic Gene Conversion Tract Lengths in Yeast

Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 153 (2) ◽  
pp. 665-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jac A Nickoloff ◽  
Douglas B Sweetser ◽  
Jennifer A Clikeman ◽  
Guru Jot Khalsa ◽  
Sarah L Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Gene Conversion ◽  
Mismatch Repair ◽  
Frameshift Mutation ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Double Strand Break ◽  
Chromosome Loss ◽  
Allelic Gene ◽  
Break Induced Replication ◽  
Gene Conversion Tract ◽  
Conversion Tract

Abstract Spontaneous and double-strand break (DSB)-induced allelic recombination in yeast was investigated in crosses between ura3 heteroalleles inactivated by an HO site and a +1 frameshift mutation, with flanking markers defining a 3.4-kbp interval. In some crosses, nine additional phenotypically silent RFLP mutations were present at ∼100-bp intervals. Increasing heterology from 0.2 to 1% in this interval reduced spontaneous, but not DSB-induced, recombination. For DSB-induced events, 75% were continuous tract gene conversions without a crossover in this interval; discontinuous tracts and conversions associated with a crossover each comprised ∼7% of events, and 10% also converted markers in unbroken alleles. Loss of heterozygosity was seen for all markers centromere distal to the HO site in 50% of products; such loss could reflect gene conversion, break-induced replication, chromosome loss, or G2 crossovers. Using telomere-marked strains we determined that nearly all allelic DSB repair occurs by gene conversion. We further show that most allelic conversion results from mismatch repair of heteroduplex DNA. Interestingly, markers shared between the sparsely and densely marked interval converted at higher rates in the densely marked interval. Thus, the extra markers increased gene conversion tract lengths, which may reflect mismatch repair-induced recombination, or a shift from restoration- to conversion-type repair.

scholarly journals Proteome dynamics at broken replication forks reveal a distinct ATM-directed repair response suppressing DNA double-strand break ubiquitination

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyosuke Nakamura ◽  
Georg Kustatscher ◽  
Constance Alabert ◽  
Martina Hödl ◽  
Ignasi Forne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Strand Break ◽  
Double Strand Break ◽  
Replication Forks ◽  
Dna Double Strand Break

scholarly journals DNA2 in Chromosome Stability and Cell Survival—Is It All about Replication Forks?

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 3984
Author(s):  
Jessica J. R. Hudson ◽  
Ulrich Rass
Keyword(s):  
Replication Stress ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Replication Forks ◽  
Phenotypic Data ◽  
Checkpoint Activation ◽  
Dna Double Strand Break ◽  
Promising Target ◽  
Anti Cancer ◽  
Okazaki Fragment Processing ◽  
Response And Recovery

The conserved nuclease-helicase DNA2 has been linked to mitochondrial myopathy, Seckel syndrome, and cancer. Across species, the protein is indispensable for cell proliferation. On the molecular level, DNA2 has been implicated in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, checkpoint activation, Okazaki fragment processing (OFP), and telomere homeostasis. More recently, a critical contribution of DNA2 to the replication stress response and recovery of stalled DNA replication forks (RFs) has emerged. Here, we review the available functional and phenotypic data and propose that the major cellular defects associated with DNA2 dysfunction, and the links that exist with human disease, can be rationalized through the fundamental importance of DNA2-dependent RF recovery to genome duplication. Being a crucial player at stalled RFs, DNA2 is a promising target for anti-cancer therapy aimed at eliminating cancer cells by replication-stress overload.

scholarly journals The Pif1 helicase is actively inhibited during meiotic recombination which restrains gene conversion tract length

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipti Vinayak Vernekar ◽  
Giordano Reginato ◽  
Céline Adam ◽  
Lepakshi Ranjha ◽  
Florent Dingli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Conversion ◽  
Meiotic Recombination ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Dna Helicase ◽  
Clamp Loader ◽  
Repair Synthesis ◽  
Dna Repair Synthesis ◽  
Gene Conversions

Abstract Meiotic recombination ensures proper chromosome segregation to form viable gametes and results in gene conversions events between homologs. Conversion tracts are shorter in meiosis than in mitotically dividing cells. This results at least in part from the binding of a complex, containing the Mer3 helicase and the MutLβ heterodimer, to meiotic recombination intermediates. The molecular actors inhibited by this complex are elusive. The Pif1 DNA helicase is known to stimulate DNA polymerase delta (Pol δ) -mediated DNA synthesis from D-loops, allowing long synthesis required for break-induced replication. We show that Pif1 is also recruited genome wide to meiotic DNA double-strand break (DSB) sites. We further show that Pif1, through its interaction with PCNA, is required for the long gene conversions observed in the absence of MutLβ recruitment to recombination sites. In vivo, Mer3 interacts with the PCNA clamp loader RFC, and in vitro, Mer3-MutLβ ensemble inhibits Pif1-stimulated D-loop extension by Pol δ and RFC-PCNA. Mechanistically, our results suggest that Mer3-MutLβ may compete with Pif1 for binding to RFC-PCNA. Taken together, our data show that Pif1’s activity that promotes meiotic DNA repair synthesis is restrained by the Mer3-MutLβ ensemble which in turn prevents long gene conversion tracts and possibly associated mutagenesis.

scholarly journals Checkpoint Adaptation Precedes Spontaneous and Damage-Induced Genomic Instability in Yeast

2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1710-1718 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Galgoczy ◽  
David P. Toczyski
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Dna Damage ◽  
Genomic Instability ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Repair Process ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Chromosome Loss ◽  
Checkpoint Adaptation ◽  
Block Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Break Induced Replication

ABSTRACT Despite the fact that eukaryotic cells enlist checkpoints to block cell cycle progression when their DNA is damaged, cells still undergo frequent genetic rearrangements, both spontaneously and in response to genotoxic agents. We and others have previously characterized a phenomenon (adaptation) in which yeast cells that are arrested at a DNA damage checkpoint eventually override this arrest and reenter the cell cycle, despite the fact that they have not repaired the DNA damage that elicited the arrest. Here, we use mutants that are defective in checkpoint adaptation to show that adaptation is important for achieving the highest possible viability after exposure to DNA-damaging agents, but it also acts as an entrée into some forms of genomic instability. Specifically, the spontaneous and X-ray-induced frequencies of chromosome loss, translocations, and a repair process called break-induced replication occur at significantly reduced rates in adaptation-defective mutants. This indicates that these events occur after a cell has first arrested at the checkpoint and then adapted to that arrest. Because malignant progression frequently involves loss of genes that function in DNA repair, adaptation may promote tumorigenesis by allowing genomic instability to occur in the absence of repair.

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