scholarly journals Pivotal roles of PCNA loading and unloading on heterochromatin function

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Janke ◽  
Grant King ◽  
Martin Kupiec ◽  
Jasper Rine

ABSTRACTIn Saccharomyces cerevisiae, heterochromatin structures required for transcriptional silencing of the HML and HMR loci are duplicated in coordination with passing DNA replication forks. Despite major reorganization of chromatin structure, the heterochromatic, transcriptionally-silent states of HML and HMR are successfully maintained throughout S-phase. Mutations of specific components of the replisome diminish the capacity to maintain silencing of HML and HMR through replication. Similarly, mutations in histone chaperones involved in replication-coupled nucleosome assembly reduce gene silencing. Bridging these observations, we determined that the PCNA unloading activity of Elg1 was important for coordinating DNA replication forks with the process of replication-coupled nucleosome assembly to maintain silencing of HML and HMR through S-phase. Collectively these data identified a mechanism by which chromatin reassembly is coordinated with DNA replication to maintain silencing through S-phase.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTDNA replication poses a unique logistical challenge for the cell in that structural features of chromatin and their regulatory functions must be carefully coordinated with passage of replication machinery so faithful duplication of both the genome and its chromatin structures may be achieved. Nucleosome assembly is fundamental to reestablishment of chromatin in the wake of DNA replication, and here a mechanism by which nucleosome assembly is coordinated with DNA replication to maintain silenced chromatin is described.

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (9) ◽  
pp. E2030-E2039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Janke ◽  
Grant A. King ◽  
Martin Kupiec ◽  
Jasper Rine

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, heterochromatin structures required for transcriptional silencing of the HML and HMR loci are duplicated in coordination with passing DNA replication forks. Despite major reorganization of chromatin structure, the heterochromatic, transcriptionally silent states of HML and HMR are successfully maintained throughout S-phase. Mutations of specific components of the replisome diminish the capacity to maintain silencing of HML and HMR through replication. Similarly, mutations in histone chaperones involved in replication-coupled nucleosome assembly reduce gene silencing. Bridging these observations, we determined that the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) unloading activity of Elg1 was important for coordinating DNA replication forks with the process of replication-coupled nucleosome assembly to maintain silencing of HML and HMR through S-phase. Collectively, these data identified a mechanism by which chromatin reassembly is coordinated with DNA replication to maintain silencing through S-phase.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Priego Moreno ◽  
Rebecca M. Jones ◽  
Divyasree Poovathumkadavil ◽  
Agnieszka Gambus

ABSTRACTRecent years have brought a breakthrough in our understanding of the process of eukaryotic DNA replication termination. We have shown that the process of replication machinery (replisome) disassembly at the termination of DNA replication forks in S-phase of the cell cycle is driven through polyubiquitylation of one of the replicative helicase subunits Mcm7. Our previous work in C.elegans embryos suggested also an existence of a back-up pathway of replisome disassembly in mitosis. Here we show, that in Xenopus laevis egg extract, any replisome retained on chromatin after S-phase is indeed removed from chromatin in mitosis. This mitotic disassembly pathway depends on formation of K6 and K63 ubiquitin chains on Mcm7 by TRAIP ubiquitin ligase and activity of p97/VCP protein segregase. The mitotic replisome pathway is therefore conserved through evolution in higher eukaryotes. However, unlike in lower eukaryotes it does not require SUMO modifications. This process can also remove any helicases from chromatin, including “active” stalled ones, indicating a much wider application of this pathway than just a “back-up” for terminated helicases.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe de La Roche Saint-André ◽  
Vincent Géli

AbstractDNA replication is a highly regulated process that occurs in the context of chromatin structure and is sensitive to several histone post-translational modifications. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the histone methylase Set1 is responsible for the transcription-dependent deposition of H3K4 methylation (H3K4me) throughout the genome. Here we show that a combination of a hypomorphic replication mutation (orc5-1) with the absence of Set1 (set1Δ) compromises the progression through S phase, and this is associated with a large increase in DNA damage. The ensuing DNA damage checkpoint activation, in addition to that of the spindle assembly checkpoint, restricts the growth of orc5-1 set1Δ. Interestingly, orc5-1 set1Δ is sensitive to the lack of RNase H activity while a reduction of histone levels is able to counterbalance the loss of Set1. We propose that the recently described Set1-dependent mitigation of transcription-replication conflicts becomes critical for growth when the replication forks accelerate due to decreased origin firing in the orc5-1 background. Furthermore, we show that an increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, likely a consequence of the elevated DNA damage, is partly responsible for the lethality in orc5-1 set1Δ.Author summaryDNA replication, that ensures the duplication of the genetic material, starts at discrete sites, termed origins, before proceeding at replication forks whose progression is carefully controlled in order to avoid conflicts with the transcription of genes. In eukaryotes, DNA replication occurs in the context of chromatin, a structure in which DNA is wrapped around proteins, called histones, that are subjected to various chemical modifications. Among them, the methylation of the lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4) is carried out by Set1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, specifically at transcribed genes. We report that, when the replication fork accelerates in response to a reduction of active origins, the absence of Set1 leads to accumulation of DNA damage. Because H3K4 methylation was recently shown to slow down replication at transcribed genes, we propose that the Set1-dependent becomes crucial to limit the occurrence of conflicts between replication and transcription caused by replication fork acceleration. In agreement with this model, stabilization of transcription-dependent structures or reduction histone levels, to limit replication fork velocity, respectively exacerbates or moderates the effect of Set1 loss. Last, but not least, we show that the oxidative stress associated to DNA damage is partly responsible for cell lethality.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica P. Gutiérrez ◽  
Heather K. MacAlpine ◽  
David M. MacAlpine

AbstractProper regulation and maintenance of the epigenome is necessary to preserve genome function. However, in every cell division, the epigenetic state is disassembled and then re-assembled in the wake of the DNA replication fork. Chromatin restoration on nascent DNA is a complex and regulated process that includes nucleosome assembly and remodeling, deposition of histone variants, and the re-establishment of transcription factor binding. To study the genome-wide dynamics of chromatin restoration behind the DNA replication fork, we developed Nascent Chromatin Occupancy Profiles (NCOPs) to comprehensively profile nascent and mature chromatin at nucleotide resolution. While nascent chromatin is inherently less organized than mature chromatin, we identified locus specific differences in the kinetics of chromatin maturation that were predicted by the epigenetic landscape, including the histone variant H2A.Z which marked loci with rapid maturation kinetics. The chromatin maturation at origins of DNA replication was dependent on whether the origin underwent initiation or was passively replicated from distal-originating replication forks suggesting distinct chromatin assembly mechanisms between activated and disassembled pre-replicative complexes. Finally, we identified sites that were only occupied transiently by DNA-binding factors following passage of the replication fork which may provide a mechanism for perturbations of the DNA replication program to shape the regulatory landscape of the genome.


2014 ◽  
Vol 204 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria M. Magiera ◽  
Elisabeth Gueydon ◽  
Etienne Schwob

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replication and chromosome segregation must occur in ordered sequence to maintain genome integrity during cell proliferation. Checkpoint mechanisms delay mitosis when DNA is damaged or upon replication stress, but little is known on the coupling of S and M phases in unperturbed conditions. To address this issue, we postponed replication onset in budding yeast so that DNA synthesis is still underway when cells should enter mitosis. This delayed mitotic entry and progression by transient activation of the S phase, G2/M, and spindle assembly checkpoints. Disabling both Mec1/ATR- and Mad2-dependent controls caused lethality in cells with deferred S phase, accompanied by Rad52 foci and chromosome missegregation. Thus, in contrast to acute replication stress that triggers a sustained Mec1/ATR response, multiple pathways cooperate to restrain mitosis transiently when replication forks progress unhindered. We suggest that these surveillance mechanisms arose when both S and M phases were coincidently set into motion by a unique ancestral cyclin–Cdk1 complex.


2021 ◽  
Vol 220 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yilin Fan ◽  
Marielle S. Köberlin ◽  
Nalin Ratnayeke ◽  
Chad Liu ◽  
Madhura Deshpande ◽  
...  

After two converging DNA replication forks meet, active replisomes are disassembled and unloaded from chromatin. A key process in replisome disassembly is the unloading of CMG helicases (CDC45–MCM–GINS), which is initiated in Caenorhabditis elegans and Xenopus laevis by the E3 ubiquitin ligase CRL2LRR1. Here, we show that human cells lacking LRR1 fail to unload CMG helicases and accumulate increasing amounts of chromatin-bound replisome components as cells progress through S phase. Markedly, we demonstrate that the failure to disassemble replisomes reduces the rate of DNA replication increasingly throughout S phase by sequestering rate-limiting replisome components on chromatin and blocking their recycling. Continued binding of CMG helicases to chromatin during G2 phase blocks mitosis by activating an ATR-mediated G2/M checkpoint. Finally, we provide evidence that LRR1 is an essential gene for human cell division, suggesting that CRL2LRR1 enzyme activity is required for the proliferation of cancer cells and is thus a potential target for cancer therapy.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 4057-4065 ◽  
Author(s):  
R J Wellinger ◽  
A J Wolf ◽  
V A Zakian

In order to understand the mechanisms leading to the complete duplication of linear eukaryotic chromosomes, the temporal order of the events involved in replication of a 7.5-kb Saccharomyces cerevisiae linear plasmid called YLpFAT10 was determined. Two-dimensional agarose gel electrophoresis was used to map the position of the replication origin and the direction of replication fork movement through the plasmid. Replication began near the center of YLpFAT10 at the site in the 2 microns sequences that corresponds to the 2 microns origin of DNA replication. Replication forks proceeded bidirectionally from the origin to the ends of YLpFAT10. Thus, yeast telomeres do not themselves act as origins of DNA replication. The time of origin utilization on YLpFAT10 and on circular 2 microns DNA in the same cells was determined both by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and by density transfer experiments. As expected, 2 microns DNA replicated in early S phase. However, replication of YLpFAT10 occurred in late S phase. Thus, the time of activation of the 2 microns origin depended upon its physical context. Density transfer experiments established that the acquisition of telomeric TG1-3 single-strand tails, a predicted intermediate in telomere replication, occurred immediately after the replication forks approached the ends of YLpFAT10. Thus, telomere replication may be the very last step in S phase.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1113
Author(s):  
Céline Duc ◽  
Christophe Thiriet

The doubling of genomic DNA during the S-phase of the cell cycle involves the global remodeling of chromatin at replication forks. The present review focuses on the eviction of nucleosomes in front of the replication forks to facilitate the passage of replication machinery and the mechanism of replication-coupled chromatin assembly behind the replication forks. The recycling of parental histones as well as the nuclear import and the assembly of newly synthesized histones are also discussed with regard to the epigenetic inheritance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 8796
Author(s):  
Antonio Galarreta ◽  
Pablo Valledor ◽  
Oscar Fernandez-Capetillo ◽  
Emilio Lecona

Post-translational modification of the DNA replication machinery by ubiquitin and SUMO plays key roles in the faithful duplication of the genetic information. Among other functions, ubiquitination and SUMOylation serve as signals for the extraction of factors from chromatin by the AAA ATPase VCP. In addition to the regulation of DNA replication initiation and elongation, we now know that ubiquitination mediates the disassembly of the replisome after DNA replication termination, a process that is essential to preserve genomic stability. Here, we review the recent evidence showing how active DNA replication restricts replisome ubiquitination to prevent the premature disassembly of the DNA replication machinery. Ubiquitination also mediates the removal of the replisome to allow DNA repair. Further, we discuss the interplay between ubiquitin-mediated replisome disassembly and the activation of CDK1 that is required to set up the transition from the S phase to mitosis. We propose the existence of a ubiquitin–CDK1 relay, where the disassembly of terminated replisomes increases CDK1 activity that, in turn, favors the ubiquitination and disassembly of more replisomes. This model has important implications for the mechanism of action of cancer therapies that induce the untimely activation of CDK1, thereby triggering premature replisome disassembly and DNA damage.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document