Tracking break-induced replication shows that it stalls at roadblocks

Transcription as source of genetic heterogeneity in budding yeast

Transcription presents challenges to genome stability both directly, by altering genome topology and exposing single-stranded DNA to chemical insults and nucleases, and indirectly by introducing obstacles to the DNA replication machinery. Such obstacles include the RNA polymerase holoenzyme itself, DNA-bound regulatory factors, G-quadruplexes and RNA-DNA hybrid structures known as R-loops. Here, we review the detrimental impacts of transcription on genome stability in budding yeast, as well as the mitigating effects of transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair and of systems that maintain DNA replication fork processivity and integrity. Interactions between DNA replication and transcription have particular potential to induce mutation and structural variation, but we conclude that such interactions must have only minor effects on DNA replication by the replisome with little if any direct mutagenic outcome. However, transcription can significantly impair the fidelity of replication fork rescue mechanisms, particularly Break Induced Replication, which is used to restart collapsed replication forks when other means fail. This leads to de novo mutations, structural variation and extrachromosomal circular DNA formation that contribute to genetic heterogeneity, but only under particular conditions and in particular genetic contexts, ensuring that the bulk of the genome remains extremely stable despite the seemingly frequent interactions between transcription and DNA replication.

The multifaceted functions of homologous recombination in dealing with replication-associated DNA damages

The perturbation of DNA replication, a phenomena termed "replication stress", is a driving force of genome instability and a hallmark of cancer cells. Among the DNA repair mechanisms that contribute to tolerating replication stress, the homologous recombination pathway is central to the alteration of replication fork progression. In many organisms, defects in the homologous recombination machinery result in increased cell sensitivity to replication-blocking agents and a higher risk of cancer in humans. Moreover, the status of homologous recombination in cancer cells often correlates with the efficacy of anti-cancer treatment. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of the different functions of homologous recombination in fixing replication-associated DNA damage and contributing to complete genome duplication. We also examine which functions are pivotal in preventing cancer and genome instability.

Break-induced replication orchestrates resection-dependent template switching

Break-induced telomere synthesis (BITS) is a RAD51-independent form of break-induced replication that contributes to alternative lengthening of telomeres1,2. This homology-directed repair mechanism utilizes a minimal replisome comprising proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and DNA polymerase-δ to execute conservative DNA repair synthesis over many kilobases. How this long-tract homologous recombination repair synthesis responds to complex secondary DNA structures that elicit replication stress remains unclear3-5. Moreover, whether the break-induced replisome orchestrates additional DNA repair events to ensure processivity is also unclear. Here we combine synchronous double-strand break induction with proteomics of isolated chromatin segments (PICh) to capture the telomeric DNA damage response proteome during BITS1,6. This approach revealed a replication stress-dominated response, highlighted by repair synthesis-driven DNA damage tolerance signalling through RAD18-dependent PCNA ubiquitination. Furthermore, the SNM1A nuclease was identified as the major effector of ubiquitinated PCNA-dependent DNA damage tolerance. SNM1A recognizes the ubiquitin-modified break-induced replisome at damaged telomeres, and this directs its nuclease activity to promote resection. These findings show that break-induced replication orchestrates resection-dependent lesion bypass, with SNM1A nuclease activity serving as a critical effector of ubiquitinated PCNA-directed recombination in mammalian cells.

Identification of the nuclear localization signal in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pif1 DNA helicase

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pif1 is a multi-functional DNA helicase that plays diverse roles in the maintenance of the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Two isoforms of Pif1 are generated from a single open reading frame by the use of alternative translational start sites. The Mitochondrial Targeting Signal (MTS) of Pif1 is located between the two start sites, but a Nuclear Localization Signal (NLS) has not been identified. Here we used sequence and functional analysis to identify an NLS element. A mutant allele of PIF1 (pif1-NLSΔ) that lacks four basic amino acids (781KKRK784) in the carboxyl-terminal domain of the 859 amino acid Pif1 was expressed at wild type levels and retained wild type mitochondrial function. However, pif1-NLSΔ cells were defective in four tests for nuclear function: telomere length maintenance, Okazaki fragment processing, break-induced replication (BIR), and binding to nuclear target sites. Fusing the NLS from the simian virus 40 (SV40) T-antigen to the Pif1-NLSΔ protein reduced the nuclear defects of pif1-NLSΔ cells. Thus, four basic amino acids near the carboxyl end of Pif1 are required for the vast majority of nuclear Pif1 function. Our study also reveals phenotypic differences between the previously described loss of function pif1-m2 allele and three other pif1 mutant alleles generated in this work, which will be useful to study nuclear Pif1 functions.

NPCs and APBs: two HUBs of non-canonical homology-based recombination at telomeres?

Apart from a few rare exceptions, the maintenance of functional telomeres by recombination-based mechanisms is restricted to accidental and/or pathological situations. Originally described in the yeast S. cerevisiae, this mode of telomere repair has gained interest with the discovery of telomerase negative cancers that use alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT cancer) dependent on homologous recombination. In both yeast and humans, it has been shown that recombination at telomeres is spatially regulated and occurs preferentially at the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) in yeast and at ALT-associated promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies (APBs) in human cells. Here, we discuss the potential relationships between these two membrane-less structures and their role in enabling unconventional recombination pathways.

The Fission Yeast Mating-Type Switching Motto: "One-for-Two" and "Two-for-One"

Schizosaccharomyces pombe is an ascomycete fungus that divides by medial fission; it is thus commonly referred to as fission yeast, as opposed to the distantly related budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The reproductive lifestyle of S. pombe relies on an efficient genetic sex determination system generating a 1:1 sex ratio and using alternating haploid/diploid phases in response to environmental conditions. In this review, we address how one haploid cell manages to generate two sister cells with opposite mating types, a prerequisite to conjugation and meiosis. This mating-type switching process depends on two highly efficient consecutive asymmetric cell divisions that rely on DNA replication, repair, and recombination as well as the structure and components of heterochromatin. We pay special attention to the intimate interplay between the genetic and epigenetic partners involved in this process to underscore the importance of basic research and its profound implication for a better understanding of chromatin biology.

RAD51 paralogs: Expanding roles in replication stress responses and repair

Mammalian RAD51 paralogs are essential for cell survival and are critical for RAD51-mediated repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by homologous recombination (HR). However, the molecular mechanism by which RAD51 paralogs participate in HR is largely unclear. Germline mutations in RAD51 paralogs are associated with breast and ovarian cancers and Fanconi anemia-like disorder, underscoring the crucial roles of RAD51 paralogs in genome maintenance and tumor suppression. Despite their discovery over three decades ago, the essential functions of RAD51 paralogs in cell survival and genome stability remain obscure. Recent studies unravel DSB repair independent functions of RAD51 paralogs in replication stress responses. Here, we highlight the recent findings that uncovered the novel functions of RAD51 paralogs in replication fork progression, its stability, and restart and discuss RAD51 paralogs as a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

Detection of Homologous Recombination Intermediates via Proximity Ligation and Quantitative PCR in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DNA damage, including DNA double-stranded breaks and inter-strand cross-links, incurred during the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle can be repaired by homologous recombination (HR). In addition, HR represents an important mechanism of replication fork rescue following stalling or collapse. The regulation of the many reversible and irreversible steps of this complex pathway promotes its fidelity. The physical analysis of the recombination intermediates formed during HR enables the characterization of these controls by various nucleoprotein factors and their interactors. Though there are well-established methods to assay specific events and intermediates in the recombination pathway, the detection of D-loop formation and extension, two critical steps in this pathway, has proved challenging until recently. Here, efficient methods for detecting key events in the HR pathway, namely DNA double-stranded break formation, D-loop formation, D-loop extension, and the formation of products via break-induced replication (BIR) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are described. These assays detect their relevant recombination intermediates and products with high sensitivity and are independent of cellular viability. The detection of D-loops, D-loop extension, and the BIR product is based on proximity ligation. Together, these assays allow for the study of the kinetics of HR at the population level to finely address the functions of HR proteins and regulators at significant steps in the pathway.

DNA nicks induce mutational signatures associated with BRCA1 deficiency

Analysis of human cancer genome sequences has revealed specific mutational signatures associated with BRCA1-deficient tumors, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we show that one-ended DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) converted from CRISPR/Cas9-induced nicks by DNA replication, not two-ended DSBs, cause more characteristic chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei in Brca1-deficient cells than in wild-type cells. BRCA1 is required for efficient homologous recombination of these nick-converted DSBs and suppresses bias towards long tract gene conversion and tandem duplication (TD) mediated by two-round strand invasion in a replication strand asymmetry. However, aberrant repair of these nick-converted one-ended DSBs, not that of two-ended DSBs in Brca1-deficient cells, generates mutational signatures such as small indels with microhomology (MH) at the junctions, translocations and small MH-mediated TDs, resembling those in BRCA1-deficient tumors. These results suggest a major contribution of DNA nicks to mutational signatures associated with BRCA1 deficiency in cancer and the underlying mechanisms.

Comprehensive analysis of cis- and trans-acting factors affecting ectopic Break-Induced Replication

Break-induced replication (BIR) is a highly mutagenic eukaryotic homologous DNA recombination pathway that repairs one-ended DNA double strand breaks such as broken DNA replication forks and eroded telomeres. While searching for cis-acting factors regulating ectopic BIR efficiency, we found that ectopic BIR efficiency is the highest close to chromosome ends. The variations of ectopic BIR efficiency as a function of the length of DNA to replicate can be described as a combination of two decreasing exponential functions, a property in line with repeated cycles of strand invasion, elongation and dissociation that characterize BIR. Interestingly, the apparent processivity of ectopic BIR depends on the length of DNA already synthesized. Ectopic BIR is more susceptible to disruption during the synthesis of the first ~35–40 kb of DNA than later, notably when the template chromatid is being transcribed or heterochromatic. Finally, we show that the Srs2 helicase promotes ectopic BIR from both telomere proximal and telomere distal regions in diploid cells but only from telomere proximal sites in haploid cells. Altogether, we bring new light on the factors impacting a last resort DNA repair pathway.

DNA is a long molecule composed of two anti-parallel strands that can undergo breaks that need to be efficiently repaired to ensure genomic stability, hence preventing genetic diseases such as cancer. Homologous recombination is a major DNA repair pathway that copies DNA from intact homologous templates to seal DNA double strand breaks. Short DNA repair tracts are favored when homologous sequences for the two extremities of the broken molecule are present. However, when homologous sequences are present for only one extremity of the broken molecule, DNA repair synthesis can proceed up to the end of the chromosome, the telomere. This notably occurs at eroded telomeres when telomerase, the enzyme normally responsible for telomere elongation, is inactive, and at broken DNA replication intermediates. However, this Break-Induced Replication or BIR pathway is highly mutagenic. By initiating BIR at various distances from the telomere, we found that the length of DNA to synthesize significantly reduces BIR efficiency. Interestingly, our findings support two DNA synthesis phases, the first one being much less processive than the second one. Ultimately, this tends to restrain the use of this last resort DNA repair pathway to chromosome extremities notably when it takes place between non-allelic homologous sequences.

Consequences of telomere replication failure: the other end-replication problem

Telomeres are chromosome-capping structures that protect ends of the linear genome from DNA damage sensors. However, these structures present obstacles during DNA replication. Incomplete telomere replication accelerates telomere shortening and limits replicative lifespan. Therefore, continued proliferation under conditions of replication stress requires a means of telomere repair, particularly in the absence of telomerase. It was recently revealed that replication stress triggers break-induced replication (BIR) and mitotic DNA synthesis (MiDAS) at mammalian telomeres; however, these mechanisms are error prone and primarily utilized in tumorigenic contexts. In this review article, we discuss the consequences of replication stress at telomeres and how use of available repair pathways contributes to genomic instability. Current research suggests that fragile telomeres are ultimately tumor-suppressive and thus may be better left unrepaired.

Break-induced replication: unraveling each step

Break-induced replication (BIR) repairs one-ended double-strand DNA breaks through invasion into a homologous template followed by DNA synthesis. Different from S-phase replication, BIR copies the template DNA in a migrating displacement loop (D-loop) and results in conservative inheritance of newly synthesized DNA. This unusual mode of DNA synthesis makes BIR a source of various genetic instabilities like those associated with cancer in humans. This review focuses on recent progress in delineating the mechanism of Rad51-dependent BIR in budding yeast. In addition, we discuss new data that describe changes in BIR efficiency and fidelity on encountering replication obstacles as well as the implications of these findings for BIR-dependent processes such as telomere maintenance and the repair of collapsed replication forks.

A POLD3/BLM dependent pathway handles DSBs in transcribed chromatin upon excessive RNA:DNA hybrid accumulation

Transcriptionally active loci are particularly prone to breakage and mounting evidence suggests that DNA Double-Strand Breaks arising in active genes are handled by a dedicated repair pathway, Transcription-Coupled DSB Repair (TC-DSBR), that entails R-loop accumulation and dissolution. Here, we uncover a function for the Bloom RecQ DNA helicase (BLM) in TC-DSBR in human cells. BLM is recruited in a transcription dependent-manner at DSBs where it fosters resection, RAD51 binding and accurate Homologous Recombination repair. However, in an R-loop dissolution-deficient background, we find that BLM promotes cell death. We report that upon excessive RNA:DNA hybrid accumulation, DNA synthesis is enhanced at DSBs, in a manner that depends on BLM and POLD3. Altogether our work unveils a role for BLM at DSBs in active chromatin, and highlights the toxic potential of RNA:DNA hybrids that accumulate at transcription-associated DSBs.

DNA Double Strand breaks in transcriptionally active loci (TC-DSBs) undergo a dedicated repair pathway. Here, the authors show that excessive RNA:DNA hybrid accumulation at TC-DSBs elicits POLD3/BLM-dependent DNA synthesis that induces cell toxicity.

Genome-scale patterns in the loss of heterozygosity incidence in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Former studies have established that loss of heterozygosity can be a key driver of sequence evolution in unicellular eukaryotes and tissues of metazoans. However, little is known about whether the distribution of loss of heterozygosity events is largely random or forms discernible patterns across genomes. To initiate our experiments, we introduced selectable markers to both arms of all chromosomes of the budding yeast. Subsequent extensive assays, repeated over several genetic backgrounds and environments, provided a wealth of information on the genetic and environmental determinants of loss of heterozygosity. Three findings stand out. First, the number of loss of heterozygosity events per unit time was more than 25 times higher for growing than starving cells. Second, loss of heterozygosity was most frequent when regions of homology around a recombination site were identical, about a half-% sequence divergence was sufficient to reduce its incidence. Finally, the density of loss of heterozygosity events was highly dependent on the genome's physical architecture. It was several-fold higher on short chromosomal arms than on long ones. Comparably large differences were seen within a single arm where regions close to a centromere were visibly less affected than regions close, though usually not strictly adjacent, to a telomere. We suggest that the observed uneven distribution of loss of heterozygosity events could have been caused not only by an uneven density of initial DNA damages. Location-depended differences in the mode of DNA repair, or its effect on fitness, were likely to operate as well.

Stimulation of adaptive gene amplification by origin firing under replication fork constraint

Adaptive mutations can cause drug resistance in cancers and pathogens, and increase the tolerance of agricultural pests and diseases to chemical treatment. When and how adaptive mutations form is often hard to discern, but we have shown that adaptive copy number amplification of the copper resistance gene CUP1 occurs in response to environmental copper due to CUP1 transcriptional activation. Here we dissect the mechanism by which CUP1 transcription in budding yeast stimulates copy number variation (CNV). We show that transcriptionally stimulated CNV requires TREX-2 and Mediator, such that cells lacking TREX-2 or Mediator respond normally to copper but cannot acquire increased resistance. Mediator and TREX-2 can cause replication stress by tethering transcribed loci to nuclear pores, a process known as gene gating, and transcription at the CUP1 locus causes a TREX-2-dependent accumulation of replication forks indicative of replication fork stalling. TREX-2-dependent CUP1 gene amplification occurs by a Rad52 and Rad51-mediated homologous recombination mechanism that is enhanced by histone H3K56 acetylation and repressed by Pol32 and Pif1. CUP1 amplification is also critically dependent on late-firing replication origins present in the CUP1 repeats, and mutations that remove or inactivate these origins strongly suppress the acquisition of copper resistance. We propose that replicative stress imposed by nuclear pore association causes replication bubbles from these origins to collapse soon after activation, leaving a tract of H3K56-acetylated chromatin that promotes secondary recombination events during elongation after replication fork re-start events. The capacity for inefficient replication origins to promote copy number variation renders certain genomic regions more fragile than others, and therefore more likely to undergo adaptive evolution through de novo gene amplification.

DNA replication: the recombination connection

Failure to complete DNA replication is one of the major sources of genome instability leading to aneuploidy, chromosome breakage, and chromosome rearrangements that are associated with human cancer. One of the surprising revelations of the past decade is that the completion of replication at so-called common fragile sites (CFS) occurs very late in the cell cycle - at mitosis - through a process termed MiDAS (mitotic DNA synthesis). MiDAS is strongly related to another cancer-promoting phenomenon: the activation of alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). Our understanding of the mechanisms of ALT and MiDAS in mammalian cells has drawn heavily from recent advances in the study of break-induced replication (BIR), especially in budding yeast. We provide new insights into the BIR, MiDAS, and ALT pathways and their shared similarities.

Anti-recombination function of MutSα restricts telomere extension by ALT-associated homology-directed repair

Alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) is a telomere-elongation mechanism observed in ~15% of cancer subtypes. Current models indicate that ALT is mediated by homology-directed repair mechanisms. By disrupting MSH6 gene expression, we show that the deficiency of MutSα (MSH2/MSH6) DNA mismatch repair complex causes striking telomere hyperextension. Mechanistically, we show MutSα is specifically recruited to telomeres in ALT cells by associating with the proliferating-cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) subunit of the ALT telomere replisome. We also provide evidence that MutSα counteracts Bloom (BLM) helicase, which adopts a crucial role in stabilizing hyper-extended telomeres and maintaining the survival of MutSα-deficient ALT cancer cells. Lastly, we propose a model in which MutSα deficiency impairs heteroduplex rejection, leading to premature initiation of telomere DNA synthesis that coincides with an accumulation of telomere variant repeats (TVRs). These findings provide evidence that the MutSα DNA mismatch repair complex acts to restrain unwarranted ALT.

Barroso-Gonzalez et al. show that the mismatch repair complex MutSα restricts the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway in cancer cells. MutSα has an anti-recombination function and limits recombination between heteroduplex sequences at telomeres, in part by counteracting the Bloom helicase (BLM).

Determining the kinetics of break-induced replication (BIR) by the assay for monitoring BIR elongation rate (AMBER)

A detailed understanding of how homologous recombination proceeds at the molecular level in vivo requires the ability to detect in real time the appearance of specific intermediates of DNA repair. The most detailed analysis of double-strand break (DSB) repair in eukaryotes has come from the study of budding yeast, using an inducible site-specific HO endonuclease to initiate recombination synchronously in nearly all cells of the population. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) methods have been used to visualize the timing of the DSB, its resection by 5' to 3' exonucleases, the binding of the Rad51 recombinase and the pairing of the Rad51 filament with a homologous donor sequence. PCR has also been used to identify the next key step: the initiation of new DNA synthesis to extend the invading stand and copy the donor template. In break-induced replication (BIR), there appears to be a very long delay between strand invasion and this primer extension step. Here we describe an alternative method, an assay for monitoring BIR elongation rate (AMBER) based on digital droplet PCR that yields a much earlier time of initial DNA synthesis. We suggest that previous methods have failed to recover the initial long, single-stranded primer extension product that is readily detected by AMBER.

Break-induced replication mechanisms in yeast and mammals

Break-induced replication (BIR) is a pathway specialized in repair of double-strand DNA breaks with only one end capable of invading homologous template that can arise following replication collapse, telomere erosion or DNA cutting by site-specific endonucleases. For a long time, yeast remained the only model system to study BIR. Studies in yeast demonstrated that BIR represents an unusual mode of DNA synthesis that is driven by a migrating bubble and leads to conservative inheritance of newly synthesized DNA. This unusual type of DNA synthesis leads to high levels of mutations and chromosome rearrangements. Recently, multiple examples of BIR were uncovered in mammalian cells that allowed the comparison of BIR between organisms. It appeared initially that BIR in mammalian cells is predominantly independent of RAD51, and therefore different from BIR that is predominantly Rad51-dependent in yeast. However, a series of systematic studies utilizing site-specific DNA breaks for BIR initiation in mammalian reporters led to the discovery of highly efficient RAD51-dependent BIR, allowing side-by side comparison with BIR in yeast which is the focus of this review.

Homologous recombination within repetitive DNA

Many microsatellite DNA sequences are able to form non-B form DNA secondary structures, such as hairpin loops, cruciforms, triplex DNA or G-quadruplexes. These DNA structures can form a significant impediment to DNA replication and repair, leading to DNA nicks, gaps, and breaks, which can be repaired by homologous recombination (HR). Recent work understanding HR at structure-forming repeats has focused on genetic requirements for replication fork restart, break induced replication (BIR) at broken forks, recombination during and after relocalization of breaks or stalled forks to the nuclear periphery, and how repair pathway choice and kinetics are navigated in the presence of a repeat tract. In this review, we summarize recent developments that illuminate the role of recombination in repairing DNA damage or causing tract length changes within repetitive DNA and its role in maintaining genome stability.

Srs2 and Pif1 as Model Systems for Understanding Sf1a and Sf1b Helicase Structure and Function

Helicases are enzymes that convert the chemical energy stored in ATP into mechanical work, allowing them to move along and manipulate nucleic acids. The helicase superfamily 1 (Sf1) is one of the largest subgroups of helicases and they are required for a range of cellular activities across all domains of life. Sf1 helicases can be further subdivided into two classes called the Sf1a and Sf1b helicases, which move in opposite directions on nucleic acids. The results of this movement can range from the separation of strands within duplex nucleic acids to the physical remodeling or removal of nucleoprotein complexes. Here, we describe the characteristics of the Sf1a helicase Srs2 and the Sf1b helicase Pif1, both from the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae, focusing on the roles that they play in homologous recombination, a DNA repair pathway that is necessary for maintaining genome integrity.

Recombination-dependent replication: new perspectives from site-specific fork barriers

Replication stress (RS) is intrinsic to normal cell growth, is enhanced by exogenous factors and elevated in many cancer cells due to oncogene expression. Most genetic changes are a result of RS and the mechanisms by which cells tolerate RS has received considerable attention because of the link to cancer evolution and opportunities for cancer cell-specific therapeutic intervention. Site-specific replication fork barriers have provided unique insights into how cells respond to RS and their recent use has allowed a deeper understanding of the mechanistic and spatial mechanism that restart arrested forks and how these correlate with RS-dependent mutagenesis. Here we review recent data from site-specific fork arrest systems used in yeast and highlight their strengths and limitations.

Toxic R-loops: Cause or consequence of replication stress?

Transcription-replication conflicts (TRCs) represent a potential source of endogenous replication stress (RS) and genomic instability in eukaryotic cells but the mechanisms that underlie this instability remain poorly understood. Part of the problem could come from non-B DNA structures called R-loops, which are formed of a RNA:DNA hybrid and a displaced ssDNA loop. In this review, we discuss different scenarios in which R-loops directly or indirectly interfere with DNA replication. We also present other types of TRCs that may not depend on R-loops to impede fork progression. Finally, we discuss alternative models in which toxic RNA:DNA hybrids form at stalled forks as a consequence - but not a cause - of replication stress and interfere with replication resumption.

Recombination-mediated genome rearrangements

Homologous recombination (HR) is a universal DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway that uses an intact DNA molecule as a template. Signature HR reactions are homology search and DNA strand invasion catalyzed by the prototypical RecA-ssDNA filament (Rad51 and Dmc1 in eukaryotes), which produces heteroduplex DNA-containing joint molecules (JMs). These reactions uniquely infringe on the DNA strands association established at replication, on the basis of substantial sequence similarity. For that reason, and despite the high fidelity of its templated nature, DSB repair by HR authorizes the alteration of genome structure, guided by repetitive DNA elements. The resulting structural variations (SVs) can involve vast genomic regions, potentially affecting multiple coding sequences and regulatory elements at once, with possible pathological consequences. Here, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of genetic and molecular vulnerabilities of HR leading to SVs, and of the various fidelity-enforcing factors acting across scales on the balancing act of this complex pathway. An emphasis is put on extra-chomosomal DNAs, both product of, and substrate for HR-mediated chromosomal rearrangements.

Fission yeast Rad8/HLTF facilitates Rad52-dependent chromosomal rearrangements through PCNA lysine 107 ubiquitination

Gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs), including translocation, deletion, and inversion, can cause cell death and genetic diseases such as cancer in multicellular organisms. Rad51, a DNA strand exchange protein, suppresses GCRs by repairing spontaneous DNA damage through a conservative way of homologous recombination, gene conversion. On the other hand, Rad52 that catalyzes single-strand annealing (SSA) causes GCRs using homologous sequences. However, the detailed mechanism of Rad52-dependent GCRs remains unclear. Here, we provide genetic evidence that fission yeast Rad8/HLTF facilitates Rad52-dependent GCRs through the ubiquitination of lysine 107 (K107) of PCNA, a DNA sliding clamp. In rad51Δ cells, loss of Rad8 eliminated 75% of the isochromosomes resulting from centromere inverted repeat recombination, showing that Rad8 is essential for the formation of the majority of isochromosomes in rad51Δ cells. Rad8 HIRAN and RING finger mutations reduced GCRs, suggesting that Rad8 facilitates GCRs through 3’ DNA-end binding and ubiquitin ligase activity. Mms2 and Ubc4 but not Ubc13 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes were required for GCRs. Consistent with this, mutating PCNA K107 rather than the well-studied PCNA K164 reduced GCRs. Rad8-dependent PCNA K107 ubiquitination facilitates Rad52-dependent GCRs, as PCNA K107R, rad8, and rad52 mutations epistatically reduced GCRs. In contrast to GCRs, PCNA K107R did not significantly change gene conversion rates, suggesting a specific role of PCNA K107 ubiquitination in GCRs. PCNA K107R enhanced temperature-sensitive growth defects of DNA ligase I cdc17-K42 mutant, implying that PCNA K107 ubiquitination occurs when Okazaki fragment maturation fails. Remarkably, K107 is located at the interface between PCNA subunits, and an interface mutation D150E bypassed the requirement of PCNA K107 and Rad8 ubiquitin ligase for GCRs. These data suggest that Rad8-dependent PCNA K107 ubiquitination facilitates Rad52-dependent GCRs by changing the PCNA clamp structure.

Gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs), including translocation, can alter gene dosage and activity, resulting in genetic diseases such as cancer. However, GCRs can occur by some enzymes, including Rad52 recombinase, and result in chromosomal evolution. Therefore, GCRs are not only pathological but also physiological phenomena from an evolutionary point of view. However, the detailed mechanism of GCRs remains unclear. Here, using fission yeast, we show that the homolog of human HLTF, Rad8 causes GCRs through noncanonical ubiquitination of proliferating cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA) at a lysine 107 (K107). Rad51, a DNA strand exchange protein, suppresses the formation of isochromosomes whose arms mirror each another and chromosomal truncation. We found that, like Rad52, Rad8 is required for isochromosome formation but not chromosomal truncation in rad51Δ cells, showing a specific role of Rad8 in homology-mediated GCRs. Mutations in Rad8 ubiquitin E3 ligase RING finger domain, Mms2-Ubc4 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes, and PCNA K107 reduced GCRs in rad51Δ cells, suggesting that Rad8-Mms2-Ubc4-dependent PCNA K107 ubiquitination facilitates GCRs. PCNA trimers form a DNA sliding clamp. The K107 residue is located at the PCNA-PCNA interface, and an interface mutation D150E restored GCRs in PCNA K107R mutant cells. This study provides genetic evidence that Rad8-dependent PCNA K107 ubiquitination facilitates GCRs by changing the PCNA clamp structure.

Approaching Protein Barriers: Emerging Mechanisms of Replication Pausing in Eukaryotes

During nuclear DNA replication multiprotein replisome machines have to jointly traverse and duplicate the total length of each chromosome during each cell cycle. At certain genomic locations replisomes encounter tight DNA-protein complexes and slow down. This fork pausing is an active process involving recognition of a protein barrier by the approaching replisome via an evolutionarily conserved Fork Pausing/Protection Complex (FPC). Action of the FPC protects forks from collapse at both programmed and accidental protein barriers, thus promoting genome integrity. In addition, FPC stimulates the DNA replication checkpoint and regulates topological transitions near the replication fork. Eukaryotic cells have been proposed to employ physiological programmed fork pausing for various purposes, such as maintaining copy number at repetitive loci, precluding replication-transcription encounters, regulating kinetochore assembly, or controlling gene conversion events during mating-type switching. Here we review the growing number of approaches used to study replication pausing in vivo and in vitro as well as the characterization of additional factors recently reported to modulate fork pausing in different systems. Specifically, we focus on the positive role of topoisomerases in fork pausing. We describe a model where replisome progression is inherently cautious, which ensures general preservation of fork stability and genome integrity but can also carry out specialized functions at certain loci. Furthermore, we highlight classical and novel outstanding questions in the field and propose venues for addressing them. Given how little is known about replisome pausing at protein barriers in human cells more studies are required to address how conserved these mechanisms are.

DNA2 in Chromosome Stability and Cell Survival-Is It All about Replication Forks?

The conserved nuclease-helicase DNA2 has been linked to mitochondrial myopathy, Seckel syndrome, and cancer. Across species, the protein is indispensable for cell proliferation. On the molecular level, DNA2 has been implicated in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, checkpoint activation, Okazaki fragment processing (OFP), and telomere homeostasis. More recently, a critical contribution of DNA2 to the replication stress response and recovery of stalled DNA replication forks (RFs) has emerged. Here, we review the available functional and phenotypic data and propose that the major cellular defects associated with DNA2 dysfunction, and the links that exist with human disease, can be rationalized through the fundamental importance of DNA2-dependent RF recovery to genome duplication. Being a crucial player at stalled RFs, DNA2 is a promising target for anti-cancer therapy aimed at eliminating cancer cells by replication-stress overload.

Mechanisms restraining break-induced replication at two-ended DNA double-strand breaks

DNA synthesis during homologous recombination is highly mutagenic and prone to template switches. Two-ended DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are usually repaired by gene conversion with a short patch of DNA synthesis, thus limiting the mutation load to the vicinity of the DSB. Single-ended DSBs are repaired by break-induced replication (BIR), which involves extensive and mutagenic DNA synthesis spanning up to hundreds of kilobases. It remains unknown how mutagenic BIR is suppressed at two-ended DSBs. Here, we demonstrate that BIR is suppressed at two-ended DSBs by proteins coordinating the usage of two ends of a DSB: (i) ssDNA annealing proteins Rad52 and Rad59 that promote second end capture, (ii) D-loop unwinding helicase Mph1, and (iii) Mre11-Rad50-Xrs2 complex that promotes synchronous resection of two ends of a DSB. Finally, BIR is also suppressed when Sir2 silences a normally heterochromatic repair template. All of these proteins are particularly important for limiting BIR when recombination occurs between short repetitive sequences, emphasizing the significance of these mechanisms for species carrying many repetitive elements such as humans.

Repair of DNA Breaks by Break-Induced Replication

Double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) are the most lethal type of DNA damage, making DSB repair critical for cell survival. However, some DSB repair pathways are mutagenic and promote genome rearrangements, leading to genome destabilization. One such pathway is break-induced replication (BIR), which repairs primarily one-ended DSBs, similar to those formed by collapsed replication forks or telomere erosion. BIR is initiated by the invasion of a broken DNA end into a homologous template, synthesizes new DNA within the context of a migrating bubble, and is associated with conservative inheritance of new genetic material. This mode of synthesis is responsible for a high level of genetic instability associated with BIR. Eukaryotic BIR was initially investigated in yeast, but now it is also actively studied in mammalian systems. Additionally, a significant breakthrough has been made regarding the role of microhomology-mediated BIR in the formation of complex genomic rearrangements that underly various human pathologies.