Head-on collision between a DNA replication apparatus and RNA polymerase transcription complex

Coordinating Replication with Transcription

DNA topological transitions occur when replication forks encounter other DNA transactions such as transcription. Failure in resolving such conflicts leads to generation of aberrant replication and transcription intermediates that might have adverse effects on genome stability. Cells have evolved numerous surveillance mechanisms to avoid, tolerate, and resolve such replication-transcription conflicts. Defects or non-coordination in such cellular mechanisms might have catastrophic effect on cell viability. In this chapter, we review consequences of replication encounters with transcription and its associated events, topological challenges, and how these inevitable conflicts alter the genome structure and functions.

The nature of mutations induced by replication–transcription collisions

The DNA replication and transcription machineries share a common DNA template and thus can collide with each other co-directionally or head-on^1,2. Replication-transcription collisions can cause replication fork arrest, premature transcription termination, DNA breaks, and recombination intermediates threatening genome integrity^1–10. Collisions may also trigger mutations, which are major contributors of genetic disease and evolution^5,7,11. However, the nature and mechanisms of collision-induced mutagenesis remain poorly understood. Here we reveal the genetic consequence of replication-transcription collisions in actively dividing bacteria to be two classes of mutations: duplications/deletions and base substitutions in promoters. Both signatures are highly deleterious but are distinct from the well-characterized base substitutions in coding sequence. Duplications/deletions are likely caused by replication stalling events that are triggered by collisions; their distribution patterns are consistent with where the fork first encounters a transcription complex upon entering a transcription unit. Promoter substitutions result mostly from head-on collisions and frequently occur at a nucleotide conserved in promoters recognized by the major sigma factor in bacteria. This substitution is generated via adenine deamination on the template strand in the promoter open complex, as a consequence of head-on replication perturbing transcription initiation. We conclude that replication-transcription collisions induce distinct mutation signatures by antagonizing replication and transcription, not only in coding sequences but also in gene regulatory elements.

Detection of RNA-DNA association by a proximity ligation-based method

We describe a proximity ligation assay (PLA)-based method of assessing association of DNA and RNA in single cells during the cell cycle. Pulse-labeling of DNA with EdU and RNA with BrU and testing their close proximity by PLA demonstrates that RNA synthesis in individual cells resumes about 30–45 min after DNA replication. Consistent with this conclusion, RNA Pol II phosphorylated at Ser2 of its CTD is detected at the same time as RNA transcripts on nascent DNA. Our results also show that RNA is associated with DNA foci during all stages of mitosis.

Dissecting the Roles of Divergent and Convergent Transcription in Chromosome Instability

The interplay of transcription, topological tension, and chromosome breakage is a subject of intense interest, but, with so many facets to the problem, it is difficult to test. Here, we vary the orientation of promoters relative to one another in a yeast system that permits sensitive detection of chromosome breaks. Interestingly, convergent transcription that would direct RNA polymerases into one another does not increase chromosome breakage. In contrast, divergent transcription that would create underwound and potentially single-stranded DNA does cause a marked increase in chromosome breakage. Furthermore, we examine the role that topoisomerases are playing in preventing genome instability at these promoters and find that Top2 is required to prevent instability at converging promoters.

Gene structure variation in segmental duplication block C of human chromosome 7q 11.23 during primate evolution

Segmental duplication, or low-copy repeat (LCR) event, occurs during primate evolution and is an important source of genomic diversity, including gain or loss of gene function. The human chromosome 7q 11.23 is related to the William-Beuren syndrome and contains large region-specific LCRs composed of blocks A, B, and C that have different copy numbers in humans and different primates. We analyzed the structure of POM121, NSUN5, FKBP6, and TRIM50 genes in the LCRs of block C. Based on computational analysis, POM121B created by a segmental duplication acquired a new exonic region, whereas NSUN5B (NSUN5C) showed structural variation by integration of HERV-K LTR after duplication from the original NSUN5 gene. The TRIM50 gene originally consists of seven exons, whereas the duplicated TRIM73 and TRIM74 genes present five exons because of homologous recombination-mediated deletion. In addition, independent duplication events of the FKBP6 gene generated two pseudogenes at different genomic locations. In summary, these clustered genes are created by segmental duplication, indicating that they show dynamic evolutionary events, leading to structure variation in the primate genome.

Replisome Dynamics during Chromosome Duplication

This review describes the components of the Escherichia coli replisome and the dynamic process in which they function and interact under normal conditions. It also briefly describes the behavior of the replisome during situations in which normal replication fork movement is disturbed, such as when the replication fork collides with sites of DNA damage. E. coli DNA Pol III was isolated first from a polA mutant E. coli strain that lacked the relatively abundant DNA Pol I activity. Further biochemical studies, and the use of double mutant strains, revealed Pol III to be the replicative DNA polymerase essential to cell viability. In a replisome, DnaG primase must interact with DnaB for activity, and this constraint ensures that new RNA primers localize to the replication fork. The leading strand polymerase continually synthesizes DNA in the direction of the replication fork, whereas the lagging-strand polymerase synthesizes short, discontinuous Okazaki fragments in the opposite direction. Discontinuous lagging-strand synthesis requires that the polymerase rapidly dissociate from each new completed Okazaki fragment in order to begin the extension of a new RNA primer. Lesion bypass can be thought of as a two-step reaction that starts with the incorporation of a nucleotide opposite the lesion, followed by the extension of the resulting distorted primer terminus. A remarkable property of E. coli, and many other eubacterial organisms, is the speed at which it propagates. Rapid cell division requires the presence of an extremely efficient replication machinery for the rapid and faithful duplication of the genome.

Mechanism of regulation of 'chromosome kissing' induced by Fob1 and its physiological significance

Protein-mediated "chromosome kissing" between two DNA sites in trans (or in cis) is known to facilitate three-dimensional control of gene expression and DNA replication. However, the mechanisms of regulation of the long-range interactions are unknown. Here, we show that the replication terminator protein Fob1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae promoted chromosome kissing that initiated rDNA recombination and controlled the replicative life span (RLS). Oligomerization of Fob1 caused synaptic (kissing) interactions between pairs of terminator (Ter) sites that initiated recombination in rDNA. Fob1 oligomerization and Ter-Ter kissing were regulated by intramolecular inhibitory interactions between the C-terminal domain (C-Fob1) and the N-terminal domain (N-Fob1). Phosphomimetic substitutions of specific residues of C-Fob1 counteracted the inhibitory interaction. A mutation in either N-Fob1 that blocked Fob1 oligomerization or C-Fob1 that blocked its phosphorylation antagonized chromosome kissing and recombination and enhanced the RLS. The results provide novel insights into a mechanism of regulation of Fob1-mediated chromosome kissing.

Perturbed states of the bacterial chromosome: a thymineless death case study

Spatial patterns of transcriptional activity in the living genome of Escherichia coli represent one of the more peculiar aspects of the E. coli chromosome biology. Spatial transcriptional correlations can be observed throughout the chromosome, and their formation depends on the state of replication in the cell. The condition of thymine starvation leading to thymineless death (TLD) is at the "cross-roads" of replication and transcription. According to a current view, e.g., (Cagliero et al., 2014), one of the cellular objectives is to segregate the processes of transcription and replication in time and space. An ultimate segregation would take place when one process is inhibited and another is not, as it happens during thymine starvation, which results in numerous molecular and physiological abnormalities associated with TLD. One of such abnormalities is the loss of spatial correlations in the vicinity of the origin of replication. We review the transcriptional consequences of replication inhibition by thymine starvation in a context of the state of DNA template in the starved cells and opine about a possible significance of normal physiological coupling between the processes of replication and transcription.

Single molecule analysis of Trypanosoma brucei DNA replication dynamics

Eukaryotic genome duplication relies on origins of replication, distributed over multiple chromosomes, to initiate DNA replication. A recent genome-wide analysis of Trypanosoma brucei, the etiological agent of sleeping sickness, localized its replication origins to the boundaries of multigenic transcription units. To better understand genomic replication in this organism, we examined replication by single molecule analysis of replicated DNA. We determined the average speed of replication forks of procyclic and bloodstream form cells and we found that T. brucei DNA replication rate is similar to rates seen in other eukaryotes. We also analyzed the replication dynamics of a central region of chromosome 1 in procyclic forms. We present evidence for replication terminating within the central part of the chromosome and thus emanating from both sides, suggesting a previously unmapped origin toward the 5′ extremity of chromosome 1. Also, termination is not at a fixed location in chromosome 1, but is rather variable. Importantly, we found a replication origin located near an ORC1/CDC6 binding site that is detected after replicative stress induced by hydroxyurea treatment, suggesting it may be a dormant origin activated in response to replicative stress. Collectively, our findings support the existence of more replication origins in T. brucei than previously appreciated.

The global regulatory architecture of transcription during the Caulobacter cell cycle

Each Caulobacter cell cycle involves differentiation and an asymmetric cell division driven by a cyclical regulatory circuit comprised of four transcription factors (TFs) and a DNA methyltransferase. Using a modified global 5′ RACE protocol, we globally mapped transcription start sites (TSSs) at base-pair resolution, measured their transcription levels at multiple times in the cell cycle, and identified their transcription factor binding sites. Out of 2726 TSSs, 586 were shown to be cell cycle-regulated and we identified 529 binding sites for the cell cycle master regulators. Twenty-three percent of the cell cycle-regulated promoters were found to be under the combinatorial control of two or more of the global regulators. Previously unknown features of the core cell cycle circuit were identified, including 107 antisense TSSs which exhibit cell cycle-control, and 241 genes with multiple TSSs whose transcription levels often exhibited different cell cycle timing. Cumulatively, this study uncovered novel new layers of transcriptional regulation mediating the bacterial cell cycle.

The generation of diverse cell types occurs through two fundamental processes; asymmetric cell division and cell differentiation. Cells progress through these developmental changes guided by complex and layered genetic programs that lead to differential expression of the genome. To explore how a genetic program directs cell cycle progression, we examined the global activity of promoters at distinct stages of the cell cycle of the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus, that undergoes cellular differentiation and divides asymmetrically at each cell division. We found that approximately 21% of transcription start sites are cell cycle-regulated, driving the transcription of both mRNAs and non-coding and antisense RNAs. In addition, 102 cell cycle-regulated genes are transcribed from multiple promoters, allowing multiple regulatory inputs to control the logic of gene activation. We found combinatorial control by the five master transcription regulators that provide the core regulation for the genetic circuitry controlling the cell cycle. Much of this combinatorial control appears to be directed at refinement of temporal expression of various genes over the cell cycle, and at tighter control of asymmetric gene expression between the swarmer and stalked daughter cells.

Transcription and recombination: when RNA meets DNA

A particularly relevant phenomenon in cell physiology and proliferation is the fact that spontaneous mitotic recombination is strongly enhanced by transcription. The most accepted view is that transcription increases the occurrence of double-strand breaks and/or single-stranded DNA gaps that are repaired by recombination. Most breaks would arise as a consequence of the impact that transcription has on replication fork progression, provoking its stalling and/or breakage. Here, we discuss the mechanisms responsible for the cross talk between transcription and recombination, with emphasis on (1) the transcription-replication conflicts as the main source of recombinogenic DNA breaks, and (2) the formation of cotranscriptional R-loops as a major cause of such breaks. The new emerging questions and perspectives are discussed on the basis of the interference between transcription and replication, as well as the way RNA influences genome dynamics.

Visualizing protein movement on DNA at the single-molecule level using DNA curtains

A fundamental feature of many nucleic-acid binding proteins is their ability to move along DNA either by diffusion-based mechanisms or by ATP-hydrolysis driven translocation. For example, most site-specific DNA-binding proteins must diffuse to some extent along DNA to either find their target sites, or to otherwise fulfill their biological roles. Similarly, nucleic-acid translocases such as helicases and polymerases must move along DNA to fulfill their functions. In both instances, the proteins must also be capable of moving in crowded environments while navigating through DNA-bound obstacles. These types of behaviors can be challenging to analyze by bulk biochemical methods because of the transient nature of the interactions, and/or heterogeneity of the reaction intermediates. The advent of single-molecule methodologies has overcome some of these problems, and has led to many new insights into the mechanisms that contribute to protein motion along DNA. We have developed DNA curtains as a tool to facilitate single molecule observations of protein-nucleic acid interactions, and we have applied these new research tools to systems involving both diffusive-based motion as well as ATP directed translocation. Here we highlight these studies by first discussing how diffusion contributes to target searches by proteins involved in post-replicative mismatch repair. We then discuss DNA curtain assays of two different DNA translocases, RecBCD and FtsK, which participate in homologous DNA recombination and site-specific DNA recombination, respectively.

Dealing with transcriptional outbursts during S phase to protect genomic integrity

Transcription during S phase needs to be spatially and temporally regulated to prevent collisions between the transcription and replication machineries. Cells have evolved a number of mechanisms to make both processes compatible under normal growth conditions. When conflict management fails, the head-on encounter between RNA and DNA polymerases results in genomic instability unless conflict resolution mechanisms are activated. Nevertheless, there are specific situations in which cells need to dramatically change their transcriptional landscape to adapt to environmental challenges. Signal transduction pathways, such as stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs), serve to regulate gene expression in response to environmental insults. Prototypical members of SAPKs are the yeast Hog1 and mammalian p38. In response to stress, p38/Hog1 SAPKs control transcription and also regulate cell cycle progression. When yeast cells are stressed during S phase, Hog1 promotes gene induction and, remarkably, also delays replication by directly affecting early origin firing and fork progression. Therefore, by delaying replication, Hog1 plays a key role in preventing conflicts between RNA and DNA polymerases. In this review, we focus on the genomic determinants and mechanisms that make compatible transcription with replication during S phase to prevent genomic instability, especially in response to environmental changes.

Causes of genome instability

Genomes are transmitted faithfully from dividing cells to their offspring. Changes that occur during DNA repair, chromosome duplication, and transmission or via recombination provide a natural source of genetic variation. They occur at low frequency because of the intrinsic variable nature of genomes, which we refer to as genome instability. However, genome instability can be enhanced by exposure to external genotoxic agents or as the result of cellular pathologies. We review the causes of genome instability as well as how it results in hyper-recombination, genome rearrangements, and chromosome fragmentation and loss, which are mainly mediated by double-strand breaks or single-strand gaps. Such events are primarily associated with defects in DNA replication and the DNA damage response, and show high incidence at repetitive DNA, non-B DNA structures, DNA-protein barriers, and highly transcribed regions. Identifying the causes of genome instability is crucial to understanding genome dynamics during cell proliferation and its role in cancer, aging, and a number of rare genetic diseases.

Back to the origin: reconsidering replication, transcription, epigenetics, and cell cycle control

In bacteria, replication is a carefully orchestrated event that unfolds the same way for each bacterium and each cell division. The process of DNA replication in bacteria optimizes cell growth and coordinates high levels of simultaneous replication and transcription. In metazoans, the organization of replication is more enigmatic. The lack of a specific sequence that defines origins of replication has, until recently, severely limited our ability to define the organizing principles of DNA replication. This question is of particular importance as emerging data suggest that replication stress is an important contributor to inherited genetic damage and the genomic instability in tumors. We consider here the replication program in several different organisms including recent genome-wide analyses of replication origins in humans. We review recent studies on the role of cytosine methylation in replication origins, the role of transcriptional looping and gene gating in DNA replication, and the role of chromatin's 3-dimensional structure in DNA replication. We use these new findings to consider several questions surrounding DNA replication in metazoans: How are origins selected? What is the relationship between replication and transcription? How do checkpoints inhibit origin firing? Why are there early and late firing origins? We then discuss whether oncogenes promote cancer through a role in DNA replication and whether errors in DNA replication are important contributors to the genomic alterations and gene fusion events observed in cancer. We conclude with some important areas for future experimentation.

Genomic comparisons between paired bacterial strains with strong and weak GC skews

A majority of known eubacterial genomes are characteristic of GC skew, i.e., the leading strand has exceeding number of G over C. The cause of this compositional bias is still not very clear. In this study, we chose five pairs of genomes from distantly related bacterial genera, i.e., Buchnera, Haemophilus, Mycoplasma, Mycobacterium, and Synechococcus, each containing one with strong GC skew and the other with weak GC skew. Through comparison of the orthologous genes in these genera, we found that neither chromosomal rearrangement nor CDS skew has direct relationship with GC skew.

Molecular traffic jams on DNA

All aspects of DNA metabolism-including transcription, replication, and repair-involve motor enzymes that move along genomic DNA. These processes must all take place on chromosomes that are occupied by a large number of other proteins. However, very little is known regarding how nucleic acid motor proteins move along the crowded DNA substrates that are likely to exist in physiological settings. This review summarizes recent progress in understanding how DNA-binding motor proteins respond to the presence of other proteins that lie in their paths. We highlight recent single-molecule biophysical experiments aimed at addressing this question, with an emphasis placed on analyzing the single-molecule, ensemble biochemical, and in vivo data from a mechanistic perspective.

Transposable Elements: No More 'Junk DNA'

Since the advent of whole-genome sequencing, transposable elements (TEs), just thought to be 'junk' DNA, have been noticed because of their numerous copies in various eukaryotic genomes. Many studies about TEs have been conducted to discover their functions in their host genomes. Based on the results of those studies, it has been generally accepted that they have a function to cause genomic and genetic variations. However, their infinite functions are not fully elucidated. Through various mechanisms, including de novo TE insertions, TE insertion-mediated deletions, and recombination events, they manipulate their host genomes. In this review, we focus on Alu, L1, human endogenous retrovirus, and short interspersed element/variable number of tandem repeats/Alu (SVA) elements and discuss how they have affected primate genomes, especially the human and chimpanzee genomes, since their divergence.

Interference between DNA replication and transcription as a cause of genomic instability

Replication and transcription are key aspects of DNA metabolism that take place on the same template and potentially interfere with each other. Conflicts between these two activities include head-on or co-directional collisions between DNA and RNA polymerases, which can lead to the formation of DNA breaks and chromosome rearrangements. To avoid these deleterious consequences and prevent genomic instability, cells have evolved multiple mechanisms preventing replication forks from colliding with the transcription machinery. Yet, recent reports indicate that interference between replication and transcription is not limited to physical interactions between polymerases and that other cotranscriptional processes can interfere with DNA replication. These include DNA-RNA hybrids that assemble behind elongating RNA polymerases, impede fork progression and promote homologous recombination. Here, we discuss recent evidence indicating that R-loops represent a major source of genomic instability in all organisms, from bacteria to human, and are potentially implicated in cancer development.

Strand-specific RNA-seq reveals ordered patterns of sense and antisense transcription in Bacillus anthracis

BACKGROUND

Although genome-wide transcriptional analysis has been used for many years to study bacterial gene expression, many aspects of the bacterial transcriptome remain undefined. One example is antisense transcription, which has been observed in a number of bacteria, though the function of antisense transcripts, and their distribution across the bacterial genome, is still unclear.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Single-stranded RNA-seq results revealed a widespread and non-random pattern of antisense transcription covering more than two thirds of the B. anthracis genome. Our analysis revealed a variety of antisense structural patterns, suggesting multiple mechanisms of antisense transcription. The data revealed several instances of sense and antisense expression changes in different growth conditions, suggesting that antisense transcription may play a role in the ways in which B. anthracis responds to its environment. Significantly, genome-wide antisense expression occurred at consistently higher levels on the lagging strand, while the leading strand showed very little antisense activity. Intrasample gene expression comparisons revealed a gene dosage effect in all growth conditions, where genes farthest from the origin showed the lowest overall range of expression for both sense and antisense directed transcription. Additionally, transcription from both strands was verified using a novel strand-specific assay. The variety of structural patterns we observed in antisense transcription suggests multiple mechanisms for this phenomenon, suggesting that some antisense transcription may play a role in regulating the expression of key genes, while some may be due to chromosome replication dynamics and transcriptional noise.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

Although the variety of structural patterns we observed in antisense transcription suggest multiple mechanisms for antisense expression, our data also clearly indicate that antisense transcription may play a genome-wide role in regulating the expression of key genes in Bacillus species. This study illustrates the surprising complexity of prokaryotic RNA abundance for both strands of a bacterial chromosome.

CarD: a new RNA polymerase modulator in mycobacteria

Mycobacteria CarD is an essential RNAP binding protein that regulates many transcripts including rRNA. This article will review our present state of knowledge regarding CarD and compare the known functions of CarD with other RNAP binding proteins in E. coli, emphasizing how this information can guide future investigations.

Transcription and replication: breaking the rules of the road causes genomic instability

Replication and transcription machineries progress at high speed on the same DNA template, which inevitably causes traffic accidents. Problems are not only caused by frontal collisions between polymerases, but also by cotranscriptional R-loops. These RNA-DNA hybrids induce genomic instability by blocking fork progression and could be implicated in the development of cancer.

Replication-transcription conflicts in bacteria

DNA replication and transcription use the same template and occur concurrently in bacteria. The lack of temporal and spatial separation of these two processes leads to their conflict, and failure to deal with this conflict can result in genome alterations and reduced fitness. In recent years major advances have been made in understanding how cells avoid conflicts between replication and transcription and how such conflicts are resolved when they do occur. In this Review, we summarize these findings, which shed light on the significance of the problem and on how bacterial cells deal with unwanted encounters between the replication and transcription machineries.

Preventing replication stress to maintain genome stability: resolving conflicts between replication and transcription

DNA and RNA polymerases clash along the genome as they compete for the same DNA template. Cells have evolved specialized strategies to prevent and resolve replication and transcription interference. Here, we review the topology and architecture at sites of replication fork clashes with transcription bubbles as well as the regulatory circuits that control replication fork passage across transcribed genes. In the case of RNA polymerase II-transcribed genes, cotranscriptional processes such as mRNA maturation, splicing, and export influence the integrity of replication forks and transcribed loci. Fork passage likely contributes to reset the epigenetic landscape, influencing gene expression and transcriptional memory. When any of these processes are not properly coordinated, aberrant outcomes such as fork reversal and R-loop formation arise and trigger unscheduled recombinogenic events and genome rearrangements. The evolutionary implications of such conflicts on genome dynamics and their potential impact on oncogenic stress are discussed.

Replication fork reversal after replication-transcription collision

Replication fork arrest is a recognized source of genetic instability, and transcription is one of the most prominent causes of replication impediment. We analyze here the requirement for recombination proteins in Escherichia coli when replication–transcription head-on collisions are induced at a specific site by the inversion of a highly expressed ribosomal operon (rrn). RecBC is the only recombination protein required for cell viability under these conditions of increased replication-transcription collisions. In its absence, fork breakage occurs at the site of collision, and the resulting linear DNA is not repaired and is slowly degraded by the RecJ exonuclease. Lethal fork breakage is also observed in cells that lack RecA and RecD, i.e. when both homologous recombination and the potent exonuclease V activity of the RecBCD complex are inactivated, with a slow degradation of the resulting linear DNA by the combined action of the RecBC helicase and the RecJ exonuclease. The sizes of the major linear fragments indicate that DNA degradation is slowed down by the encounter with another rrn operon. The amount of linear DNA decreases nearly two-fold when the Holliday junction resolvase RuvABC is inactivated in recB, as well as in recA recD mutants, indicating that part of the linear DNA is formed by resolution of a Holliday junction. Our results suggest that replication fork reversal occurs after replication–transcription head-on collision, and we propose that it promotes the action of the accessory replicative helicases that dislodge the obstacle.

Genomes are duplicated prior to cell division by DNA replication, and in all organisms replication impairment leads to chromosome instability. In bacteria, replication and transcription take place simultaneously, and in eukaryotes house-keeping genes are expressed during the S-phase; consequently, transcription is susceptible to impair replication progression. Here, we increase head-on replication–transcription collisions on the bacterial chromosome by inversion of a ribosomal operon (rrn). We show that only one recombination protein is required for growth when the rrn genes are highly expressed: the RecBCD complex, an exonuclease/recombinase that promotes degradation and RecA-dependent homologous recombination of linear DNA. In the absence of RecBCD, we observe linear DNA that ends in the collision region. This linear DNA is composed of only the origin-proximal region of the inverted rrn operon, indicating that it results from fork breakage. It is partly RuvABC-dependent (i.e. produced by the E. coli Holliday junction resolvase), indicating that blocked forks are reversed. The linear DNA ends up at the inverted rrn locus only if the RecJ exonuclease is inactivated; otherwise it is degraded, with major products ending in other upstream rrn operons, indicating that DNA degradation is slowed down by ribosomal operon sequences.

Large variations in bacterial ribosomal RNA genes

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, essential to all forms of life, have been viewed as highly conserved and evolutionarily stable, partly because very little is known about their natural variations. Here, we explored large-scale variations of rRNA genes through bioinformatic analyses of available complete bacterial genomic sequences with an emphasis on formation mechanisms and biological significance. Interestingly, we found bacterial genomes in which no 16S rRNA genes harbor the conserved core of the anti–Shine-Dalgarno sequence (5′-CCTCC-3′). This loss was accompanied by elimination of Shine-Dalgarno–like sequences upstream of their protein-coding genes. Those genomes belong to 1 or 2 of the following categories: primary symbionts, hemotropic Mycoplasma, and Flavobacteria. We also found many rearranged rRNA genes and reconstructed their history. Conjecturing the underlying mechanisms, such as inversion, partial duplication, transposon insertion, deletion, and substitution, we were able to infer their biological significance, such as co-orientation of rRNA transcription and chromosomal replication, lateral transfer of rRNA gene segments, and spread of rRNA genes with an apparent structural defect through gene conversion. These results open the way to understanding dynamic evolutionary changes of rRNA genes and the translational machinery.

R we there yet? R-loop hazards to finishing the journey

RNA:DNA hybrids in the genome are constantly being generated as a by-product of transcription; in this issue, two papers, from Helmrich et al. (2011) and Wahba et al. (2011), provide insight into how RNA:DNA hybrids lead to genetic instability.

R-loop-mediated genomic instability is caused by impairment of replication fork progression

Transcriptional R loops are anomalous RNA:DNA hybrids that have been detected in organisms from bacteria to humans. These structures have been shown in eukaryotes to result in DNA damage and rearrangements; however, the mechanisms underlying these effects have remained largely unknown. To investigate this, we first show that R-loop formation induces chromosomal DNA rearrangements and recombination in Escherichia coli, just as it does in eukaryotes. More importantly, we then show that R-loop formation causes DNA replication fork stalling, and that this in fact underlies the effects of R loops on genomic stability. Strikingly, we found that attenuation of replication strongly suppresses R-loop-mediated DNA rearrangements in both E. coli and HeLa cells. Our findings thus provide a direct demonstration that R-loop formation impairs DNA replication and that this is responsible for the deleterious effects of R loops on genome stability from bacteria to humans.

The replication checkpoint protects fork stability by releasing transcribed genes from nuclear pores

Transcription hinders replication fork progression and stability, and the Mec1/ATR checkpoint protects fork integrity. Examining checkpoint-dependent mechanisms controlling fork stability, we find that fork reversal and dormant origin firing due to checkpoint defects are rescued in checkpoint mutants lacking THO, TREX-2, or inner-basket nucleoporins. Gene gating tethers transcribed genes to the nuclear periphery and is counteracted by checkpoint kinases through phosphorylation of nucleoporins such as Mlp1. Checkpoint mutants fail to detach transcribed genes from nuclear pores, thus generating topological impediments for incoming forks. Releasing this topological complexity by introducing a double-strand break between a fork and a transcribed unit prevents fork collapse. Mlp1 mutants mimicking constitutive checkpoint-dependent phosphorylation also alleviate checkpoint defects. We propose that the checkpoint assists fork progression and stability at transcribed genes by phosphorylating key nucleoporins and counteracting gene gating, thus neutralizing the topological tension generated at nuclear pore gated genes.

What happens when replication and transcription complexes collide?

The arrest of replication forks due to collisions with transcription complexes leads to genomic instability and cell death. Mechanisms that promote the progression of replication forks past transcription complexes are therefore essential for propagation and preservation of the genome. Recent studies of E. coli directly investigate the consequences of collisions of the replisome with RNAP polymerase (RNAP) in vitro and provide novel mechanisms by which these encounters may be resolved. Additionally, recent in vivo and in vitro studies support the longstanding hypothesis that auxiliary DNA helicases promote replication through roadblocks such as transcription complexes. Here we review past and recent advances that formulate our current understanding of how the bacterial replisome deals with transcription complexes along the path of chromosome duplication.

Growth rate regulation in Escherichia coli

Growth rate regulation in bacteria has been an important issue in bacterial physiology for the past 50 years. This review, using Escherichia coli as a paradigm, summarizes the mechanisms for the regulation of rRNA synthesis in the context of systems biology, particularly, in the context of genome-wide competition for limited RNA polymerase (RNAP) in the cell under different growth conditions including nutrient starvation. The specific location of the seven rrn operons in the chromosome and the unique properties of the rrn promoters contribute to growth rate regulation. The length of the rrn transcripts, coupled with gene dosage effects, influence the distribution of RNAP on the chromosome in response to growth rate. Regulation of rRNA synthesis depends on multiple factors that affect the structure of the nucleoid and the allocation of RNAP for global gene expression. The magic spot ppGpp, which acts with DksA synergistically, is a key effector in both the growth rate regulation and the stringent response induced by nutrient starvation, mainly because the ppGpp level changes in response to environmental cues. It regulates rRNA synthesis via a cascade of events including both transcription initiation and elongation, and can be explained by an RNAP redistribution (allocation) model.

Impact of Alu repeats on the evolution of human p53 binding sites

BACKGROUND

The p53 tumor suppressor protein is involved in a complicated regulatory network, mediating expression of ~1000 human genes. Recent studies have shown that many p53 in vivo binding sites (BSs) reside in transposable repeats. The relationship between these BSs and functional p53 response elements (REs) remains unknown, however. We sought to understand whether the p53 REs also reside in transposable elements and particularly in the most-abundant Alu repeats.

RESULTS

We have analyzed ~160 functional p53 REs identified so far and found that 24 of them occur in repeats. More than half of these repeat-associated REs reside in Alu elements. In addition, using a position weight matrix approach, we found ~400,000 potential p53 BSs in Alu elements genome-wide. Importantly, these putative BSs are located in the same regions of Alu repeats as the functional p53 REs - namely, in the vicinity of Boxes A/A' and B of the internal RNA polymerase III promoter. Earlier nucleosome-mapping experiments showed that the Boxes A/A' and B have a different chromatin environment, which is critical for the binding of p53 to DNA. Here, we compare the Alu-residing p53 sites with the corresponding Alu consensus sequences and conclude that the p53 sites likely evolved through two different mechanisms - the sites overlapping with the Boxes A/A' were generated by CG → TG mutations; the other sites apparently pre-existed in the progenitors of several Alu subfamilies, such as AluJo and AluSq. The binding affinity of p53 to the Alu-residing sites generally correlates with the age of Alu subfamilies, so that the strongest sites are embedded in the 'relatively young' Alu repeats.

CONCLUSIONS

The primate-specific Alu repeats play an important role in shaping the p53 regulatory network in the context of chromatin. One of the selective factors responsible for the frequent occurrence of Alu repeats in introns may be related to the p53-mediated regulation of Alu transcription, which, in turn, influences expression of the host genes.

Initiation of bacteriophage T4 DNA replication and replication fork dynamics: a review in the Virology Journal series on bacteriophage T4 and its relatives

Bacteriophage T4 initiates DNA replication from specialized structures that form in its genome. Immediately after infection, RNA-DNA hybrids (R-loops) occur on (at least some) replication origins, with the annealed RNA serving as a primer for leading-strand synthesis in one direction. As the infection progresses, replication initiation becomes dependent on recombination proteins in a process called recombination-dependent replication (RDR). RDR occurs when the replication machinery is assembled onto D-loop recombination intermediates, and in this case, the invading 3' DNA end is used as a primer for leading strand synthesis. Over the last 15 years, these two modes of T4 DNA replication initiation have been studied in vivo using a variety of approaches, including replication of plasmids with segments of the T4 genome, analysis of replication intermediates by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and genomic approaches that measure DNA copy number as the infection progresses. In addition, biochemical approaches have reconstituted replication from origin R-loop structures and have clarified some detailed roles of both replication and recombination proteins in the process of RDR and related pathways. We will also discuss the parallels between T4 DNA replication modes and similar events in cellular and eukaryotic organelle DNA replication, and close with some current questions of interest concerning the mechanisms of replication, recombination and repair in phage T4.

Single-molecule imaging reveals mechanisms of protein disruption by a DNA translocase

In physiological settings nucleic acid translocases must act on substrates occupied by other proteins, and an increasingly appreciated role of translocases is to catalyze protein displacement from RNA and DNA^1,2,3,4. However, little is known regarding the inevitable collisions that must occur, and the fate of protein obstacles and the mechanisms by which they are evicted from DNA remain unexplored. Here we sought to establish the mechanistic basis for protein displacement from DNA using RecBCD as a model system. Using nanofabricated curtains of DNA and multi-color single-molecule microscopy, we visualized collisions between a model translocase and different DNA-bound proteins in real time. We show that the DNA translocase RecBCD can disrupt core RNA polymerase (RNAP), holoenzyme, stalled elongation complexes, and transcribing RNAP in either head-to-head or head-to-tail orientations, as well as EcoRI^E111Q, lac repressor and even nucleosomes. RecBCD did not pause during collisions and often pushed proteins thousands of base-pairs before evicting them from DNA. We conclude that RecBCD overwhelms obstacles through direct transduction of chemomechanical force with no need for specific protein-protein interactions, and that proteins can be removed from DNA through active disruption mechanisms that act on a transition state intermediate as they are pushed from one nonspecific site to the next.

Thermodynamics of cooperative DNA recognition at a replication origin and transcription regulatory site

Binding cooperativity guides the formation of protein−nucleic acid complexes, in particular those that are highly regulated such as replication origins and transcription sites. Using the DNA binding domain of the origin binding and transcriptional regulator protein E2 from human papillomavirus type 16 as model, and through isothermal titration calorimetry analysis, we determined a positive, entropy-driven cooperativity upon binding of the protein to its cognate tandem double E2 site. This cooperativity is associated with a change in DNA structure, where the overall B conformation is maintained. Two homologous E2 domains, those of HPV18 and HPV11, showed that the enthalpic−entropic components of the reaction and DNA deformation can diverge. Because the DNA binding helix is almost identical in the three domains, the differences must lie dispersed throughout this unique dimeric β-barrel fold. This is in surprising agreement with previous results for this domain, which revealed a strong coupling between global dynamics and DNA recognition.

The transcription factor DksA prevents conflicts between DNA replication and transcription machinery

Actively dividing cells perform robust and accurate DNA replication during fluctuating nutrient availability, yet factors that prevent disruption of replication remain largely unknown. Here we report that DksA, a nutrient-responsive transcription factor, ensures replication completion in Escherichia coli by removing transcription roadblocks. In the absence of DksA, replication is rapidly arrested upon amino acid starvation. This arrest requires active transcription and is alleviated by RNA polymerase mutants that compensate for DksA activity. This replication arrest occurs independently of exogenous DNA damage, yet it induces the DNA-damage response and recruits the main recombination protein RecA. This function of DksA is independent of its transcription initiation activity but requires its less-studied transcription elongation activity. Finally, GreA/B elongation factors also prevent replication arrest during nutrient stress. We conclude that transcription elongation factors alleviate fundamental conflicts between replication and transcription, thereby protecting replication fork progression and DNA integrity.

Direct restart of a replication fork stalled by a head-on RNA polymerase

In vivo studies suggest that replication forks are arrested due to encounters with head-on transcription complexes. Yet, the fate of the replisome and RNA polymerase (RNAP) following a head-on collision is unknown. Here, we find that the E. coli replisome stalls upon collision with a head-on transcription complex, but instead of collapsing, the replication fork remains highly stable and eventually resumes elongation after displacing the RNAP from DNA. We also find that the transcription-repair coupling factor, Mfd, promotes direct restart of the fork following the collision by facilitating displacement of the RNAP. These findings demonstrate the intrinsic stability of the replication apparatus and a novel role for the transcription-coupled repair pathway in promoting replication past a RNAP block.

Direct restart of a replication fork stalled by a head-on RNA polymerase

In vivo studies suggest that replication forks are arrested by encounters with head-on transcription complexes. Yet, the fate of the replisome and RNA polymerase (RNAP) after a head-on collision is unknown. We found that the Escherichia coli replisome stalls upon collision with a head-on transcription complex, but instead of collapsing, the replication fork remains highly stable and eventually resumes elongation after displacing the RNAP from DNA. We also found that the transcription-repair coupling factor Mfd promotes direct restart of the fork after the collision by facilitating displacement of the RNAP. These findings demonstrate the intrinsic stability of the replication apparatus and a previously unknown role for the transcription-coupled repair pathway in promoting replication past a RNAP block.

Is RecG a general guardian of the bacterial genome?

The RecG protein of Escherichia coli is a double-stranded DNA translocase that unwinds a variety of branched DNAs in vitro, including Holliday junctions, replication forks, D-loops and R-loops. Coupled with the reported pleiotropy of recG mutations, this broad range of potential targets has made it hard to pin down what the protein does in vivo, though roles in recombination and replication fork repair have been suggested. However, recent studies suggest that RecG provides a more general defence against pathological DNA replication. We have postulated that this is achieved through the ability of RecG to eliminate substrates that the replication restart protein, PriA, could otherwise exploit to re-replicate the chromosome. Without RecG, PriA triggers a cascade of events that interfere with the duplication and segregation of chromosomes. Here we review the studies that led us to this idea and to conclude that RecG may be both a specialist activity and a general guardian of the genome.

Co-orientation of replication and transcription preserves genome integrity

In many bacteria, there is a genome-wide bias towards co-orientation of replication and transcription, with essential and/or highly-expressed genes further enriched co-directionally. We previously found that reversing this bias in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis slows replication elongation, and we proposed that this effect contributes to the evolutionary pressure selecting the transcription-replication co-orientation bias. This selection might have been based purely on selection for speedy replication; alternatively, the slowed replication might actually represent an average of individual replication-disruption events, each of which is counter-selected independently because genome integrity is selected. To differentiate these possibilities and define the precise forces driving this aspect of genome organization, we generated new strains with inversions either over ∼1/4 of the chromosome or at ribosomal RNA (rRNA) operons. Applying mathematical analysis to genomic microarray snapshots, we found that replication rates vary dramatically within the inverted genome. Replication is moderately impeded throughout the inverted region, which results in a small but significant competitive disadvantage in minimal medium. Importantly, replication is strongly obstructed at inverted rRNA loci in rich medium. This obstruction results in disruption of DNA replication, activation of DNA damage responses, loss of genome integrity, and cell death. Our results strongly suggest that preservation of genome integrity drives the evolution of co-orientation of replication and transcription, a conserved feature of genome organization.

An important feature of genome organization is that transcription and replication are selectively co-oriented. This feature helps to avoid conflicts between head-on replication and transcription. The precise consequences of the conflict and how it affects genome organization remain to be understood. We previously found that reversing the transcription bias slows replication in the Bacillus subtilis genome. Here we engineered new inversions to avoid changes in other aspects of genome organization. We found that the reversed transcription bias is sufficient to decrease replication speed, and it results in lowered fitness of the inversion strains and a competitive disadvantage relative to wild-type cells in minimal medium. Further, by analyzing genomic copy-number snapshots to obtain replication speed as a function of genome position, we found that inversion of the strongly-transcribed rRNA genes obstructs replication during growth in rich medium. This confers a strong growth disadvantage to cells in rich medium, turns on DNA damage responses, and leads to cell death in a subpopulation of cells, while the surviving cells are more sensitive to genotoxic agents. Our results strongly support the hypothesis that evolution has favored co-orientation of transcription with replication, mainly to avoid these effects.

Global effects of DNA replication and DNA replication origin activity on eukaryotic gene expression

This report provides a global view of how gene expression is affected by DNA replication. We analyzed synchronized cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae under conditions that prevent DNA replication initiation without delaying cell cycle progression. We use a higher-order singular value decomposition to integrate the global mRNA expression measured in the multiple time courses, detect and remove experimental artifacts and identify significant combinations of patterns of expression variation across the genes, time points and conditions. We find that, first, approximately 88% of the global mRNA expression is independent of DNA replication. Second, the requirement of DNA replication for efficient histone gene expression is independent of conditions that elicit DNA damage checkpoint responses. Third, origin licensing decreases the expression of genes with origins near their 3' ends, revealing that downstream origins can regulate the expression of upstream genes. This confirms previous predictions from mathematical modeling of a global causal coordination between DNA replication origin activity and mRNA expression, and shows that mathematical modeling of DNA microarray data can be used to correctly predict previously unknown biological modes of regulation.

Highly transcribed RNA polymerase II genes are impediments to replication fork progression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Replication forks face multiple obstacles that slow their progression. By two-dimensional gel analysis, yeast forks pause at stable DNA protein complexes, and this pausing is greatly increased in the absence of the Rrm3 helicase. We used a genome-wide approach to identify 96 sites of very high DNA polymerase binding in wild-type cells. Most of these binding sites were not previously identified pause sites. Rather, the most highly represented genomic category among high DNA polymerase binding sites was the open reading frames (ORFs) of highly transcribed RNA polymerase II genes. Twice as many pause sites were identified in rrm3 compared with wild-type cells, as pausing in this strain occurred at both highly transcribed RNA polymerase II genes and the previously identified protein DNA complexes. ORFs of highly transcribed RNA polymerase II genes are a class of natural pause sites that are not exacerbated in rrm3 cells.

Transcription destabilizes triplet repeats

Triplet repeat expansion is the molecular basis for several human diseases. Intensive studies using systems in bacteria, yeast, flies, mammalian cells, and mice have provided important insights into the molecular processes that are responsible for mediating repeat instability. The age-dependent, ongoing repeat instability in somatic tissues, especially in terminally differentiated neurons, strongly suggests a robust role for pathways that are independent of DNA replication. Several genetic studies have indicated that transcription can play a critical role in repeat instability, potentially providing a basis for the instability observed in neurons. Transcription-induced repeat instability can be modulated by several DNA repair proteins, including those involved in mismatch repair (MMR) and transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER). Though the mechanism is unclear, it is likely that transcription facilitates the formation of repeat-specific secondary structures, which act as intermediates to trigger DNA repair, eventually leading to changes in the length of the repeat tract. In addition, other processes associated with transcription can also modulate repeat instability, as shown in a variety of different systems. Overall, the mechanisms underlying repeat instability in humans are unexpectedly complicated. Because repeat-disease genes are widely expressed, transcription undoubtedly contributes to the repeat instability observed in many diseases, but it may be especially important in nondividing cells. Transcription-induced instability is likely to involve an extensive interplay not only of the core transcription machinery and DNA repair proteins, but also of proteins involved in chromatin remodeling, regulation of supercoiling, and removal of stalled RNA polymerases, as well as local DNA sequence effects.

Epstein-Barr Nuclear Antigen 1 modulates replication of oriP-plasmids by impeding replication and transcription fork migration through the family of repeats

BACKGROUND

Epstein-Barr virus is replicated once per cell-cycle, and partitioned equally in latently infected cells. Both these processes require a single viral cis-element, termed oriP, and a single viral protein, EBNA1. EBNA1 binds two clusters of binding sites in oriP, termed the dyad symmetry element (DS) and the family of repeats (FR), which function as a replication element and partitioning element respectively. Wild-type FR contains 20 binding sites for EBNA1.

RESULTS

We, and others, have determined previously that decreasing the number of EBNA1-binding sites in FR increases the efficiency with which oriP-plasmids are replicated. Here we demonstrate that the wild-type number of binding sites in FR impedes the migration of replication and transcription forks. Further, splitting FR into two widely separated sets of ten binding sites causes a ten-fold increase in the efficiency with which oriP-plasmids are established in cells expressing EBNA1. We have also determined that EBNA1 bound to FR impairs the migration of transcription forks in a manner dependent on the number of EBNA1-binding sites in FR.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that EBNA1 bound to FR regulates the replication of oriP-plasmids by impeding the migration of replication forks. Upon binding FR, EBNA1 also blocks the migration of transcription forks. Thus, in addition to regulating oriP replication, EBNA1 bound to FR also decreases the probability of detrimental collisions between two opposing replication forks, or between a transcription fork and a replication fork.

The replisome uses mRNA as a primer after colliding with RNA polymerase

Replication forks are impeded by DNA damage and protein-nucleic acid complexes such as transcribing RNA polymerase. For example, head-on collision of the replisome with RNA polymerase results in replication fork arrest. However, co-directional collision of the replisome with RNA polymerase has little or no effect on fork progression. Here we examine co-directional collisions between a replisome and RNA polymerase in vitro. We show that the Escherichia coli replisome uses the RNA transcript as a primer to continue leading-strand synthesis after the collision with RNA polymerase that is displaced from the DNA. This action results in a discontinuity in the leading strand, yet the replisome remains intact and bound to DNA during the entire process. These findings underscore the notable plasticity by which the replisome operates to circumvent obstacles in its path and may explain why the leading strand is synthesized discontinuously in vivo.