scholarly journals Yeast Genome Maintenance by the Multifunctional PIF1 DNA Helicase Family

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julius Muellner ◽  
Kristina H. Schmidt

The two PIF1 family helicases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rrm3, and ScPif1, associate with thousands of sites throughout the genome where they perform overlapping and distinct roles in telomere length maintenance, replication through non-histone proteins and G4 structures, lagging strand replication, replication fork convergence, the repair of DNA double-strand break ends, and transposable element mobility. ScPif1 and its fission yeast homolog Pfh1 also localize to mitochondria where they protect mitochondrial genome integrity. In addition to yeast serving as a model system for the rapid functional evaluation of human Pif1 variants, yeast cells lacking Rrm3 have proven useful for elucidating the cellular response to replication fork pausing at endogenous sites. Here, we review the increasingly important cellular functions of the yeast PIF1 helicases in maintaining genome integrity, and highlight recent advances in our understanding of their roles in facilitating fork progression through replisome barriers, their functional interactions with DNA repair, and replication stress response pathways.

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Vidushi Gupta ◽  
Kristina Hildegard Schmidt

With roles in DNA repair, recombination, replication and transcription, members of the RecQ DNA helicase family maintain genome integrity from bacteria to mammals. Mutations in human RecQ helicases BLM, WRN and RecQL4 cause incurable disorders characterized by genome instability, increased cancer predisposition and premature adult-onset aging. Yeast cells lacking the RecQ helicase Sgs1 share many of the cellular defects of human cells lacking BLM, including hypersensitivity to DNA damaging agents and replication stress, shortened lifespan, genome instability and mitotic hyper-recombination, making them invaluable model systems for elucidating eukaryotic RecQ helicase function. Yeast and human RecQ helicases have common DNA substrates and domain structures and share similar physical interaction partners. Here, we review the major cellular functions of the yeast RecQ helicases Sgs1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Rqh1 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe and provide an outlook on some of the outstanding questions in the field.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin L. Sparks ◽  
Alan O. Gao ◽  
Markus Räschle ◽  
Nicolai B. Larsen ◽  
Matthias Mann ◽  
...  

SummaryCovalent and non-covalent nucleoprotein complexes impede replication fork progression and thereby threaten genome integrity. UsingXenopus laevisegg extracts, we previously showed that when a replication fork encounters a covalent DNA-protein cross-link (DPC) on the leading strand template, the DPC is degraded to a short peptide, allowing its bypass by translesion synthesis polymerases. Strikingly, we show here that when DPC proteolysis is blocked, the replicative DNA helicase (CMG), which travels on the leading strand template, still bypasses the intact DPC. The DNA helicase RTEL1 facilitates bypass, apparently by translocating along the lagging strand template and generating single-stranded DNA downstream of the DPC. Remarkably, RTEL1 is required for efficient DPC proteolysis, suggesting that CMG bypass of a DPC normally precedes its proteolysis. RTEL1 also promotes fork progression past non-covalent protein-DNA complexes. Our data suggest a unified model for the replisome’s response to nucleoprotein barriers.


2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 2812-2820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaoki Kohzaki ◽  
Atsushi Hatanaka ◽  
Eiichiro Sonoda ◽  
Mitsuyoshi Yamazoe ◽  
Koji Kikuchi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Fbh1 (F-box DNA helicase 1) orthologues are conserved from Schizosaccharomyces pombe to chickens and humans. Here, we report the disruption of the FBH1 gene in DT40 cells. Although the yeast fbh1 mutant shows an increase in sensitivity to DNA damaging agents, FBH1 − / − DT40 clones show no prominent sensitivity, suggesting that the loss of FBH1 might be compensated by other genes. However, FBH1 − / − cells exhibit increases in both sister chromatid exchange and the formation of radial structures between homologous chromosomes without showing a defect in homologous recombination. This phenotype is reminiscent of BLM − / − cells and suggests that Fbh1 may be involved in preventing extensive strand exchange during homologous recombination. In addition, disruption of RAD54, a major homologous recombination factor in FBH1 − / − cells, results in a marked increase in chromosome-type breaks (breaks on both sister chromatids at the same place) following replication fork arrest. Further, FBH1 BLM cells showed additive increases in both sister chromatid exchange and the formation of radial chromosomes. These data suggest that Fbh1 acts in parallel with Bloom helicase to control recombination-mediated double-strand-break repair at replication blocks and to reduce the frequency of crossover.


Author(s):  
Aleix Bayona-Feliu ◽  
Andrés Aguilera

DNA replication ensures the correct copying of the genome and the faithful transfer of the genetic information to the offspring. However, obstacles to replication fork (RF) progression cause RF stalling and compromise efficient genome duplication. Since replication uses the same DNA template as transcription, both transcription and replication must be coordinated to prevent Transcription-Replication Conflicts (TRCs) that could stall RF progression. Several factors contribute to limit the occurrence of such conflicts and their harmful impact on genome integrity. Increasing evidence indicates that chromatin homeostasis plays a key role in the cellular response to TRCs as well as in the preservation of genome integrity. Indeed, chromatin regulating enzymes are frequently mutated in cancer cells, a common characteristic of which is genome instability. Therefore, understanding the role of chromatin in TRC occurrence and resolution may help identify the molecular mechanism by which chromatin protects genome integrity, and the causes and physiological relevance of the high mutation rates of chromatin regulating factors in cancer. Here we review the current knowledge in the field, as well as the perspectives and future applications.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 1097-1097
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Takagi ◽  
Junya Unno ◽  
Thoru Kiyono ◽  
Fumiko Honda ◽  
Hirobumi Teraoka ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 1097 Poster Board I-119 Hydroxyurea (HU) is an antineoplastic drug used in hematological malignancies, specifically polycythemia vera, essential thrombocytosis or chronic myelogenous leukemia. HU targets cells that are actively replicating DNA by inhibit ing ribonucleotide reductase, which causes an imbalance in the deoxynucleotide triphosphate pool. Stalled replication forks lead to the production of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), which in some cases is converted to DSBs by unknown mechanisms, an event that is termed replication fork collapse. however, the precise mechanism for DSB induction and the cellular response to persistent replication fork stalling are not fully understood. We show that DSBs are generated in an Artemis nuclease-dependent manner following prolonged stalling caused by exposure to HU, with subsequent activation of the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) signaling pathway. DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) activity, a prerequisite for the endonuclease activity of Artemis, is also required for DSB generation and subsequent ATM activation. Our findings indicate a novel function of Artemis as a molecular switch that converts single-stranded DNA lesions into DSBs, thereby activating an ATM-dependent fail-safe mechanism following prolonged replication fork stalling. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 1393-1402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takao Kitagawa ◽  
Hisashi Hoshida ◽  
Rinji Akada

ABSTRACT The cytolethal distending toxins (CDTs) are secreted virulence proteins produced by several bacterial pathogens, and the subunit CdtB has the ability to create DNA lesions, primarily DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs) in vitro, and cause cell cycle arrest, cellular distension, and cell death in both mammalian and yeast cells. To elucidate the components of the mechanisms underlying the response to CdtB-induced DNA lesions, a CdtB expression plasmid was transformed into a series of diploid yeast strains harboring deletions in 4,708 nonessential genes. A total of 4,706 of these clones were successfully transformed, which we have now designated as a systematic transformation array (STA), and were subsequently screened. We identified 61 sensitive strains from the STA whose deleted genes can be categorized into a number of groups, including DNA metabolism, chromosome segregation, vesicular traffic, RNA catabolism, protein translation, morphogenesis, and nuclear transport, as well as one unknown open reading frame. However, only 28 of these strains were found to be sensitive to HO endonuclease, which is known to create a DNA double-strand break (DSB), suggesting that CdtB-induced DNA lesion is not similar to the direct DSB. Amazingly, CdtB expression elicits severe growth defects in haploid yeast cells, but only marginal defects in diploid yeast cells. The presence and absence of genes known to be involved in DNA repair in these genome-wide data reveal that CdtB-induced DNA damage is specifically repaired well in the diploid by homologous recombination but not by other repair mechanisms. Our present results provide insights into how CdtB pathogenesis is linked to eukaryotic cellular functions.


Impact ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (3) ◽  
pp. 89-91
Author(s):  
Shin-ichi Tate

The field of molecular biology has provided great insights into the structure and function of key molecules. Thanks to this area of research, we can now grasp the biological details of DNA and have characterised an enormous number of molecules in massive data bases. These 'biological periodic tables' have allowed scientists to connect molecules to particular cellular events, furthering scientific understanding of biological processes. However, molecular biology has yet to answer questions regarding 'higher-order' molecular architecture, such as that of chromatin. Chromatin is the molecular material that serves as the building block for chromosomes, the structures that carry an organism's genetic information inside of the cell's nucleus. Understanding the physical properties of chromatin is crucial in developing a more thorough picture of how chromatin's structure relate to its key cellular functions. Moreover, by establishing a physical model of chromatin, scientists will be able to open the doors into the true inner workings of the cell nucleus. Professor Shin-ichi Tate and his team of researchers at Hiroshima University's Research Center for the Mathematics on Chromatin Live Dynamics (RcMcD), are attempting to do just that. Through a five-year grant funded by the Platform for Dynamic Approaches to Living Systems from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Tate is aiming to gain a clearer understanding of the structure and dynamics of chromatin.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipti Vinayak Vernekar ◽  
Giordano Reginato ◽  
Céline Adam ◽  
Lepakshi Ranjha ◽  
Florent Dingli ◽  
...  

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.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1069-1079
Author(s):  
D Giesman ◽  
L Best ◽  
K Tatchell

The RAP1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes an abundant DNA-binding protein, also known as GRF1, TBA, or TUF, that binds to many sites in the yeast genome in vitro. These sites define a consensus sequence, [sequence: see text], and deletion analyses of genes that contain this sequence have implicated the involvement of RAP1 in numerous cellular processes, including gene activation and repression. The MAT alpha locus, required for determination of the alpha cell type in yeast cells, contains a RAP1 binding site; this site coincides with the MAT alpha upstream activating sequence (UAS) and is necessary for expression of the two genes encoded by the MAT alpha locus, MAT alpha 1 and MAT alpha 2. We show that the MAT alpha UAS is sufficient to activate transcription from a promoterless gene fusion of the yeast CYC1 upstream region and the lacZ gene. Constructs containing only the MAT alpha UAS generated elevated levels of beta-galactosidase activity which were indistinguishable from those of constructs containing the entire MAT alpha intergenic region. Further, the MAT alpha UAS has an intrinsic polarity of transcriptional activation; transcription of CYC1-lacZ was six- to sevenfold higher when the UAS was oriented in the direction normally associated with MAT alpha 2 transcription. Point mutations in the MAT alpha UAS that reduce MAT alpha expression three- to fivefold resulted in a bi-mating phenotype, while a mutation that reduced MAT alpha expression still further resulted in an a-mating phenotype. We isolated plasmids from a high-copy-number yeast library that suppressed the bi-mating defect of point mutations in the MAT alpha UAS, and the most effective dosage suppressor contained the gene encoding RAP1. A temperature-sensitive rap1 mutant bi-mates at the semipermissive temperature. Double mutants at rap1 and mat alpha mate exclusively as a cells, at all temperatures, and do not express detectable levels of MAT alpha RNA. These data provide evidence that the RAP1 gene product functions at the MAT alpha UAS in vivo.


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