Cycles of chromosome instability are associated with a fragile site and are increased by defects in DNA replication and checkpoint controls in yeast

Genome-wide replication profiles of S-phase checkpoint mutants reveal fragile sites in yeast

The S-phase checkpoint kinases Mec1 and Rad53 in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are activated in response to replication stress that induces replication fork arrest. In the absence of a functional S-phase checkpoint, stalled replication forks collapse and give rise to chromosome breakage. In an attempt to better understand replication dynamics in S-phase checkpoint mutants, we developed a replication origin array for budding yeast that contains 424 of 432 previously identified potential origin regions. As expected, mec1-1 and rad53-1 mutants failed to inhibit late origin activation. Surprisingly however, 17 early-firing regions were not replicated efficiently in these mutants. This was not due to a lack of initiation, but rather to problems during elongation, as replication forks arrested in close proximity to these origins, resulting in the accumulation of small replication intermediates and eventual replication fork collapse. Importantly, these regions were not only prone to chromosome breakage in the presence of exogenous stress but also in its absence, similar to fragile sites in the human genome.

The F-box protein Dia2 overcomes replication impedance to promote genome stability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The maintenance of DNA replication fork stability under conditions of DNA damage and at natural replication pause sites is essential for genome stability. Here, we describe a novel role for the F-box protein Dia2 in promoting genome stability in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Like most other F-box proteins, Dia2 forms a Skp1-Cdc53/Cullin-F-box (SCF) E3 ubiquitin-ligase complex. Systematic analysis of genetic interactions between dia2Delta and approximately 4400 viable gene deletion mutants revealed synthetic lethal/synthetic sick interactions with a broad spectrum of DNA replication, recombination, checkpoint, and chromatin-remodeling pathways. dia2Delta strains exhibit constitutive activation of the checkpoint kinase Rad53 and elevated counts of endogenous DNA repair foci and are unable to overcome MMS-induced replicative stress. Notably, dia2Delta strains display a high rate of gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs) that involve the rDNA locus and an increase in extrachromosomal rDNA circle (ERC) formation, consistent with an observed enrichment of Dia2 in the nucleolus. These results suggest that Dia2 is essential for stable passage of replication forks through regions of damaged DNA and natural fragile regions, particularly the replication fork barrier (RFB) of rDNA repeat loci. We propose that the SCFDia2 ubiquitin ligase serves to modify or degrade protein substrates that would otherwise impede the replication fork in problematic regions of the genome.

Roles of DNA Polymerases in Replication, Repair, and Recombination in Eukaryotes

The functioning of the eukaryotic genome depends on efficient and accurate DNA replication and repair. The process of replication is complicated by the ongoing decomposition of DNA and damage of the genome by endogenous and exogenous factors. DNA damage can alter base coding potential resulting in mutations, or block DNA replication, which can lead to double-strand breaks (DSB) and to subsequent chromosome loss. Replication is coordinated with DNA repair systems that operate in cells to remove or tolerate DNA lesions. DNA polymerases can serve as sensors in the cell cycle checkpoint pathways that delay cell division until damaged DNA is repaired and replication is completed. Eukaryotic DNA template-dependent DNA polymerases have different properties adapted to perform an amazingly wide spectrum of DNA transactions. In this review, we discuss the structure, the mechanism, and the evolutionary relationships of DNA polymerases and their possible functions in the replication of intact and damaged chromosomes, DNA damage repair, and recombination.