Genome stability roles of SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligases.

Post-translational modification of the cell's proteome by ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins provides dynamic functional regulation. Ubiquitin and SUMO are well-studied post-translational modifiers that typically impart distinct effects on their targets. The recent discovery that modification by SUMO can target proteins for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation sets a new paradigm in the field, and offers insights into the roles of SUMO and ubiquitin in genome stability.

Human Mus81-associated endonuclease cleaves Holliday junctions in vitro.

Mus81, a protein with homology to the XPF subunit of the ERCC1-XPF endonuclease, is important for replicational stress tolerance in both budding and fission yeast. Human Mus81 has associated endonuclease activity against structure-specific oligonucleotide substrates, including synthetic Holliday junctions. Mus81-associated endonuclease resolves Holliday junctions into linear duplexes by cutting across the junction exclusively on strands of like polarity. In addition, Mus81 protein abundance increases in cells following exposure to agents that block DNA replication. Taken together, these findings suggest a role for Mus81 in resolving Holliday junctions that arise when DNA replication is blocked by damage or by nucleotide depletion. Mus81 is not related by sequence to previously characterized Holliday junction resolving enzymes, and it has distinct enzymatic properties that suggest it uses a novel enzymatic strategy to cleave Holliday junctions.

Mus81-Eme1 are essential components of a Holliday junction resolvase.

Mus81, a fission yeast protein related to the XPF subunit of ERCC1-XPF nucleotide excision repair endonuclease, is essential for meiosis and important for coping with stalled replication forks. These processes require resolution of X-shaped DNA structures known as Holliday junctions. We report that Mus81 and an associated protein Eme1 are components of an endonuclease that resolves Holliday junctions into linear duplex products. Mus81 and Eme1 are required during meiosis at a late step of meiotic recombination. The mus81 meiotic defect is rescued by expression of a bacterial Holliday junction resolvase. These findings constitute strong evidence that Mus81 and Eme1 are subunits of a nuclear Holliday junction resolvase.

Threonine-11, phosphorylated by Rad3 and atm in vitro, is required for activation of fission yeast checkpoint kinase Cds1.

Fission yeast Cds1 is phosphorylated and activated when DNA replication is interrupted by nucleotide starvation or DNA damage. Cds1 enforces the S-M checkpoint that couples mitosis (M) to the completion of DNA synthesis (S). Cds1 also controls replicational stress tolerance mechanisms. Cds1 is regulated by a group of proteins that includes Rad3, a kinase related to human checkpoint kinase ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated). ATM phosphorylates serine or threonine followed by glutamine (SQ or TQ). Here we show that in vitro, Rad3 and ATM phosphorylate the N-terminal domain of Cds1 at the motif T(11)Q(12). Substitution of threonine-11 with alanine (T11A) abolished Cds1 activation that occurs when DNA replication is inhibited by hydroxyurea (HU) treatment. The cds1-T11A mutant was profoundly sensitive to HU, although not quite as sensitive as a cds1(-) null mutant. Cds1(T11A) was unable to enforce the S-M checkpoint. These results strongly suggest that Rad3-dependent phosphorylation of Cds1 at threonine-11 is required for Cds1 activation and function.

Damage tolerance protein Mus81 associates with the FHA1 domain of checkpoint kinase Cds1.

Cds1, a serine/threonine kinase, enforces the S-M checkpoint in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Cds1 is required for survival of replicational stress caused by agents that stall replication forks, but how Cds1 performs these functions is largely unknown. Here we report that the forkhead-associated-1 (FHA1) protein-docking domain of Cds1 interacts with Mus81, an evolutionarily conserved damage tolerance protein. Mus81 has an endonuclease homology domain found in the XPF nucleotide excision repair protein. Inactivation of mus81 reveals a unique spectrum of phenotypes. Mus81 enables survival of deoxynucleotide triphosphate starvation, UV radiation, and DNA polymerase impairment. Mus81 is essential in the absence of Bloom's syndrome Rqh1 helicase and is required for productive meiosis. Genetic epistasis studies suggest that Mus81 works with recombination enzymes to properly replicate damaged DNA. Inactivation of Mus81 triggers a checkpoint-dependent delay of mitosis. We propose that Mus81 is involved in the recruitment of Cds1 to aberrant DNA structures where Cds1 modulates the activity of damage tolerance enzymes.

Regulation of mitotic inhibitor Mik1 helps to enforce the DNA damage checkpoint.

The protein kinase Chk1 enforces the DNA damage checkpoint. This checkpoint delays mitosis until damaged DNA is repaired. Chk1 regulates the activity and localization of Cdc25, the tyrosine phosphatase that activates the cdk Cdc2. Here we report that Mik1, a tyrosine kinase that inhibits Cdc2, is positively regulated by the DNA damage checkpoint. Mik1 is required for checkpoint response in strains that lack Cdc25. Long-term DNA damage checkpoint arrest fails in Deltamik1 cells. DNA damage increases Mik1 abundance in a Chk1-dependent manner. Ubiquitinated Mik1 accumulates in a proteasome mutant, which indicates that Mik1 normally has a short half-life. Thus, the DNA damage checkpoint might regulate Mik1 degradation. Mik1 protein and mRNA oscillate during the unperturbed cell cycle, with peak amounts detected around S phase. These data indicate that regulation of Mik1 abundance helps to couple mitotic onset to the completion of DNA replication and repair. Coordinated negative regulation of Cdc25 and positive regulation of Mik1 ensure the effective operation of the DNA damage checkpoint.

DNA replication checkpoint control.

The eukaryotic cell cycle comprises two critical phases, DNA replication (S phase) and the subsequent distribution of an equivalent genome to each of two daughter cells at mitosis (M phase). A signal transduction cascade called the replication checkpoint has evolved to ensure that M phase does not occur prior to the completion of S phase. The mitotic regulators targeted by this checkpoint have recently been identified in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. As was the case for the DNA damage checkpoint, studies on the replication checkpoint in fission yeast promise to provide an excellent framework for analogous studies in mammalian cells.

Basis for the checkpoint signal specificity that regulates Chk1 and Cds1 protein kinases.

Six checkpoint Rad proteins (Rad1, Rad3, Rad9, Rad17, Rad26, and Hus1) are needed to regulate checkpoint protein kinases Chk1 and Cds1 in fission yeast. Chk1 is required to prevent mitosis when DNA is damaged by ionizing radiation (IR), whereas either kinase is sufficient to prevent mitosis when DNA replication is inhibited by hydroxyurea (HU). Checkpoint Rad proteins are required for IR-induced phosphorylation of Chk1 and HU-induced activation of Cds1. IR activates Cds1 only during the DNA synthesis (S) phase, whereas HU induces Chk1 phosphorylation only in cds1 mutants. Here, we investigate the basis of the checkpoint signal specificity of Chk1 phosphorylation and Cds1 activation. We show that IR fails to induce Chk1 phosphorylation in HU-arrested cells. Release from the HU arrest following IR causes substantial Chk1 phosphorylation. These and other data indicate that Cds1 prevents Chk1 phosphorylation in HU-arrested cells, which suggests that Cds1 actively suppresses a repair process that leads to Chk1 phosphorylation. Cds1 becomes more highly concentrated in the nucleus only during the S phase of the cell cycle. This finding correlates with S-phase specificity of IR-induced activation of Cds1. However, constitutive nuclear localization of Cds1 does not enhance IR-induced activation of Cds1. This result suggests that Cds1 activation requires DNA structures or protein activities that are present only during S phase. These findings help to explain how Chk1 and Cds1 respond to different checkpoint signals.

Cdc25 inhibited in vivo and in vitro by checkpoint kinases Cds1 and Chk1.

In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the protein kinase Cds1 is activated by the S-M replication checkpoint that prevents mitosis when DNA is incompletely replicated. Cds1 is proposed to regulate Wee1 and Mik1, two tyrosine kinases that inhibit the mitotic kinase Cdc2. Here, we present evidence from in vivo and in vitro studies, which indicates that Cds1 also inhibits Cdc25, the phosphatase that activates Cdc2. In an in vivo assay that measures the rate at which Cdc25 catalyzes mitosis, Cds1 contributed to a mitotic delay imposed by the S-M replication checkpoint. Cds1 also inhibited Cdc25-dependent activation of Cdc2 in vitro. Chk1, a protein kinase that is required for the G2-M damage checkpoint that prevents mitosis while DNA is being repaired, also inhibited Cdc25 in the in vitro assay. In vitro, Cds1 and Chk1 phosphorylated Cdc25 predominantly on serine-99. The Cdc25 alanine-99 mutation partially impaired the S-M replication and G2-M damage checkpoints in vivo. Thus, Cds1 and Chk1 seem to act in different checkpoint responses to regulate Cdc25 by similar mechanisms.

SUMO-1 modification of the acute promyelocytic leukaemia protein PML: implications for nuclear localisation.

PML is a nuclear phosphoprotein that was first identified as part of a translocated chromosomal fusion product associated with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL). PML localises to distinct nuclear multi-protein complexes termed ND10, Kr bodies, PML nuclear bodies and PML oncogenic domains (PODs), which are disrupted in APL and are the targets for immediate early viral proteins, although little is known about their function. In a yeast two-hybrid screen, we first identified a ubiquitin-like protein named PIC1 (now known as SUMO-1), which interacts and co-localises with PML in vivo. More recent studies have now shown that SUMO-1 covalently modifies a number of target proteins including PML, RanGAP1 and IkappaBalpha and is proposed to play a role in either targeting modified proteins and/or inhibiting their degradation. The precise molecular role for the SUMO-1 modification of PML is unclear, and the specific lysine residues within PML that are targeted for modification and the PML sub-domains necessary for mediating the modification in vivo are unknown. Here we show that SUMO-1 covalently modifies PML both in vivo and in vitro and that the modification is mediated either directly or indirectly by the interaction of UBC9 with PML through the RING finger domain. Using site-specific mutagenesis, we have identified the primary PML-SUMO-1 modification site as being part of the nuclear localisation signal (Lys487 or Lys490). However SUMO-1 modification is not essential for PML nuclear localisation as only nuclear PML is modified. The sequence of the modification site fits into a consensus sequence for SUMO-1 modification and we have identified several other nuclear proteins which could also be targets for SUMO-1. We show that SUMO-1 modification appears to be dependant on the correct subcellular compartmentalisation of target proteins. We also find that the APL-associated fusion protein PML-RARA is efficiently modified in vitro, resulting in a specific and SUMO-1-dependent degradation of PML-RARA. Our results provide significant insights into the role of SUMO-1 modification of PML in both normal cells and the APL disease state.

Replication checkpoint enforced by kinases Cds1 and Chk1.

Cdc2, the kinase that induces mitosis, is regulated by checkpoints that couple mitosis to the completion of DNA replication and repair. The repair checkpoint kinase Chk1 regulates Cdc25, a phosphatase that activates Cdc2. Effectors of the replication checkpoint evoked by hydroxyurea (HU) are unknown. Treatment of fission yeast with HU stimulated the kinase Cds1, which appears to phosphorylate the kinase Wee1, an inhibitor of Cdc2. The protein kinase Cds1 was also required for a large HU-induced increase in the amount of Mik1, a second inhibitor of Cdc2. HU-induced arrest of cell division was abolished in cds1 chk1 cells. Thus, Cds1 and Chk1 appear to jointly enforce the replication checkpoint.

Surface residue mutations of the PML RING finger domain alter the formation of nuclear matrix-associated PML bodies.

The human protein PML, was first identified as part of a fusion protein with retinoic acid receptor alpha as found in the chromosomal translocation which gives rise to acute promyelocytic leukaemia. PML is normally localised to large matrix-associated nuclear domains (known as ND10, Kr bodies, PODS or PML NBs) which comprise several multi-protein complexes. Within the PML protein, there are a number of identified zinc-binding domains, one of which called the RING finger is found in a large family of diverse and unrelated proteins. Here, we report the effect of site-directed mutations within the context of the whole PML protein, of amino acids found on the surface of the PML RING finger domain and PML NB formation in vivo. Mutations of a small region of the RING finger domain surface affect the size and numbers of PML NBs in a mouse fibroblast expression assay, resulting in fewer but larger exogenous PML NBs. Mutations of other surface RING residues, however, do not affect exogenous PML NB formation. Furthermore, all of the PML RING mutants co-localise to both endogenous and exogenous wild-type PML NBs. These data identify a specific region of the PML RING finger domain which is directly involved in correct PML NB formation. They also provide evidence to suggest that the PML RING finger is involved in mediating PML-PML oligomeric interactions, as part of a mechanism leading to the assembly of the PML NB complex.

PIC 1, a novel ubiquitin-like protein which interacts with the PML component of a multiprotein complex that is disrupted in acute promyelocytic leukaemia.

Acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) arises following a reciprocal translocation t(15;17) that fuses PML with retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA). The PML-RARA fusion protein targets and disrupts nuclear multiprotein complexes called PODs, ND10 or NBs, a process which is associated with a block in myeloid differentiation leading to APL. A human B-cell cDNA library was screened for PML-interacting clones and a single positive clone (PIC1) was isolated. The sequence of PIC1 shows 52% identity to a S. cerevisiae ubiquitin-like protein that was cloned as a suppressor of mutations in MIF2, a protein required for mitotic spindle integrity during anaphase. Transient transfection of NIH3T3 cells with PIC1 results in a nuclear staining pattern coincident with that of endogenous mouse PML. Further, cotransfection of PIC1 with human PML produces a completely overlapping staining pattern between the two proteins. An antibody raised against PIC1 detects a punctate staining pattern in HeLa cells that is coincident with endogenous human PML. There is no significant colocalisation observed between the staining of PML/ PML-RARA and PIC1 in an APL-derived cell line NB4, as compared to cells expressing only wild type PML. However, following all trans retinoic acid treatment of NB4 cells a significant relocalisation of PIC1 and PML is observed. PIC1 is the first identified NB-associated protein that interacts with PML, the function of which may lead to a fuller understanding of the molecular events leading to APL.

Does this have a familiar RING?

The RING finger is a zinc-binding domain that is found in proteins from plants to humans, but whose function remains largely enigmatic. The domain itself is distinct from other zinc-finger motifs in terms of sequence homology, zinc-ligation scheme and three-dimensional structure. It appears that the RING is involved in mediating protein-protein interactions and in some cases multi-protein complexes, which might depend on the presence of other proteins and/or domains.

The solution structure of the RING finger domain from the acute promyelocytic leukaemia proto-oncoprotein PML.

Acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) has been ascribed to a chromosomal translocation event which results in a fusion protein comprising the PML protein and the retinoic acid receptor alpha. PML is normally a component of a nuclear multiprotein complex (termed ND10, Kr bodies, nuclear bodies, PML oncogenic domains or PODs) which is disrupted in the APL disease state. PML contains a number of characterized motifs including a Zn2+ binding domain called the RING or C3HC4 finger. Here we describe the solution structure of the PML RING finger as solved by 1H NMR methods at physiological pH with r.m.s. deviations for backbone atoms of 0.88 and 1.39 A for all atoms. Additional biophysical studies including CD and optical spectroscopy, show that the PML RING finger requires Zn2+ for autonomous folding and that cysteines are used in metal ligation. A comparison of the structure with the previously solved equine herpes virus IE110 RING finger, shows significant differences suggesting that the RING motif is structurally diverse. The role of the RING domain in PML nuclear body formation was tested in vivo, by using site-directed mutagenesis and immunofluorescence on transiently transfected NIH 3T3 cells. Independently mutating two pairs of cysteines in each of the Zn2+ binding sites prevents PML nuclear body formation, suggesting that a fully folded RING domain is necessary for this process. These results suggest that the PML RING domain is probably involved in protein-protein interactions, a feature which may be common to other RING finger domains.