RAD1 and RAD10, but not other excision repair genes, are required for double-strand break-induced recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

MutSβ protects common fragile sites by facilitating homology-directed repair at DNA double-strand breaks with secondary structures

Common fragile sites (CFSs) are regions prone to chromosomal rearrangements, thereby contributing to tumorigenesis. Under replication stress (RS), CFSs often harbor under-replicated DNA regions at the onset of mitosis, triggering homology-directed repair known as mitotic DNA synthesis (MiDAS) to complete DNA replication. In this study, we identified an important role of DNA mismatch repair protein MutSβ (MSH2/MSH3) in facilitating MiDAS and maintaining CFS stability. Specifically, we demonstrated that MutSβ is required for the increased mitotic recombination induced by RS or FANCM loss at CFS-derived AT-rich and structure-prone sequences (CFS-ATs). We also found that MSH3 exhibits synthetic lethality with FANCM. Mechanistically, MutSβ is required for homologous recombination (HR) especially when DNA double-strand break (DSB) ends contain secondary structures. We also showed that upon RS, MutSβ is recruited to Flex1, a specific CFS-AT, in a PCNA-dependent but MUS81-independent manner. Furthermore, MutSβ interacts with RAD52 and promotes RAD52 recruitment to Flex1 following MUS81-dependent fork cleavage. RAD52, in turn, recruits XPF/ERCC1 to remove DNA secondary structures at DSB ends, enabling HR/break-induced replication (BIR) at CFS-ATs. We propose that the specific requirement of MutSβ in processing DNA secondary structures at CFS-ATs underlies its crucial role in promoting MiDAS and maintaining CFS integrity.

Genetic control of the error-prone repair of a chromosomal double-strand break with 5' overhangs in yeast

A targeted double-strand break introduced into the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is repaired by the relatively error-prone nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway when homologous recombination is not an option. A zinc finger nuclease cleavage site was inserted out-of-frame into the LYS2 locus of a haploid yeast strain to study the genetic control of NHEJ when the ends contain 5' overhangs. Repair events that destroyed the cleavage site were identified either as Lys+ colonies on selective medium or as surviving colonies on rich medium. Junction sequences in Lys+ events solely reflected NHEJ and were influenced by the nuclease activity of Mre11 as well as by the presence/absence of the NHEJ-specific polymerase Pol4 and the translesion-synthesis DNA polymerases Pol ζ and Pol η. Although most NHEJ events were dependent on Pol4, a 29-bp deletion with endpoints in 3-bp repeats was an exception. The Pol4-independent deletion required translesion synthesis polymerases as well as the exonuclease activity of the replicative Pol δ DNA polymerase. Survivors were equally split between NHEJ events and 1.2 or 11.7 kb deletions that reflected microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ). MMEJ events required the processive resection activity of Exo1/Sgs1, but there unexpectedly was no dependence on the Rad1-Rad10 endonuclease for the removal of presumptive 3' tails. Finally, NHEJ was more efficient in nongrowing than in growing cells and was most efficient in G0 cells. These studies provide novel insights into the flexibility and complexity of error-prone DSB repair in yeast.

Genetic control of the error-prone repair of a chromosomal double-strand break with 5' overhangs in yeast

A targeted double-strand break introduced into the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is repaired by the relatively error-prone nonhomologous-end joining (NHEJ) pathway when homologous recombination is not an option. A ZFN cleavage site was inserted out-of-frame into the LYS2 locus of a haploid yeast strain to study the genetic control of NHEJ when the ends contain 5' overhangs. Repair events that destroyed the cleavage site were identified either as Lys + colonies on selective medium or as surviving colonies on rich medium. Junction sequences in Lys + events solely reflected NHEJ and were influenced by the nuclease activity of Mre11 as well as by the presence/absence of the NHEJ-specific polymerase Pol4 and the translesion-synthesis DNA polymerases Pol σ and Pol 11. Although most NHEJ events were dependent on Pol4, a 29-bp deletion with endpoints in 3-bp repeats was an exception. The Pol4-independent deletion required TLS polymerases as well as the exonuclease activity of the replicative Pol DNA polymerase. Survivors were equally split between NHEJ events and 1 kb or 11 kb deletions that reflected microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ). MMEJ events required the processive resection activity of Exo1/Sgs1, but there unexpectedly was no dependence on the Rad1-Rad10 endonuclease for the removal of presumptive 3' tails. Finally, NHEJ was more efficient in non-growing than in growing cells and was most efficient in G0 cells. These studies provide novel insight into the flexibility and complexity of error-prone DSB repair in yeast.

DNA repair protein RAD52 is required for protecting G-quadruplexes in mammalian cells

G-quadruplex (G4)-forming DNA sequences are abundant in the human genome, and they are hot spots for inducing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and genome instability. The mechanisms involved in protecting G4s and maintaining genome stability have not been fully elucidated. Here, we demonstrated that RAD52 plays an important role in suppressing DSB accumulation at G4s, and RAD52-deficient cells are sensitive to G4-stabilizing compounds. Mechanistically, we showed that RAD52 is required for efficient homologous recombination repair at G4s, likely due to its function in recruiting structure-specific endonuclease XPF to remove G4 structures at DSB ends. We also demonstrated that upon G4 stabilization, endonuclease MUS81 mediates cleavage of stalled replication forks at G4s. The resulting DSBs recruit RAD52 and XPF to G4s for processing DSB ends to facilitate homologous recombination repair. Loss of RAD52 along with G4-resolving helicase FANCJ leads to a significant increase of DSB accumulation before and after treatment with the G4-stabilizing compound pyridostatin, and RAD52 exhibits a synthetic lethal interaction with FANCJ. Collectively, our findings reveal a new role of RAD52 in protecting G4 integrity and provide insights for new cancer treatment strategies.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae employs complex regulation strategies to tolerate low pH stress during ethanol production

Background

Industrial bioethanol production may involve a low pH environment caused by inorganic acids, improving the tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to a low pH environment is of industrial importance to increase ethanol yield, control bacterial contamination, and reduce production cost. In our previous study, acid tolerance of a diploid industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain KF-7 was chronically acclimatized by continuous ethanol fermentation under gradually increasing low-pH stress conditions. Two haploid strains B3 and C3 having excellent low pH tolerance were derived through the sporulation of an isolated mutant. Diploid strain BC3 was obtained by mating these two haploids. In this study, B3, C3, BC3, and the original strain KF-7 were subjected to comparison transcriptome analysis to investigate the molecular mechanism of the enhanced phenotype.

Result

The comparison transcriptome analysis results suggested that the upregulated vitamin B1 and B6 biosynthesis contributed to the low pH tolerance. Amino acid metabolism, DNA repairment, and general stress response might also alleviate low pH stress.

Conclusion

Saccharomyces cerevisiae seems to employ complex regulation strategies to tolerate low pH during ethanol production. The findings provide guides for the construction of low pH-tolerant industrial strains that can be used in industrial fermentation processes.

Repair of mismatched templates during Rad51-dependent Break-Induced Replication

Using budding yeast, we have studied Rad51-dependent break-induced replication (BIR), where the invading 3’ end of a site-specific double-strand break (DSB) and a donor template share 108 bp of homology that can be easily altered. BIR still occurs about 10% as often when every 6^th base is mismatched as with a perfectly matched donor. Here we explore the tolerance of mismatches in more detail, by examining donor templates that each carry 10 mismatches, each with different spatial arrangements. Although 2 of the 6 arrangements we tested were nearly as efficient as the evenly-spaced reference, 4 were significantly less efficient. A donor with all 10 mismatches clustered at the 3’ invading end of the DSB was not impaired compared to arrangements where mismatches were clustered at the 5’ end. Our data suggest that the efficiency of strand invasion is principally dictated by thermodynamic considerations, i.e., by the total number of base pairs that can be formed; but mismatch position-specific effects are also important. We also addressed an apparent difference between in vitro and in vivo strand exchange assays, where in vitro studies had suggested that at a single contiguous stretch of 8 consecutive bases was needed to be paired for stable strand pairing, while in vivo assays using 108-bp substrates found significant recombination even when every 6^th base was mismatched. Now, using substrates of either 90 or 108 nt–the latter being the size of the in vivo templates–we find that in vitro D-loop results are very similar to the in vivo results. However, there are still notable differences between in vivo and in vitro assays that are especially evident with unevenly-distributed mismatches. Mismatches in the donor template are incorporated into the BIR product in a strongly polar fashion up to ~40 nucleotides from the 3’ end. Mismatch incorporation depends on the 3’→ 5’ proofreading exonuclease activity of DNA polymerase δ, with little contribution from Msh2/Mlh1 mismatch repair proteins, or from Rad1-Rad10 flap nuclease or the Mph1 helicase. Surprisingly, the probability of a mismatch 27 nt from the 3’ end being replaced by donor sequence was the same whether the preceding 26 nucleotides were mismatched every 6^th base or fully homologous. These data suggest that DNA polymerase δ “chews back” the 3’ end of the invading strand without any mismatch-dependent cues from the strand invasion structure. However, there appears to be an alternative way to incorporate a mismatch at the first base at the 3’ end of the donor.

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are the most lethal forms of DNA damage and inaccurate repair of these breaks presents a serious threat to genomic integrity and cell viability. Break-induced replication (BIR) is a homologous recombination pathway that results in a nonreciprocal translocation of chromosome ends. We used budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to investigate Rad51-mediated BIR, where the invading 3’ end of the DSB and a donor template share 108 bp of homology. We examined the tolerance of differently distributed mismatches on a homologous donor template. A donor with all 10 mismatches clustered every 6^th base at the 3’ invading end of the DSB was not impaired compared to arrangements where mismatches were clustered at the 5’ end. We also compared the efficiency of in vivo BIR with in vitro D-loop formation and find that for substrates of the same length, the tolerance for mismatches is comparable. However, there are still notable differences between in vivo and in vitro assays that are especially evident in substrates with unevenly-distributed mismatches. Mismatches are incorporated into the BIR product in a strongly polar fashion as far as about 40 nucleotides from the 3’ end, dependent on the 5’ to 3’ proofreading activity of DNA polymerase δ. Pol δ can “chew back” the 3’ end of the invading strand even when the sequences removed have no mismatches for the first 26 nucleotides. However, a mismatch at the first base can be removed from the 3’ end by another, unidentified mechanism.

Interstitial telomere sequences disrupt break-induced replication and drive formation of ectopic telomeres

Break-induced replication (BIR) is a mechanism used to heal one-ended DNA double-strand breaks, such as those formed at collapsed replication forks or eroded telomeres. Instead of utilizing a canonical replication fork, BIR is driven by a migrating D-loop and is associated with a high frequency of mutagenesis. Here we show that when BIR encounters an interstitial telomere sequence (ITS), the machinery frequently terminates, resulting in the formation of an ectopic telomere. The primary mechanism to convert the ITS to a functional telomere is by telomerase-catalyzed addition of telomeric repeats with homology-directed repair serving as a back-up mechanism. Termination of BIR and creation of an ectopic telomere is promoted by Mph1/FANCM helicase, which has the capacity to disassemble D-loops. Other sequences that have the potential to seed new telomeres but lack the unique features of a natural telomere sequence, do not terminate BIR at a significant frequency in wild-type cells. However, these sequences can form ectopic telomeres if BIR is made less processive. Our results support a model in which features of the ITS itself, such as the propensity to form secondary structures and telomeric protein binding, pose a challenge to BIR and increase the vulnerability of the D-loop to dissociation by helicases, thereby promoting ectopic telomere formation.

Genetic Characterization of Three Distinct Mechanisms Supporting RNA-Driven DNA Repair and Modification Reveals Major Role of DNA Polymerase ζ

DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) are dangerous lesions threatening genomic stability. Fidelity of DSB repair is best achieved by recombination with a homologous template sequence. In yeast, transcript RNA was shown to template DSB repair of DNA. However, molecular pathways of RNA-driven repair processes remain obscure. Utilizing assays of RNA-DNA recombination with and without an induced DSB in yeast DNA, we characterize three forms of RNA-mediated genomic modifications: RNA- and cDNA-templated DSB repair (R-TDR and c-TDR) using an RNA transcript or a DNA copy of the RNA transcript for DSB repair, respectively, and a new mechanism of RNA-templated DNA modification (R-TDM) induced by spontaneous or mutagen-induced breaks. While c-TDR requires reverse transcriptase, translesion DNA polymerase ζ (Pol ζ) plays a major role in R-TDR, and it is essential for R-TDM. This study characterizes mechanisms of RNA-DNA recombination, uncovering a role of Pol ζ in transferring genetic information from transcript RNA to DNA.

Mechanisms underlying genome instability mediated by formation of foldback inversions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Foldback inversions, also called inverted duplications, have been observed in human genetic diseases and cancers. Here, we used a Saccharomyces cerevisiae genetic system that generates gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs) mediated by foldback inversions combined with whole-genome sequencing to study their formation. Foldback inversions were mediated by formation of single-stranded DNA hairpins. Two types of hairpins were identified: small-loop hairpins that were suppressed by MRE11, SAE2, SLX1, and YKU80 and large-loop hairpins that were suppressed by YEN1, TEL1, SWR1, and MRC1. Analysis of CRISPR/Cas9-induced double strand breaks (DSBs) revealed that long-stem hairpin-forming sequences could form foldback inversions when proximal or distal to the DSB, whereas short-stem hairpin-forming sequences formed foldback inversions when proximal to the DSB. Finally, we found that foldback inversion GCRs were stabilized by secondary rearrangements, mostly mediated by different homologous recombination mechanisms including single-strand annealing; however, POL32-dependent break-induced replication did not appear to be involved forming secondary rearrangements.

Break-induced replication plays a prominent role in long-range repeat-mediated deletion

Repetitive DNA sequences are often associated with chromosomal rearrangements in cancers. Conventionally, single-strand annealing (SSA) is thought to mediate homology-directed repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) between two repeats, causing repeat-mediated deletion (RMD). In this report, we demonstrate that break-induced replication (BIR) is used predominantly over SSA in mammalian cells for mediating RMD, especially when repeats are far apart. We show that SSA becomes inefficient in mammalian cells when the distance between the DSBs and the repeats is increased to the 1-2 kb range, while BIR-mediated RMD (BIR/RMD) can act over a long distance (e.g., ~ 100-200 kb) when the DSB is close to one repeat. Importantly, oncogene expression potentiates BIR/RMD but not SSA, and BIR/RMD is used more frequently at single-ended DSBs formed at collapsed replication forks than at double-ended DSBs. In contrast to short-range SSA, H2AX is required for long-range BIR/RMD, and sequence divergence strongly suppresses BIR/RMD in a manner partially dependent on MSH2. Our finding that BIR/RMD has a more important role than SSA in mammalian cells has a significant impact on the understanding of repeat-mediated rearrangements associated with oncogenesis.

Replication Stress Response Links RAD52 to Protecting Common Fragile Sites

Rad52 in yeast is a key player in homologous recombination (HR), but mammalian RAD52 is dispensable for HR as shown by the lack of a strong HR phenotype in RAD52-deficient cells and in RAD52 knockout mice. RAD52 function in mammalian cells first emerged with the discovery of its important backup role to BRCA (breast cancer genes) in HR. Recent new evidence further demonstrates that RAD52 possesses multiple activities to cope with replication stress. For example, replication stress-induced DNA repair synthesis in mitosis (MiDAS) and oncogene overexpression-induced DNA replication are dependent on RAD52. RAD52 becomes essential in HR to repair DSBs containing secondary structures, which often arise at collapsed replication forks. RAD52 is also implicated in break-induced replication (BIR) and is found to inhibit excessive fork reversal at stalled replication forks. These various functions of RAD52 to deal with replication stress have been linked to the protection of genome stability at common fragile sites, which are often associated with the DNA breakpoints in cancer. Therefore, RAD52 has important recombination roles under special stress conditions in mammalian cells, and presents as a promising anti-cancer therapy target.

Coordination of Rad1-Rad10 interactions with Msh2-Msh3, Saw1 and RPA is essential for functional 3' non-homologous tail removal

Double strand DNA break repair (DSBR) comprises multiple pathways. A subset of DSBR pathways, including single strand annealing, involve intermediates with 3' non-homologous tails that must be removed to complete repair. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rad1-Rad10 is the structure-specific endonuclease that cleaves the tails in 3' non-homologous tail removal (3' NHTR). Rad1-Rad10 is also an essential component of the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway. In both cases, Rad1-Rad10 requires protein partners for recruitment to the relevant DNA intermediate. Msh2-Msh3 and Saw1 recruit Rad1-Rad10 in 3' NHTR; Rad14 recruits Rad1-Rad10 in NER. We created two rad1 separation-of-function alleles, rad1R203A,K205A and rad1R218A; both are defective in 3' NHTR but functional in NER. In vitro, rad1R203A,K205A was impaired at multiple steps in 3' NHTR. The rad1R218A in vivo phenotype resembles that of msh2- or msh3-deleted cells; recruitment of rad1R218A-Rad10 to recombination intermediates is defective. Interactions among rad1R218A-Rad10 and Msh2-Msh3 and Saw1 are altered and rad1R218A-Rad10 interactions with RPA are compromised. We propose a model in which Rad1-Rad10 is recruited and positioned at the recombination intermediate through interactions, between Saw1 and DNA, Rad1-Rad10 and Msh2-Msh3, Saw1 and Msh2-Msh3 and Rad1-Rad10 and RPA. When any of these interactions is altered, 3' NHTR is impaired.

A role for alternative end-joining factors in homologous recombination and genome editing in Chinese hamster ovary cells

CRISPR technologies greatly foster genome editing in mammalian cells through site-directed DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). However, precise editing outcomes, as mediated by homologous recombination (HR) repair, are typically infrequent and outnumbered by undesired genome alterations. By using knockdown and overexpression studies in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells as well as characterizing repaired DNA junctions, we found that efficient HR-mediated genome editing depends on alternative end-joining (alt-EJ) DNA repair activities, a family of incompletely characterized DNA repair pathways traditionally considered to oppose HR. This dependency was influenced by the CRISPR nuclease type and the DSB-to-mutation distance, but not by the DNA sequence surrounding the DSBs or reporter cell line. We also identified elevated Mre11 and Pari, and low Rad51 expression levels as the most rate-limiting factors for HR in CHO cells. Counteracting these three bottlenecks improved precise genome editing by up to 75%. Altogether, our study provides novel insights into the complex interplay of alt-EJ and HR repair pathways, highlighting their relevance for developing improved genome editing strategies.

ERCC1/XPF Is Important for Repair of DNA Double-Strand Breaks Containing Secondary Structures

The structure-specific endonuclease ERCC1/XPF plays an important role in nucleotide excision repair and interstrand cross-link repair. In this study, we identified new functions of ERCC1/XPF in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. We found that the conserved function of ERCC1/XPF to remove non-homologous sequences at DSBs is a rate-limiting step for homologous recombination in mammalian cells, and more importantly, we uncovered an indispensable role of ERCC1/XPF in repair of DSBs containing DNA secondary structures, including the structure-prone AT-rich DNA sequences derived from common fragile sites and G-quadruplexes (G4s). We also demonstrated a synthetic lethal interaction of XPF with DNA translocase FANCM that is involved in removing DNA secondary structures. Furthermore, inactivation of XPF sensitizes FANCM-deficient cells to G4-interacting compounds. These results suggest an important function of ERCC1/XPF in protecting DNA secondary structures and provide a rationale for targeted treatment of FANCM-deficient tumors through inhibition of XPF.

The XPF-ERCC1 Complex Is Essential for Genome Stability and Is Involved in the Mechanism of Gene Targeting in Physcomitrella patens

The XPF-ERCC1 complex, a highly conserved structure-specific endonuclease, functions in multiple DNA repair pathways that are pivotal for maintaining genome stability, including nucleotide excision repair, interstrand crosslink repair, and homologous recombination. XPF-ERCC1 incises double-stranded DNA at double-strand/single-strand junctions, making it an ideal enzyme for processing DNA structures that contain partially unwound strands. Here, we have examined the role of the XPF-ERCC1 complex in the model bryophyte Physcomitrella patens which exhibits uniquely high gene targeting frequencies. We undertook targeted knockout of the Physcomitrella ERCC1 and XPF genes. Mutant analysis shows that the endonuclease complex is essential for resistance to UV-B and to the alkylating agent MMS, and contributes to the maintenance of genome integrity but is also involved in gene targeting in this model plant. Using different constructs we determine whether the function of the XPF-ERCC1 endonuclease complex in gene targeting was removal of 3' non-homologous termini, similar to SSA, or processing of looped-out heteroduplex intermediates. Interestingly, our data suggest a role of the endonuclease in both pathways and have implications for the mechanism of targeted gene replacement in plants and its specificities compared to yeast and mammalian cells.

XPG-related nucleases are hierarchically recruited for double-stranded rDNA break resection

dsDNA breaks (DSBs) are resected in a 5'→3' direction, generating single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). This promotes DNA repair by homologous recombination and also assembly of signaling complexes that activate the DNA damage checkpoint effector kinase Chk1. In fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), genetic screens have previously uncovered a family of three xeroderma pigmentosum G (XPG)-related nucleases (XRNs), known as Ast1, Exo1, and Rad2. Collectively, these XRNs are recruited to a euchromatic DSB and are required for ssDNA production and end resection across the genome. Here, we studied why there are three related but distinct XRN enzymes that are all conserved across a range of species, including humans, whereas all other DSB response proteins are present as single species. Using S. pombe as a model, ChIP and DSB resection analysis assays, and highly efficient I-PpoI-induced DSBs in the 28S rDNA gene, we observed a hierarchy of recruitment for each XRN, with a progressive compensatory recruitment of the other XRNs as the responding enzymes are deleted. Importantly, we found that this hierarchy reflects the requirement for different XRNs to effect efficient DSB resection in the rDNA, demonstrating that the presence of three XRN enzymes is not a simple division of labor. Furthermore, we uncovered a specificity of XRN function with regard to the direction of transcription. We conclude that the DSB-resection machinery is complex, is nonuniform across the genome, and has built-in fail-safe mechanisms, features that are in keeping with the highly pathological nature of DSB lesions.

Interrogation of ethnomedicinal plants for synthetic lethality effects in combination with deficiency in the DNA repair endonuclease RAD1 using a yeast cell-based assay

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Plant materials used in this study were selected based on the ethnobotanical literature. Plants have either been utilized by Thai practitioners as alternative treatments for cancer or identified to exhibit anti-cancer properties.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To screen ethnomedicinal plants using a yeast cell-based assay for synthetic lethal interactions with cells deleted for RAD1, the yeast homologue of human ERCC4 (XPF) MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethanolic extracts from thirty-two species of medicinal plants utilized in Thai traditional medicine were screened for synthetic lethal/sick interactions using a yeast cell-based assay. Cell growth was compared between the parental strain and rad1∆ yeast following exposure to select for specific toxicity of plant extracts. Candidate extracts were further examined for the mode of action using genetic and biochemical approaches.

RESULTS

Screening a library of ethanolic extracts from medicinal plants identified Bacopa monnieri and Colubrina asiatica as having synthetic lethal effects in the rad1∆ cells but not the parental strain. Synthetic lethal effects for B. monneiri extracts were more apparent and this plant was examined further. Genetic analysis indicates that pro-oxidant activities and defective excision repair pathways do not significantly contribute to enhanced sensitivity to B. monneiri extracts. Exposure to B. monneiri extracts resulted in nuclear fragmentation and elevated levels of ethidium bromide staining in rad1∆ yeast suggesting promotion of an apoptosis-like event. Growth inhibition also observed in the human Caco-2 cell line suggesting the effects of B. monnieri extracts on both yeast and human cells may be similar.

CONCLUSIONS

B. monneiri extracts may have utility in treatment of colorectal cancers that exhibit deficiency in ERCC4 (XPF).

The Role of Blm Helicase in Homologous Recombination, Gene Conversion Tract Length, and Recombination Between Diverged Sequences in Drosophilamelanogaster

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are a particularly deleterious class of DNA damage that threatens genome integrity. DSBs are repaired by three pathways: nonhomologous-end joining (NHEJ), homologous recombination (HR), and single-strand annealing (SSA). Drosophila melanogaster Blm (DmBlm) is the ortholog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae SGS1 and human BLM, and has been shown to suppress crossovers in mitotic cells and repair mitotic DNA gaps via HR. To further elucidate the role of DmBlm in repair of a simple DSB, and in particular recombination mechanisms, we utilized the Direct Repeat of white (DR-white) and Direct Repeat of whitewith mutations (DR-white.mu) repair assays in multiple mutant allele backgrounds. DmBlm null and helicase-dead mutants both demonstrated a decrease in repair by noncrossover HR, and a concurrent increase in non-HR events, possibly including SSA, crossovers, deletions, and NHEJ, although detectable processing of the ends was not significantly impacted. Interestingly, gene conversion tract lengths of HR repair events were substantially shorter in DmBlm null but not helicase-dead mutants, compared to heterozygote controls. Using DR-white.mu, we found that, in contrast to Sgs1, DmBlm is not required for suppression of recombination between diverged sequences. Taken together, our data suggest that DmBlm helicase function plays a role in HR, and the steps that contribute to determining gene conversion tract length are helicase-independent.

XPF knockout via CRISPR/Cas9 reveals that ERCC1 is retained in the cytoplasm without its heterodimer partner XPF

The XPF/ERCC1 heterodimeric complex is essentially involved in nucleotide excision repair (NER), interstrand crosslink (ICL), and double-strand break repair. Defects in XPF lead to severe diseases like xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). Up until now, XP-F patient cells have been utilized for functional analyses. Due to the multiple roles of the XPF/ERCC1 complex, these patient cells retain at least one full-length allele and residual repair capabilities. Despite the essential function of the XPF/ERCC1 complex for the human organism, we successfully generated a viable immortalised human XPF knockout cell line with complete loss of XPF using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique in fetal lung fibroblasts (MRC5Vi cells). These cells showed a markedly increased sensitivity to UVC, cisplatin, and psoralen activated by UVA as well as reduced repair capabilities for NER and ICL repair as assessed by reporter gene assays. Using the newly generated knockout cells, we could show that human XPF is markedly involved in homologous recombination repair (HRR) but dispensable for non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ). Notably, ERCC1 was not detectable in the nucleus of the XPF knockout cells indicating the necessity of a functional XPF/ERCC1 heterodimer to allow ERCC1 to enter the nucleus. Overexpression of wild-type XPF could reverse this effect as well as the repair deficiencies.

A new role for Rrm3 in repair of replication-born DNA breakage by sister chromatid recombination

Replication forks stall at different DNA obstacles such as those originated by transcription. Fork stalling can lead to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that will be preferentially repaired by homologous recombination when the sister chromatid is available. The Rrm3 helicase is a replisome component that promotes replication upon fork stalling, accumulates at highly transcribed regions and prevents not only transcription-induced replication fork stalling but also transcription-associated hyper-recombination. This led us to explore the possible role of Rrm3 in the repair of DSBs when originating at the passage of the replication fork. Using a mini-HO system that induces mainly single-stranded DNA breaks, we show that rrm3Δ cells are defective in DSB repair. The defect is clearly seen in sister chromatid recombination, the major repair pathway of replication-born DSBs. Our results indicate that Rrm3 recruitment to replication-born DSBs is crucial for viability, uncovering a new role for Rrm3 in the repair of broken replication forks.

DNA replication needs to be precise to ensure cell survival and to avoid genetic instability. Different DNA obstacles, such as those originated by transcription, frequently hamper replication fork progression leading to fork stalling or even fork breakage. This requires the homologous recombination machinery to repair the damage. Here, we uncovered a role for yeast Rrm3, a replisome component known to promote replication upon fork stalling, in the repair of replication-born double strand breaks. In particular, rrm3Δ cells show a defect in the recombination with the sister chromatid, the preferred template for the maintenance of genome integrity. Our results support the possibility that the known accumulation of Rrm3 at sites of active transcription reflects an active role of Rrm3 in the repair of broken forks.

Noncanonical views of homology-directed DNA repair

DNA repair is essential to maintain genomic integrity and initiate genetic diversity. While gene conversion and classical nonhomologous end-joining are the most physiologically predominant forms of DNA repair mechanisms, emerging lines of evidence suggest the usage of several noncanonical homology-directed repair (HDR) pathways in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes in different contexts. Here we review how these alternative HDR pathways are executed, specifically focusing on the determinants that dictate competition between them and their relevance to cancers that display complex genomic rearrangements or maintain their telomeres by homology-directed DNA synthesis.

Homology Requirements and Competition between Gene Conversion and Break-Induced Replication during Double-Strand Break Repair

Saccharomyces cerevisiae mating-type switching is initiated by a double-strand break (DSB) at MATa, leaving one cut end perfectly homologous to the HMLα donor, while the second end must be processed to remove a non-homologous tail before completing repair by gene conversion (GC). When homology at the matched end is ≤150 bp, efficient repair depends on the recombination enhancer, which tethers HMLα near the DSB. Thus, homology shorter than an apparent minimum efficient processing segment can be rescued by tethering the donor near the break. When homology at the second end is ≤150 bp, second-end capture becomes inefficient and repair shifts from GC to break-induced replication (BIR). But when pol32 or pif1 mutants block BIR, GC increases 3-fold, indicating that the steps blocked by these mutations are reversible. With short second-end homology, absence of the RecQ helicase Sgs1 promotes gene conversion, whereas deletion of the FANCM-related Mph1 helicase promotes BIR.

Local chromosome context is a major determinant of crossover pathway biochemistry during budding yeast meiosis

The budding yeast genome contains regions where meiotic recombination initiates more frequently than in others. This pattern parallels enrichment for the meiotic chromosome axis proteins Hop1 and Red1. These proteins are important for Spo11-catalyzed double strand break formation; their contribution to crossover recombination remains undefined. Using the sequence-specific VMA1-derived endonuclease (VDE) to initiate recombination in meiosis, we show that chromosome structure influences the choice of proteins that resolve recombination intermediates to form crossovers. At a Hop1-enriched locus, most VDE-initiated crossovers, like most Spo11-initiated crossovers, required the meiosis-specific MutLγ resolvase. In contrast, at a locus with lower Hop1 occupancy, most VDE-initiated crossovers were MutLγ-independent. In pch2 mutants, the two loci displayed similar Hop1 occupancy levels, and VDE-induced crossovers were similarly MutLγ-dependent. We suggest that meiotic and mitotic recombination pathways coexist within meiotic cells, and that features of meiotic chromosome structure determine whether one or the other predominates in different regions.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19669.001

Inside the cells of many species, double-stranded DNA is packaged together with specialized proteins to form structures called chromosomes. Breaks that span across both strands of the DNA can cause cell death because if the break is incorrectly repaired, a segment of the DNA may be lost. Cells use a process known as homologous recombination to repair such breaks correctly. This uses an undamaged DNA molecule as a template that can be copied to replace missing segments of the DNA sequence. During the repair of double-strand breaks, connections called crossovers may form. This results in the damaged and undamaged DNA molecules swapping a portion of their sequences.

In meiosis, a type of cell division that produces sperm and eggs, cells deliberately break their chromosomes and then repair them using homologous recombination. The crossovers that form during this process are important for sharing chromosomes between the newly forming cells. It is crucial that the crossovers form at the right time and place along the chromosomes.

Chromosomes have different structures depending on whether a cell is undergoing meiosis or normal (mitotic) cell division. This structure may influence how and where crossovers form. Enzymes called resolvases catalyze the reactions that occur during the last step in homologous recombination to generate crossovers. One particular resolvase acts only during meiosis, whereas others are active in both mitotic and meiotic cells. However, it is not known whether local features of the chromosome structure – such as the proteins packaged in the chromosome alongside the DNA – influence when and where meiotic crossover occurs.

Medhi et al. have now studied how recombination occurs along different regions of the chromosomes in budding yeast cells, which undergo meiosis in a similar way to human cells. The results of the experiments reveal that the mechanism by which crossovers form depends on proteins called axis proteins, one type of which is specifically found in meiotic chromosomes. In regions that had high levels of meiotic axis proteins, crossovers mainly formed using the meiosis-specific resolvase enzyme. In regions that had low levels of meiotic axis proteins, crossovers formed using resolvases that are active in mitotic cells. Further experiments demonstrated that altering the levels of one of the meiotic axis proteins changed which resolvase was used.

Overall, the results presented by Medhi et al. show that differences in chromosome structure, in particular the relative concentration of meiotic axis proteins, influence how crossovers form in yeast. Future studies will investigate whether this is observed in other organisms such as humans, and whether local chromosome structure influences other steps of homologous recombination in meiosis.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19669.002

Functional Toxicogenomic Profiling Expands Insight into Modulators of Formaldehyde Toxicity in Yeast

Formaldehyde (FA) is a commercially important chemical with numerous and diverse uses. Accordingly, occupational and environmental exposure to FA is prevalent worldwide. Various adverse effects, including nasopharyngeal, sinonasal, and lymphohematopoietic cancers, have been linked to FA exposure, prompting designation of FA as a human carcinogen by U.S. and international scientific entities. Although the mechanism(s) of FA toxicity have been well studied, additional insight is needed in regard to the genetic requirements for FA tolerance. In this study, a functional toxicogenomics approach was utilized in the model eukaryotic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to identify genes and cellular processes modulating the cellular toxicity of FA. Our results demonstrate mutant strains deficient in multiple DNA repair pathways-including homologous recombination, single strand annealing, and postreplication repair-were sensitive to FA, indicating FA may cause various forms of DNA damage in yeast. The SKI complex and its associated factors, which regulate mRNA degradation by the exosome, were also required for FA tolerance, suggesting FA may have unappreciated effects on RNA stability. Furthermore, various strains involved in osmoregulation and stress response were sensitive to FA. Together, our results are generally consistent with FA-mediated damage to both DNA and RNA. Considering DNA repair and RNA degradation pathways are evolutionarily conserved from yeast to humans, mechanisms of FA toxicity identified in yeast may be relevant to human disease and genetic susceptibility.

Saw1 localizes to repair sites but is not required for recruitment of Rad10 to repair intermediates bearing short non-homologous 3' flaps during single-strand annealing in S. cerevisiae

SAW1 is required for efficient removal by the Rad1-Rad10 nuclease of 3' non-homologous DNA ends (flaps) formed as intermediates during two modes of double-strand break (DSB) repair in S. cerevisiae, single-strand annealing (SSA) and synthesis-dependent strand annealing. Saw1 was shown in vitro to bind flaps with high affinity, but displayed diminished affinity when flaps were short (<30 deoxynucleotides [nt]), consistent with it not being required for short flap cleavage. Accordingly, this study, using in vivo fluorescence microscopy showed that SAW1 was not required for recruitment of Rad10-YFP to DNA DSBs during their repair by SSA when the flaps were ~10 nt. In contrast, recruitment of Rad10-YFP to DSBs when flaps were ~500 nt did require SAW1 in G1 phase of cell cycle. Interestingly, we observed a substantial increase in colocalization of Saw1-CFP and Rad10-YFP at DSBs when short flaps were formed during repair, especially in G1, indicating significant recruitment of Saw1 despite there being no requirement for Saw1 to recruit Rad10. Saw1-CFP was seldom observed at DSBs without Rad10-YFP. Together, these results support a model in which Saw1 and Rad1-Rad10 are recruited as a complex to short and long flaps in all phases of cell cycle, but that Saw1 is only required for recruitment of Rad1-Rad10 to DSBs when long flaps are formed in G1.

Affected chromosome homeostasis and genomic instability of clonal yeast cultures

Yeast cells originating from one single colony are considered genotypically and phenotypically identical. However, taking into account the cellular heterogeneity, it seems also important to monitor cell-to-cell variations within a clone population. In the present study, a comprehensive yeast karyotype screening was conducted using single chromosome comet assay. Chromosome-dependent and mutation-dependent changes in DNA (DNA with breaks or with abnormal replication intermediates) were studied using both single-gene deletion haploid mutants (bub1, bub2, mad1, tel1, rad1 and tor1) and diploid cells lacking one active gene of interest, namely BUB1/bub1, BUB2/bub2, MAD1/mad1, TEL1/tel1, RAD1/rad1 and TOR1/tor1 involved in the control of cell cycle progression, DNA repair and the regulation of longevity. Increased chromosome fragility and replication stress-mediated chromosome abnormalities were correlated with elevated incidence of genomic instability, namely aneuploid events—disomies, monosomies and to a lesser extent trisomies as judged by in situ comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). The tor1 longevity mutant with relatively balanced chromosome homeostasis was found the most genomically stable among analyzed mutants. During clonal yeast culture, spontaneously formed abnormal chromosome structures may stimulate changes in the ploidy state and, in turn, promote genomic heterogeneity. These alterations may be more accented in selected mutated genetic backgrounds, namely in yeast cells deficient in proper cell cycle regulation and DNA repair.

RPA homologs and ssDNA processing during meiotic recombination

Meiotic homologous recombination is a specialized process that involves homologous chromosome pairing and strand exchange to guarantee proper chromosome segregation and genetic diversity. The formation and repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) during meiotic recombination differs from those during mitotic recombination in that the homologous chromosome rather than the sister chromatid is the preferred repair template. The processing of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) formed on intermediate recombination structures is central to driving the specific outcomes of DSB repair during meiosis. Replication protein A (RPA) is the main ssDNA-binding protein complex involved in DNA metabolism. However, the existence of RPA orthologs in plants and the recent discovery of meiosis specific with OB domains (MEIOB), a widely conserved meiosis-specific RPA1 paralog, strongly suggest that multiple RPA complexes evolved and specialized to subdivide their roles during DNA metabolism. Here we review ssDNA formation and maturation during mitotic and meiotic recombination underlying the meiotic specific features. We describe and discuss the existence and properties of MEIOB and multiple RPA subunits in plants and highlight how they can provide meiosis-specific fates to ssDNA processing during homologous recombination. Understanding the functions of these RPA homologs and how they interact with the canonical RPA subunits is of major interest in the fields of meiosis and DNA repair.

Identification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Genes Whose Deletion Causes Synthetic Effects in Cells with Reduced Levels of the Nuclear Pif1 DNA Helicase

The multifunctional Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pif1 DNA helicase affects the maintenance of telomeric, ribosomal, and mitochondrial DNAs, suppresses DNA damage at G-quadruplex motifs, influences the processing of Okazaki fragments, and promotes breakage induced replication. All of these functions require the ATPase/helicase activity of the protein. Owing to Pif1's critical role in the maintenance of mitochondrial DNA, pif1Δ strains quickly generate respiratory deficient cells and hence grow very slowly. This slow growth makes it difficult to carry out genome-wide synthetic genetic analysis in this background. Here, we used a partial loss of function allele of PIF1, pif1-m2, which is mitochondrial proficient but has reduced abundance of nuclear Pif1. Although pif1-m2 is not a null allele, pif1-m2 cells exhibit defects in telomere maintenance, reduced suppression of damage at G-quadruplex motifs and defects in breakage induced replication. We performed a synthetic screen to identify nonessential genes with a synthetic sick or lethal relationship in cells with low abundance of nuclear Pif1. This study identified eleven genes that were synthetic lethal (APM1, ARG80, CDH1, GCR1, GTO3, PRK1, RAD10, SKT5, SOP4, UMP1, and YCK1) and three genes that were synthetic sick (DEF1, YIP4, and HOM3) with pif1-m2.

Mechanisms and regulation of mitotic recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Homology-dependent exchange of genetic information between DNA molecules has a profound impact on the maintenance of genome integrity by facilitating error-free DNA repair, replication, and chromosome segregation during cell division as well as programmed cell developmental events. This chapter will focus on homologous mitotic recombination in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, there is an important link between mitotic and meiotic recombination (covered in the forthcoming chapter by Hunter et al. 2015) and many of the functions are evolutionarily conserved. Here we will discuss several models that have been proposed to explain the mechanism of mitotic recombination, the genes and proteins involved in various pathways, the genetic and physical assays used to discover and study these genes, and the roles of many of these proteins inside the cell.

The ERCC1 and ERCC4 (XPF) genes and gene products

The ERCC1 and ERCC4 genes encode the two subunits of the ERCC1-XPF nuclease. This enzyme plays an important role in repair of DNA damage and in maintaining genomic stability. ERCC1-XPF nuclease nicks DNA specifically at junctions between double-stranded and single-stranded DNA, when the single-strand is oriented 5' to 3' away from a junction. ERCC1-XPF is a core component of nucleotide excision repair and also plays a role in interstrand crosslink repair, some pathways of double-strand break repair by homologous recombination and end-joining, as a backup enzyme in base excision repair, and in telomere length regulation. In many of these activities, ERCC1-XPF complex cleaves the 3' tails of DNA intermediates in preparation for further processing. ERCC1-XPF interacts with other proteins including XPA, RPA, SLX4 and TRF2 to perform its functions. Disruption of these interactions or direct targeting of ERCC1-XPF to decrease its DNA repair function might be a useful strategy to increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to some DNA damaging agents. Complete deletion of either ERCC1 or ERCC4 is not compatible with viability in mice or humans. However, mutations in the ERCC1 or ERCC4 genes cause a remarkable array of rare inherited human disorders. These include specific forms of xeroderma pigmentosum, Cockayne syndrome, Fanconi anemia, XFE progeria and cerebro-oculo-facio-skeletal syndrome.

A novel protein, Rsf1/Pxd1, is critical for the single-strand annealing pathway of double-strand break repair in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The process of single-strand annealing (SSA) repairs DNA double-strand breaks that are flanked by direct repeat sequences through the coordinated actions of a series of proteins implicated in recombination, mismatch repair and nucleotide excision repair (NER). Many of the molecular and mechanistic insights gained in SSA repair have principally come from studies in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, there is little molecular understanding of the SSA pathway in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. To further our understanding of this important process, we established a new chromosome-based SSA assay in fission yeast. Our genetic analyses showed that, although many homologous components participate in SSA repair in these species indicating that some evolutionary conservation, Saw1 and Slx4 are not principal agents in the SSA repair pathway in fission yeast. This is in marked contrast to the function of Saw1 and Slx4 in budding yeast. Additionally, a novel genus-specific protein, Rsf1/Pxd1, physically interacts with Rad16, Swi10 and Saw1 in vitro and in vivo. We find that Rsf1/Pxd1 is not required for NER and demonstrate that, in fission yeast, Rsf1/Pxd1, but not Saw1, plays a critical role in SSA recombination.

Sources and structures of mitotic crossovers that arise when BLM helicase is absent in Drosophila

The Bloom syndrome helicase, BLM, has numerous functions that prevent mitotic crossovers. We used unique features of Drosophila melanogaster to investigate origins and properties of mitotic crossovers that occur when BLM is absent. Induction of lesions that block replication forks increased crossover frequencies, consistent with functions for BLM in responding to fork blockage. In contrast, treatment with hydroxyurea, which stalls forks, did not elevate crossovers, even though mutants lacking BLM are sensitive to killing by this agent. To learn about sources of spontaneous recombination, we mapped mitotic crossovers in mutants lacking BLM. In the male germline, irradiation-induced crossovers were distributed randomly across the euchromatin, but spontaneous crossovers were nonrandom. We suggest that regions of the genome with a high frequency of mitotic crossovers may be analogous to common fragile sites in the human genome. Interestingly, in the male germline there is a paucity of crossovers in the interval that spans the pericentric heterochromatin, but in the female germline this interval is more prone to crossing over. Finally, our system allowed us to recover pairs of reciprocal crossover chromosomes. Sequencing of these revealed the existence of gene conversion tracts and did not provide any evidence for mutations associated with crossovers. These findings provide important new insights into sources and structures of mitotic crossovers and functions of BLM helicase.

Unligated Okazaki Fragments Induce PCNA Ubiquitination and a Requirement for Rad59-Dependent Replication Fork Progression

Deficiency in DNA ligase I, encoded by CDC9 in budding yeast, leads to the accumulation of unligated Okazaki fragments and triggers PCNA ubiquitination at a non-canonical lysine residue. This signal is crucial to activate the S phase checkpoint, which promotes cell cycle delay. We report here that a pol30-K107 mutation alleviated cell cycle delay in cdc9 mutants, consistent with the idea that the modification of PCNA at K107 affects the rate of DNA synthesis at replication forks. To determine whether PCNA ubiquitination occurred in response to nicks or was triggered by the lack of PCNA-DNA ligase interaction, we complemented cdc9 cells with either wild-type DNA ligase I or a mutant form, which fails to interact with PCNA. Both enzymes reversed PCNA ubiquitination, arguing that the modification is likely an integral part of a novel nick-sensory mechanism and not due to non-specific secondary mutations that could have occurred spontaneously in cdc9 mutants. To further understand how cells cope with the accumulation of nicks during DNA replication, we utilized cdc9-1 in a genome-wide synthetic lethality screen, which identified RAD59 as a strong negative interactor. In comparison to cdc9 single mutants, cdc9 rad59Δ double mutants did not alter PCNA ubiquitination but enhanced phosphorylation of the mediator of the replication checkpoint, Mrc1. Since Mrc1 resides at the replication fork and is phosphorylated in response to fork stalling, these results indicate that Rad59 alleviates nick-induced replication fork slowdown. Thus, we propose that Rad59 promotes fork progression when Okazaki fragment processing is compromised and counteracts PCNA-K107 mediated cell cycle arrest.

High-resolution mapping of spontaneous mitotic recombination hotspots on the 1.1 Mb arm of yeast chromosome IV

Although homologous recombination is an important pathway for the repair of double-stranded DNA breaks in mitotically dividing eukaryotic cells, these events can also have negative consequences, such as loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of deleterious mutations. We mapped about 140 spontaneous reciprocal crossovers on the right arm of the yeast chromosome IV using single-nucleotide-polymorphism (SNP) microarrays. Our mapping and subsequent experiments demonstrate that inverted repeats of Ty retrotransposable elements are mitotic recombination hotspots. We found that the mitotic recombination maps on the two homologs were substantially different and were unrelated to meiotic recombination maps. Additionally, about 70% of the DNA lesions that result in LOH are likely generated during G1 of the cell cycle and repaired during S or G2. We also show that different genetic elements are associated with reciprocal crossover conversion tracts depending on the cell cycle timing of the initiating DSB.

Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are DNA lesions that can be fatal to a cell if left unrepaired. They can be caused by exogenous sources, such as gamma radiation, or endogenous stresses, such as high levels of transcription. Yeast cells primarily repair DSBs that are initiated outside of meiosis by mitotic recombination, which can result in physical exchanges between chromosomes, known as crossovers. We created a mitotic recombination map of one chromosome arm, representing 10% of the genome. This recombination map allows us to determine which regions of the chromosome arm are more susceptible to DNA damage than other regions. We were able to determine that most DSBs that result in detectable genomic changes were initiated prior to DNA replication and that some secondary DNA structures can be recombination hotspots. Recombination can also occur during meiosis, as a method of ensuring proper chromosome segregation. However, previously reported meiotic recombination maps have no correlation with our mitotic recombination map.

Initiation of DNA damage responses through XPG-related nucleases

Lesion-specific enzymes repair different forms of DNA damage, yet all lesions elicit the same checkpoint response. The common intermediate required to mount a checkpoint response is thought to be single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), coated by replication protein A (RPA) and containing a primer-template junction. To identify factors important for initiating the checkpoint response, we screened for genes that, when overexpressed, could amplify a checkpoint signal to a weak allele of chk1 in fission yeast. We identified Ast1, a novel member of the XPG-related family of endo/exonucleases. Ast1 promotes checkpoint activation caused by the absence of the other XPG-related nucleases, Exo1 and Rad2, the homologue of Fen1. Each nuclease is recruited to DSBs, and promotes the formation of ssDNA for checkpoint activation and recombinational repair. For Rad2 and Exo1, this is independent of their S-phase role in Okazaki fragment processing. This XPG-related pathway is distinct from MRN-dependent responses, and each enzyme is critical for damage resistance in MRN mutants. Thus, multiple nucleases collaborate to initiate DNA damage responses, highlighting the importance of these responses to cellular fitness.

Complex chromosomal rearrangements mediated by break-induced replication involve structure-selective endonucleases

DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair occurring in repeated DNA sequences often leads to the generation of chromosomal rearrangements. Homologous recombination normally ensures a faithful repair of DSBs through a mechanism that transfers the genetic information of an intact donor template to the broken molecule. When only one DSB end shares homology to the donor template, conventional gene conversion fails to occur and repair can be channeled to a recombination-dependent replication pathway termed break-induced replication (BIR), which is prone to produce chromosome non-reciprocal translocations (NRTs), a classical feature of numerous human cancers. Using a newly designed substrate for the analysis of DSB-induced chromosomal translocations, we show that Mus81 and Yen1 structure-selective endonucleases (SSEs) promote BIR, thus causing NRTs. We propose that Mus81 and Yen1 are recruited at the strand invasion intermediate to allow the establishment of a replication fork, which is required to complete BIR. Replication template switching during BIR, a feature of this pathway, engenders complex chromosomal rearrangements when using repeated DNA sequences dispersed over the genome. We demonstrate here that Mus81 and Yen1, together with Slx4, also promote template switching during BIR. Altogether, our study provides evidence for a role of SSEs at multiple steps during BIR, thus participating in the destabilization of the genome by generating complex chromosomal rearrangements.

Rapid analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome rearrangements by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification

Aneuploidy and gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs) can lead to genetic diseases and the development of cancer. We previously demonstrated that introduction of the repetitive retrotransposon Ty912 onto a nonessential chromosome arm of Saccharomyces cerevisiae led to increased genome instability predominantly due to increased rates of formation of monocentric nonreciprocal translocations. In this study, we adapted Multiplex Ligation–dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) to analyze a large numbers of these GCRs. Using MLPA, we found that the distribution of translocations induced by the presence of Ty912 in a wild-type strain was nonrandom and that the majority of these translocations were mediated by only six translocation targets on four different chromosomes, even though there were 254 potential Ty-related translocation targets in the S. cerevisiae genome. While the majority of Ty912-mediated translocations resulted from RAD52-dependent recombination, we observed a number of nonreciprocal translocations mediated by RAD52-independent recombination between Ty1 elements. The formation of these RAD52-independent translocations did not require the Rad51 or Rad59 homologous pairing proteins or the Rad1–Rad10 endonuclease complex that processes branched DNAs during recombination. Finally, we found that defects in ASF1-RTT109–dependent acetylation of histone H3 lysine residue 56 (H3K56) resulted in increased accumulation of both GCRs and whole-chromosome duplications, and resulted in aneuploidy that tended to occur simultaneously with GCRs. Overall, we found that MLPA is a versatile technique for the rapid analysis of GCRs and can facilitate the genetic analysis of the pathways that prevent and promote GCRs and aneuploidy.

In this study we describe an adaptation of Multiplex Ligation–dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) for use in the study of gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs) that occur in S. cerevisiae mutants with increased genome instability. Our previous study found that the presence of a Ty912 element on a nonessential arm of chromosome V resulted in increased rates of non-reciprocal monocentric translocations arising from recombination between the Ty912 on chromosome V and ectopic Ty elements on other chromosomes. Using MLPA, we observed that the majority of the translocations targeted six different translocation hotspots even though there were at least 254 potential targets for Ty-mediated translocations in the S. cerevisiae genome. Most of the observed translocations were formed by RAD52-dependent recombination, although we also identified a RAD52-independent recombination pathway that promoted the formation of the same types of translocations at lower rates. Finally, we found that defects in the ASF1-RTT109–dependent histone H3 lysine 56 (H3K56) acetylation pathway caused increased rates of both Ty-mediated translocations and whole-chromosome duplications (aneuploidy). This aneuploidy often occurred simultaneously with Ty-mediated translocations. Overall, our results demonstrate that MLPA is a rapid, inexpensive method that allows the analysis of the large number of GCRs needed to understand the pathways that suppress or promote genome instability.

Use of gene targeting to study recombination in mammalian cell DNA repair mutants

The study of gene function has been greatly facilitated by the development of strategies to modify genomic DNA. Gene targeting is one of the most successfully applied techniques used to examine the roles of specific genes in a wide variety of model systems from yeast to mammals. Our laboratory has pioneered the use of the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell culture model system to study pathways of DNA repair and recombination at the hemizygous CHO APRT locus. By using a simple and effective gene targeting method, we have generated a number of DNA repair-deficient cell lines that have been used in targeted recombination experiments to investigate pathways of recombinational repair in somatic mammalian cells. These methods can be readily customized to generate a variety of cell lines deficient in specific genes of interest and can be applied to study the roles of other DNA repair proteins in pathways of mammalian recombinational repair.

Differential genetic interactions between Sgs1, DNA-damage checkpoint components and DNA repair factors in the maintenance of chromosome stability

Background

Genome instability is associated with human cancers and chromosome breakage syndromes, including Bloom's syndrome, caused by inactivation of BLM helicase. Numerous mutations that lead to genome instability are known, yet how they interact genetically is poorly understood.

Results

We show that spontaneous translocations that arise by nonallelic homologous recombination in DNA-damage-checkpoint-defective yeast lacking the BLM-related Sgs1 helicase (sgs1Δ mec3Δ) are inhibited if cells lack Mec1/ATR kinase. Tel1/ATM, in contrast, acts as a suppressor independently of Mec3 and Sgs1. Translocations are also inhibited in cells lacking Dun1 kinase, but not in cells defective in a parallel checkpoint branch defined by Chk1 kinase. While we had previously shown that RAD51 deletion did not inhibit translocation formation, RAD59 deletion led to inhibition comparable to the rad52Δ mutation. A candidate screen of other DNA metabolic factors identified Exo1 as a strong suppressor of chromosomal rearrangements in the sgs1Δ mutant, becoming even more important for chromosomal stability upon MEC3 deletion. We determined that the C-terminal third of Exo1, harboring mismatch repair protein binding sites and phosphorylation sites, is dispensable for Exo1's roles in chromosomal rearrangement suppression, mutation avoidance and resistance to DNA-damaging agents.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that translocations between related genes can form by Rad59-dependent, Rad51-independent homologous recombination, which is independently suppressed by Sgs1, Tel1, Mec3 and Exo1 but promoted by Dun1 and the telomerase-inhibitor Mec1. We propose a model for the functional interaction between mitotic recombination and the DNA-damage checkpoint in the suppression of chromosomal rearrangements in sgs1Δ cells.

The role of Holliday junction resolvases in the repair of spontaneous and induced DNA damage

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and other lesions occur frequently during cell growth and in meiosis. These are often repaired by homologous recombination (HR). HR may result in the formation of DNA structures called Holliday junctions (HJs), which need to be resolved to allow chromosome segregation. Whereas HJs are present in most HR events in meiosis, it has been proposed that in vegetative cells most HR events occur through intermediates lacking HJs. A recent screen in yeast has shown HJ resolution activity for a protein called Yen1, in addition to the previously known Mus81/Mms4 complex. Yeast strains deleted for both YEN1 and MMS4 show a reduction in growth rate, and are very sensitive to DNA-damaging agents. In addition, we investigate the genetic interaction of yen1 and mms4 with mutants defective in different repair pathways. We find that in the absence of Yen1 and Mms4 deletion of RAD1 or RAD52 have no further effect, whereas additional sensitivity is seen if RAD51 is deleted. Finally, we show that yeast cells are unable to carry out meiosis in the absence of both resolvases. Our results show that both Yen1 and Mms4/Mus81 play important (although not identical) roles during vegetative growth and in meiosis.

Rad10-YFP focus induction in response to UV depends on RAD14 in yeast

Rad14 is a DNA damage recognition protein in yeast Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) and believed to function early in the cascade of events. The function of Rad14 presumably precedes that of the Rad1-Rad10 endonuclease complex, which functions in a downstream step incising DNA 5' to the site of DNA damage. We investigated whether recruitment of Rad10 to UV-induced DNA damage sites in live cells is dependent on Rad14 using fluorescence microscopy. Experiments were carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains in which the gene for Rad14 was fused to Cyan Fluorescent Protein (Rad14-CFP) and that of Rad10 was fused to Yellow Fluorescent Protein (Rad10-YFP). Rad14-CFP forms nuclear localized CFP fluorescent foci in response to UV irradiation with the peak induction occurring 15min post-irradiation. In contrast, Rad10-YFP foci form in response to UV with the peak induction occurring 2h post-irradiation. Recruitment of Rad14-CFP is not dependent on the RAD10 gene but Rad10-YFP is recruited to UV-induced YFP foci in a RAD14-dependent fashion. Time-lapse experiments indicate that Rad14-CFP foci are transient, typically persisting less than 6min. Together these data support the model that yeast NER protein assembly is step-wise whereas Rad14 required to recruit Rad10 and Rad14 involvement is transient.

Physiological consequences of defects in ERCC1-XPF DNA repair endonuclease

ERCC1-XPF is a structure-specific endonuclease required for nucleotide excision repair, interstrand crosslink repair, and the repair of some double-strand breaks. Mutations in ERCC1 or XPF cause xeroderma pigmentosum, XFE progeroid syndrome or cerebro-oculo-facio-skeletal syndrome, characterized by increased risk of cancer, accelerated aging and severe developmental abnormalities, respectively. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the health impact of ERCC1-XPF deficiency, based on these rare diseases and mouse models of them. This offers an understanding of the tremendous health impact of DNA damage derived from environmental and endogenous sources.

Minisatellite alterations in ZRT1 mutants occur via RAD52-dependent and RAD52-independent mechanisms in quiescent stationary phase yeast cells

Alterations in minisatellite DNA repeat tracts are associated with a variety of human diseases including Type 1 diabetes, progressive myoclonus epilepsy, and some types of cancer. However, in spite of their role in human health, the factors required for minisatellite alterations are not well understood. We previously identified a stationary phase specific increase in minisatellite instability caused by mutations in the high affinity zinc transporter ZRT1, using a minisatellite inserted into the ADE2 locus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we examined ZRT1-mediated minisatellite instability in yeast strains lacking key recombination genes to determine the mechanisms by which these alterations occur. Our analysis revealed that minisatellite alterations in a Δzrt1 mutant occur by a combination of RAD52-dependent and RAD52-independent mechanisms. In this study, plasmid-based experiments demonstrate that ZRT1-mediated minisatellite alterations occur independently of chromosomal context or adenine auxotrophy, and confirmed the stationary phase timing of the events. To further examine the stationary phase specificity of ZRT1-mediated minisatellite alterations, we deleted ETR1 and POR1, genes that were previously shown to differentially affect the viability of quiescent or nonquiescent cells in stationary phase populations. These experiments revealed that minisatellite alterations in Δzrt1 mutants occur exclusively in quiescent stationary phase cells. Finally, we show that loss of ZRT1 stimulates alterations in a derivative of the human HRAS1 minisatellite. We propose that the mechanism of ZRT1-mediated minisatellite instability during quiescence is relevant to human cells, and thus, human disease.

Processing of joint molecule intermediates by structure-selective endonucleases during homologous recombination in eukaryotes

Homologous recombination is required for maintaining genomic integrity by functioning in high-fidelity repair of DNA double-strand breaks and other complex lesions, replication fork support, and meiotic chromosome segregation. Joint DNA molecules are key intermediates in recombination and their differential processing determines whether the genetic outcome is a crossover or non-crossover event. The Holliday model of recombination highlights the resolution of four-way DNA joint molecules, termed Holliday junctions, and the bacterial Holliday junction resolvase RuvC set the paradigm for the mechanism of crossover formation. In eukaryotes, much effort has been invested in identifying the eukaryotic equivalent of bacterial RuvC, leading to the discovery of a number of DNA endonucleases, including Mus81-Mms4/EME1, Slx1-Slx4/BTBD12/MUS312, XPF-ERCC1, and Yen1/GEN1. These nucleases exert different selectivity for various DNA joint molecules, including Holliday junctions. Their mutant phenotypes and distinct species-specific characteristics expose a surprisingly complex system of joint molecule processing. In an attempt to reconcile the biochemical and genetic data, we propose that nicked junctions constitute important in vivo recombination intermediates whose processing determines the efficiency and outcome (crossover/non-crossover) of homologous recombination.

Real-time analysis of double-strand DNA break repair by homologous recombination

The ability to induce synchronously a single site-specific double-strand break (DSB) in a budding yeast chromosome has made it possible to monitor the kinetics and genetic requirements of many molecular steps during DSB repair. Special attention has been paid to the switching of mating-type genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a process initiated by the HO endonuclease by cleaving the MAT locus. A DSB in MATa is repaired by homologous recombination--specifically, by gene conversion--using a heterochromatic donor, HMLα. Repair results in the replacement of the a-specific sequences (Ya) by Yα and switching from MATa to MATα. We report that MAT switching requires the DNA replication factor Dpb11, although it does not require the Cdc7-Dbf4 kinase or the Mcm and Cdc45 helicase components. Using Southern blot, PCR, and ChIP analysis of samples collected every 10 min, we extend previous studies of this process to identify the times for the loading of Rad51 recombinase protein onto the DSB ends at MAT, the subsequent strand invasion by the Rad51 nucleoprotein filament into the donor sequences, the initiation of new DNA synthesis, and the removal of the nonhomologous Y sequences. In addition we report evidence for the transient displacement of well-positioned nucleosomes in the HML donor locus during strand invasion.

Effects of varying gene targeting parameters on processing of recombination intermediates by ERCC1-XPF

The ERCC1-XPF structure-specific endonuclease is necessary for correct processing of homologous recombination intermediates requiring the removal of end-blocking nonhomologies. We previously showed that targeting the endogenous CHO APRT locus with plasmids designed to generate such intermediates revealed defective recombination phenotypes in ERCC1 deficient cells, including suppression of targeted insertion and vector correction recombinants and the generation of a novel class of aberrant recombinants through a deletogenic mechanism. In the present study, we examined some of the mechanistic features of ERCC1-XPF in processing recombination intermediates by varying gene targeting parameters. These included altering the distance between the double-strand break (DSB) in the targeting vector and the inactivating mutation in the APRT target gene, and changing the position of the target gene mutation relative to the DSB to result in target mutations that were either upstream or downstream from the DSB. Increasing the distance from the DSB in the targeting vector to the chromosomal target gene mutation resulted in an ERCC1 dependent decrease in the efficiency of gene targeting from intermediates presenting lengthy end-blocking nonhomologies. This decrease was accompanied by a shift in the distribution of recombinant classes away from target gene conversions to targeted insertions in both wild-type and ERCC1 deficient cells, and a dramatic increase in the proportion of aberrant recombinants in ERCC1 deficient cells. Changing the position of the target gene mutation relative to the DSB in the plasmid also altered the distribution of targeted insertion subclasses recovered in wild-type cells, consistent with two-ended strand invasion followed by resolution into crossover-type products and vector integration. Our results confirm expectations from studies of Rad10-Rad1 in budding yeast that ERCC1-XPF activity affects conversion tract length, and provide evidence for the mechanism of generation of the novel, aberrant recombinant class first described in our previous study.

Mycobacteria exploit three genetically distinct DNA double-strand break repair pathways

Bacterial pathogens rely on their DNA repair pathways to resist genomic damage inflicted by the host. DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are especially threatening to bacterial viability. DSB repair by homologous recombination (HR) requires nucleases that resect DSB ends and a strand exchange protein that facilitates homology search. RecBCD and RecA perform these functions in Escherichia coli and constitute the major pathway of error-free DSB repair. Mycobacteria, including the human pathogen M. tuberculosis, elaborate an additional error-prone pathway of DSB repair via non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) catalysed by Ku and DNA ligase D (LigD). Little is known about the relative contributions of HR and NHEJ to mycobacterial chromosome repair, the factors that dictate pathway choice, or the existence of additional DSB repair pathways. Here we demonstrate that Mycobacterium smegmatis has three DSB repair pathway options: HR, NHEJ and a novel mechanism of single-strand annealing (SSA). Inactivation of NHEJ or SSA is compensated by elevated HR. We find that mycobacterial RecBCD does not participate in HR or confer resistance to ionizing radiation (IR), but is required for the RecA-independent SSA pathway. In contrast, the mycobacterial helicase-nuclease AdnAB participates in the RecA-dependent HR pathway, and is a major determinant of resistance to IR and oxidative DNA damage. These findings reveal distinctive features of mycobacterial DSB repair, most notably the dedication of the RecBCD and AdnAB helicase-nuclease machines to distinct repair pathways.