Functional interaction of proliferating cell nuclear antigen with MSH2-MSH6 and MSH2-MSH3 complexes

Elevated MSH2 MSH3 expression interferes with DNA metabolism in vivo

The Msh2-Msh3 mismatch repair (MMR) complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae recognizes and directs repair of insertion/deletion loops (IDLs) up to ∼17 nucleotides. Msh2-Msh3 also recognizes and binds distinct looped and branched DNA structures with varying affinities, thereby contributing to genome stability outside post-replicative MMR through homologous recombination, double-strand break repair (DSBR) and the DNA damage response. In contrast, Msh2-Msh3 promotes genome instability through trinucleotide repeat (TNR) expansions, presumably by binding structures that form from single-stranded (ss) TNR sequences. We previously demonstrated that Msh2-Msh3 binding to 5' ssDNA flap structures interfered with Rad27 (Fen1 in humans)-mediated Okazaki fragment maturation (OFM) in vitro. Here we demonstrate that elevated Msh2-Msh3 levels interfere with DNA replication and base excision repair in vivo. Elevated Msh2-Msh3 also induced a cell cycle arrest that was dependent on RAD9 and ELG1 and led to PCNA modification. These phenotypes also required Msh2-Msh3 ATPase activity and downstream MMR proteins, indicating an active mechanism that is not simply a result of Msh2-Msh3 DNA-binding activity. This study provides new mechanistic details regarding how excess Msh2-Msh3 can disrupt DNA replication and repair and highlights the role of Msh2-Msh3 protein abundance in Msh2-Msh3-mediated genomic instability.

A conserved motif in the disordered linker of human MLH1 is vital for DNA mismatch repair and its function is diminished by a cancer family mutation

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is essential for correction of DNA replication errors. Germline mutations of the human MMR gene MLH1 are the major cause of Lynch syndrome, a heritable cancer predisposition. In the MLH1 protein, a non-conserved, intrinsically disordered region connects two conserved, catalytically active structured domains of MLH1. This region has as yet been regarded as a flexible spacer, and missense alterations in this region have been considered non-pathogenic. However, we have identified and investigated a small motif (ConMot) in this linker which is conserved in eukaryotes. Deletion of the ConMot or scrambling of the motif abolished mismatch repair activity. A mutation from a cancer family within the motif (p.Arg385Pro) also inactivated MMR, suggesting that ConMot alterations can be causative for Lynch syndrome. Intriguingly, the mismatch repair defect of the ConMot variants could be restored by addition of a ConMot peptide containing the deleted sequence. This is the first instance of a DNA mismatch repair defect conferred by a mutation that can be overcome by addition of a small molecule. Based on the experimental data and AlphaFold2 predictions, we suggest that the ConMot may bind close to the C-terminal MLH1-PMS2 endonuclease and modulate its activation during the MMR process.

Unorthodox PCNA Binding by Chromatin Assembly Factor 1

The eukaryotic DNA replication fork is a hub of enzymes that continuously act to synthesize DNA, propagate DNA methylation and other epigenetic marks, perform quality control, repair nascent DNA, and package this DNA into chromatin. Many of the enzymes involved in these spatiotemporally correlated processes perform their functions by binding to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). A long-standing question has been how the plethora of PCNA-binding enzymes exert their activities without interfering with each other. As a first step towards deciphering this complex regulation, we studied how Chromatin Assembly Factor 1 (CAF-1) binds to PCNA. We demonstrate that CAF-1 binds to PCNA in a heretofore uncharacterized manner that depends upon a cation-pi (π) interaction. An arginine residue, conserved among CAF-1 homologs but absent from other PCNA-binding proteins, inserts into the hydrophobic pocket normally occupied by proteins that contain canonical PCNA interaction peptides (PIPs). Mutation of this arginine disrupts the ability of CAF-1 to bind PCNA and to assemble chromatin. The PIP of the CAF-1 p150 subunit resides at the extreme C-terminus of an apparent long α-helix (119 amino acids) that has been reported to bind DNA. The length of that helix and the presence of a PIP at the C-terminus are evolutionarily conserved among numerous species, ranging from yeast to humans. This arrangement of a very long DNA-binding coiled-coil that terminates in PIPs may serve to coordinate DNA and PCNA binding by CAF-1.

Linkage reprogramming by tailor-made E3s reveals polyubiquitin chain requirements in DNA-damage bypass

A polyubiquitin chain can adopt a variety of shapes, depending on how the ubiquitin monomers are joined. However, the relevance of linkage for the signaling functions of polyubiquitin chains is often poorly understood because of our inability to control or manipulate this parameter in vivo. Here, we present a strategy for reprogramming polyubiquitin chain linkage by means of tailor-made, linkage- and substrate-selective ubiquitin ligases. Using the polyubiquitylation of the budding yeast replication factor PCNA in response to DNA damage as a model case, we show that altering the features of a polyubiquitin chain in vivo can change the fate of the modified substrate. We also provide evidence for redundancy between distinct but structurally similar linkages, and we demonstrate by proof-of-principle experiments that the method can be generalized to targets beyond PCNA. Our study illustrates a promising approach toward the in vivo analysis of polyubiquitin signaling.

Chaperoning histones at the DNA repair dance

Unlike all other biological molecules that are degraded and replaced if damaged, DNA must be repaired as chromosomes cannot be replaced. Indeed, DNA endures a wide variety of structural damage that need to be repaired accurately to maintain genomic stability and proper functioning of cells and to prevent mutation leading to disease. Given that the genome is packaged into chromatin within eukaryotic cells, it has become increasingly evident that the chromatin context of DNA both facilitates and regulates DNA repair processes. In this review, we discuss mechanisms involved in removal of histones (chromatin disassembly) from around DNA lesions, by histone chaperones and chromatin remodelers, that promotes accessibility of the DNA repair machinery. We also elaborate on how the deposition of core histones and specific histone variants onto DNA (chromatin assembly) during DNA repair promotes repair processes, the role of histone post translational modifications in these processes and how chromatin structure is reestablished after DNA repair is complete.

Fission yeast Rad8/HLTF facilitates Rad52-dependent chromosomal rearrangements through PCNA lysine 107 ubiquitination

Gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs), including translocation, deletion, and inversion, can cause cell death and genetic diseases such as cancer in multicellular organisms. Rad51, a DNA strand exchange protein, suppresses GCRs by repairing spontaneous DNA damage through a conservative way of homologous recombination, gene conversion. On the other hand, Rad52 that catalyzes single-strand annealing (SSA) causes GCRs using homologous sequences. However, the detailed mechanism of Rad52-dependent GCRs remains unclear. Here, we provide genetic evidence that fission yeast Rad8/HLTF facilitates Rad52-dependent GCRs through the ubiquitination of lysine 107 (K107) of PCNA, a DNA sliding clamp. In rad51Δ cells, loss of Rad8 eliminated 75% of the isochromosomes resulting from centromere inverted repeat recombination, showing that Rad8 is essential for the formation of the majority of isochromosomes in rad51Δ cells. Rad8 HIRAN and RING finger mutations reduced GCRs, suggesting that Rad8 facilitates GCRs through 3’ DNA-end binding and ubiquitin ligase activity. Mms2 and Ubc4 but not Ubc13 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes were required for GCRs. Consistent with this, mutating PCNA K107 rather than the well-studied PCNA K164 reduced GCRs. Rad8-dependent PCNA K107 ubiquitination facilitates Rad52-dependent GCRs, as PCNA K107R, rad8, and rad52 mutations epistatically reduced GCRs. In contrast to GCRs, PCNA K107R did not significantly change gene conversion rates, suggesting a specific role of PCNA K107 ubiquitination in GCRs. PCNA K107R enhanced temperature-sensitive growth defects of DNA ligase I cdc17-K42 mutant, implying that PCNA K107 ubiquitination occurs when Okazaki fragment maturation fails. Remarkably, K107 is located at the interface between PCNA subunits, and an interface mutation D150E bypassed the requirement of PCNA K107 and Rad8 ubiquitin ligase for GCRs. These data suggest that Rad8-dependent PCNA K107 ubiquitination facilitates Rad52-dependent GCRs by changing the PCNA clamp structure.

Gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs), including translocation, can alter gene dosage and activity, resulting in genetic diseases such as cancer. However, GCRs can occur by some enzymes, including Rad52 recombinase, and result in chromosomal evolution. Therefore, GCRs are not only pathological but also physiological phenomena from an evolutionary point of view. However, the detailed mechanism of GCRs remains unclear. Here, using fission yeast, we show that the homolog of human HLTF, Rad8 causes GCRs through noncanonical ubiquitination of proliferating cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA) at a lysine 107 (K107). Rad51, a DNA strand exchange protein, suppresses the formation of isochromosomes whose arms mirror each another and chromosomal truncation. We found that, like Rad52, Rad8 is required for isochromosome formation but not chromosomal truncation in rad51Δ cells, showing a specific role of Rad8 in homology-mediated GCRs. Mutations in Rad8 ubiquitin E3 ligase RING finger domain, Mms2-Ubc4 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes, and PCNA K107 reduced GCRs in rad51Δ cells, suggesting that Rad8-Mms2-Ubc4-dependent PCNA K107 ubiquitination facilitates GCRs. PCNA trimers form a DNA sliding clamp. The K107 residue is located at the PCNA-PCNA interface, and an interface mutation D150E restored GCRs in PCNA K107R mutant cells. This study provides genetic evidence that Rad8-dependent PCNA K107 ubiquitination facilitates GCRs by changing the PCNA clamp structure.

Strand discrimination in DNA mismatch repair

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) corrects non-Watson-Crick basepairs generated by replication errors, recombination intermediates, and some forms of chemical damage to DNA. In MutS and MutL homolog-dependent MMR, damaged bases do not identify the error-containing daughter strand that must be excised and resynthesized. In organisms like Escherichia coli that use methyl-directed MMR, transient undermethylation identifies the daughter strand. For other organisms, growing in vitro and in vivo evidence suggest that strand discrimination is mediated by DNA replication-associated daughter strand nicks that direct asymmetric loading of the replicative clamp (the β-clamp in bacteria and the proliferating cell nuclear antigen, PCNA, in eukaryotes). Structural modeling suggests that replicative clamps mediate strand specificity either through the ability of MutL homologs to recognize the fixed orientation of the daughter strand relative to one face of the replicative clamps or through parental strand-specific diffusion of replicative clamps on DNA, which places the daughter strand in the MutL homolog endonuclease active site. Finally, identification of bacteria that appear to lack strand discrimination mediated by a replicative clamp and a pre-existing nick suggest that other strand discrimination mechanisms exist or that these organisms perform MMR by generating a double-stranded DNA break intermediate, which may be analogous to NucS-mediated MMR.

Expanded roles for the MutL family of DNA mismatch repair proteins

The MutL family of DNA mismatch repair proteins plays a critical role in excising and repairing misincorporation errors during DNA replication. In many eukaryotes, members of this family have evolved to modulate and resolve recombination intermediates into crossovers during meiosis. In these organisms, such functions promote the accurate segregation of chromosomes during the meiosis I division. What alterations occurred in MutL homolog (MLH) family members that enabled them to acquire these new roles? In this review, we present evidence that the yeast Mlh1-Mlh3 and Mlh1-Mlh2 complexes have evolved novel enzymatic and nonenzymatic activities and protein-protein interactions that are critical for their meiotic functions. Curiously, even with these changes, these complexes retain backup and accessory roles in DNA mismatch repair during vegetative growth.

Effective mismatch repair depends on timely control of PCNA retention on DNA by the Elg1 complex

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a sliding clamp that acts as a central co-ordinator for mismatch repair (MMR) as well as DNA replication. Loss of Elg1, the major subunit of the PCNA unloader complex, causes over-accumulation of PCNA on DNA and also increases mutation rate, but it has been unclear if the two effects are linked. Here we show that timely removal of PCNA from DNA by the Elg1 complex is important to prevent mutations. Although premature unloading of PCNA generally increases mutation rate, the mutator phenotype of elg1Δ is attenuated by PCNA mutants PCNA-R14E and PCNA-D150E that spontaneously fall off DNA. In contrast, the elg1Δ mutator phenotype is exacerbated by PCNA mutants that accumulate on DNA due to enhanced electrostatic PCNA–DNA interactions. Epistasis analysis suggests that PCNA over-accumulation on DNA interferes with both MMR and MMR-independent process(es). In elg1Δ, over-retained PCNA hyper-recruits the Msh2–Msh6 mismatch recognition complex through its PCNA-interacting peptide motif, causing accumulation of MMR intermediates. Our results suggest that PCNA retention controlled by the Elg1 complex is critical for efficient MMR: PCNA needs to be on DNA long enough to enable MMR, but if it is retained too long it interferes with downstream repair steps.

Chromatin remodeling and mismatch repair: Access and excision

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) increases replication fidelity and genome stability by correcting DNA polymerase errors that remain after replication. Defects in MMR result in the accumulation of mutations and lead to human tumor development. Germline mutations in MMR cause the hereditary cancer syndrome, Lynch syndrome. After replication, DNA is reorganized into its chromatin structure and wrapped around histone octamers. DNA MMR is thought to be less efficient in recognizing and repairing mispairs packaged in chromatin, in which case MMR must either compete for access to naked DNA before histone deposition or actively move nucleosomes to access the mispair. This article reviews studies into the mechanistic and physical interactions between MMR and various chromatin-associated factors, including the histone deposition complex CAF1. Recent Xenopus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae studies describe a physical interaction between Msh2 and chromatin-remodeling ATPase Fun30/SMARCAD1, with potential mechanistic roles for SMARCAD1 in moving histones for both mispair access and excision tract elongation. The RSC complex, another histone remodeling complex, also potentially influences excision tract length. Deletion mutations of RSC2 point to mechanistic interactions with the MMR pathways. Together, these studies paint a picture of complex interactions between MMR and the chromatin environment that will require numerous additional genetic, biochemical, and cell biology experiments to fully understand. Understanding how these pathways interconnect is essential in fully understanding eukaryotic MMR and has numerous implications in human tumor formation and treatment.

MSH3 modifies somatic instability and disease severity in Huntington's and myotonic dystrophy type 1

The mismatch repair gene MSH3 has been implicated as a genetic modifier of the CAG·CTG repeat expansion disorders Huntington's disease and myotonic dystrophy type 1. A recent Huntington's disease genome-wide association study found rs557874766, an imputed single nucleotide polymorphism located within a polymorphic 9 bp tandem repeat in MSH3/DHFR, as the variant most significantly associated with progression in Huntington's disease. Using Illumina sequencing in Huntington's disease and myotonic dystrophy type 1 subjects, we show that rs557874766 is an alignment artefact, the minor allele for which corresponds to a three-repeat allele in MSH3 exon 1 that is associated with a reduced rate of somatic CAG·CTG expansion (P = 0.004) and delayed disease onset (P = 0.003) in both Huntington's disease and myotonic dystrophy type 1, and slower progression (P = 3.86 × 10-7) in Huntington's disease. RNA-Seq of whole blood in the Huntington's disease subjects found that repeat variants are associated with MSH3 and DHFR expression. A transcriptome-wide association study in the Huntington's disease cohort found increased MSH3 and DHFR expression are associated with disease progression. These results suggest that variation in the MSH3 exon 1 repeat region influences somatic expansion and disease phenotype in Huntington's disease and myotonic dystrophy type 1, and suggests a common DNA repair mechanism operates in both repeat expansion diseases.

DNA Rereplication Is Susceptible to Nucleotide-Level Mutagenesis

The initiation of eukaryotic DNA replication at replication origins is tightly regulated to prevent re-initiation and re-replication within each cell cycle. This regulation is critical for genome stability as re-replication is an extremely potent inducer...

The sources of genome instability, a hallmark of cancer, remain incompletely understood. One potential source is DNA rereplication, which arises when the mechanisms that prevent the reinitiation of replication origins within a single cell cycle are compromised. Using the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we previously showed that DNA rereplication is extremely potent at inducing gross chromosomal alterations and that this arises in part because of the susceptibility of rereplication forks to break. Here, we examine the ability of DNA rereplication to induce nucleotide-level mutations. During normal replication these mutations are restricted by three overlapping error-avoidance mechanisms: the nucleotide selectivity of replicative polymerases, their proofreading activity, and mismatch repair. Using lys2InsE_A14, a frameshift reporter that is poorly proofread, we show that rereplication induces up to a 30× higher rate of frameshift mutations and that this mutagenesis is due to passage of the rereplication fork, not secondary to rereplication fork breakage. Rereplication can also induce comparable rates of frameshift and base-substitution mutations in a more general mutagenesis reporter CAN1, when the proofreading activity of DNA polymerase ε is inactivated. Finally, we show that the rereplication-induced mutagenesis of both lys2InsE_A14 and CAN1 disappears in the absence of mismatch repair. These results suggest that mismatch repair is attenuated during rereplication, although at most sequences DNA polymerase proofreading provides enough error correction to mitigate the mutagenic consequences. Thus, rereplication can facilitate nucleotide-level mutagenesis in addition to inducing gross chromosomal alterations, broadening its potential role in genome instability.

The mismatch repair-dependent DNA damage response: Mechanisms and implications

An important role for the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway in maintaining genomic stability is embodied in its conservation through evolution and the link between loss of MMR function and tumorigenesis. The latter is evident as inheritance of mutations within the major MMR genes give rise to the cancer predisposition condition, Lynch syndrome. Nonetheless, how MMR loss contributes to tumorigenesis is not completely understood. In addition to preventing the accumulation of mutations, MMR also directs cellular responses, such as cell cycle checkpoint or apoptosis activation, to different forms of DNA damage. Understanding this MMR-dependent DNA damage response may provide insight into the full tumor suppressing capabilities of the MMR pathway. Here, we delve into the proposed mechanisms for the MMR-dependent response to DNA damaging agents. We discuss how these pre-clinical findings extend to the clinical treatment of cancers, emphasizing MMR status as a crucial variable in selection of chemotherapeutic regimens. Also, we discuss how loss of the MMR-dependent damage response could promote tumorigenesis via the establishment of a survival advantage to endogenous levels of stress in MMR-deficient cells.

Genomic Instability Promoted by Overexpression of Mismatch Repair Factors in Yeast: A Model for Understanding Cancer Progression

Mismatch repair (MMR) proteins act in spellchecker roles to excise misincorporation errors that occur during DNA replication. Curiously, large-scale analyses of a variety of cancers showed that increased expression of MMR proteins often correlated with tumor aggressiveness, metastasis, and early recurrence. To better understand these observations, we used The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression across Normal and Tumor tissue databases to analyze MMR protein expression in cancers. We found that the MMR genes MSH2 and MSH6 are overexpressed more frequently than MSH3, and that MSH2 and MSH6 are often cooverexpressed as a result of copy number amplifications of these genes. These observations encouraged us to test the effects of upregulating MMR protein levels in baker's yeast, where we can sensitively monitor genome instability phenotypes associated with cancer initiation and progression. Msh6 overexpression (two- to fourfold) almost completely disrupted mechanisms that prevent recombination between divergent DNA sequences by interacting with the DNA polymerase processivity clamp PCNA and by sequestering the Sgs1 helicase. Importantly, cooverexpression of Msh2 and Msh6 (∼eightfold) conferred, in a PCNA interaction-dependent manner, several genome instability phenotypes including increased mutation rate, increased sensitivity to the DNA replication inhibitor HU and the DNA-damaging agents MMS and 4-nitroquinoline N-oxide, and elevated loss-of-heterozygosity. Msh2 and Msh6 cooverexpression also altered the cell cycle distribution of exponentially growing cells, resulting in an increased fraction of unbudded cells, consistent with a larger percentage of cells in G1. These novel observations suggested that overexpression of MSH factors affected the integrity of the DNA replication fork, causing genome instability phenotypes that could be important for promoting cancer progression.

Stochastic Processes and Component Plasticity Governing DNA Mismatch Repair

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is a DNA excision-resynthesis process that principally enhances replication fidelity. Highly conserved MutS (MSH) and MutL (MLH/PMS) homologs initiate MMR and in higher eukaryotes act as DNA damage sensors that can trigger apoptosis. MSH proteins recognize mismatched nucleotides, whereas the MLH/PMS proteins mediate multiple interactions associated with downstream MMR events including strand discrimination and strand-specific excision that are initiated at a significant distance from the mismatch. Remarkably, the biophysical functions of the MLH/PMS proteins have been elusive for decades. Here we consider recent observations that have helped to define the mechanics of MLH/PMS proteins and their role in choreographing MMR. We highlight the stochastic nature of DNA interactions that have been visualized by single-molecule analysis and the plasticity of protein complexes that employ thermal diffusion to complete the progressions of MMR.

Divergent roles for Clusterin in Lung Injury and Repair

Lung fibrosis is an unabated wound healing response characterized by the loss and aberrant function of lung epithelial cells. Herein, we report that extracellular Clusterin promoted epithelial cell apoptosis whereas intracellular Clusterin maintained epithelium viability during lung repair. Unlike normal and COPD lungs, IPF lungs were characterized by significantly increased extracellular Clusterin whereas the inverse was evident for intracellular Clusterin. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that extracellular Clusterin promoted epithelial cell apoptosis while intercellular Clusterin modulated the expression of the DNA repair proteins, MSH2, MSH6, OGG1 and BRCA1. The fibrotic response in Clusterin deficient (CLU-/-) mice persisted after bleomycin and it was associated with increased DNA damage, reduced DNA repair responses, and elevated cellular senescence. Remarkably, this pattern mirrored that observed in IPF lung tissues. Together, our results show that cellular localization of Clusterin leads to divergent effects on epithelial cell regeneration and lung repair during fibrosis.

Sensing and Processing of DNA Interstrand Crosslinks by the Mismatch Repair Pathway

DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) that are repaired in non-dividing cells must be recognized independently of replication-associated DNA unwinding. Using cell-free extracts from Xenopus eggs that support neither replication nor transcription, we establish that ICLs are recognized and processed by the mismatch repair (MMR) machinery. We find that ICL repair requires MutSα (MSH2-MSH6) and the mismatch recognition FXE motif in MSH6, strongly suggesting that MutSα functions as an ICL sensor. MutSα recruits MutLα and EXO1 to ICL lesions, and the catalytic activity of both these nucleases is essential for ICL repair. As anticipated for a DNA unwinding-independent recognition process, we demonstrate that least distorting ICLs fail to be recognized and repaired by the MMR machinery. This establishes that ICL structure is a critical determinant of repair efficiency outside of DNA replication.

Neoadjuvant therapy in microsatellite-stable colorectal carcinoma induces concomitant loss of MSH6 and Ki-67 expression

Universal screening using immunohistochemistry for DNA mismatch-repair proteins (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2) is advocated by major professional medical organizations to identify Lynch syndrome-associated colorectal carcinoma. Loss of MSH6 expression independent of MSH2 expression has been reported in microsatellite-stable (MSS) colorectal carcinoma after neoadjuvant therapy. The mechanism remains unclear. We studied the immunohistochemical expression of MSH2, MSH6, and Ki-67 in MSS colorectal carcinoma with (n=50) or without (n=64) preoperative neoadjuvant therapy and Lynch syndrome-associated colorectal carcinoma with confirmed MSH6 germline mutation (n=3). Twelve of 50 MSS colorectal carcinoma postneoadjuvant resections demonstrated reduced MSH6 expression, with loss of expression ranging from 20% to 100% of tumor cells. Eight of 64 MSS colorectal carcinomas without neoadjuvant therapy also exhibited reduced MSH6 expression but to a lesser degree (10%-50% of tumor cells with loss of expression). In both subgroups, concomitant loss of MSH6 and Ki-67 expressions was demonstrated in the same tumor areas in consecutive tissue sections. However, 3 cases of Lynch syndrome-associated colorectal carcinoma due to germline MSH6 mutation revealed complete loss of MSH6 expression with discordant positive Ki-67 staining in the tumor cells. The MSH2-independent, Ki-67-related expression of MSH6 in colorectal carcinoma helps to explain the heterogeneous MSH6 staining in MSS colorectal carcinoma with or without neoadjuvant therapy.

Repair of Oxidative DNA Damage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Malfunction of enzymes that detoxify reactive oxygen species leads to oxidative attack on biomolecules including DNA and consequently activates various DNA repair pathways. The nature of DNA damage and the cell cycle stage at which DNA damage occurs determine the appropriate repair pathway to rectify the damage. Oxidized DNA bases are primarily repaired by base excision repair and nucleotide incision repair. Nucleotide excision repair acts on lesions that distort DNA helix, mismatch repair on mispaired bases, and homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining on double stranded breaks. Post-replication repair that overcomes replication blocks caused by DNA damage also plays a crucial role in protecting the cell from the deleterious effects of oxidative DNA damage. Mitochondrial DNA is also prone to oxidative damage and is efficiently repaired by the cellular DNA repair machinery. In this review, we discuss the DNA repair pathways in relation to the nature of oxidative DNA damage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Epigenetic Enhancement of the Post-replicative DNA Mismatch Repair of Mammalian Genomes by a Hemi-mCpG-Np95-Dnmt1 Axis

DNA methylation at C of CpG dyads (^mCpG) in vertebrate genomes is essential for gene regulation, genome stability and development. We show in this study that proper functioning of post-replicative DNA mismatch repair (MMR) in mammalian cells relies on the presence of genomic ^mCpG, as well as on the maintenance DNA methyltransferase Dnmt1 independently of its catalytic activity. More importantly, high efficiency of mammalian MMR surveillance is achieved through a hemi-^mCpG-Np95(Uhrf1)-Dnmt1 axis, in which the MMR surveillance complex(es) is recruited to post-replicative DNA by Dnmt1, requiring its interactions with MutSα, as well as with Np95 bound at the hemi-methylated CpG sites. Thus, efficiency of MMR surveillance over the mammalian genome in vivo is enhanced at the epigenetic level. This synergy endows vertebrate CpG methylation with a new biological significance and, consequently, an additional mechanism for the maintenance of vertebrate genome stability.

Understanding how mismatch repair proteins participate in the repair/anti-recombination decision

Mismatch repair (MMR) systems correct DNA mismatches that result from DNA polymerase misincorporation errors. Mismatches also appear in heteroduplex DNA intermediates formed during recombination between nearly identical sequences, and can be corrected by MMR or removed through an unwinding mechanism, known as anti-recombination or heteroduplex rejection. We review studies, primarily in baker's yeast, which support how specific factors can regulate the MMR/anti-recombination decision. Based on recent advances, we present models for how DNA structure, relative amounts of key repair proteins, the timely localization of repair proteins to DNA substrates and epigenetic marks can modulate this critical decision.

Mutations at the Subunit Interface of Yeast Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen Reveal a Versatile Regulatory Domain

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) plays a key role in many cellular processes and due to that it interacts with a plethora of proteins. The main interacting surfaces of Saccharomyces cerevisiae PCNA have been mapped to the interdomain connecting loop and to the carboxy-terminal domain. Here we report that the subunit interface of yeast PCNA also has regulatory roles in the function of several DNA damage response pathways. Using site-directed mutagenesis we engineered mutations at both sides of the interface and investigated the effect of these alleles on DNA damage response. Genetic experiments with strains bearing the mutant alleles revealed that mutagenic translesion synthesis, nucleotide excision repair, and homologous recombination are all regulated through residues at the subunit interface. Moreover, genetic characterization of one of our mutants identifies a new sub-branch of nucleotide excision repair. Based on these results we conclude that residues at the subunit boundary of PCNA are not only important for the formation of the trimer structure of PCNA, but they constitute a regulatory protein domain that mediates different DNA damage response pathways, as well.

MutSα maintains the mismatch repair capability by inhibiting PCNA unloading

Eukaryotic mismatch repair (MMR) utilizes single-strand breaks as signals to target the strand to be repaired. DNA-bound PCNA is also presumed to direct MMR. The MMR capability must be limited to a post-replicative temporal window during which the signals are available. However, both identity of the signal(s) involved in the retention of this temporal window and the mechanism that maintains the MMR capability after DNA synthesis remain unclear. Using Xenopus egg extracts, we discovered a mechanism that ensures long-term retention of the MMR capability. We show that DNA-bound PCNA induces strand-specific MMR in the absence of strand discontinuities. Strikingly, MutSα inhibited PCNA unloading through its PCNA-interacting motif, thereby extending significantly the temporal window permissive to strand-specific MMR. Our data identify DNA-bound PCNA as the signal that enables strand discrimination after the disappearance of strand discontinuities, and uncover a novel role of MutSα in the retention of the post-replicative MMR capability.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15155.001

To pass on genetic information from one generation to the next, the DNA in a cell must be precisely copied. DNA is made of two strands and genetic information is encoded by sequences of molecules called bases in the strands. The bases from one strand form pairs with complementary bases on the other strand. However, errors in the copying process result in unmatched pairs of bases. Such errors are corrected by a repair system called mismatch repair.

When DNA is copied, the two strands are separated and used as templates to make new complementary strands. This means that errors only arise on the new strands. Mismatch repair must therefore target the new strands to maintain the original information encoded by the template DNA. The repair needs to happen before the copying process is complete because the template strands and the new strands become indistinguishable afterwards. However, it is not clear how the two processes communicate with each other.

Previous studies have identified a ring-shaped molecule called the replication clamp – which is essential for the copying process – as a prime candidate for the molecule responsible for this communication. This molecule binds to the DNA to promote the copying process, and afterwards it is removed from the DNA by other molecules. Furthermore, a group of proteins called the MutSα complex, which recognizes unmatched bases in DNA molecules, physically interacts with the replication clamp.

Kawasoe et al. used eggs from African clawed frogs to study how the replication clamp connects the copying process and mismatch repair in more detail. The experiments show that when the replication clamp is bound to the DNA, it is able to direct mismatch repair to a specific DNA strand. When MutSα recognizes unmatched bases, it prevents the replication clamp from being removed from the DNA. By doing so, MutSα prevents the information about the new DNA strand from being lost until mismatch repair has taken place.

These findings reveal new interactions between DNA copying and the correction of errors by mismatch repair. The next steps will be to understand how MutSα is able to keep the replication clamp on the DNA and to clarify its role in protecting DNA from gaining mutations.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15155.002

MutSβ promotes trinucleotide repeat expansion by recruiting DNA polymerase β to nascent (CAG)n or (CTG)n hairpins for error-prone DNA synthesis

Expansion of (CAG)•(CTG) repeats causes a number of familial neurodegenerative disorders. Although the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown, components involved in DNA mismatch repair, particularly mismatch recognition protein MutSβ (a MSH2-MSH3 heterodimer), are implicated in (CAG)•(CTG) repeat expansion. In addition to recognizing small insertion-deletion loop-outs, MutSβ also specifically binds DNA hairpin imperfect heteroduplexes formed within (CAG)n•(CTG)n sequences. However, whether or not and how MutSβ binding triggers expansion of (CAG)•(CTG) repeats remain unknown. We show here that purified recombinant MutSβ physically interacts with DNA polymerase β (Polβ) and stimulates Polβ-catalyzed (CAG)n or (CTG)n hairpin retention. Consistent with these in vitro observations, MutSβ and Polβ interact with each other in vivo, and colocalize at (CAG)•(CTG) repeats during DNA replication. Our data support a model for error-prone processing of (CAG)n or (CTG)n hairpins by MutSβ and Polβ during DNA replication and/or repair: MutSβ recognizes (CAG)n or (CTG)n hairpins formed in the nascent DNA strand, and recruits Polβ to the complex, which then utilizes the hairpin as a primer for extension, leading to (CAG)•(CTG) repeat expansion. This study provides a novel mechanism for trinucleotide repeat expansion in both dividing and non-dividing cells.

Mismatch repair enhances convergent transcription-induced cell death at trinucleotide repeats by activating ATR

Trinucleotide repeat (TNR) expansion beyond a certain threshold results in some 20 incurable neurodegenerative disorders where disease anticipation positively correlates with repeat length. Long TNRs typically display a bias toward further expansion during germinal transmission from parents to offspring, and then are highly unstable in somatic tissues of affected individuals. Understanding mechanisms of TNR instability will provide insights into disease pathogenesis. Previously, we showed that enhanced convergent transcription at long CAG repeat tracks induces TNR instability and cell death via ATR activation. Components of TC-NER (transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair) and RNaseH enzymes that resolve RNA/DNA hybrids oppose cell death, whereas the MSH2 component of MMR (mismatch repair) enhances cell death. The exact role of the MMR pathway during convergent transcription-induced cell death at CAG repeats is not well understood. In this study, we show that siRNA knockdowns of MMR components-MSH2, MSH3, MLHI, PMS2, and PCNA-reduce DNA toxicity. Furthermore, knockdown of MSH2, MLH1, and PMS2 significantly reduces the frequency of ATR foci formation. These observations suggest that MMR proteins activate DNA toxicity by modulating ATR foci formation during convergent transcription.

Absence of MutSβ leads to the formation of slipped-DNA for CTG/CAG contractions at primate replication forks

Typically disease-causing CAG/CTG repeats expand, but rare affected families can display high levels of contraction of the expanded repeat amongst offspring. Understanding instability is important since arresting expansions or enhancing contractions could be clinically beneficial. The MutSβ mismatch repair complex is required for CAG/CTG expansions in mice and patients. Oddly, by unknown mechanisms MutSβ-deficient mice incur contractions instead of expansions. Replication using CTG or CAG as the lagging strand template is known to cause contractions or expansions respectively; however, the interplay between replication and repair leading to this instability remains unclear. Towards understanding how repeat contractions may arise, we performed in vitro SV40-mediated replication of repeat-containing plasmids in the presence or absence of mismatch repair. Specifically, we separated repair from replication: Replication mediated by MutSβ- and MutSα-deficient human cells or cell extracts produced slipped-DNA heteroduplexes in the contraction- but not expansion-biased replication direction. Replication in the presence of MutSβ disfavoured the retention of replication products harbouring slipped-DNA heteroduplexes. Post-replication repair of slipped-DNAs by MutSβ-proficient extracts eliminated slipped-DNAs. Thus, a MutSβ-deficiency likely enhances repeat contractions because MutSβ protects against contractions by repairing template strand slip-outs. Replication deficient in LigaseI or PCNA-interaction mutant LigaseI revealed slipped-DNA formation at lagging strands. Our results reveal that distinct mechanisms lead to expansions or contractions and support inhibition of MutSβ as a therapeutic strategy to enhance the contraction of expanded repeats.

The Eukaryotic Mismatch Recognition Complexes Track with the Replisome during DNA Synthesis

During replication, mismatch repair proteins recognize and repair mispaired bases that escape the proofreading activity of DNA polymerase. In this work, we tested the model that the eukaryotic mismatch recognition complex tracks with the advancing replisome. Using yeast, we examined the dynamics during replication of the leading strand polymerase Polε using Pol2 and the eukaryotic mismatch recognition complex using Msh2, the invariant protein involved in mismatch recognition. Specifically, we synchronized cells and processed samples using chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with custom DNA tiling arrays (ChIP-chip). The Polε signal was not detectable in G1, but was observed at active origins and replicating DNA throughout S-phase. The Polε signal provided the resolution to track origin firing timing and efficiencies as well as replisome progression rates. By detecting Polε and Msh2 dynamics within the same strain, we established that the mismatch recognition complex binds origins and spreads to adjacent regions with the replisome. In mismatch repair defective PCNA mutants, we observed that Msh2 binds to regions of replicating DNA, but the distribution and dynamics are altered, suggesting that PCNA is not the sole determinant for the mismatch recognition complex association with replicating regions, but may influence the dynamics of movement. Using biochemical and genomic methods, we provide evidence that both MutS complexes are in the vicinity of the replisome to efficiently repair the entire spectrum of mutations during replication. Our data supports the model that the proximity of MutSα/β to the replisome for the efficient repair of the newly synthesized strand before chromatin reassembles.

During replication, errors that escape the replication machinery are identified and repaired by DNA mismatch repair proteins. A mismatch in the helix is recognized by MutS homologs and subsequent events include excision of the error-containing strand followed by re-synthesis. A critical step in this process is directing repair to the newly synthesized strand. Current data suggest that transient discontinuities in the DNA backbone, known as nicks, generated during replication serve as the strand discrimination signals. Additionally, proteins that package DNA have the capacity to block mismatch recognition and are known to rapidly assemble behind the replication fork. Thus, there must be a short window of opportunity for the mismatch recognition complexes to scan for mismatches and access the strand discrimination signals. To address these issues, we tested the model that the mismatch recognition complexes track with the replisome. We employed high resolution genomic methods to determine that during replication, the mismatch recognition complexes bind origins of replication and advances with the replisome. The findings support the hypothesis that the mismatch recognition proteins track with the DNA replication machinery to accurately survey and repair the newly synthesized strands while the DNA is unpackaged and strand specificity signals are accessible.

A Delicate Balance Between Repair and Replication Factors Regulates Recombination Between Divergent DNA Sequences in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Single-strand annealing (SSA) is an important homologous recombination mechanism that repairs DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) occurring between closely spaced repeat sequences. During SSA, the DSB is acted upon by exonucleases to reveal complementary sequences that anneal and are then repaired through tail clipping, DNA synthesis, and ligation steps. In baker's yeast, the Msh DNA mismatch recognition complex and the Sgs1 helicase act to suppress SSA between divergent sequences by binding to mismatches present in heteroduplex DNA intermediates and triggering a DNA unwinding mechanism known as heteroduplex rejection. Using baker's yeast as a model, we have identified new factors and regulatory steps in heteroduplex rejection during SSA. First we showed that Top3-Rmi1, a topoisomerase complex that interacts with Sgs1, is required for heteroduplex rejection. Second, we found that the replication processivity clamp proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is dispensable for heteroduplex rejection, but is important for repairing mismatches formed during SSA. Third, we showed that modest overexpression of Msh6 results in a significant increase in heteroduplex rejection; this increase is due to a compromise in Msh2-Msh3 function required for the clipping of 3' tails. Thus 3' tail clipping during SSA is a critical regulatory step in the repair vs. rejection decision; rejection is favored before the 3' tails are clipped. Unexpectedly, Msh6 overexpression, through interactions with PCNA, disrupted heteroduplex rejection between divergent sequences in another recombination substrate. These observations illustrate the delicate balance that exists between repair and replication factors to optimize genome stability.

Regulation of mismatch repair by histone code and posttranslational modifications in eukaryotic cells

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) protects genome integrity by correcting DNA replication-associated mispairs, modulating DNA damage-induced cell cycle checkpoints and regulating homeologous recombination. Loss of MMR function leads to cancer development. This review describes progress in understanding how MMR is carried out in the context of chromatin and how chromatin organization/compaction, epigenetic mechanisms and posttranslational modifications of MMR proteins influence and regulate MMR in eukaryotic cells.

The Hsp90 inhibitor SNX-7081 is synergistic with fludarabine nucleoside via DNA damage and repair mechanisms in human, p53-negative chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Clinical trials of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitors have been limited by high toxicity. We previously showed that the Hsp90 inhibitor, SNX-7081, synergizes with and restores sensitivity to fludarabine nucleoside (2-FaraA) in human chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells with lesions in the p53 pathway (Best OG, et al., Leukemia Lymphoma 53:1367-75, 2012). Here, we used label-free quantitative shotgun proteomics and comprehensive bioinformatic analysis to determine the mechanism of this synergy. We propose that 2-FaraA-induced DNA damage is compounded by SNX-7081-mediated inhibition of DNA repair, resulting in enhanced induction of apoptosis. DNA damage responses are impaired in part due to reductions in checkpoint regulators BRCA1 and cyclin D1, and cell death is triggered following reductions of MYC and nucleolin and an accumulation of apoptosis-inducing NFkB2 p100 subunit. Loss of nucleolin can activate Fas-mediated apoptosis, leading to the increase of pro-apoptotic proteins (BID, fas-associated factor-2) and subsequent apoptosis of p53-negative, 2-FaraA refractory CLL cells. A significant induction of DNA damage, indicated by increases in DNA damage marker γH2AX, was observed following the dual drug treatment of additional cell lines, indicating that a similar mechanism may operate in other p53-mutated human B-lymphoid cancers. These results provide valuable insight into the synergistic mechanism between SNX-7081 and 2-FaraA that may provide an alternative treatment for CLL patients with p53 mutations, for whom therapeutic options are currently limited. Moreover, this drug combination reduces the effective dose of the Hsp90 inhibitor and may therefore alleviate any toxicity encountered.

HTLV-I Tax-Mediated Inactivation of Cell Cycle Checkpoints and DNA Repair Pathways Contribute to Cellular Transformation: "A Random Mutagenesis Model"

To achieve cellular transformation, most oncogenic retroviruses use transduction by proto-oncogene capture or insertional mutagenesis, whereby provirus integration disrupts expression of tumor suppressors or proto-oncogenes. In contrast, the Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-I) has been classified in a separate class referred to as "transactivating retroviruses". Current views suggest that the viral encoded Tax protein transactivates expression of cellular genes leading to deregulated growth and transformation. However, if Tax-mediated transactivation was indeed sufficient for cellular transformation, a fairly high frequency of infected cells would eventually become transformed. In contrast, the frequency of transformation by HTLV-I is very low, likely less than 5%. This review will discuss the current understanding and recent discoveries highlighting critical functions of Tax in cellular transformation. HTLV-I Tax carries out essential functions in order to override cell cycle checkpoints and deregulate cellular division. In addition, Tax expression is associated with increased DNA damage and genome instability. Since Tax can inhibit multiple DNA repair pathways and stimulate unfaithful DNA repair or bypass checkpoints, these processes allow accumulation of genetic mutations in the host genome. Given this, a "Random Mutagenesis" transformation model seems more suitable to characterize the oncogenic activities of HTLV-I.

Genetic instability in budding and fission yeast-sources and mechanisms

Cells are constantly confronted with endogenous and exogenous factors that affect their genomes. Eons of evolution have allowed the cellular mechanisms responsible for preserving the genome to adjust for achieving contradictory objectives: to maintain the genome unchanged and to acquire mutations that allow adaptation to environmental changes. One evolutionary mechanism that has been refined for survival is genetic variation. In this review, we describe the mechanisms responsible for two biological processes: genome maintenance and mutation tolerance involved in generations of genetic variations in mitotic cells of both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. These processes encompass mechanisms that ensure the fidelity of replication, DNA lesion sensing and DNA damage response pathways, as well as mechanisms that ensure precision in chromosome segregation during cell division. We discuss various factors that may influence genome stability, such as cellular ploidy, the phase of the cell cycle, transcriptional activity of a particular region of DNA, the proficiency of DNA quality control systems, the metabolic stage of the cell and its respiratory potential, and finally potential exposure to endogenous or environmental stress.

The stability of budding and fission yeast genomes is influenced by two contradictory factors: (1) the need to be fully functional, which is ensured through the replication fidelity pathways of nuclear and mitochondrial genomes through sensing and repairing DNA damage, through precise chromosome segregation during cell division; and (2) the need to acquire changes for adaptation to environmental challenges.

A fluorescent bimolecular complementation screen reveals MAF1, RNF7 and SETD3 as PCNA-associated proteins in human cells

The proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a conserved component of DNA replication factories, and interactions with PCNA mediate the recruitment of many essential DNA replication enzymes to these sites of DNA synthesis. A complete description of the structure and composition of these factories remains elusive, and a better knowledge of them will improve our understanding of how the maintenance of genome and epigenetic stability is achieved. To fully characterize the set of proteins that interact with PCNA we developed a bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) screen for PCNA-interactors in human cells. This 2-hybrid type screen for interactors from a human cDNA library is rapid and efficient. The fluorescent read-out for protein interaction enables facile selection of interacting clones, and we combined this with next generation sequencing to identify the cDNAs encoding the interacting proteins. This method was able to reproducibly identify previously characterized PCNA-interactors but importantly also identified RNF7, Maf1 and SetD3 as PCNA-interacting proteins. We validated these interactions by co-immunoprecipitation from human cell extracts and by interaction analyses using recombinant proteins. These results show that the BiFC screen is a valuable method for the identification of protein-protein interactions in living mammalian cells. This approach has potentially wide application as it is high throughput and readily automated. We suggest that, given this interaction with PCNA, Maf1, RNF7, and SetD3 are potentially involved in DNA replication, DNA repair, or associated processes.

Exonuclease 1-dependent and independent mismatch repair

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) acts to repair mispaired bases resulting from misincorporation errors during DNA replication and also recognizes mispaired bases in recombination (HR) intermediates. Exonuclease 1 (Exo1) is a 5' → 3' exonuclease that participates in a number of DNA repair pathways. Exo1 was identified as an exonuclease that participates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human MMR where it functions to excise the daughter strand after mispair recognition, and additionally Exo1 functions in end resection during HR. However, Exo1 is not absolutely required for end resection during HR in vivo. Similarly, while Exo1 is required in MMR reactions that have been reconstituted in vitro, genetics studies have shown that it is not absolutely required for MMR in vivo suggesting the existence of Exo1-independent and Exo1-dependent MMR subpathways. Here, we review what is known about the Exo1-independent and Exo1-dependent subpathways, including studies of mutations in MMR genes that specifically disrupt either subpathway.

New insights into the mechanism of DNA mismatch repair

The genome of all organisms is constantly being challenged by endogenous and exogenous sources of DNA damage. Errors like base:base mismatches or small insertions and deletions, primarily introduced by DNA polymerases during DNA replication are repaired by an evolutionary conserved DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system. The MMR system, together with the DNA replication machinery, promote repair by an excision and resynthesis mechanism during or after DNA replication, increasing replication fidelity by up-to-three orders of magnitude. Consequently, inactivation of MMR genes results in elevated mutation rates that can lead to increased cancer susceptibility in humans. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of MMR with a focus on the different MMR protein complexes, their function and structure. We also discuss how recent findings have provided new insights in the spatio-temporal regulation and mechanism of MMR.

Phosphorylation of PCNA by EGFR inhibits mismatch repair and promotes misincorporation during DNA synthesis

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) plays essential roles in eukaryotic cells during DNA replication, DNA mismatch repair (MMR), and other events at the replication fork. Earlier studies show that PCNA is regulated by posttranslational modifications, including phosphorylation of tyrosine 211 (Y211) by the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). However, the functional significance of Y211-phosphorylated PCNA remains unknown. Here, we show that PCNA phosphorylation by EGFR alters its interaction with mismatch-recognition proteins MutSα and MutSβ and interferes with PCNA-dependent activation of MutLα endonuclease, thereby inhibiting MMR at the initiation step. Evidence is also provided that Y211-phosphorylated PCNA induces nucleotide misincorporation during DNA synthesis. These findings reveal a novel mechanism by which Y211-phosphorylated PCNA promotes cancer development and progression via facilitating error-prone DNA replication and suppressing the MMR function.

A proposal: Evolution of PCNA's role as a marker of newly replicated DNA

Processivity clamps that hold DNA polymerases to DNA for processivity were the first proteins known to encircle the DNA duplex. At the time, polymerase processivity was thought to be the only function of ring shaped processivity clamps. But studies from many laboratories have identified numerous proteins that bind and function with sliding clamps. Among these processes are mismatch repair and nucleosome assembly. Interestingly, there exist polymerases that are highly processive and do not require clamps. Hence, DNA polymerase processivity does not intrinsically require that sliding clamps evolved for this purpose. We propose that polymerases evolved to require clamps as a way of ensuring that clamps are deposited on newly replicated DNA. These clamps are then used on the newly replicated daughter strands, for processes important to genomic integrity, such as mismatch repair and the assembly of nucleosomes to maintain epigenetic states of replicating cells during development.

New insights and challenges in mismatch repair: getting over the chromatin hurdle

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) maintains genome stability primarily by repairing DNA replication-associated mispairs. Because loss of MMR function increases the mutation frequency genome-wide, defects in this pathway predispose affected individuals to cancer. The genes encoding essential eukaryotic MMR activities have been identified, as the recombinant proteins repair 'naked' heteroduplex DNA in vitro. However, the reconstituted system is inactive on nucleosome-containing heteroduplex DNA, and it is not understood how MMR occurs in vivo. Recent studies suggest that chromatin organization, nucleosome assembly/disassembly factors and histone modifications regulate MMR in eukaryotic cells, but the complexity and importance of the interaction between MMR and chromatin remodeling has only recently begun to be appreciated. This article reviews recent progress in understanding the mechanism of eukaryotic MMR in the context of chromatin structure and dynamics, considers the implications of these recent findings and discusses unresolved questions and challenges in understanding eukaryotic MMR.

DNA repair mechanisms and the bypass of DNA damage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DNA repair mechanisms are critical for maintaining the integrity of genomic DNA, and their loss is associated with cancer predisposition syndromes. Studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have played a central role in elucidating the highly conserved mechanisms that promote eukaryotic genome stability. This review will focus on repair mechanisms that involve excision of a single strand from duplex DNA with the intact, complementary strand serving as a template to fill the resulting gap. These mechanisms are of two general types: those that remove damage from DNA and those that repair errors made during DNA synthesis. The major DNA-damage repair pathways are base excision repair and nucleotide excision repair, which, in the most simple terms, are distinguished by the extent of single-strand DNA removed together with the lesion. Mistakes made by DNA polymerases are corrected by the mismatch repair pathway, which also corrects mismatches generated when single strands of non-identical duplexes are exchanged during homologous recombination. In addition to the true repair pathways, the postreplication repair pathway allows lesions or structural aberrations that block replicative DNA polymerases to be tolerated. There are two bypass mechanisms: an error-free mechanism that involves a switch to an undamaged template for synthesis past the lesion and an error-prone mechanism that utilizes specialized translesion synthesis DNA polymerases to directly synthesize DNA across the lesion. A high level of functional redundancy exists among the pathways that deal with lesions, which minimizes the detrimental effects of endogenous and exogenous DNA damage.

Reconstitution of long and short patch mismatch repair reactions using Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteins

A problem in understanding eukaryotic DNA mismatch repair (MMR) mechanisms is linking insights into MMR mechanisms from genetics and cell-biology studies with those from biochemical studies of MMR proteins and reconstituted MMR reactions. This type of analysis has proven difficult because reconstitution approaches have been most successful for human MMR whereas analysis of MMR in vivo has been most advanced in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we describe the reconstitution of MMR reactions using purified S. cerevisiae proteins and mispair-containing DNA substrates. A mixture of MutS homolog 2 (Msh2)-MutS homolog 6, Exonuclease 1, replication protein A, replication factor C-Δ1N, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and DNA polymerase δ was found to repair substrates containing TG, CC, +1 (+T), +2 (+GC), and +4 (+ACGA) mispairs and either a 5' or 3' strand interruption with different efficiencies. The Msh2-MutS homolog 3 mispair recognition protein could substitute for the Msh2-Msh6 mispair recognition protein and showed a different specificity of repair of the different mispairs whereas addition of MutL homolog 1-postmeiotic segregation 1 had no affect on MMR. Repair was catalytic, with as many as 11 substrates repaired per molecule of Exo1. Repair of the substrates containing either a 5' or 3' strand interruption occurred by mispair binding-dependent 5' excision and subsequent resynthesis with excision tracts of up to ~2.9 kb occurring during the repair of the substrate with a 3' strand interruption. The availability of this reconstituted MMR reaction now makes possible detailed biochemical studies of the wealth of mutations identified that affect S. cerevisiae MMR.

Different roles of eukaryotic MutS and MutL complexes in repair of small insertion and deletion loops in yeast

DNA mismatch repair greatly increases genome fidelity by recognizing and removing replication errors. In order to understand how this fidelity is maintained, it is important to uncover the relative specificities of the different components of mismatch repair. There are two major mispair recognition complexes in eukaryotes that are homologues of bacterial MutS proteins, MutSα and MutSβ, with MutSα recognizing base-base mismatches and small loop mispairs and MutSβ recognizing larger loop mispairs. Upon recognition of a mispair, the MutS complexes then interact with homologues of the bacterial MutL protein. Loops formed on the primer strand during replication lead to insertion mutations, whereas loops on the template strand lead to deletions. We show here in yeast, using oligonucleotide transformation, that MutSα has a strong bias toward repair of insertion loops, while MutSβ has an even stronger bias toward repair of deletion loops. Our results suggest that this bias in repair is due to the different interactions of the MutS complexes with the MutL complexes. Two mutants of MutLα, pms1-G882E and pms1-H888R, repair deletion mispairs but not insertion mispairs. Moreover, we find that a different MutL complex, MutLγ, is extremely important, but not sufficient, for deletion repair in the presence of either MutLα mutation. MutSβ is present in many eukaryotic organisms, but not in prokaryotes. We suggest that the biased repair of deletion mispairs may reflect a critical eukaryotic function of MutSβ in mismatch repair.

YB-1 disrupts mismatch repair complex formation, interferes with MutSα recruitment on mismatch and inhibits mismatch repair through interacting with PCNA

Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) is highly expressed in tumors and it participates in various cellular processes. Previous studies indicated that YB-1 binds to mispaired DNA and interacts with several mismatch repair (MMR)-related factors. However, its role in the MMR system remains undefined. Here, we found that YB-1 represses mutS homolog 6 (MSH6)-containing MMR complex formation and reduces MutSα mismatch binding activity by disrupting interactions among MMR-related factors. In an effort to elucidate how YB-1 exerts this inhibitory effect, we have identified two functional proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-interacting protein (PIP)-boxes that mediate YB-1/PCNA interaction and locate within the C-terminal region of YB-1. This interaction is critical for the regulatory role of YB-1 in repressing MutSα mismatch binding activity, disrupting MutSα/PCNA/G/T heteroduplex ternary complex formation and inhibiting in vitro MMR activity. The differential regulation of 3' and 5' nick-directed MMR activity by YB-1 was also observed. Moreover, YB-1 overexpression is associated with the alteration of microsatellite pattern and the enhancement of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-induced and spontaneous mutations. Furthermore, upregulation of other PIP-box-containing proteins, such as myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) and inhibitor of growth protein 1b (ING1b), has no impact on MMR complex formation and mutation accumulation, thus revealing the significant effect of YB-1 on regulating the MMR system. In conclusion, our study suggests that YB-1 functions as a PCNA-interacting factor to exert its regulatory role on the MMR process and involves in the induction of genome instability, which may partially account for the oncogenic potential of YB-1.

Distinct structural alterations in proliferating cell nuclear antigen block DNA mismatch repair

During DNA replication, mismatches and small loops in the DNA resulting from insertions or deletions are repaired by the mismatch repair (MMR) machinery. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) plays an important role in both mismatch-recognition and resynthesis stages of MMR. Previously, two mutant forms of PCNA were identified that cause defects in MMR with little, if any, other defects. The C22Y mutant PCNA protein completely blocks MutSα-dependent MMR, and the C81R mutant PCNA protein partially blocks both MutSα-dependent and MutSβ-dependent MMR. In order to understand the structural and mechanistic basis by which these two amino acid substitutions in PCNA proteins block MMR, we solved the X-ray crystal structures of both mutant proteins and carried out further biochemical studies. We found that these amino acid substitutions lead to subtle, distinct structural changes in PCNA. The C22Y substitution alters the positions of the α-helices lining the central hole of the PCNA ring, whereas the C81R substitution creates a distortion in an extended loop near the PCNA subunit interface. We conclude that the structural integrity of the α-helices lining the central hole and this loop are both necessary to form productive complexes with MutSα and mismatch-containing DNA.

The histone mark H3K36me3 regulates human DNA mismatch repair through its interaction with MutSα

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) ensures replication fidelity by correcting mismatches generated during DNA replication. Although human MMR has been reconstituted in vitro, how MMR occurs in vivo is unknown. Here, we show that an epigenetic histone mark, H3K36me3, is required in vivo to recruit the mismatch recognition protein hMutSα (hMSH2-hMSH6) onto chromatin through direct interactions with the hMSH6 PWWP domain. The abundance of H3K36me3 in G1 and early S phases ensures that hMutSα is enriched on chromatin before mispairs are introduced during DNA replication. Cells lacking the H3K36 trimethyltransferase SETD2 display microsatellite instability (MSI) and an elevated spontaneous mutation frequency, characteristic of MMR-deficient cells. This work reveals that a histone mark regulates MMR in human cells and explains the long-standing puzzle of MSI-positive cancer cells that lack detectable mutations in known MMR genes.

A proteomic characterization of factors enriched at nascent DNA molecules

DNA replication is facilitated by multiple factors that concentrate in the vicinity of replication forks. Here, we developed an approach that combines the isolation of proteins on nascent DNA chains with mass spectrometry (iPOND-MS), allowing a comprehensive proteomic characterization of the human replisome and replisome-associated factors. In addition to known replisome components, we provide a broad list of proteins that reside in the vicinity of the replisome, some of which were not previously associated with replication. For instance, our data support a link between DNA replication and the Williams-Beuren syndrome and identify ZNF24 as a replication factor. In addition, we reveal that SUMOylation is widespread for factors that concentrate near replisomes, which contrasts with lower UQylation levels at these sites. This resource provides a panoramic view of the proteins that concentrate in the surroundings of the replisome, which should facilitate future investigations on DNA replication and genome maintenance.

The role of DNA damage and repair in aging through the prism of Koch-like criteria

Since the first publication on Somatic Mutation Theory of Aging (Szilárd, 1959), a great volume of knowledge in the field has been accumulated. Here we attempted to organize the evidence "for" and "against" the hypothesized causal role of DNA damage and mutation accumulation in aging in light of four Koch-like criteria. They are based on the assumption that some quantitative relationship between the levels of DNA damage/mutations and aging rate should exist, so that (i) the longer-lived individuals or species would have a lower rate of damage than the shorter-lived, and (ii) the interventions that modulate the level of DNA damage and repair capacity should also modulate the rate of aging and longevity and vice versa. The analysis of how the existing data meets the proposed criteria showed that many gaps should still be filled in order to reach a clear-cut conclusion. As a perspective, it seems that the main emphasis in future studies should be put on the role of DNA damage in stem cell aging.