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DNA ligase I null mouse cells show normal DNA repair activity but altered DNA replication and reduced genome stability.

DNA ligase I is the key ligase for DNA replication in mammalian cells and has also been reported to be involved in a number of recombination and repair processes. Our previous finding that Lig1 knockout mouse embryos developed normally to mid-term before succumbing to a specific haematopoietic defect was difficult to reconcile with a report that DNA ligase I is essential for the viability of cultured mammalian cells. To address this issue, we generated a second Lig1 targeted allele and found that the phenotypes of our two Lig1 mutant mouse lines are identical. Widely different levels of Lig1 fusion transcripts were detected from the two targeted alleles, but we could not detect any DNA ligase I protein, and we believe both are effective Lig1 null alleles. Using foetal liver cells to repopulate the haematopoietic system of lethally irradiated adult mice, we demonstrate that the haematopoietic defect in DNA-ligase-I-deficient embryos is a quantitative deficiency relating to reduced proliferation rather than a qualitative block in any haematopoietic lineage. DNA ligase I null fibroblasts from Lig1 mutant embryos showed an accumulation of DNA replication intermediates and increased genome instability. In the absence of a demonstrable deficiency in DNA repair we postulate that, unusually, genome instability may result directly from the DNA replication defect. Lig1 null mouse cells performed better in the survival and replication assays than a human LIG1 point mutant, and we suggest that the complete absence of DNA ligase I may make it easier for another ligase to compensate for DNA ligase I deficiency.

Anemia, Macrocytic↗

Nucleotide Excision Repair, Genome Stability, and Human Disease: New Insight from Model Systems.

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is one of several DNA repair pathways that are universal throughout phylogeny. NER has a broad substrate specificity and is capable of removing several classes of lesions to the DNA, including those that accumulate upon exposure to UV radiation. The loss of this activity in NER-defective mutants gives rise to characteristic sensitivities to UV that, in humans, is manifested as a greatly elevated sensitivity to exposure to the sun. Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), Cockaynes syndrome (CS), and trichothiodystrophy (TTD) are three, rare, recessively inherited human diseases that are linked to these defects. Interestingly, some of the symptoms in afflicted individuals appear to be due to defects in transcription, the result of the dual functionality of several components of the NER apparatus as parts of transcription factor IIH (TFIIH). Studies with several model systems have revealed that the genetic and biochemical features of NER are extraordinarily conserved in eukaryotes. One system that has been studied very closely is the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. While many yeast NER mutants display the expected increases in UV sensitivity and defective transcription, other interesting phenotypes have also been observed. Elevated mutation and recombination rates, as well as increased frequencies of genome rearrangement by retrotransposon movement and recombination between short genomic sequences have been documented. The potential relevance of these novel phenotypes to disease in humans is discussed.

Journal Article↗

Effects of the gag region on genome stability: avian retroviral vectors that contain sequences from the Bryan strain of Rous sarcoma virus.

We have previously described replication-competent Schmidt Ruppin-A Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)-based retroviral vectors that can be used to deliver and express genes in avian cells. We have continued to modify the prototype vectors to develop a more versatile and efficient system. Substitution of the polymerase (pol) region from the Bryan high-titer RSV (BH-RSV) for the SR-A RSV pol region of these retroviral vectors causes these viruses to replicate more efficiently. We cloned the gag regions from two independent BH-RSV-transformed cell lines and tested whether substituting either of these gag regions would improve the replication and/or gene expression of the vectors. Chimeric vectors were constructed in which the gag region of the prototype vector (SR-A RSV) was replaced with the corresponding segment of BH-RSV gag in vectors that had either the original SR-A RSV pol or the BH-RSV pol region. All vectors contained the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene (CAT). The results indicate that different SR-A RSV and BH-RSV gag-pol chimeras can significantly affect the level of viral and CAT gene expression. The insertion of one of the BH-RSV gag regions, but not the other, gave rise to viruses with unstable genomes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A role for PML3 in centrosome duplication and genome stability.

The promyelocytic leukemia gene (PML), which is disrupted by the chromosomal translocation t(15;17) in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), encodes a multifunctional protein involved in several important cellular functions. Herein, we demonstrate that PML is localized to centrosomes and that PML deficiency leads to centrosome amplification. By using PML isoform-specific antibodies, we found PML3-specific association with the centrosome and the pole of the mitotic spindle. PML3 deficiency leads to dysregulation of the centrosome duplication checkpoint. Furthermore, PML3 physically interacts with Aurora A and regulates its kinase activity. Specific knockdown of PML3 activates Cdk2/cyclin kinase activity. The results of this study implicate a direct role for PML3 in the control of centrosome duplication through suppression of Aurora A activation to prevent centrosome reduplication.

Aurora Kinases↗

Sin3: a flexible regulator of global gene expression and genome stability.

SIN3 was first identified genetically as a global regulator of transcription. Sin3 is a large protein composed mainly of protein-interaction domains, whose function is to provide structural support for a heterogeneous Sin3/histone deacetylase (HDAC) complex. The core Sin3/HDAC complex is conserved from yeast to man and consists of eight proteins. In addition to HDACs, Sin3 can sequester other enzymatic functions, including nucleosome remodeling, DNA methylation, N-acetylglucoseamine transferase activity, and histone methylation. Since the Sin3/HDAC complex lacks any DNA-binding activity, it must be targeted to gene promoters by interacting with DNA-binding proteins. Although most research on Sin3 has focused on its role as a corepressor, mounting evidence suggests that Sin3 can also positively regulate transcription. Furthermore, Sin3 is key to the propagation of epigenetically silenced domains and is required for centromere function. Thus, Sin3 provides a platform to deliver multiple combinations modifications to the chromatin, using both sequence-specific and sequence-independent mechanisms.

Chromatin↗

Regulation of genome stability by TEL1 and MEC1, yeast homologs of the mammalian ATM and ATR genes.

In eukaryotes, a family of related protein kinases (the ATM family) is involved in regulating cellular responses to DNA damage and telomere length. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, two members of this family, TEL1 and MEC1, have functionally redundant roles in both DNA damage repair and telomere length regulation. Strains with mutations in both genes are very sensitive to DNA damaging agents, have very short telomeres, and undergo cellular senescence. We find that strains with the double mutant genotype also have approximately 80-fold increased rates of mitotic recombination and chromosome loss. In addition, the tel1 mec1 strains have high rates of telomeric fusions, resulting in translocations, dicentrics, and circular chromosomes. Similar chromosome rearrangements have been detected in mammalian cells with mutations in ATM (related to TEL1) and ATR (related to MEC1) and in mammalian cells that approach cell crisis.

Blotting, Southern↗

Persistent infection of rhesus macaques by the rev-independent Nef(-) simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac239: replication kinetics and genomic stability.

We generated previously a Nef(-), replication-competent clone of SIVmac239 in which the Rev protein and the Rev-responsive element were replaced by the constitutive transport element (CTE) of simian retrovirus type 1 (A. S. von Gegerfelt and B. K. Felber, Virology 232:291-299, 1997). In the present report, we show that this virus was able to infect and replicate in rhesus macaques. The Rev-independent Nef(-) simian immunodeficiency virus induced a persistent humoral immune response in all monkeys, although viral loads were very low. Upon propagation in the monkeys, the genotype remained stable and the virus retained its in vitro growth characteristics. The infected monkeys showed normal hematological values and no signs of disease at more than 18 months post-virus exposure. Therefore, replacement of the essential Rev regulation by the CTE generated a virus variant that retained its replicative capacity both in vitro and in vivo, albeit at low levels.

Animals↗

NUCKS1 is a novel RAD51AP1 paralog important for homologous recombination and genome stability.

NUCKS1 (nuclear casein kinase and cyclin-dependent kinase substrate 1) is a 27 kD chromosomal, vertebrate-specific protein, for which limited functional data exist. Here, we demonstrate that NUCKS1 shares extensive sequence homology with RAD51AP1 (RAD51 associated protein 1), suggesting that these two proteins are paralogs. Similar to the phenotypic effects of RAD51AP1 knockdown, we find that depletion of NUCKS1 in human cells impairs DNA repair by homologous recombination (HR) and chromosome stability. Depletion of NUCKS1 also results in greatly increased cellular sensitivity to mitomycin C (MMC), and in increased levels of spontaneous and MMC-induced chromatid breaks. NUCKS1 is critical to maintaining wild type HR capacity, and, as observed for a number of proteins involved in the HR pathway, functional loss of NUCKS1 leads to a slow down in DNA replication fork progression with a concomitant increase in the utilization of new replication origins. Interestingly, recombinant NUCKS1 shares the same DNA binding preference as RAD51AP1, but binds to DNA with reduced affinity when compared to RAD51AP1. Our results show that NUCKS1 is a chromatin-associated protein with a role in the DNA damage response and in HR, a DNA repair pathway critical for tumor suppression.

Cell Line↗

The transcription factor B-Myb is essential for S-phase progression and genomic stability in diploid and polyploid megakaryocytes.

The cell-cycle-regulated Myb-family transcription factor B-Myb is crucial during S phase in many diploid cell types. We have examined the expression and function of B-Myb in megakaryocytic differentiation, during which cells progress from a diploid to a polyploid state. In contrast to terminal differentiation of most haematopoietic cells, during which B-myb is rapidly downregulated, differentiation of megakaryocytes is accompanied by continued B-myb RNA and protein expression. Overexpression of B-Myb in a megakaryoblastic cell line resulted in an increase in the number of cells entering S phase and, upon induction of differentiation, the fraction of cells actively endoreplicating increased. By contrast, reduction of B-Myb levels using short interfering (si)RNA resulted in a decline in S-phase progression during both normal and endoreplicative DNA synthesis. This effect correlated with aberrant localisation of initiation of DNA replication within the nucleus and an increased fraction of cells in mitosis. Chromosomal fragmentation and other aberrations, including shorter, thicker chromatids, end-to-end fusion, and loss of a chromatid, suggest that reduced B-Myb activity is also associated with structural chromosomal instability.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗

Positive and negative roles of homologous recombination in the maintenance of genome stability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In previous studies of the loss of heterozygosity (LOH), we analyzed a hemizygous URA3 marker on chromosome III in S. cerevisiae and showed that homologous recombination is involved in processes that lead to LOH in multiple ways, including allelic recombination, chromosome size alterations, and chromosome loss. To investigate the role of homologous recombination more precisely, we examined LOH events in rad50 Delta, rad51 Delta, rad52 Delta, rad50 Delta rad52 Delta, and rad51 Delta rad52 Delta mutants. As compared to Rad(+) cells, the frequency of LOH was significantly increased in all mutants, and most events were chromosome loss. Other LOH events were differentially affected in each mutant: the frequencies of all types of recombination were decreased in rad52 mutants and enhanced in rad50 mutants. The rad51 mutation increased the frequency of ectopic but not allelic recombination. Both the rad52 and rad51 mutations increased the frequency of intragenic point mutations approximately 25-fold, suggesting that alternative mutagenic pathways partially substitute for homologous recombination. Overall, these results indicate that all of the genes are required for chromosome maintenance and that they most likely function in homologous recombination between sister chromatids. In contrast, other recombination pathways can occur at a substantial level even in the absence of one of the genes and contribute to generating various chromosome rearrangements.

DNA-Binding Proteins↗

Multiple roles of Rev3, the catalytic subunit of polzeta in maintaining genome stability in vertebrates.

Translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) and homologous DNA recombination (HR) are two major postreplicational repair (PRR) pathways. The REV3 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase zeta, which is involved in mutagenic TLS. To investigate the role of REV3 in vertebrates, we disruped the gene in chicken DT40 cells. REV3(-/-) cells are sensitive to various DNA-damaging agents, including UV, methyl methanesulphonate (MMS), cisplatin and ionizing radiation (IR), consistent with its role in TLS. Interestingly, REV3(-/-) cells showed reduced gene targeting efficiencies and significant increase in the level of chromosomal breaks in the subsequent M phase after IR in the G(2) phase, suggesting the involvement of Rev3 in HR-mediated double-strand break repair. REV3(-/-) cells showed significant increase in sister chromatid exchange events and chromosomal breaks even in the absence of exogenous genotoxic stress. Furthermore, double mutants of REV3 and RAD54, genes involved in HR, are synthetic lethal. In conclusion, Rev3 plays critical roles in PRR, which accounts for survival on naturally occurring endogenous as well as induced damages during replication.

Animals↗

A mitotic topoisomerase II checkpoint in budding yeast is required for genome stability but acts independently of Pds1/securin.

Topoisomerase II (Topo II) performs topological modifications on double-stranded DNA molecules that are essential for chromosome condensation, resolution, and segregation. In mammals, G2 and metaphase cell cycle delays induced by Topo II poisons have been proposed to be the result of checkpoint activation in response to the catenation state of DNA. However, the apparent lack of such controls in model organisms has excluded genetic proof that Topo II checkpoints exist and are separable from the conventional DNA damage checkpoint controls. But here, we define a Topo II-dependent G2/M checkpoint in a genetically amenable eukaryote, budding yeast, and demonstrate that this checkpoint enhances cell survival. Conversely, a lack of the checkpoint results in aneuploidy. Neither DNA damage-responsive pathways nor Pds1/securin are needed for this checkpoint. Unusually, spindle assembly checkpoint components are required for the Topo II checkpoint, but checkpoint activation is not the result of failed chromosome biorientation or a lack of spindle tension. Thus, compromised Topo II function activates a yeast checkpoint system that operates by a novel mechanism.

Anaphase-Promoting Complex-Cyclosome↗

The Drosophila Nbs protein functions in multiple pathways for the maintenance of genome stability.

The Mre11/Rad50/Nbs (MRN) complex and the two protein kinases ATM and ATR play critical roles in the response to DNA damage and telomere maintenance in mammalian systems. It has been previously shown that mutations in the Drosophila mre11 and rad50 genes cause both telomere fusion and chromosome breakage. Here, we have analyzed the role of the Drosophila nbs gene in telomere protection and the maintenance of chromosome integrity. Larval brain cells of nbs mutants display telomeric associations (TAs) but the frequency of these TAs is lower than in either mre11 or rad50 mutants. Consistently, Rad50 accumulates in the nuclei of wild-type cells but not in those of nbs cells, indicating that Nbs mediates transport of the Mre11/Rad50 complex in the nucleus. Moreover, epistasis analysis revealed that rad50 nbs, tefu (ATM) nbs, and mei-41 (ATR) nbs double mutants have significantly higher frequencies of TAs than either of the corresponding single mutants. This suggests that Nbs and the Mre11/Rad50 complex play partially independent roles in telomere protection and that Nbs functions in both ATR- and ATM-controlled telomere protection pathways. In contrast, analysis of chromosome breakage indicated that the three components of the MRN complex function in a single pathway for the repair of the DNA damage leading to chromosome aberrations.

Animals↗

CP110 cooperates with two calcium-binding proteins to regulate cytokinesis and genome stability.

The centrosome is an integral component of the eukaryotic cell cycle machinery, yet very few centrosomal proteins have been fully characterized to date. We have undertaken a series of biochemical and RNA interference (RNAi) studies to elucidate a role for CP110 in the centrosome cycle. Using a combination of yeast two-hybrid screens and biochemical analyses, we report that CP110 interacts with two different Ca2+-binding proteins, calmodulin (CaM) and centrin, in vivo. In vitro binding experiments reveal a direct, robust interaction between CP110 and CaM and the existence of multiple high-affinity CaM-binding domains in CP110. Native CP110 exists in large (approximately 300 kDa to 3 MDa) complexes that contain both centrin and CaM. We investigated a role for CP110 in CaM-mediated events using RNAi and show that its depletion leads to a failure at a late stage of cytokinesis and the formation of binucleate cells, mirroring the defects resulting from ablation of either CaM or centrin function. Importantly, expression of a CP110 mutant unable to bind CaM also promotes cytokinesis failure and binucleate cell formation. Taken together, our data demonstrate a functional role for CaM binding to CP110 and suggest that CP110 cooperates with CaM and centrin to regulate progression through cytokinesis.

Calcium-Binding Proteins↗

Homologous recombination is required for genome stability in the absence of DOG-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans.

In C. elegans, DOG-1 prevents deletions that initiate in polyG/polyC tracts (G/C tracts), most likely by unwinding secondary structures that can form in G/C tracts during lagging-strand DNA synthesis. We have used the dog-1 mutant to assay the in vivo contribution of various repair genes to the maintenance of G/C tracts. Here we show that DOG-1 and the BLM ortholog, HIM-6, act synergistically during replication; simultaneous loss of function of both genes results in replicative stress and an increase in the formation of small deletions that initiate in G/C tracts. Similarly, we demonstrate that the C. elegans orthologs of the homologous recombination repair genes BARD1, RAD51, and XPF and the trans-lesion synthesis polymerases poleta and polkappa contribute to the prevention of deletions in dog-1 mutants. Finally, we provide evidence that the small deletions generated in the dog-1 background are not formed through homologous recombination, nucleotide excision repair, or nonhomologous end-joining mechanisms, but appear to result from a mutagenic repair mechanism acting at G/C tracts. Our data support the hypothesis that absence of DOG-1 leads to replication fork stalling that can be repaired by deletion-free or deletion-prone mechanisms.

Animals↗

The role of Cdh1p in maintaining genomic stability in budding yeast.

Cdh1p, a substrate specificity factor for the cell cycle-regulated ubiquitin ligase, the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), promotes exit from mitosis by directing the degradation of a number of proteins, including the mitotic cyclins. Here we present evidence that Cdh1p activity at the M/G(1) transition is important not only for mitotic exit but also for high-fidelity chromosome segregation in the subsequent cell cycle. CDH1 showed genetic interactions with MAD2 and PDS1, genes encoding components of the mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint that acts at metaphase to prevent premature chromosome segregation. Unlike cdh1delta and mad2delta single mutants, the mad2delta cdh1delta double mutant grew slowly and exhibited high rates of chromosome and plasmid loss. Simultaneous deletion of PDS1 and CDH1 caused extensive chromosome missegregation and cell death. Our data suggest that at least part of the chromosome loss can be attributed to kinetochore/spindle problems. Our data further suggest that Cdh1p and Sic1p, a Cdc28p/Clb inhibitor, have overlapping as well as nonoverlapping roles in ensuring proper chromosome segregation. The severe growth defects of both mad2delta cdh1delta and pds1delta cdh1dDelta strains were rescued by overexpressing Swe1p, a G(2)/M inhibitor of the cyclin-dependent kinase, Cdc28p/Clb. We propose that the failure to degrade cyclins at the end of mitosis leaves cdh1delta mutant strains with abnormal Cdc28p/Clb activity that interferes with proper chromosome segregation.

Carrier Proteins↗

Genome stability of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis isolates.

Swedish soil isolates biochemically classified as Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis were further examined for genetic diversity by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE), random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis (RAPD), pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and Southern blotting, and were compared with reference strains. All the tested strains belonging to the Bt. israelensis serotype H14 were found to be identical, as judged from the RAPD analysis. MLEE analysis gave a similar result; only one H14 strain was found to differ from the remaining H14 strains by one null allele. PFGE analysis confirmed a very close relationship between the H14 strains but revealed an SfiI restriction fragment of variable size. Southern blot analyses were carried out with probes for the chromosomally encoded flagellin gene(s) and the plasmid-encoded mosquitocidal toxins. All probes gave similar hybridization patterns in the H14 strains. The mosquito toxin probes hybridized only to the H14 strains, except for one probe hybridizing to strain 6:3, which was originally isolated from the same soil sample as strains 6:11 and 6:12. Because the RAPD, MLEE, and PFGE analyses showed that strain 6:3 appears to be unrelated to strains 6:11 and 6:12, the presence of a mosquito toxin sequence in strain 6:3 may suggest that gene transfer has occurred.

Animals↗

Impact of mismatch repair deficiency on genomic stability in the maternal germline and during early embryonic development.

The effects of lack of the mismatch repair protein PMS2 on germline and maternal-effect mutations were studied in transgenic mice that allow mutant cells to be visualized in situ. Tg(betaA-G11PLAP) mice are transgenic for the G11 allele of a human placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) gene driven by a human beta-actin promoter. The G11 allele of the PLAP gene does not produce enzyme due to a frameshift induced by a mononucleotide repeat containing 11 G:C basepairs. Loss of one G:C basepair restores enzyme production. When the G11 PLAP allele was passed through the germline of female mice lacking PMS2, approximately 25% of the offspring that inherited the transgene exhibited the phenotype expected for germline mutation. The mice transmitted the germline-mutation phenotype normally and their offspring exhibited PLAP enzyme activity in at least 30% of the cells in each tissue examined. By contrast, only 1 of 32 mice that inherited the G11 PLAP transgene from a wild-type male crossed to a Pms2-/- female exhibited a high number of PLAP+ cells. Compared to germline revertants, approximately one half to one quarter as many cells were PLAP+, suggesting that a mutation occurred in one cell of an embryo containing two to four cells. These data suggest that the paternally derived Pms2 gene provided normal levels of PMS2 protein to embryos by the time they reached the eight-cell stage, but that smaller embryos formed from PMS2-deficient eggs lacked PMS2 function.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗