Project description:The accurate processing of stalled forks by the DNA2 nuclease is pivotal for replication fork restart, as excessive degradation poses a threat to genomic stability. However, the regulation of DNA2 activity at stalled forks remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that, upon replication stress, RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is recruited to stalled forks, actively promoting the transient formation of RNA-DNA hybrids. Furthermore, we provide evidence that DDX39A, functioning as an RNA-DNA resolver, unwinds these hybrids, allowing DNA2 access to stalled forks. This orchestrated process facilitates controlled DNA2-dependent stalled fork processing and restart. Nevertheless, premature removal of RNA-DNA hybrids at stalled forks leads to DNA2-dependent excessive degradation of nascent DNA. Finally, we reveal that loss of DDX39A enhances the protection of stalled forks in BRCA1/2-deficient cells, consequently conferring chemoresistance within this specific cellular context. Our results suggest that the dynamic regulation of RNA-DNA hybrid formation at stalled forks by RNAPII and DDX39A precisely governs the timing of DNA2 activation, contributing to stalled fork processing and restart, ultimately promoting genome stability.
Project description:The accurate processing of stalled forks by the DNA2 nuclease is pivotal for replication fork restart, as excessive degradation poses a threat to genomic stability. However, the regulation of DNA2 activity at stalled forks remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that, upon replication stress, RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is recruited to stalled forks, actively promoting the transient formation of RNA-DNA hybrids. Furthermore, we provide evidence that DDX39A, functioning as an RNA-DNA resolver, unwinds these hybrids, allowing DNA2 access to stalled forks. This orchestrated process facilitates controlled DNA2-dependent stalled fork processing and restart. Nevertheless, premature removal of RNA-DNA hybrids at stalled forks leads to DNA2-dependent excessive degradation of nascent DNA. Finally, we reveal that loss of DDX39A enhances the protection of stalled forks in BRCA1/2-deficient cells, consequently conferring chemoresistance within this specific cellular context. Our results suggest that the dynamic regulation of RNA-DNA hybrid formation at stalled forks by RNAPII and DDX39A precisely governs the timing of DNA2 activation, contributing to stalled fork processing and restart, ultimately promoting genome stability.
Project description:The progression of replication forks (RFs) can be challenged by obstacles of endogenous or exogenous origin. Stalled forks need to be readily stabilized and restarted in order to prevent genomic instability. Replication fork restart requires the recruitment of multiple enzymes and involves different DNA transactions. The MRX (Mre11-Rad50-Xrs2) complex plays a central role in this process. It has been implicated in the nucleolytic degradation of nascent DNA and in the loading of cohesin at stalled forks. However, little is known on how these functions are regulated. Here we show that MRX structural features are predominant on the nuclease activity of Mre11 for DNA resection at stalled replication forks. This results raise the question of the mechanisms by which MRX promotes nascent strand resection. At DNA double strand breaks (DSB) MRX promotes the binding of the chromatin remodeler RSC, from which the activity is required for 5’ end resection. Interestingly, MRX mutants exhibit increased nucleosome occupancy at stalled replication forks. This result suggest that a dynamic chromatin structure promoted by MRX could be required for the processing of stalled replication forks. Strinkingly the absence of two histones modifiers Gcn5 and Set1 recapitulates the phenotype of MRX mutants both on chromatin structure and nascent strand resection at stalled forks even though they are dispensable for its recruitment. Since nucleosomes also represent obstacles for the loading of SMC complexes on DNA, it is coherent that we observed that cohesin is no longer recruited at stalled forks in gcn5 and set1, as in MRX mutants. Together our data suggest that the regulation of chromatin structure at stalled replication forks is essential for their processing and to promote genome stability.
Project description:Mammalian DNA replication relies on various DNA helicases and nuclease activities to ensure accurate genetic duplication, but how different helicase and nuclease activities are properly directed remains unclear. Here, we identify the ubiquitin-specific protease, USP50, as a chromatin-associated protein required to promote ongoing replication, fork restart, telomere maintenance, cellular survival following hydroxyurea or pyridostatin treatment, and suppression of DNA breaks near GC-rich sequences. We find that USP50 supports proper WRN: FEN1 localisation at or near stalled replication forks. Nascent DNA in cells lacking USP50 shows increased association of the DNA2 nuclease and RECQL4 and RECQL5 helicases and replication defects in cells lacking USP50, or FEN1 are driven by these proteins. Consequently, suppression of DNA2 or RECQL4/5 improves USP50-depleted cell resistance to agents inducing replicative stress and restores telomere stability. These data define an unexpected regulatory protein that promotes the balance of helicase and nuclease use at ongoing and stalled replication forks..
Project description:Analysis of PCNA levels at stalled Saccharomyces cerevisiae replication forks upon Replication Factor C (RFC) Removal Analysis of nascent DNA incorporation at progressing Saccharomyces cerevisiae replication forks upon Rfc1 depletion
Project description:To ensure efficient genome duplication, cells have evolved a multitude of factors that promote unperturbed DNA replication, and protect, repair and restart damaged forks. Here we identify DONSON as a novel fork protection factor, and report biallelic DONSON mutations in individuals with microcephalic dwarfism. We demonstrate that DONSON is a component of the replisome that stabilises forks during normal genome replication. Loss of DONSON leads to severe replication-associated DNA damage arising from nucleolytic cleavage of stalled replication forks. Furthermore, ATR-dependent ,signalling in response to replication stress is impaired in DONSON-deficient cells, resulting in decreased checkpoint activity, and potentiating chromosomal instability. Hypomorphic mutations substantially reduce DONSON protein levels and impair fork stability in patient cells, consistent with defective DNA replication underlying the disease phenotype In summary, we identify mutations in DONSON as a common cause of microcephalic dwarfism, and establish DONSON as a critical replication fork protein required for mammalian DNA replication and genome stability
Project description:To ensure efficient genome duplication, cells have evolved a multitude of factors that promote unperturbed DNA replication, and protect, repair and restart damaged forks. Here we identify DONSON as a novel fork protection factor, and report biallelic DONSON mutations in individuals with microcephalic dwarfism. We demonstrate that DONSON is a component of the replisome that stabilises forks during normal genome replication. Loss of DONSON leads to severe replication-associated DNA damage arising from nucleolytic cleavage of stalled replication forks. Furthermore, ATR-dependent ,signalling in response to replication stress is impaired in DONSON-deficient cells, resulting in decreased checkpoint activity, and potentiating chromosomal instability. Hypomorphic mutations substantially reduce DONSON protein levels and impair fork stability in patient cells, consistent with defective DNA replication underlying the disease phenotype In summary, we identify mutations in DONSON as a common cause of microcephalic dwarfism, and establish DONSON as a critical replication fork protein required for mammalian DNA replication and genome stability
Project description:Faithful duplication of DNA is essential for the maintenance of genomic stability in all organisms. DNA synthesis proceeds bi-directionally with continuous synthesis of leading strand DNA and discontinuous synthesis of lagging strand DNA. Herein, we describe a method of enriching and Sequencing of Protein-Associated Nascent strand DNA (eSPAN) to detect whether a protein binds the leading- and lagging-strands of DNA replication forks. We show that Pol-epsilon, PCNA, Cdc45, Mcm6 and Mcm10 preferentially associate with leading strands, whereas Pol-alpha, Pol32, Pol-delta, Rfa1 and Rfc1 associate with lagging strands of hydroxyurea (HU)-stalled replication forks. In contrast, PCNA is enriched at lagging strands of normal replication forks in wild type cells and HU-stalled forks in cells lacking Elg1. These studies demonstrate a strategy to reveal proteins at leading and lagging strands of DNA replication forks, and suggest that the unloading of PCNA from lagging strands of HU-stalled replication forks helps maintain genome integrity.
Project description:Faithful duplication of DNA is essential for the maintenance of genomic stability in all organisms. DNA synthesis proceeds bi-directionally with continuous synthesis of leading strand DNA and discontinuous synthesis of lagging strand DNA. Herein, we describe a method of enriching and Sequencing of Protein-Associated Nascent strand DNA (eSPAN) to detect whether a protein binds the leading- and lagging-strands of DNA replication forks. We show that Pol-epsilon, PCNA, Cdc45, Mcm6 and Mcm10 preferentially associate with leading strands, whereas Pol-alpha, Pol32, Pol-delta, Rfa1 and Rfc1 associate with lagging strands of hydroxyurea (HU)-stalled replication forks. In contrast, PCNA is enriched at lagging strands of normal replication forks in wild type cells and HU-stalled forks in cells lacking Elg1. These studies demonstrate a strategy to reveal proteins at leading and lagging strands of DNA replication forks, and suggest that the unloading of PCNA from lagging strands of HU-stalled replication forks helps maintain genome integrity. We synchronized yeast cells at G1 and released into early S phase in the presence of BrdU, a nucleotide analog that can be incorporated into newly synthesized DNA strand, and hydroxyurea (HU), a ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor. HU has no effect on initiation of DNA replication at early replication origins, but inhibit late replication firing. In addition, replication forks are stalled due to depletion of dNTPs. We then performed chromatin-immunoprecipitation of 12 proteins of interest following a standard procedure. Protein-bound DNAs were then reverse-crosslinked and double strand DNA was denatured. Nascent DNA was enriched by immunoprecipitation using anti-BrdU antibodies. The recovered ssDNA was first marked with ligation to one oligo at 3M-bM-^@M-^Y end before conversion to dsDNA for library preparation and sequencing. In this way, the directionality of ssDNA and therefore strand information of each sequenced DNA were known. The sequencing tag was mapped to both Watson (red) and Crick (blue) strands of the reference genome. In addition to ChIP-eSPAN, we also performed BrdU-IP and single strand DNA sequence (BrdU-ssSeq) and protein ChIP followed by single-strand DNA sequencing (ChIP-ssSeq) for each corresponding ChIP-eSPAN experiment. We also performed Mcm4 and Mcm6 ChIP-seq using cells synchronized at G1 phase of the cell cycle for identification of replication origins in comparison with published dataset. Some protein ChIP-ssSeq and ChIP-eSPAN experiments were repeated and the data fits well each other. Therefore, we did not repeat all protein ChIP-ssSeq and ChIP-eSPAN experiments.