PCNA ubiquitination and REV1 define temporally distinct mechanisms for controlling translesion synthesis in the avian cell line DT40

Genetic evidence for single-strand lesions initiating Nbs1-dependent homologous recombination in diversification of Ig v in chicken B lymphocytes

Homologous recombination (HR) is initiated by DNA double-strand breaks (DSB). However, it remains unclear whether single-strand lesions also initiate HR in genomic DNA. Chicken B lymphocytes diversify their Immunoglobulin (Ig) V genes through HR (Ig gene conversion) and non-templated hypermutation. Both types of Ig V diversification are initiated by AID-dependent abasic-site formation. Abasic sites stall replication, resulting in the formation of single-stranded gaps. These gaps can be filled by error-prone DNA polymerases, resulting in hypermutation. However, it is unclear whether these single-strand gaps can also initiate Ig gene conversion without being first converted to DSBs. The Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1 (MRN) complex, which produces 3' single-strand overhangs, promotes the initiation of DSB-induced HR in yeast. We show that a DT40 line expressing only a truncated form of Nbs1 (Nbs1(p70)) exhibits defective HR-dependent DSB repair, and a significant reduction in the rate--though not the fidelity--of Ig gene conversion. Interestingly, this defective gene conversion was restored to wild type levels by overproduction of Escherichia coli SbcB, a 3' to 5' single-strand-specific exonuclease, without affecting DSB repair. Conversely, overexpression of chicken Exo1 increased the efficiency of DSB-induced gene-targeting more than 10-fold, with no effect on Ig gene conversion. These results suggest that Ig gene conversion may be initiated by single-strand gaps rather than by DSBs, and, like SbcB, the MRN complex in DT40 may convert AID-induced lesions into single-strand gaps suitable for triggering HR. In summary, Ig gene conversion and hypermutation may share a common substrate-single-stranded gaps. Genetic analysis of the two types of Ig V diversification in DT40 provides a unique opportunity to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the filling of gaps that arise as a consequence of replication blocks at abasic sites, by HR and error-prone polymerases.

Regulated proteolysis of DNA polymerase eta during the DNA-damage response in C. elegans

Both the POLH-1 (pol eta) translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerase and the GEI-17 SUMO E3 ligase are essential for the efficient replication of damaged chromosomes in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. Here we study how POLH-1 is regulated during a DNA-damage response in these embryos. We report that DNA damage triggers the degradation of POLH-1 and that degradation is mediated by the Cul4-Ddb1-Cdt2 (CRL4-Cdt2) pathway that has previously been shown to degrade the replication factor Cdt1 during S phase. We also show that GEI-17 protects POLH-1 from CRL4-Cdt2-mediated destruction until after it has performed its function in TLS, and this is likely via SUMOylation of POLH-1. These studies reveal that POLH-1 undergoes DNA-damage-induced proteolysis and that GEI-17 regulates the timing of this proteolysis. Implications for how this system may control the removal of POLH-1 from replication forks after TLS are discussed.

The Fanconi anemia protein interaction network: casting a wide net

It has long been hypothesized that a defect in the repair of damaged DNA is central to the etiology of Fanconi anemia (FA). Indeed, an increased sensitivity of FA patient-derived cells to the lethal effects of various forms of DNA damaging agents was described over three decades ago [A.J. Fornace, Jr., J.B. Little, R.R. Weichselbaum, DNA repair in a Fanconi's anemia fibroblast cell strain, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 561 (1979) 99-109; Y. Fujiwara, M. Tatsumi, Repair of mitomycin C damage to DNA in mammalian cells and its impairment in Fanconi's anemia cells, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 66 (1975) 592-598; A.J. Rainbow, M. Howes, Defective repair of ultraviolet- and gamma-ray-damaged DNA in Fanconi's anaemia, Int. J. Radiat. Biol. Relat. Stud. Phys. Chem. Med. 31 (1977) 191-195]. Furthermore, the cytological hallmark of FA, the DNA crosslink-induced radial chromosome formation, exemplifies an innate impairment in the repair of these particularly cytotoxic DNA lesions [A.D. Auerbach, Fanconi anemia diagnosis and the diepoxybutane (DEB) test, Exp. Hematol. 21 (1993) 731-733]. Precisely defining the collective role of the FA proteins in DNA repair, however, continues to be one of the most enigmatic and challenging questions in the FA field. The first six identified FA proteins (A, C, E, F, G, and D2) harbored no recognizable enzymatic features, precluding association with a specific metabolic process. Consequently, our knowledge of the role of the FA proteins in the DNA damage response has been gleaned primarily through biochemical association studies with non-FA proteins. Here, we provide a chronological discourse of the major FA protein interaction network discoveries, with particular emphasis on the DNA damage response, that have defined our current understanding of the molecular basis of FA.

REV1 restrains DNA polymerase zeta to ensure frame fidelity during translesion synthesis of UV photoproducts in vivo

Exposure to ultraviolet light induces a number of forms of damage in DNA, of which (6-4) photoproducts present the most formidable challenge to DNA replication. No single DNA polymerase has been shown to bypass these lesions efficiently in vitro suggesting that the coordinate use of a number of different enzymes is required in vivo. To further understand the mechanisms and control of lesion bypass in vivo, we have devised a plasmid-based system to study the replication of site-specific T-T(6-4) photoproducts in chicken DT40 cells. We show that DNA polymerase zeta is absolutely required for translesion synthesis (TLS) of this lesion, while loss of DNA polymerase eta has no detectable effect. We also show that either the polymerase-binding domain of REV1 or ubiquitinated PCNA is required for the recruitment of Polzeta as the catalytic TLS polymerase. Finally, we demonstrate a previously unappreciated role for REV1 in ensuring bypass synthesis remains in frame with the template. Our data therefore suggest that REV1 not only helps to coordinate the delivery of DNA polymerase zeta to a stalled primer terminus but also restrains its activity to ensure that nucleotides are incorporated in register with the template strand.