DNA polymerase alpha, a component of the replication initiation complex, is essential for the checkpoint coupling S phase to mitosis in fission yeast

1995 ◽  
Vol 108 (9) ◽  
pp. 3109-3118 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D'Urso ◽  
B. Grallert ◽  
P. Nurse
Keyword(s):  
Dna Synthesis ◽  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Replication Initiation ◽  
Direct Immunofluorescence ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Checkpoint Control ◽  
Initiation Complex ◽  
Dna Polymerase Alpha ◽  
Checkpoint Signal

Genetic analysis in the yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has shown that three genes cdc18, cut5, and cdt1, are essential for DNA synthesis and also for the checkpoint control that couples completion of DNA replication to the onset of mitosis. To test whether assembly of the replication initiation complex is an important element in the checkpoint control pathway we have investigated if DNA polymerase alpha (pol1), a component of the initiation complex, is essential for the S-phase checkpoint control. We show that germinating S. pombe spores disrupted for the pol1 gene enter mitosis despite defects in DNA synthesis. This is shown by monitoring septation index, DNA content, and by direct immunofluorescence of mitotic spindles using antibodies to alpha-tubulin. In addition we have isolated six temperature sensitive mutants in the pol1 gene that cause cell cycle arrest when grown at the nonpermissive temperature. Our experiments support a model in which DNA polymerase alpha, in addition to being part of the initiation complex, is required for a checkpoint signal that is activated as cells traverse START, and is essential to prevent mitosis until S phase has been completed. In contrast, proteins responsible for the elongation of DNA may not be necessary for this checkpoint signal.

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe hus5 gene encodes a ubiquitin conjugating enzyme required for normal mitosis

1995 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 475-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. al-Khodairy ◽  
T. Enoch ◽  
I.M. Hagan ◽  
A.M. Carr
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Dna Synthesis ◽  
Schizosaccharomyces Pombe ◽  
Cell Cycle Control ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Checkpoint Control ◽  
Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme ◽  
Efficient Recovery ◽  
Mediate Cell

Normal eukaryotic cells do not enter mitosis unless DNA is fully replicated and repaired. Controls called ‘checkpoints’, mediate cell cycle arrest in response to unreplicated or damaged DNA. Two independent Schizosaccharomyces pombe mutant screens, both of which aimed to isolate new elements involved in checkpoint controls, have identified alleles of the hus5+ gene that are abnormally sensitive to both inhibitors of DNA synthesis and to ionizing radiation. We have cloned and sequenced the hus5+ gene. It is a novel member of the E2 family of ubiquitin conjugating enzymes (UBCs). To understand the role of hus5+ in cell cycle control we have characterized the phenotypes of the hus5 mutants and the hus5 gene disruption. We find that, whilst the mutants are sensitive to inhibitors of DNA synthesis and to irradiation, this is not due to an inability to undergo mitotic arrest. Thus, the hus5+ gene product is not directly involved in checkpoint control. However, in common with a large class of previously characterized checkpoint genes, it is required for efficient recovery from DNA damage or S-phase arrest and manifests a rapid death phenotype in combination with a temperature sensitive S phase and late S/G2 phase cdc mutants. In addition, hus5 deletion mutants are severely impaired in growth and exhibit high levels of abortive mitoses, suggesting a role for hus5+ in chromosome segregation. We conclude that this novel UBC enzyme plays multiple roles and is virtually essential for cell proliferation.

scholarly journals Deficiencies in DNA replication and cell-cycle progression in polyamine-depleted HeLa cells

1992 ◽  
Vol 281 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
R A Koza ◽  
E J Herbst
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Dna Synthesis ◽  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Hela Cells ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Control Cell ◽  
Alpha Activity ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Cell Nuclei ◽  
Dna Polymerase Alpha

Synchronized HeLa cells depleted of polyamines by alpha-difluoromethylornithine exhibited substantially decreased DNA synthesis, and proliferation ceased after the release of the cells into S phase. Nuclei from these cells synthesized 70-80% less DNA than did nuclei from control cells. Extraction of isolated nuclei with 0.3 M-KCl decreased DNA synthesis by about 60%, which was recovered almost completely in control cell nuclei by reconstitution with the salt extracts of these nuclei. On the other hand, salt extracts of polyamine-depleted nuclei restored only 50% of DNA synthesis in extracted control nuclei. Salt extracts of control cell nuclei contained twice the DNA polymerase alpha activity of polyamine-depleted nuclear extracts. Extracts of cell lysates of both control and polyamine-depleted HeLa cells exhibited similar DNA polymerase alpha activity, suggesting that uptake of the enzyme or its retention by the nuclei of polyamine-depleted cells was decreased. Polyamine-depleted nuclei also showed altered phosphorylation of a 31 kDa protein as compared with control nuclei. Almost normal DNA synthesis, cell proliferation, DNA polymerase alpha activity and nuclear protein phosphorylation were restored in polyamine-depleted cells grown in medium supplemented with 20 microM-spermidine at least 10-12 h before S phase. Cultures in which proliferation was blocked by alpha-difluoromethylornithine did not exhibit synchronous growth after the block was removed. Thus it may be concluded that HeLa cells depleted of polyamines are not inhibited at a single control point in the cell cycle, but are arrested at diverse sites throughout G1 phase.

scholarly journals Involvement of deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase β in nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis

1978 ◽  
Vol 173 (1) ◽  
pp. 309-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
T R Butt ◽  
W M Wood ◽  
E L McKay ◽  
R L P Adams
Keyword(s):  
Dna Synthesis ◽  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Deoxyribonucleic Acid ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
Dna Polymerase Beta ◽  
Cell Nuclei ◽  
High Molecular Weight Dna ◽  
Dna Polymerase Alpha ◽  
Polymerase Beta

The effects on DNA synthesis in vitro in mouse L929-cell nuclei of differential extraction of DNA polymerases alpha and beta were studied. Removal of all measurable DNA polymerase alpha and 20% of DNA polymerase beta leads to a 40% fall in the replicative DNA synthesis. Removal of 70% of DNA polymerase beta inhibits replicative synthesis by 80%. In all cases the nuclear DNA synthesis is sensitive to N-ethylmaleimide and aCTP (arabinosylcytosine triphosphate), though less so than DNA polymerase alpha. Addition of deoxyribonuclease I to the nuclear incubation leads to synthesis of high-molecular-weight DNA in a repair reaction. This occurs equally in nuclei from non-growing or S-phase cells. The former nuclei lack DNA polymerase alpha and the reaction reflects the sensitivity of DNA polymerase beta to inhibiton by N-ethylmaleimide and aCTP.

scholarly journals Role of DNA Replication Proteins in Double-Strand Break-Induced Recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (16) ◽  
pp. 6891-6899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Wang ◽  
Grzegorz Ira ◽  
José Antonio Tercero ◽  
Allyson M. Holmes ◽  
John F. X. Diffley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Dna Synthesis ◽  
Gene Conversion ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Double Strand Break ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Replication Proteins ◽  
Dna Ligases ◽  
Mcm Proteins

ABSTRACT Mitotic double-strand break (DSB)-induced gene conversion involves new DNA synthesis. We have analyzed the requirement of several essential replication components, the Mcm proteins, Cdc45p, and DNA ligase I, in the DNA synthesis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae MAT switching. In an mcm7-td (temperature-inducible degron) mutant, MAT switching occurred normally when Mcm7p was degraded below the level of detection, suggesting the lack of the Mcm2-7 proteins during gene conversion. A cdc45-td mutant was also able to complete recombination. Surprisingly, even after eliminating both of the identified DNA ligases in yeast, a cdc9-1 dnl4Δ strain was able to complete DSB repair. Previous studies of asynchronous cultures carrying temperature-sensitive alleles of PCNA, DNA polymerase α (Polα), or primase showed that these mutations inhibited MAT switching (A. M. Holmes and J. E. Haber, Cell 96:415-424, 1999). We have reevaluated the roles of these proteins in G2-arrested cells. Whereas PCNA was still essential for MAT switching, neither Polα nor primase was required. These results suggest that arresting cells in S phase using ts alleles of Polα-primase, prior to inducing the DSB, sequesters some other component that is required for repair. We conclude that DNA synthesis during gene conversion is different from S-phase replication, involving only leading-strand polymerization.

scholarly journals Initiation of simian virus 40 DNA replication in vitro: aphidicolin causes accumulation of early-replicating intermediates and allows determination of the initial direction of DNA synthesis.

1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 3815-3825 ◽  
Author(s):  
R S Decker ◽  
M Yamaguchi ◽  
R Possenti ◽  
M L DePamphilis
Keyword(s):  
Dna Replication ◽  
Dna Synthesis ◽  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Simian Virus 40 ◽  
Simian Virus ◽  
T Antigen ◽  
Early Gene ◽  
Initial Direction ◽  
Dna Polymerase Alpha

Aphidicolin, a specific inhibitor of DNA polymerase alpha, provided a novel method for distinguishing between initiation of DNA synthesis at the simian virus 40 (SV40) origin of replication (ori) and continuation of replication beyond ori. In the presence of sufficient aphidicolin to inhibit total DNA synthesis by 50%, initiation of DNA replication in SV40 chromosomes or ori-containing plasmids continued in vitro, whereas DNA synthesis in the bulk of SV40 replicative intermediate DNA (RI) that had initiated replication in vivo was rapidly inhibited. This resulted in accumulation of early RI in which most nascent DNA was localized within a 600- to 700-base-pair region centered at ori. Accumulation of early RI was observed only under conditions that permitted initiation of SV40 ori-dependent, T-antigen-dependent DNA replication and only when aphidicolin was added to the in vitro system. Increasing aphidicolin concentrations revealed that DNA synthesis in the ori region was not completely resistant to aphidicolin but simply less sensitive than DNA synthesis at forks that were farther away. Since DNA synthesized in the presence of aphidicolin was concentrated in the 300 base pairs on the early gene side of ori, we conclude that the initial direction of DNA synthesis was the same as that of early mRNA synthesis, consistent with the model proposed by Hay and DePamphilis (Cell 28:767-779, 1982). The data were also consistent with initiation of the first DNA chains in ori by CV-1 cell DNA primase-DNA polymerase alpha. Synthesis of pppA/G(pN)6-8(pdN)21-23 chains on a single-stranded DNA template by a purified preparation of this enzyme was completely resistant to aphidicolin, and further incorporation of deoxynucleotide monophosphates was inhibited. Therefore, in the presence of aphidicolin, this enzyme could initiate RNA-primed DNA synthesis at ori first in the early gene direction and then in the late gene direction, but could not continue DNA synthesis for an extended distance.

scholarly journals Effect of drugs on deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis in isolated mammalian cell nuclei. Comparison with partially purified deoxyribonucleic acid polymerases

1979 ◽  
Vol 178 (3) ◽  
pp. 621-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
J F Burke ◽  
P M Duff ◽  
C K Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Dna Synthesis ◽  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Deoxyribonucleic Acid ◽  
Acid Synthesis ◽  
Cell Nuclei ◽  
Isolated Nuclei ◽  
Dna Polymerase Alpha ◽  
Polymerase Beta ◽  
Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis

In order to ascertain the identity of the DNA-dependent DNA polymerase responsible for the observed DNA synthesis in nuclei isolated from baby-hamster kidney (BHK-21/C13) cells a comparative study was carried out on the effects of some drugs, reported to influence DNA synthesis, on DNA synthesis catalysed by these nuclei and by partially purified DNA polymerase-alpha and -beta. In all cases DNA synthesis by isolated nuclei and polymerase-alpha was inhibited to similar extents by N-ethylmaleimide, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, novobiocin, heparin and phosphonoacetic acid; polymerase-beta was much less affected by these compounds. Ethidium bromide inhibited all DNA synthesis to similar extents, although at low concentrations (about 2 microgram/ml) synthesis in isolated nuclei was stimulated. The results are discussed in relation to the proposal that DNA polymerase-alpha catalyses the covalent extension of Okazaki fragments that these nuclei carry out in vitro.

scholarly journals MCM2–7 Proteins Are Essential Components of Prereplicative Complexes that Accumulate Cooperatively in the Nucleus during G1-phase and Are Required to Establish, But Not Maintain, the S-phase Checkpoint

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3658-3667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karim Labib ◽  
Stephen E. Kearsey ◽  
John F.X. Diffley
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Replication ◽  
S Phase ◽  
G1 Phase ◽  
Checkpoint Control ◽  
Direct Role ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Mcm Proteins ◽  
Prereplicative Complex ◽  
Genomic Footprinting ◽  
Checkpoint Signal

A prereplicative complex (pre-RC) of proteins is assembled at budding yeast origins of DNA replication during the G1-phase of the cell cycle, as shown by genomic footprinting. The proteins responsible for this prereplicative footprint have yet to be identified but are likely to be involved in the earliest stages of the initiation step of chromosome replication. Here we show that MCM2–7 proteins are essential for both the formation and maintenance of the pre-RC footprint at the origin ARS305. It is likely that pre-RCs contain heteromeric complexes of MCM2–7 proteins, since degradation of Mcm2, 3, 6, or 7 during G1-phase, after pre-RC formation, causes loss of Mcm4 from the nucleus. It has been suggested that pre-RCs on unreplicated chromatin may generate a checkpoint signal that inhibits premature mitosis during S-phase. We show that, although mitosis does indeed occur in the absence of replication if MCM proteins are degraded during G1-phase, anaphase is prevented if MCMs are degraded during S-phase. Our data indicate that pre-RCs do not play a direct role in checkpoint control during chromosome replication.

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