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Berger S, Chistol G. Visualizing the dynamics of DNA replication and repair at the single-molecule level. Methods Cell Biol 2023; 182:109-165. [PMID: 38359974 PMCID: PMC11246157 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2023.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
During cell division, the genome of each eukaryotic cell is copied by thousands of replisomes-large protein complexes consisting of several dozen proteins. Recent studies suggest that the eukaryotic replisome is much more dynamic than previously thought. To directly visualize replisome dynamics in a physiological context, we recently developed a single-molecule approach for imaging replication proteins in Xenopus egg extracts. These extracts contain all the soluble nuclear proteins and faithfully recapitulate DNA replication and repair in vitro, serving as a powerful platform for studying the mechanisms of genome maintenance. Here we present detailed protocols for conducting single-molecule experiments in nuclear egg extracts and preparing key reagents. This workflow can be easily adapted to visualize the dynamics and function of other proteins implicated in DNA replication and repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Berger
- Biophysics Program, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Gheorghe Chistol
- Biophysics Program, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States; Chemical and Systems Biology Department, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.
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2
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Carney SM, Moreno AT, Piatt SC, Cisneros-Aguirre M, Lopezcolorado FW, Stark JM, Loparo JJ. XLF acts as a flexible connector during non-homologous end joining. eLife 2020; 9:e61920. [PMID: 33289484 PMCID: PMC7744095 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is the predominant pathway that repairs DNA double-strand breaks in vertebrates. During NHEJ DNA ends are held together by a multi-protein synaptic complex until they are ligated. Here, we use Xenopus laevis egg extract to investigate the role of the intrinsically disordered C-terminal tail of the XRCC4-like factor (XLF), a critical factor in end synapsis. We demonstrate that the XLF tail along with the Ku-binding motif (KBM) at the extreme C-terminus are required for end joining. Although the underlying sequence of the tail can be varied, a minimal tail length is required for NHEJ. Single-molecule FRET experiments that observe end synapsis in real-time show that this defect is due to a failure to closely align DNA ends. Our data supports a model in which a single C-terminal tail tethers XLF to Ku, while allowing XLF to form interactions with XRCC4 that enable synaptic complex formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean M Carney
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Andrew T Moreno
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Sadie C Piatt
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Harvard Graduate Program in Biophysics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Metztli Cisneros-Aguirre
- Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of HopeDuarteUnited States
- Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Beckman Research Institute of the City of HopeDuarteUnited States
| | | | - Jeremy M Stark
- Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of HopeDuarteUnited States
- Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Beckman Research Institute of the City of HopeDuarteUnited States
| | - Joseph J Loparo
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
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3
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Sparks JL, Chistol G, Gao AO, Räschle M, Larsen NB, Mann M, Duxin JP, Walter JC. The CMG Helicase Bypasses DNA-Protein Cross-Links to Facilitate Their Repair. Cell 2018; 176:167-181.e21. [PMID: 30595447 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.10.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Covalent DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs) impede replication fork progression and threaten genome integrity. Using Xenopus egg extracts, we previously showed that replication fork collision with DPCs causes their proteolysis, followed by translesion DNA synthesis. We show here that when DPC proteolysis is blocked, the replicative DNA helicase CMG (CDC45, MCM2-7, GINS), which travels on the leading strand template, bypasses an intact leading strand DPC. Single-molecule imaging reveals that GINS does not dissociate from CMG during bypass and that CMG slows dramatically after bypass, likely due to uncoupling from the stalled leading strand. The DNA helicase RTEL1 facilitates bypass, apparently by generating single-stranded DNA beyond the DPC. The absence of RTEL1 impairs DPC proteolysis, suggesting that CMG must bypass the DPC to enable proteolysis. Our results suggest a mechanism that prevents inadvertent CMG destruction by DPC proteases, and they reveal CMG's remarkable capacity to overcome obstacles on its translocation strand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin L Sparks
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Gheorghe Chistol
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alan O Gao
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Markus Räschle
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Systems Biology, Technical University of Kaiserslautern, 67653 Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Nicolai B Larsen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Matthias Mann
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Julien P Duxin
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Johannes C Walter
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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4
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Graham TGW, Walter JC, Loparo JJ. Ensemble and Single-Molecule Analysis of Non-Homologous End Joining in Frog Egg Extracts. Methods Enzymol 2017. [PMID: 28645371 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2017.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repairs the majority of DNA double-strand breaks in human cells, yet the detailed order of events in this process has remained obscure. Here, we describe how to employ Xenopus laevis egg extract for the study of NHEJ. The egg extract is easy to prepare in large quantities, and it performs efficient end joining that requires the core end joining proteins Ku, DNA-PKcs, XLF, XRCC4, and DNA ligase IV. These factors, along with the rest of the soluble proteome, are present at endogenous concentrations, allowing mechanistic analysis in a system that begins to approximate the complexity of cellular end joining. We describe an ensemble assay that monitors covalent joining of DNA ends and fluorescence assays that detect joining of single pairs of DNA ends. The latter assay discerns at least two discrete intermediates in the bridging of DNA ends.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Johannes C Walter
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
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5
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Graham TGW, Walter JC, Loparo JJ. Two-Stage Synapsis of DNA Ends during Non-homologous End Joining. Mol Cell 2016; 61:850-8. [PMID: 26990988 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2016.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2015] [Revised: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is essential for genomic stability. The most common DSB repair mechanism in human cells, non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), rejoins broken DNA ends by direct ligation. It remains unclear how components of the NHEJ machinery assemble a synaptic complex that bridges DNA ends. Here, we use single-molecule imaging in a vertebrate cell-free extract to show that synapsis of DNA ends occurs in at least two stages that are controlled by different NHEJ factors. DNA ends are initially tethered in a long-range complex whose formation requires the Ku70/80 heterodimer and the DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit. The ends are then closely aligned, which requires XLF, a non-catalytic function of XRCC4-LIG4, and DNA-PK activity. These results reveal a structural transition in the synaptic complex that governs alignment of DNA ends. Our approach provides a means of studying physiological DNA DSB repair at single-molecule resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G W Graham
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Johannes C Walter
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Joseph J Loparo
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Abstract
DNA replication begins with the assembly of pre-replication complexes (pre-RCs) at thousands of DNA replication origins during the G1 phase of the cell cycle. At the G1-S-phase transition, pre-RCs are converted into pre-initiation complexes, in which the replicative helicase is activated, leading to DNA unwinding and initiation of DNA synthesis. However, only a subset of origins are activated during any S phase. Recent insights into the mechanisms underlying this choice reveal how flexibility in origin usage and temporal activation are linked to chromosome structure and organization, cell growth and differentiation, and replication stress.
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Castillo Bosch P, Segura-Bayona S, Koole W, van Heteren JT, Dewar JM, Tijsterman M, Knipscheer P. FANCJ promotes DNA synthesis through G-quadruplex structures. EMBO J 2014; 33:2521-33. [PMID: 25193968 PMCID: PMC4282361 DOI: 10.15252/embj.201488663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Our genome contains many G-rich sequences, which have the propensity to fold into stable secondary DNA structures called G4 or G-quadruplex structures. These structures have been implicated in cellular processes such as gene regulation and telomere maintenance. However, G4 sequences are prone to mutations particularly upon replication stress or in the absence of specific helicases. To investigate how G-quadruplex structures are resolved during DNA replication, we developed a model system using ssDNA templates and Xenopus egg extracts that recapitulates eukaryotic G4 replication. Here, we show that G-quadruplex structures form a barrier for DNA replication. Nascent strand synthesis is blocked at one or two nucleotides from the G4. After transient stalling, G-quadruplexes are efficiently unwound and replicated. In contrast, depletion of the FANCJ/BRIP1 helicase causes persistent replication stalling at G-quadruplex structures, demonstrating a vital role for this helicase in resolving these structures. FANCJ performs this function independently of the classical Fanconi anemia pathway. These data provide evidence that the G4 sequence instability in FANCJ−/− cells and Fancj/dog1 deficient C. elegans is caused by replication stalling at G-quadruplexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pau Castillo Bosch
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW, University Medical Center Utrecht & Cancer GenomiCs Netherlands, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sandra Segura-Bayona
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW, University Medical Center Utrecht & Cancer GenomiCs Netherlands, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Wouter Koole
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Puck Knipscheer
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW, University Medical Center Utrecht & Cancer GenomiCs Netherlands, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Joo C, Fareh M, Kim VN. Bringing single-molecule spectroscopy to macromolecular protein complexes. Trends Biochem Sci 2012. [PMID: 23200186 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2012.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy offers real-time, nanometer-resolution information. Over the past two decades, this emerging single-molecule technique has been rapidly adopted to investigate the structural dynamics and biological functions of proteins. Despite this remarkable achievement, single-molecule fluorescence techniques must be extended to macromolecular protein complexes that are physiologically more relevant for functional studies. In this review, we present recent major breakthroughs for investigating protein complexes within cell extracts using single-molecule fluorescence. We outline the challenges, future prospects and potential applications of these new single-molecule fluorescence techniques in biological and clinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chirlmin Joo
- Kavli Institute of NanoScience, Department of BioNanoScience, Delft University of Technology, 2628CJ, Delft, The Netherlands.
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Loveland AB, Habuchi S, Walter JC, van Oijen AM. A general approach to break the concentration barrier in single-molecule imaging. Nat Methods 2012; 9:987-92. [PMID: 22961247 PMCID: PMC3610324 DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.2174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2012] [Accepted: 08/09/2012] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Single-molecule fluorescence imaging is often incompatible with physiological protein concentrations, as fluorescence background overwhelms an individual molecule's signal. We solve this problem with a new imaging approach called PhADE (PhotoActivation, Diffusion and Excitation). A protein of interest is fused to a photoactivatable protein (mKikGR) and introduced to its surface-immobilized substrate. After photoactivation of mKikGR near the surface, rapid diffusion of the unbound mKikGR fusion out of the detection volume eliminates background fluorescence, whereupon the bound molecules are imaged. We labeled the eukaryotic DNA replication protein flap endonuclease 1 with mKikGR and added it to replication-competent Xenopus laevis egg extracts. PhADE imaging of high concentrations of the fusion construct revealed its dynamics and micrometer-scale movements on individual, replicating DNA molecules. Because PhADE imaging is in principle compatible with any photoactivatable fluorophore, it should have broad applicability in revealing single-molecule dynamics and stoichiometry of macromolecular protein complexes at previously inaccessible fluorophore concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna B. Loveland
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Graduate Program in Biophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Satoshi Habuchi
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Johannes C. Walter
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Antoine M. van Oijen
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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10
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Yardimci H, Loveland AB, van Oijen AM, Walter JC. Single-molecule analysis of DNA replication in Xenopus egg extracts. Methods 2012; 57:179-86. [PMID: 22503776 PMCID: PMC3427465 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2012.03.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2011] [Revised: 03/29/2012] [Accepted: 03/31/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent advent in single-molecule imaging and manipulation methods has made a significant impact on the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying many essential cellular processes. Single-molecule techniques such as electron microscopy and DNA fiber assays have been employed to study the duplication of genome in eukaryotes. Here, we describe a single-molecule assay that allows replication of DNA attached to the functionalized surface of a microfluidic flow cell in a soluble Xenopus leavis egg extract replication system and subsequent visualization of replication products via fluorescence microscopy. We also explain a method for detection of replication proteins, through fluorescently labeled antibodies, on partially replicated DNA immobilized at both ends to the surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasan Yardimci
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anna B. Loveland
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Antoine M. van Oijen
- The Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Johannes C. Walter
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Knipscheer P, Räschle M, Schärer OD, Walter JC. Replication-coupled DNA interstrand cross-link repair in Xenopus egg extracts. Methods Mol Biol 2012; 920:221-43. [PMID: 22941607 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-61779-998-3_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Interstrand cross-links (ICL) are one of the most hazardous types of DNA damage as they form a roadblock to all processes that involve strand separation. Repair of these lesions involves several different DNA repair pathways, but the molecular mechanism is unclear. Here we describe a system that allows the examination of ICL repair, via a physiological mechanism, in vitro. This system, which uses Xenopus egg extracts in combination with a DNA template that contains a site-specific ICL, represents a unique tool to study the molecular mechanism of ICL repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puck Knipscheer
- Hubrecht Institute, KNAW and University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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12
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Uncoupling of sister replisomes during eukaryotic DNA replication. Mol Cell 2011; 40:834-40. [PMID: 21145490 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2010.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2010] [Revised: 09/13/2010] [Accepted: 09/24/2010] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The duplication of eukaryotic genomes involves the replication of DNA from multiple origins of replication. In S phase, two sister replisomes assemble at each active origin, and they replicate DNA in opposite directions. Little is known about the functional relationship between sister replisomes. Some data imply that they travel away from one another and thus function independently. Alternatively, sister replisomes may form a stationary, functional unit that draws parental DNA toward itself. If this "double replisome" model is correct, a constrained DNA molecule should not undergo replication. To test this prediction, lambda DNA was stretched and immobilized at both ends within a microfluidic flow cell. Upon exposure to Xenopus egg extracts, this DNA underwent extensive replication by a single pair of diverging replisomes. The data show that there is no obligatory coupling between sister replisomes and, together with other studies, imply that genome duplication involves autonomously functioning replisomes.
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