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Mammalian nuclei become licensed for DNA replication during late telophase.

Mcm 2-7 are essential replication proteins that bind to chromatin in mammalian nuclei during late telophase. Here, we have investigated the relationship between Mcm binding, licensing of chromatin for replication, and specification of the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) replication origin. Approximately 20% of total Mcm3 protein was bound to chromatin in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells during telophase, while an additional 25% bound gradually and cumulatively throughout G1-phase. To investigate the functional significance of this binding, nuclei prepared from CHO cells synchronized at various times after metaphase were introduced into Xenopus egg extracts, which were either immunodepleted of Mcm proteins or supplemented with geminin, an inhibitor of the Mcm-loading protein Cdt1. Within 1 hour after metaphase, coincident with completion of nuclear envelope formation, CHO nuclei were fully competent to replicate in both of these licensing-defective extracts. However, sites of initiation of replication in each of these extracts were found to be dispersed throughout the DHFR locus within nuclei isolated between 1 to 5 hours after metaphase, but became focused to the DHFR origin within nuclei isolated after 5 hours post-metaphase. Importantly, introduction of permeabilized post-ODP, but not pre-ODP, CHO nuclei into licensing-deficient Xenopus egg extracts resulted in the preservation of a significant degree of DHFR origin specificity, implying that the previously documented lack of specific origin selection in permeabilized nuclei is at least partially due to the licensing of new initiation sites by proteins in the Xenopus egg extracts. We conclude that the functional association of Mcm proteins with chromatin (i.e. replication licensing) in CHO cells takes place during telophase, several hours prior to the specification of replication origins at the DHFR locus.

Animals↗

Cell cycle-dependent establishment of a late replication program.

DNA replication origins in chromosomes of eukaryotes are activated according to a temporal program. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, activation of origins in early S phase appears to be a default state. However, cis-acting elements such as telomeres can delay origin activation until late S phase. Site-specific recombination was used to separate origin from telomere in vivo, thereby demonstrating that the signal for late activation is established between mitosis and START in the subsequent G1 phase. Once set, the signal can persist through the next S phase in the absence of the telomere. Establishment of the temporal program and of initiation competence of origins may be coincident events.

DNA Replication↗

Initiation of DNA replication at cloned origins of bacteriophage T7.

Bacteriophage T7 DNA replication is initiated at a site 15% of the distance from the genetic left end of the chromosome. This primary origin contains two tandem T7 RNA polymerase promoters (phi 1.1A and phi 1.1B) followed by an A + T-rich region. When the primary origin region is deleted replication initiates at secondary origins. We have analyzed the ability of plasmids containing cloned fragments of T7 to replicate after infection of Escherichia coli with bacteriophage T7. All cloned T7 fragments that support plasmid replication contain a T7 promoter but a T7 promoter alone is not sufficient for replication. Replication of plasmids containing the primary origin is dependent on T7 DNA polymerase and gene 4 protein (helicase/primase) and a portion of the A + T-rich region. The other T7 fragments that support plasmid replication after T7 infection are promoter regions phi OR, phi 13 and phi 6.5 (secondary origins). When both the primary and secondary origins are present simultaneously on compatible plasmids, replication of each is temporally regulated. Such regulation may play a role during T7 DNA replication.

Base Sequence↗

Bacterial growth control studied by flow cytometry.

By employing flow cytometry, the DNA content and cell size of individual bacterial cells may be determined rapidly and with high precision. Also, the number of DNA replication origins in Escherichia coli cells can be measured after treating the cells with rifampicin together with the cell division inhibitor cephalexin. As opposed to wild type cells, certain mutants contain, with high frequency, a number of origins different from 2n, indicating that the mutants do not initiate DNA replication at all origins simultaneously. Here we give evidence that this asynchrony phenotype cannot occur as a consequence of aberrant chromosomal segregation or cell division, but can only be caused by defective coordination of multiple initiation events within one and the same cell. Flow cytometry has been used to perform exact and detailed analyses of the growth and cell cycle of E. coli. While the DNA distribution of a bacterial culture was unchanged as long as steady-state growth was maintained, the cellular DNA content was reduced when the culture approached and entered stationary phase. Only after prolonged incubation in stationary phase did the cells contain fully replicated chromosomes, and rapidly growing cells ended up with either 2 or 4 chromosomes in stationary phase.

Cell Cycle↗

Chinese hamster ORC subunits dynamically associate with chromatin throughout the cell-cycle.

In yeast, the Origin Recognition Complex (ORC) is bound to replication origins throughout the cell-cycle, but in animal cells, there are conflicting data as to whether and when ORC is removed from chromatin. We find ORC1, 2 and ORC4 to be metabolically stable proteins that co-fractionate with chromatin throughout the cell-cycle in Chinese hamster fibroblasts. Since cellular extraction methods cannot directly examine the chromatin binding properties of proteins in vivo, we examined ORC:chromatin interactions in living cells. Fluorescence loss in photobleaching (FLIP) studies revealed ORC1 and ORC4 to be highly dynamic proteins during the cell-cycle with exchange kinetics similar to other regulatory chromatin proteins. In vivo interaction with chromatin was not significantly altered throughout the cell-cycle, including S-phase. These data support a model in which ORC subunits dynamically interact with chromatin throughout the cell-cycle.

Animals↗

Genetic analysis of fusion recombinants in Bacillus subtilis: function of the recE gene.

Bacillus subtilis protoplast fusion allows the study of the genetic recombination of an entire procaryotic genome. Protoplasts from bacterial strains marked genetically by chromosomal mutations were fused using polyethylene glycol and the regenerated cells analyzed. Recombinants represent 19.3% of heterozygotic cells; they are haploids. Individual characterization of clones show a unique particular phenotype in each colony suggesting that recombination takes place immediately after fusion, probably before the first cellular division. Recombination occurs in the whole chromosome; in one-third of the cases both reciprocal recombinants could be shown in the colony. The genetic interval that includes the chromosome replication origin shows the highest recombination level. Our results suggest that the RecE protein accounts for most of the fused protoplast recombination; however, some "replication origin-specific" recombination events were independent of the recE gene product.

Bacillus subtilis↗

Cell-specific modulation of papovavirus replication by tumor suppressor protein p53.

Small DNA tumor viruses like human papillomaviruses, simian virus 40, and adenoviruses modulate the activity of cellular tumor suppressor proteins p53 and/or pRB. These viruses replicate as nuclear multicopy extrachromosomal elements during the S phase of the cell cycle, and it has been suggested that inactivation of p53 and pRb is necessary for directing the cells to the S phase. Mouse polyomavirus (Py), however, modulates only the pRB protein activity without any obvious interference with the action of p53. We show here that Py replication was not suppressed by the p53 protein indeed in all tested different mouse cell lines. In addition, E1- and E2-dependent papillomavirus origin replication was insensitive to the action of p53 in mouse cells. We show that in hamster (Chinese hamster ovary) or human (osteosarcoma 143) cell lines the replication of both Py and papillomavirus origins was efficiently blocked by p53. The block of Py replication in human and hamster cells is not caused by the downregulation of large T-antigen expression. The deletion analysis of the p53 protein shows that the RPA binding, proline-rich regulatory, DNA-binding, and oligomerization domains are necessary for p53 action in both replication systems. These results indicate that in mouse cells the p53 protein could be inactive for the suppression of papovavirus replication.

Animals↗

Drosophila ORC specifically binds to ACE3, an origin of DNA replication control element.

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, sequence-specific DNA binding by the origin recognition complex (ORC) is responsible for selecting origins of DNA replication. In metazoans, origin selection is poorly understood and it is unknown whether specific DNA binding by metazoan ORC controls replication. To address this problem, we used in vivo and in vitro approaches to demonstrate that Drosophila ORC (DmORC) binds to replication elements that direct repeated initiation of replication to amplify the Drosophila chorion gene loci in the follicle cells of egg chambers. Using immunolocalization, we observe that ACE3, a 440-bp chorion element that contains information sufficient to drive amplification, directs DmORC localization in follicle cells. Similarly, in vivo cross-linking and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate association of DmORC with both ACE3 and two other amplification control elements, AER-d and ACE1. To demonstrate that the in vivo localization of DmORC is related to its DNA-binding properties, we find that purified DmORC binds to ACE3 and AER-d in vitro, and like its S. cerevisiae counterpart, this binding is dependent on ATP. Our findings suggest that sequence-specific DNA binding by ORC regulates initiation of metazoan DNA replication. Furthermore, adaptation of this experimental approach will allow for the identification of additional metazoan ORC DNA-binding sites and potentially origins of replication.

Animals↗

The papillomavirus E8-E2C protein represses DNA replication from extrachromosomal origins.

Carcinogenic DNA viruses such as high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) and Epstein-Barr-Virus (EBV) replicate during persistent infections as low-copy-number plasmids. EBV DNA replication is restricted by host cell replication licensing mechanisms. In contrast, copy number control of HPV genomes is not under cellular control but involves the viral sequence-specific DNA-binding E2 activator and E8-E2C repressor proteins. Analysis of HPV31 mutant genomes revealed that residues outside of the DNA-binding/dimerization domain of E8-E2C limit viral DNA replication, indicating that binding site competition or heterodimerization among E2 and E8-E2C proteins does not contribute to copy number control. Domain swap experiments demonstrated that the amino-terminal 21 amino acids of E8-E2C represent a novel, transferable DNA replication repressor domain, whose activity requires conserved lysine and tryptophan residues. Furthermore, E8-E2C (1-21)-GAL4 fusion proteins inhibited the replication of the plasmid origin of replication of EBV, suggesting that E8-E2C functions as a general replication repressor of extrachromosomal origins. This finding could be important for the development of novel therapies against persistent DNA tumor virus infections.

Base Sequence↗

Structure of the replicative helicase of the oncoprotein SV40 large tumour antigen.

The oncoprotein large tumour antigen (LTag) is encoded by the DNA tumour virus simian virus 40. LTag transforms cells and induces tumours in animals by altering the functions of tumour suppressors (including pRB and p53) and other key cellular proteins. LTag is also a molecular machine that distorts/melts the replication origin of the viral genome and unwinds duplex DNA. LTag therefore seems to be a functional homologue of the eukaryotic minichromosome maintenance (MCM) complex. Here we present the X-ray structure of a hexameric LTag with DNA helicase activity. The structure identifies the p53-binding surface and reveals the structural basis of hexamerization. The hexamer contains a long, positively charged channel with an unusually large central chamber that binds both single-stranded and double-stranded DNA. The hexamer organizes into two tiers that can potentially rotate relative to each other through connecting alpha-helices to expand/constrict the channel, producing an 'iris' effect that could be used for distorting or melting the origin and unwinding DNA at the replication fork.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

RepA and DnaA proteins are required for initiation of R1 plasmid replication in vitro and interact with the oriR sequence.

RepA, an initiation protein of R1 plasmid replication, was purified from an Escherichia coli strain overproducing the protein. The purified RepA protein specifically initiated replication in vitro of plasmid DNA bearing the replication origin of R1 plasmid (oriR). The replication, strictly dependent on added RepA protein, was independent of host RNA polymerase but required other host replication functions (DnaB and DnaC proteins, the single-stranded-DNA-binding protein SSB, and DNA gyrase). The replication was also completely dependent on the host DnaA function. In filter binding assays in high salt (0.5 M KCl) conditions, RepA specifically binds to both supercoiled and linear plasmid DNA containing the oriR sequence, whereas it binds to nonspecific DNA in low salt. DNase I-protection studies on a linearized DNA fragment revealed that DnaA protein specifically binds to a 9-base-pair DnaA-recognition sequence ("DnaA box") within oriR only when RepA is bound to the sequence immediately downstream of the DnaA box. These results indicate that initiation of R1 plasmid replication is triggered by interaction of RepA and DnaA proteins with the oriR sequence.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Plasmid-like replicative intermediates of the Epstein-Barr virus lytic origin of DNA replication.

During the lytic phase of herpesviruses, intermediates of viral DNA replication are found as large concatemeric molecules in the infected cells. It is not known, however, what the early events in viral DNA replication that yield these concatemers are. In an attempt to identify these early steps of DNA replication, replicative intermediates derived from the lytic origin of Epstein-Barr virus, oriLyt, were analyzed. As shown by density shift experiments with bromodeoxyuridine, oriLyt replicated semiconservatively soon after induction of the lytic cycle and oriLyt-containing DNA is amplified to yield monomeric plasmid progeny DNA (besides multimeric forms and high-molecular-weight DNA). A new class of plasmid progeny DNA which have far fewer negative supercoils than do plasmids extracted from uninduced cells is present only in cells undergoing the lytic cycle of Epstein-Barr virus. This finding is consistent with plasmid DNAs having fewer nucleosomes before extraction. The newly replicated plasmid DNAs are dependent on a functional oriLyt in cis and support an efficient marker transfer into Escherichia coli as monomeric plasmids. Multimeric forms of presumably circular progeny DNA of oriLyt, as well as detected recombination events, indicate that oriLyt-mediated DNA replication is biphasic: an early theta-like mode is followed by a complex pattern which could result from rolling-circle DNA replication.

Cell Line↗

Coupling of mitotic chromosome tethering and replication competence in epstein-barr virus-based plasmids.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) replicates once per cell cycle and segregates with high efficiency yet does not encode the enzymes needed for DNA replication or the proteins required to contact mitotic spindles. The virus-encoded EBNA-1 (EBV nuclear antigen 1) and latent replication origin (oriP) are required for both replication and segregation. We developed a sensitive and specific fluorescent labeling strategy to analyze the interactions of both EBNA-1 with viral episomes and viral episomes with host chromosomes. This enabled investigation of the hypothesis that replication and chromosome tethering are linked through the EBNA-1 protein. We show that deleting EBNA-1 or oriP disrupts mitotic chromosome tethering but removing the dyad symmetry element of oriP does not. Microscopic and biochemical approaches demonstrated that an EBNA-1 mutant lacking residues 16 to 372 bound to oriP plasmids but did not support their mitotic chromosome association and that the mutant lost the ability of wild-type EBNA-1 to associate with interphase chromatin. Importantly, the transient-replication abilities of various mutant forms of EBV plasmids, including the mutant form with the EBNA-1 internal deletion, correlated directly with their chromosome-tethering abilities. These data lead us to propose that EBNA-1 recruits oriP-containing plasmids into chromatin subdomains in interphase nuclei to both engage the host replication machinery and enable the plasmids to adhere to host chromosomes to increase their segregation efficiency.

Chromosomes↗

The requirement of IHF protein for extrachromosomal replication of the Escherichia coli oriC in a mutant deficient in DNA polymerase I activity.

It is shown here that plasmids containing the replication origin of Escherichia coli (oriC) cannot replicate in an extrachromosomal state in E. coli cells with the polA1hip3 double mutation. This E. coli mutant is deficient in the polymerizing function of DNA polymerase I (Pol I) and is unable to produce functional IHF protein. The inability of the oriC minichromosomes to replicate in the absence of IHF is dependent on the absence of Pol I; cells with the polA+himA- or polA+hip- mutation, which are deficient in the alpha and beta subunits of the IHF heterodimer, respectively, can support replication of the oriC replicons. We propose that IHF-deficient cells utilize an alternative pathway of the DNA replication in which Pol I is required. In vitro DNA binding assays revealed that the IHF binding site resides between the oriC coordinates 110 and 122 and is adjacent to the DnaA "box" 1. Within the area protected by IHF we found at least 1 out of 11 GATC methylation sites present in oriC. The consequences of lack of IHF protein binding to the oriC and the indirect effects of the IHF deficiency on the oriC replication are discussed.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Expression of Cdc18/Cdc6 and Cdt1 during G2 phase induces initiation of DNA replication.

Cdc18/Cdc6 and Cdt1 are essential initiation factors for DNA replication. In this paper we show that expression of Cdc18 in fission yeast G2 cells is sufficient to override the controls that ensure one S phase per cell cycle. Cdc18 expression in G2 induces DNA synthesis by re-firing replication origins and recruiting the MCM Cdc21 to chromatin in the presence of low levels of Cdt1. However, when Cdt1 is expressed together with Cdc18 in G2, cells undergo very rapid, uncontrolled DNA synthesis, accumulating DNA contents of 64C or more. Our data suggest that Cdt1 may potentiate re-replication by inducing origins to fire more persistently, possibly by stabilizing Cdc18 on chromatin. In addition, low level expression of a mutant form of Cdc18 that cannot be phosphorylated by cyclin-dependent kinases is not sufficient to induce replication in G2, but does so only when co-expressed with Cdt1. Thus, regulation of both Cdc18 and Cdt1 in G2 plays a crucial role in preventing the re-initiation of DNA synthesis until the next cell cycle.

Cell Cycle↗

Herpes simplex virus type 1 recombinants without the oriL sequence replicate DNA with increased fidelity.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) contains three DNA replication origins (ori) of two types. The oriL is located in the center of the unique long sequences, whereas two copies of oriS, which are structurally different from oriL, are within the reiterated sequences flanking the unique short sequences. Recombinant viruses were constructed from ts+7, which contains a deletion of oriL sequences, to have either the beta-galactosidase gene or the supF amplicon integrated into the thymidine kinase locus. Rescue recombinants also were constructed from the supF-containing recombinant to restore the deleted oriL to the wild type sequences. These recombinants were subjected to mutagenesis assays. Results demonstrated that ts+7 viruses with the deletion in oriL sequences replicated both target genes with higher fidelity compared to those derived from the parental strain KOS. Possible mechanisms leading to the high fidelity of DNA replication mediated by viruses without intact oriL sequences are discussed.

Animals↗

Posttranscriptional regulation of US11 in cells infected with a herpes simplex virus 1 recombinant lacking both 222-bp domains containing S-component origins of DNA synthesis.

The US11 gene of herpes simplex virus 1 maps in the unique sequences of the short component of the HSV-1(F) genome approximately 775 bp from the center of the DNA replication origin (OriS) and encodes a virion protein which binds RNA in sequence- and conformation-specific fashion, negatively regulates the accumulation of a prematurely terminated transcript of UL34, associates in the infected cell with the 60S ribosomal subunit, and, late in infection, accumulates in nucleoli. We report the following: (i) Deletion of a 222-bp sequence including OriS (DeltaOriS) negatively affected the accumulation of the US11 protein without decreasing the accumulation of the US11 transcript. (ii) The defect, observed at all times after infection, was multiplicity independent, was unrelated to US11 protein stability, and apparently resulted from a cis-acting element since a coinfecting virus was unable to complement the DeltaOriS virus. (iii) Transcription from the US11 promoter initiated from three sites on the DeltaOriS virus. Transcripts initiated from two of the three initation sites accumulated similarly in cells infected with the DeltaOriS virus or wild-type parent virus. The low-abundance transcript initiating from the third site was apparently unique to the DeltaOriS virus but was not expected to alter the coding capacity of the mRNA. (iv) Infected cells accumulated RNA derived by antisense transcription of the genome domain containing the US11 gene. One transcript accumulated in larger amounts in cells infected with the DeltaOriS virus than in cells infected with parent or repaired virus.

Autoradiography↗

RNA polymerase II and III transcription factors can stimulate DNA replication by modifying origin chromatin structures.

Many transcription factors are multifunctional and also influence DNA replication. So far, their mechanism of action has remained elusive. Here we show that a DNA-binding protein could rely on the same biochemical activity that activates transcription to stimulate replication from the yeast chromosomal ARS1 origin. Unexpectedly, the ability to stimulate replication from this origin was not restricted to polymerase II transcription factors, but was a property shared by polymerase III factors. Furthermore, activation of replication did not depend on the process of transcription, but rather on the ability of DNA-binding transcription factors to remodel chromatin. The natural ARS1 activator Abf1 and the other transcription factors that stimulated replication remodeled chromatin in a very similar manner. Moreover, the presence of a histone H3 mutant that was previously shown to generally increase transcription also facilitated replication from ARS1 and partially compensated for the absence of a transcription factor. We propose that multifunctional transcription factors work by influencing the chromatin architecture at replication origins so as to generate a structure that is favorable to the initiation of replication.

Binding Sites↗