Reconstitution and subunit geometry of human condensin complexes.

Vertebrate cells possess two different condensin complexes, known as condensin I and condensin II, that play a fundamental role in chromosome assembly and segregation during mitosis. Each complex contains a pair of structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) ATPases, a kleisin subunit and two HEAT-repeat subunits. Here we use recombinant human condensin subunits to determine their geometry within each complex. We show that both condensin I and condensin II have a pseudo-symmetrical structure, in which the N-terminal half of kleisin links the first HEAT subunit to SMC2, whereas its C-terminal half links the second HEAT subunit to SMC4. No direct interactions are detectable between the SMC dimer and the HEAT subunits, indicating that the kleisin subunit acts as the linchpin in holocomplex assembly. ATP has little, if any, effects on the assembly and integrity of condensin. Cleavage pattern of SMC2 by limited proteolysis is changed upon its binding to ATP or DNA. Our results shed new light on the architecture and dynamics of this highly elaborate machinery designed for chromosome assembly.

Regulation of checkpoint kinases through dynamic interaction with Crb2.

ATR/Rad3-like kinases promote the DNA damage checkpoint through regulating Chk1 that restrains the activation of cyclin-dependent kinases. In fission yeast, Crb2, a BRCT-domain protein that is similar to vertebrate 53BP1, plays a crucial role in establishing this checkpoint. We report here that Crb2 regulates DNA damage checkpoint through temporal and dynamic interactions with Rad3, Chk1 and replication factor Cut5. The active complex formation between Chk1 and Crb2 is regulated by Rad3 and became maximal during the checkpoint arrest. Chk1 activation seems to need two steps of interaction changes: the loss of Rad3-Chk1 and Rad3-Crb2 interactions, and the association between hyperphosphorylated forms of Chk1 and Crb2. Chk1 is the major checkpoint kinase for the arrest of DNA polymerase mutants. The in vitro assay of Chk1 showed that its activation requires the presence of Crb2 BRCT. Hyperphosphorylation of Crb2 is also dependent on its intact BRCT. Finally, we show direct interaction between Rad3 and Crb2, which is inhibitory to Rad3 activity. Hence, Crb2 is the first to interact with both Rad3 and Chk1 kinases.

Cnd2 has dual roles in mitotic condensation and interphase.

Chromosome condensation requires condensin, which comprises five subunits. Two of these subunits--both being structural maintenance of chromosome (SMC) proteins-are coiled-coils with globular terminal domains that interact with ATP and DNA. The remaining three, non-SMC subunits also have essential, albeit undefined, roles in condensation. Here we report that Cnd2 (ref. 6), a non-SMC subunit of fission yeast similar to Drosophila Barren and the budding yeast protein Brn1 (refs 8, 9), is required for both interphase and mitotic condensation. In cnd2-1 mutants, ultraviolet-induced DNA damage is not repaired, and cells arrested by hydroxyurea do not recover. A definitive defect of interphase is abolishment of Cds1 (a checkpoint kinase) activation in the presence of hydroxyurea in both cnd2-1 mutant cells and in cells where other condensin subunits have been genetically disrupted. In the absence of hydroxyurea, a G2 checkpoint delay occurred in cnd2-1 mutants in a manner dependent on Cds1 and ATM-like Rad3, but not Chk1 (refs 10-13), before the mitotic condensation defect. Furthermore, cnd2-1 was synthetic-lethal with mutations of excision repair, RecQ helicase and DNA replication enzymes. These interphase and mitotic defects provide insight into the mechanistic role of non-SMC subunits that interact with the globular SMC domains in the heteropentameric holocomplex.