Mcm10 mediates the interaction between DNA replication and silencing machineries

Multifaceted role of the DNA replication protein MCM10 in maintaining genome stability and its implication in human diseases

MCM10 plays a vital role in genome duplication and is crucial for DNA replication initiation, elongation, and termination. It coordinates several proteins to assemble at the fork, form a functional replisome, trigger origin unwinding, and stabilize the replication bubble. MCM10 overexpression is associated with increased aggressiveness in breast, cervical, and several other cancers. Disruption of MCM10 leads to altered replication timing associated with initiation site gains and losses accompanied by genome instability. Knockdown of MCM10 affects the proliferation and migration of cancer cells, manifested by DNA damage and replication fork arrest, and has recently been shown to be associated with clinical conditions like CNKD and RCM. Loss of MCM10 function is associated with impaired telomerase activity, leading to the accumulation of abnormal replication forks and compromised telomere length. MCM10 interacts with histones, aids in nucleosome assembly, binds BRCA2 to maintain genome integrity during DNA damage, prevents lesion skipping, and inhibits PRIMPOL-mediated repriming. It also interacts with the fork reversal enzyme SMARCAL1 and inhibits fork regression. Additionally, MCM10 undergoes several post-translational modifications and contributes to transcriptional silencing by interacting with the SIR proteins. This review explores the mechanism associated with MCM10's multifaceted role in DNA replication initiation, chromatin organization, transcriptional silencing, replication stress, fork stability, telomere length maintenance, and DNA damage response. Finally, we discuss the role of MCM10 in the early detection of cancer, its prognostic significance, and its potential use in therapeutics for cancer treatment.

The interaction networks of the budding yeast and human DNA replication-initiation proteins

DNA replication is a stringently regulated cellular process. In proliferating cells, DNA replication-initiation proteins (RIPs) are sequentially loaded onto replication origins during the M-to-G₁ transition to form the pre-replicative complex (pre-RC), a process known as replication licensing. Subsequently, additional RIPs are recruited to form the pre-initiation complex (pre-IC). RIPs and their regulators ensure that chromosomal DNA is replicated exactly once per cell cycle. Origin recognition complex (ORC) binds to, and marks replication origins throughout the cell cycle and recruits other RIPs including Noc3p, Ipi1-3p, Cdt1p, Cdc6p and Mcm2-7p to form the pre-RC. The detailed mechanisms and regulation of the pre-RC and its exact architecture still remain unclear. In this study, pairwise protein-protein interactions among 23 budding yeast and 16 human RIPs were systematically and comprehensively examined by yeast two-hybrid analysis. This study tested 470 pairs of yeast and 196 pairs of human RIPs, from which 113 and 96 positive interactions, respectively, were identified. While many of these interactions were previously reported, some were novel, including various ORC and MCM subunit interactions, ORC self-interactions, and the interactions of IPI3 and NOC3 with several pre-RC and pre-IC proteins. Ten of the novel interactions were further confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation assays. Furthermore, we identified the conserved interaction networks between the yeast and human RIPs. This study provides a foundation and framework for further understanding the architectures, interactions and functions of the yeast and human pre-RC and pre-IC.

Modulation of Gene Silencing by Cdc7p via H4 K16 Acetylation and Phosphorylation of Chromatin Assembly Factor CAF-1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

CAF-1 is an evolutionarily conserved H3/H4 histone chaperone that plays a key role in replication-coupled chromatin assembly and is targeted to the replication fork via interactions with PCNA, which, if disrupted, leads to epigenetic defects. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, when the silent mating-type locus HMR contains point mutations within the E silencer, Sir protein association and silencing is lost. However, mutation of CDC7, encoding an S-phase-specific kinase, or subunits of the H4 K16-specific acetyltransferase complex SAS-I, restore silencing to this crippled HMR, HMR a e** Here, we observed that loss of Cac1p, the largest subunit of CAF-1, also restores silencing at HMR a e**, and silencing in both cac1Δ and cdc7 mutants is suppressed by overexpression of SAS2 We demonstrate Cdc7p and Cac1p interact in vivo in S phase, but not in G1, consistent with observed cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of Cac1p, and hypoacetylation of chromatin at H4 K16 in both cdc7 and cac1Δ mutants. Moreover, silencing at HMR a e** is restored in cells expressing cac1p mutants lacking Cdc7p phosphorylation sites. We also discovered that cac1Δ and cdc7-90 synthetically interact negatively in the presence of DNA damage, but that Cdc7p phosphorylation sites on Cac1p are not required for responses to DNA damage. Combined, our results support a model in which Cdc7p regulates replication-coupled histone modification via a CAC1-dependent mechanism involving H4 K16ac deposition, and thereby silencing, while CAF-1-dependent replication- and repair-coupled chromatin assembly per se are functional in the absence of phosphorylation of Cdc7p consensus sites on CAF-1.

Novel roles of HP1a and Mcm10 in DNA replication, genome maintenance and photoreceptor cell differentiation

Both Mcm10 and HP1a are known to be required for DNA replication. However, underlying mechanism is not clarified yet especially for HP1. Knockdown of both HP1a and Mcm10 genes inhibited the progression of S phase in Drosophila eye imaginal discs. Proximity Ligation Assay (PLA) demonstrated that HP1a is in close proximity to DNA replication proteins including Mcm10, RFC140 and DNA polymerase ε 255 kDa subunit in S-phase. This was further confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation assay. The PLA signals between Mcm10 and HP1a are specifically observed in the mitotic cycling cells, but not in the endocycling cells. Interestingly, many cells in the posterior regions of eye imaginal discs carrying a double knockdown of Mcm10 and HP1a induced ectopic DNA synthesis and DNA damage without much of ectopic apoptosis. Therefore, the G1-S checkpoint may be affected by knockdown of both proteins. This event was also the case with other HP family proteins such as HP4 and HP6. In addition, both Mcm10 and HP1a are required for differentiation of photoreceptor cells R1, R6 and R7. Further analyses on several developmental genes involved in the photoreceptor cell differentiation suggest that a role of both proteins is mediated by regulation of the lozenge gene.

Establishment of expression-state boundaries by Rif1 and Taz1 in fission yeast

The Shelterin component Rif1 has emerged as a global regulator of the replication-timing program in all eukaryotes examined to date, possibly by modulating the 3D-organization of the genome. In fission yeast a second Shelterin component, Taz1, might share similar functions. Here, we identified unexpected properties for Rif1 and Taz1 by conducting high-throughput genetic screens designed to identify cis- and trans-acting factors capable of creating heterochromatin-euchromatin boundaries in fission yeast. The preponderance of cis-acting elements identified in the screens originated from genomic loci bound by Taz1 and associated with origins of replication whose firing is repressed by Taz1 and Rif1. Boundary formation and gene silencing by these elements required Taz1 and Rif1 and coincided with altered replication timing in the region. Thus, small chromosomal elements sensitive to Taz1 and Rif1 (STAR) could simultaneously regulate gene expression and DNA replication over a large domain, at the edge of which they established a heterochromatin-euchromatin boundary. Taz1, Rif1, and Rif1-associated protein phosphatases Sds21 and Dis2 were each sufficient to establish a boundary when tethered to DNA. Moreover, efficient boundary formation required the amino-terminal domain of the Mcm4 replicative helicase onto which the antagonistic activities of the replication-promoting Dbf4-dependent kinase and Rif1-recruited phosphatases are believed to converge to control replication origin firing. Altogether these observations provide an insight into a coordinated control of DNA replication and organization of the genome into expression domains.

Mechanisms Governing DDK Regulation of the Initiation of DNA Replication

The budding yeast Dbf4-dependent kinase (DDK) complex—comprised of cell division cycle (Cdc7) kinase and its regulatory subunit dumbbell former 4 (Dbf4)—is required to trigger the initiation of DNA replication through the phosphorylation of multiple minichromosome maintenance complex subunits 2-7 (Mcm2-7). DDK is also a target of the radiation sensitive 53 (Rad53) checkpoint kinase in response to replication stress. Numerous investigations have determined mechanistic details, including the regions of Mcm2, Mcm4, and Mcm6 phosphorylated by DDK, and a number of DDK docking sites. Similarly, the way in which the Rad53 forkhead-associated 1 (FHA1) domain binds to DDK—involving both canonical and non-canonical interactions—has been elucidated. Recent work has revealed mutual promotion of DDK and synthetic lethal with dpb11-1 3 (Sld3) roles. While DDK phosphorylation of Mcm2-7 subunits facilitates their interaction with Sld3 at origins, Sld3 in turn stimulates DDK phosphorylation of Mcm2. Details of a mutually antagonistic relationship between DDK and Rap1-interacting factor 1 (Rif1) have also recently come to light. While Rif1 is able to reverse DDK-mediated Mcm2-7 complex phosphorylation by targeting the protein phosphatase glycogen 7 (Glc7) to origins, there is evidence to suggest that DDK can counteract this activity by binding to and phosphorylating Rif1.

Xenopus Mcm10 is a CDK-substrate required for replication fork stability

During S phase, following activation of the S phase CDKs and the DBF4-dependent kinases (DDK), double hexamers of Mcm2-7 at licensed replication origins are activated to form the core replicative helicase. Mcm10 is one of several proteins that have been implicated from work in yeasts to play a role in forming a mature replisome during the initiation process. Mcm10 has also been proposed to play a role in promoting replisome stability after initiation has taken place. The role of Mcm10 is particularly unclear in metazoans, where conflicting data has been presented. Here, we investigate the role and regulation of Mcm10 in Xenopus egg extracts. We show that Xenopus Mcm10 is recruited to chromatin late in the process of replication initiation and this requires prior action of DDKs and CDKs. We also provide evidence that Mcm10 is a CDK substrate but does not need to be phosphorylated in order to associate with chromatin. We show that in extracts depleted of more than 99% of Mcm10, the bulk of DNA replication still occurs, suggesting that Mcm10 is not required for the process of replication initiation. However, in extracts depleted of Mcm10, the replication fork elongation rate is reduced. Furthermore, the absence of Mcm10 or its phosphorylation by CDK results in instability of replisome proteins on DNA, which is particularly important under conditions of replication stress.

Mcm10 is required for oogenesis and early embryogenesis in Drosophila

Efficient replication of the genome and the establishment of endogenous chromatin states are processes that are essential to eukaryotic life. It is well documented that Mcm10 is intimately linked to both of these important biological processes; therefore, it is not surprising that Mcm10 is commonly misregulated in many human cancers. Most of the research regarding the biological roles of Mcm10 has been performed in single-cell or cell-free in-vitro systems. Though these systems are informative, they are unable to provide information on the cell-specific function of Mcm10 in the context of the tissue and organ systems that comprise multicellular eukaryotes. We therefore sought to identify the potential biological functions of Mcm10 in the context of a complex multicellular organism by continuing our analysis in Drosophila using three novel hypomorphic alleles. Observation of embryonic nuclear morphology and quantification of embryo hatch rates reveal that maternal loading of Mcm10 is required for embryonic nuclear stability, and suggest a role for Mcm10 post zygotic transition. Contrary to the essential nature of Mcm10 depicted in the literature, it does not appear to be required for adult viability in Drosophila if embryonic requirements are met. Although not required for adult somatic viability, analysis of fecundity and ovarian morphology in mutant females suggest that Mcm10 plays a role in maintenance of the female germline. Taken together, our results demonstrate critical roles for Mcm10 during early embryogenesis, and mark the first data linking Mcm10 to female specific reproduction in multicellular eukaryotes.

Switch on the engine: how the eukaryotic replicative helicase MCM2-7 becomes activated

A crucial step during eukaryotic initiation of DNA replication is the correct loading and activation of the replicative DNA helicase, which ensures that each replication origin fires only once. Unregulated DNA helicase loading and activation, as it occurs in cancer, can cause severe DNA damage and genomic instability. The essential mini-chromosome maintenance proteins 2-7 (MCM2-7) represent the core of the eukaryotic replicative helicase that is loaded at DNA replication origins during G1-phase of the cell cycle. The MCM2-7 helicase activity, however, is only triggered during S-phase once the holo-helicase Cdc45-MCM2-7-GINS (CMG) has been formed. A large number of factors and several kinases interact and contribute to CMG formation and helicase activation, though the exact mechanisms remain unclear. Crucially, upon DNA damage, this reaction is temporarily halted to ensure genome integrity. Here, we review the current understanding of helicase activation; we focus on protein interactions during CMG formation, discuss structural changes during helicase activation, and outline similarities and differences of the prokaryotic and eukaryotic helicase activation process.

Role of DNA replication in establishment and propagation of epigenetic states of chromatin

DNA replication is the fundamental process of duplication of the genetic information that is vital for survival of all living cells. The basic mechanistic steps of replication initiation, elongation and termination are conserved among bacteria, lower eukaryotes, like yeast and metazoans. However, the details of the mechanisms are different. Furthermore, there is a close coordination between chromatin assembly pathways and various components of replication machinery whereby DNA replication is coupled to "chromatin replication" during cell cycle. Thereby, various epigenetic modifications associated with different states of gene expression in differentiated cells and the related chromatin structures are faithfully propagated during the cell division through tight coupling with the DNA replication machinery. Several examples are found in lower eukaryotes like budding yeast and fission yeast with close parallels in metazoans.

Drosophila Mcm10 is required for DNA replication and differentiation in the compound eye

Mini chromosome maintenance 10 (Mcm10) is an essential protein, which is conserved from S. cerevisiae to Drosophila and human, and is required for the initiation of DNA replication. Knockdown of Drosophila Mcm10 (dMcm10) by RNA interference in eye imaginal discs induces abnormal eye morphology (rough eye phenotype), and the number of ommatidia is decreased in adult eyes. We also observed a delay in the S phase and M phase in eye discs of dMcm10 knockdown fly lines. These results show important roles for dMcm10 in the progression of S and M phases. Furthermore, genome damage and apoptosis were induced by dMcm10 knockdown in eye imaginal discs. Surprisingly, when we used deadpan-lacZ and klingon-lacZ enhancer trap lines to monitor the photoreceptor cells in eye discs, knockdown of dMcm10 by the GMR-GAL4 driver reduced the signals of R7 photoreceptor cells. These data suggest an involvement of dMcm10 in R7 cell differentiation. This involvement appears to be independent of the apoptosis induced by dMcm10 knockdown. Together, these results suggest that dMcm10 knockdown has an effect on DNA replication and R7 cell differentiation.

MCM10: one tool for all-Integrity, maintenance and damage control

Minichromsome maintenance protein 10 (Mcm10) is an essential replication factor that is required for the activation of the Cdc45:Mcm2-7:GINS helicase. Mcm10's ability to bind both ds and ssDNA appears vital for this function. In addition, Mcm10 interacts with multiple players at the replication fork, including DNA polymerase-α and proliferating cell nuclear antigen with which it cooperates during DNA elongation. Mcm10 lacks enzymatic function, but instead provides the replication apparatus with an oligomeric scaffold that likely acts in the coordination of DNA unwinding and DNA synthesis. Not surprisingly, loss of Mcm10 engages checkpoint, DNA repair and SUMO-dependent rescue pathways that collectively counteract replication stress and chromosome breakage. Here, we review Mcm10's structure and function and explain how it contributes to the maintenance of genome integrity.

Epigenetics in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae provides a well-studied model system for heritable silent chromatin, in which a nonhistone protein complex--the SIR complex--represses genes by spreading in a sequence-independent manner, much like heterochromatin in higher eukaryotes. The ability to study mutations in histones and to screen genome-wide for mutations that impair silencing has yielded an unparalleled depth of detail about this system. Recent advances in the biochemistry and structural biology of the SIR-chromatin complex bring us much closer to a molecular understanding of how Sir3 selectively recognizes the deacetylated histone H4 tail and demethylated histone H3 core. The existence of appropriate mutants has also shown how components of the silencing machinery affect physiological processes beyond transcriptional repression.

Human SIRT1 regulates DNA binding and stability of the Mcm10 DNA replication factor via deacetylation

The eukaryotic DNA replication initiation factor Mcm10 is essential for both replisome assembly and function. Human Mcm10 has two DNA-binding domains, the conserved internal domain (ID) and the C-terminal domain (CTD), which is specific to metazoans. SIRT1 is a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent deacetylase that belongs to the sirtuin family. It is conserved from yeast to human and participates in cellular controls of metabolism, longevity, gene expression and genomic stability. Here we report that human Mcm10 is an acetylated protein regulated by SIRT1, which binds and deacetylates Mcm10 both in vivo and in vitro, and modulates Mcm10 stability and ability to bind DNA. Mcm10 and SIRT1 appear to act synergistically for DNA replication fork initiation. Furthermore, we show that the two DNA-binding domains of Mcm10 are modulated in distinct fashion by acetylation/deacetylation, suggesting an integrated regulation mechanism. Overall, our study highlights the importance of protein acetylation for DNA replication initiation and progression, and suggests that SIRT1 may mediate a crosstalk between cellular circuits controlling metabolism and DNA synthesis.

Enigmatic roles of Mcm10 in DNA replication

Minichromosome maintenance protein 10 (Mcm10) is required for DNA replication in all eukaryotes. Although the exact contribution of Mcm10 to genome replication remains heavily debated, early reports suggested that it promotes DNA unwinding and origin firing. These ideas have been solidified by recent studies that propose a role for Mcm10 in helicase activation. Whereas the molecular underpinnings of this activation step have yet to be revealed, structural data on Mcm10 provide further insight into a possible mechanism of action. The essential role in DNA replication initiation is not mutually exclusive with additional functions that Mcm10 may have as part of the elongation machinery. Here, we review the recent findings regarding the role of Mcm10 in DNA replication and discuss existing controversies.

Mcm10 associates with the loaded DNA helicase at replication origins and defines a novel step in its activation

Mcm10 is essential for chromosome replication in eukaryotic cells and was previously thought to link the Mcm2-7 DNA helicase at replication forks to DNA polymerase alpha. Here, we show that yeast Mcm10 interacts preferentially with the fraction of the Mcm2-7 helicase that is loaded in an inactive form at origins of DNA replication, suggesting a role for Mcm10 during the initiation of chromosome replication, but Mcm10 is not a stable component of the replisome subsequently. Studies with budding yeast and human cells indicated that Mcm10 chaperones the catalytic subunit of polymerase alpha and preserves its stability. We used a novel degron allele to inactivate Mcm10 efficiently and this blocked the initiation of chromosome replication without causing degradation of DNA polymerase alpha. Strikingly, the other essential helicase subunits Cdc45 and GINS were still recruited to Mcm2-7 when cells entered S-phase without Mcm10, but origin unwinding was blocked. These findings indicate that Mcm10 is required for a novel step during activation of the Cdc45-MCM-GINS helicase at DNA replication origins.

Structural biology of replication initiation factor Mcm10

Minichromosome maintenance protein 10 (Mcm10) is a non-enzymatic replication factor required for proper assembly of the eukaryotic replication fork. Mcm10 interacts with single-stranded and double-stranded DNA, DNA polymerase α and Mcm2-7, and is important for activation of the pre-replicative complex and recruitment of subsequent proteins to the origin at the onset of S-phase. In addition, Mcm10 has recently been implicated in coordination of helicase and polymerase activities during replication fork progression. The nature of Mcm10's involvement in these activities, whether direct or indirect, remains unknown. However, recent biochemical and structural characterization of Mcm10 from multiple organisms has provided insights into how Mcm10 utilizes a modular architecture to act as a replisome scaffold, which helps to define possible roles in origin DNA melting, Pol α recruitment and coordination of enzymatic activities during elongation.

Linking DNA replication to heterochromatin silencing and epigenetic inheritance

Chromatin is organized into distinct functional domains. During mitotic cell division, both genetic information encoded in DNA sequence and epigenetic information embedded in chromatin structure must be faithfully duplicated. The inheritance of epigenetic states is critical in maintaining the genome integrity and gene expression state. In this review, we will discuss recent progress on how proteins known to be involved in DNA replication and DNA replication-coupled nucleosome assembly impact on the inheritance and maintenance of heterochromatin, a tightly compact chromatin structure that silences gene transcription. As heterochromatin is important in regulating gene expression and maintaining genome stability, understanding how heterochromatin states are inherited during S phase of the cell cycle is of fundamental importance.

Dare to challenge the silence? Telomeric gene silencing revisited

Gene silencing refers to position-dependent and promoter-independent repression of genes via the establishment and the maintenance of compacted heterochromatin. A very significant part of our knowledge on this phenomenon has been derived from studies in the yeasts S. cerevisiae and S. pombe. The gene silencing analyses in these species very often include the FOA-sensitivity assay, which detects the suppression of a reporter gene (URA3 in S. cerevisiae and URA4 in S. pombe) inserted at genomic locations of choice. Two recent studies have contested the validity of this assay and have set uneasy silence in the field. We are not certain how much of the previously acquired data truly deals with gene silencing. The current article comments on this challenge.

Multiple functions for Drosophila Mcm10 suggested through analysis of two Mcm10 mutant alleles

DNA replication and the correct packaging of DNA into different states of chromatin are both essential processes in all eukaryotic cells. High-fidelity replication of DNA is essential for the transmission of genetic material to cells. Likewise the maintenance of the epigenetic chromatin states is essential to the faithful reproduction of the transcriptional state of the cell. It is becoming more apparent that these two processes are linked through interactions between DNA replication proteins and chromatin-associated proteins. In addition, more proteins are being discovered that have dual roles in both DNA replication and the maintenance of epigenetic states. We present an analysis of two Drosophila mutants in the conserved DNA replication protein Mcm10. A hypomorphic mutant demonstrates that Mcm10 has a role in heterochromatic silencing and chromosome condensation, while the analysis of a novel C-terminal truncation allele of Mcm10 suggests that an interaction with Mcm2 is not required for chromosome condensation and heterochromatic silencing but is important for DNA replication.

The dual role of autonomously replicating sequences as origins of replication and as silencers

Autonomously replicating sequences (ARSs) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been extensively characterized as both origins of DNA replication and as chromatin repressors/silencers. It has been conclusively shown that the origin and the silencer activities of ARS are substantially, but not entirely interchangeable and that they are modulated by position effects and chromatin environment. It remains unclear how these two quite divergent functions of ARS co-exist. This perspective focuses on recent advances, which have shown that slight differences in ARSs can modulate their affinity for origin recognition complex and their activity as silencers or origins.

Novel DNA binding properties of the Mcm10 protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The Mcm10 protein is essential for chromosomal DNA replication in eukaryotic cells. We purified the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mcm10 (ScMcm10) and characterized its DNA binding properties. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and surface plasmon resonance analysis showed that ScMcm10 binds stably to both double strand (ds) DNA and single strand (ss) DNA. On short DNA templates of 25 or 50 bp, surface plasmon resonance analysis showed a approximately 1:1 stoichiometry of ScMcm10 to dsDNA. On longer dsDNA templates, however, multiple copies of ScMcm10 cooperated in the rapid assembly of a large, stable nucleoprotein complex. The amount of protein bound was directly proportional to the length of the DNA, with an average occupancy spacing of 21-24 bp. This tight spacing is consistent with a nucleoprotein structure in which ScMcm10 is aligned along the helical axis of the dsDNA. In contrast, the stoichiometry of ScMcm10 bound to ssDNA of 20-50 nucleotides was approximately 3:1 suggesting that interaction with ssDNA induces the assembly of a multisubunit ScMcm10 complex composed of at least three subunits. The tight packing of ScMcm10 on dsDNA and the assembly of a multisubunit complex on ssDNA suggests that, in addition to protein-DNA, protein-protein interactions may be involved in forming the nucleoprotein complex. We propose that these DNA binding properties have an important role in (i) initiation of DNA replication and (ii) formation and maintenance of a stable replication fork during the elongation phase of chromosomal DNA replication.