ABSTRACT
Eukaryotic origin firing depends on assembly of the Cdc45-MCM-GINS (CMG) helicase. A key step is the recruitment of GINS that requires the leading-strand polymerase Pol epsilon, composed of Pol2, Dpb2, Dpb3, Dpb4. While a truncation of the catalytic N-terminal Pol2 supports cell division, Dpb2 and C-terminal Pol2 (C-Pol2) are essential for viability. Dpb2 and C-Pol2 are non-catalytic modules, shown or predicted to be related to an exonuclease and DNA polymerase, respectively. Here, we present the cryo-EM structure of the isolated C-Pol2/Dpb2 heterodimer, revealing that C-Pol2 contains a DNA polymerase fold. We also present the structure of CMG/C-Pol2/Dpb2 on a DNA fork, and find that polymerase binding changes both the helicase structure and fork-junction engagement. Inter-subunit contacts that keep the helicase-polymerase complex together explain several cellular phenotypes. At least some of these contacts are preserved during Pol epsilon-dependent CMG assembly on path to origin firing, as observed with DNA replication reconstituted in vitro.
Subject(s)
DNA Polymerase II/chemistry , DNA Polymerase II/metabolism , DNA Replication/physiology , DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism , DNA/metabolism , Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/chemistry , Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics , Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism , Cell Cycle Proteins/chemistry , Cell Cycle Proteins/genetics , Cell Cycle Proteins/metabolism , DNA/chemistry , DNA/genetics , DNA Polymerase II/genetics , DNA Replication/genetics , DNA-Binding Proteins/chemistry , DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , Humans , Nuclear Proteins/chemistry , Nuclear Proteins/genetics , Nuclear Proteins/metabolism , Protein Structure, TertiaryABSTRACT
The replisome unwinds and synthesizes DNA for genome duplication. In eukaryotes, the Cdc45-MCM-GINS (CMG) helicase and the leading-strand polymerase, Pol epsilon, form a stable assembly. The mechanism for coupling DNA unwinding with synthesis is starting to be elucidated, however the architecture and dynamics of the replication fork remain only partially understood, preventing a molecular understanding of chromosome replication. To address this issue, we conducted a systematic single-particle EM study on multiple permutations of the reconstituted CMG-Pol epsilon assembly. Pol epsilon contains two flexibly tethered lobes. The noncatalytic lobe is anchored to the motor of the helicase, whereas the polymerization domain extends toward the side of the helicase. We observe two alternate configurations of the DNA synthesis domain in the CMG-bound Pol epsilon. We propose that this conformational switch might control DNA template engagement and release, modulating replisome progression.
Subject(s)
DNA Helicases/metabolism , DNA Polymerase II/metabolism , DNA Replication , Eukaryotic Cells/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/enzymology , DNA Helicases/genetics , DNA Polymerase II/genetics , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/growth & development , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/geneticsABSTRACT
Eukaryotic cells initiate DNA replication from multiple origins, which must be tightly regulated to promote precise genome duplication in every cell cycle. To accomplish this, initiation is partitioned into two temporally discrete steps: a double hexameric minichromosome maintenance (MCM) complex is first loaded at replication origins during G1 phase, and then converted to the active CMG (Cdc45-MCM-GINS) helicase during S phase. Here we describe the reconstitution of budding yeast DNA replication initiation with 16 purified replication factors, made from 42 polypeptides. Origin-dependent initiation recapitulates regulation seen in vivo. Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibits MCM loading by phosphorylating the origin recognition complex (ORC) and promotes CMG formation by phosphorylating Sld2 and Sld3. Dbf4-dependent kinase (DDK) promotes replication by phosphorylating MCM, and can act either before or after CDK. These experiments define the minimum complement of proteins, protein kinase substrates and co-factors required for regulated eukaryotic DNA replication.
