Functional genomic screens identify CINP as a genome maintenance protein

Cdk2 is required for p53-independent G2/M checkpoint control

The activation of phase-specific cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) is associated with ordered cell cycle transitions. Among the mammalian Cdks, only Cdk1 is essential for somatic cell proliferation. Cdk1 can apparently substitute for Cdk2, Cdk4, and Cdk6, which are individually dispensable in mice. It is unclear if all functions of non-essential Cdks are fully redundant with Cdk1. Using a genetic approach, we show that Cdk2, the S-phase Cdk, uniquely controls the G₂/M checkpoint that prevents cells with damaged DNA from initiating mitosis. CDK2-nullizygous human cells exposed to ionizing radiation failed to exclude Cdk1 from the nucleus and exhibited a marked defect in G₂/M arrest that was unmasked by the disruption of P53. The DNA replication licensing protein Cdc6, which is normally stabilized by Cdk2, was physically associated with the checkpoint regulator ATR and was required for efficient ATR-Chk1-Cdc25A signaling. These findings demonstrate that Cdk2 maintains a balance of S-phase regulatory proteins and thereby coordinates subsequent p53-independent G₂/M checkpoint activation.

Metazoan cells contain multiple Cdks that regulate cell cycle progression. Recent studies have shown that mouse cells can grow normally with just Cdk1. The roles of the non-essential Cdks remain a fundamental question. In this study, we describe the generation and detailed characterization of CDK2-knockout human somatic cells. Our study demonstrates that Cdk2 is required for robust DNA damage checkpoint signaling. Loss of Cdk2 caused a marked deficiency in the G₂/M arrest—a basic response to DNA damage—in cells that were also nullizygous for P53. We propose that the multiple Cdks present in metazoan cells provide a mechanism by which the cell cycle can be efficiently halted after DNA damage. Significantly, this study reveals a heretofore unrecognized dependence for Cdk2 in p53-deficient cancer cells.

SMARCAL1 and replication stress: an explanation for SIOD?

The SNF2 family of ATPases acts in the context of chromatin to regulate transcription, replication, repair and recombination. Defects in SNF2 genes cause many human diseases. For example, mutations in SMARCAL1 (also named HARP) cause Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia (SIOD); a multi-system disorder characterized by growth defects, immune deficiencies, renal failure and other complex phenotypes. Several groups including ours recently identified SMARCAL1 as a replication stress response protein. Importantly, SMARCAL1 localizes to stalled replication forks and this localization of SMARCAL1 activity prevents DNA damage accumulation during DNA replication. We determined that SIOD-related SMARCAL1 mutants could not prevent replication-associated DNA damage in cells in which endogenous SMARCAL1 was silenced, establishing the first link between SIOD and a defect in a specific biological activity. Here, we also report that cells from patients with SIOD exhibit elevated levels of DNA damage that can be rescued by re-introduction of wild-type SMARCAL1. Our data suggest that loss of SMARCAL1 function in patients may cause DNA replication-associated genome instability that contributes to the pleiotropic phenotypes of SIOD.