Postreplicative formation of cohesion is required for repair and induced by a single DNA break

Sister-chromatid cohesion, established during replication by the protein complex cohesin, is essential for both chromosome segregation and double-strand break (DSB) repair. Normally, cohesion formation is strictly limited to the S phase of the cell cycle, but DSBs can trigger cohesion also after DNA replication has been completed. The function of this damage-induced cohesion remains unknown. In this investigation, we show that damage-induced cohesion is essential for repair in postreplicative cells in yeast. Furthermore, it is established genome-wide after induction of a single DSB, and it is controlled by the DNA damage response and cohesin-regulating factors. We thus define a cohesion establishment pathway that is independent of DNA duplication and acts together with cohesion formed during replication in sister chromatid-based DSB repair.     

DNA double-strand breaks trigger genome-wide sister-chromatid cohesion through Eco1 (Ctf7)

Faithful chromosome segregation and repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) require cohesin, the protein complex that mediates sister-chromatid cohesion. Cohesion between sister chromatids is thought to be generated only during ongoing DNA replication by an obligate coupling between cohesion establishment factors such as Eco1 (Ctf7) and the replisome. Using budding yeast, we challenge this model by showing that cohesion is generated by an Eco1-dependent but replication-independent mechanism in response to DSBs in G(2)/M. Furthermore, our studies reveal that Eco1 has two functions: a cohesive activity and a conserved acetyltransferase activity, which triggers the generation of cohesion in response to the DSB and the DNA damage checkpoint. Finally, the DSB-induced cohesion is not limited to broken chromosomes but occurs also on unbroken chromosomes, suggesting that the DNA damage checkpoint through Eco1 provides genome-wide protection of chromosome integrity.     

Chromosome segregation errors as a cause of DNA damage and structural chromosome aberrations

Various types of chromosomal aberrations, including numerical (aneuploidy) and structural (e.g., translocations, deletions), are commonly found in human tumors and are linked to tumorigenesis. Aneuploidy is a direct consequence of chromosome segregation errors in mitosis, whereas structural aberrations are caused by improperly repaired DNA breaks. Here, we demonstrate that chromosome segregation errors can also result in structural chromosome aberrations. Chromosomes that missegregate are frequently damaged during cytokinesis, triggering a DNA double-strand break response in the respective daughter cells involving ATM, Chk2, and p53. We show that these double-strand breaks can lead to unbalanced translocations in the daughter cells. Our data show that segregation errors can cause translocations and provide insights into the role of whole-chromosome instability in tumorigenesis.     

SIRT6 promotes DNA repair under stress by activating PARP1

Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) is a mammalian homolog of the yeast Sir2 deacetylase. Mice deficient for SIRT6 exhibit genome instability. Here, we show that in mammalian cells subjected to oxidative stress SIRT6 is recruited to the sites of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and stimulates DSB repair, through both nonhomologous end joining and homologous recombination. Our results indicate that SIRT6 physically associates with poly[adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribose] polymerase 1 (PARP1) and mono-ADP-ribosylates PARP1 on lysine residue 521, thereby stimulating PARP1 poly-ADP-ribosylase activity and enhancing DSB repair under oxidative stress.     

Antibody class switching mediated by yeast endonuclease-generated DNA breaks

Antibody class switching in activated B cells uses class switch recombination (CSR), which joins activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID)-dependent double-strand breaks (DSBs) within two large immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) locus switch (S) regions that lie up to 200 kilobases apart. To test postulated roles of S regions and AID in CSR, we generated mutant B cells in which donor Smu and accepter Sgamma1 regions were replaced with yeast I-SceI endonuclease sites. We found that site-specific I-SceI DSBs mediate recombinational IgH locus class switching from IgM to IgG1 without S regions or AID. We propose that CSR evolved to exploit a general DNA repair process that promotes joining of widely separated DSBs within a chromosome.     

Response to RAG-mediated VDJ cleavage by NBS1 and gamma-H2AX

Genetic disorders affecting cellular responses to DNA damage are characterized by high rates of translocations involving antigen receptor loci and increased susceptibility to lymphoid malignancies. We report that the Nijmegen breakage syndrome protein (NBS1) and histone gamma-H2AX, which associate with irradiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), are also found at sites of VDJ (variable, diversity, joining) recombination-induced DSBs. In developing thymocytes, NBS1 and gamma-H2AX form nuclear foci that colocalize with the T cell receptor alpha locus in response to recombination activating gene (RAG) protein-mediated VDJ cleavage. Our results suggest that surveillance of T cell receptor recombination intermediates by NBS1 and gamma-H2AX may be important for preventing oncogenic translocations.     

Mycobacterial Ku and ligase proteins constitute a two-component NHEJ repair machine

In mammalian cells, repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) is critical for genome stability. Although the end-bridging and ligation steps of NHEJ have been reconstituted in vitro, little is known about the end-processing reactions that occur before ligation. Recently, functionally homologous end-bridging and ligation activities have been identified in prokarya. Consistent with its homology to polymerases and nucleases, we demonstrate that DNA ligase D from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt-Lig) possesses a unique variety of nucleotidyl transferase activities, including gap-filling polymerase, terminal transferase, and primase, and is also a 3' to 5' exonuclease. These enzyme activities allow the Mt-Ku and Mt-Lig proteins to join incompatible DSB ends in vitro, as well as to reconstitute NHEJ in vivo in yeast. These results demonstrate that prokaryotic Ku and ligase form a bona fide NHEJ system that encodes all the recognition, processing, and ligation activities required for DSB repair.     

Aedes aegypti: origin of a "new" chromosome from a double translocation heterozygote

An apparent enhancement of crossing-over occurs in the region common to two translocated chromosomes derived from two different reciprocal translocations in the yellow-fever mnosquito, Aedes aegypti. A "new" chromosome containing parts of all three linkage groups is created through crossing-over. In a reversible process, two haploid translocated sets in the double translocation heterozygote produce a new, normal chromosome. set and vice versa in alternating generatiots.     

Robust crossover assurance and regulated interhomolog access maintain meiotic crossover number

Most organisms rely on interhomolog crossovers (COs) to ensure proper meiotic chromosome segregation but make few COs per chromosome pair. By monitoring repair events at a defined double-strand break (DSB) site during Caenorhabditis elegans meiosis, we reveal mechanisms that ensure formation of the obligate CO while limiting CO number. We find that CO is the preferred DSB repair outcome in the absence of inhibitory effects of other (nascent) recombination events. Thus, a single DSB per chromosome pair is largely sufficient to ensure CO formation. Further, we show that access to the homolog as a repair template is regulated, shutting down simultaneously for both CO and noncrossover (NCO) pathways. We propose that regulation of interhomolog access limits CO number and contributes to CO interference.     

杀配子染色体及其在创制小麦族染色体易位系中的应用

山羊草属植物中的某些染色体,当其单体附加到小麦基因组时.能使带有该染色体的配子正常存活;而使无该染色体的配子发生染色体断裂,产生易位等染色体结构畸变.利用杀配子染色体创制易住系是将小麦近缘种属野生资源的优良性状转移给小麦的一个有效途径.介绍了杀配子染色体的类型、作用时期,并重点综述了利用杀配子染色体创制小麦族染色体易位系方面的研究进展.     

Hu-ets-1 and Hu-ets-2 genes are transposed in acute leukemias with (4;11) and (8;21) translocations

Human probes identifying the cellular homologs of the v-ets gene, Hu-ets-1 and Hu-ets-2, and two panels of rodent-human cell hybrids were used to study specific translocations occurring in acute leukemias. The human ets-1 gene was found to translocate from chromosome 11 to 4 in the t(4;11)(q21;23), a translocation characteristic of a subtype of leukemia that represents the expansion of a myeloid/lymphoid precursor cell. Similarly, the human ets-2 gene was found to translocate from chromosome 21 to chromosome 8 in the t(8;21)(q22;q22), a nonrandom translocation commonly found in patients with acute myeloid leukemia with morphology M2 (AML-M2). Both translocations are associated with expression different from the expression in normal lymphoid cells of ets genes, raising the possibility that these genes play a role in the pathogenesis of these leukemias.     

Identification of a DNA nonhomologous end-joining complex in bacteria

In eukaryotic cells, double-strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA are generally repaired by the pathway of homologous recombination or by DNA nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ). Both pathways have been highly conserved throughout eukaryotic evolution, but no equivalent NHEJ system has been identified in prokaryotes. The NHEJ pathway requires a DNA end-binding component called Ku. We have identified bacterial Ku homologs and show that these proteins retain the biochemical characteristics of the eukaryotic Ku heterodimer. Furthermore, we show that bacterial Ku specifically recruits DNA ligase to DNA ends and stimulates DNA ligation. Loss of these proteins leads to hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation in Bacillus subtilis. These data provide evidence that many bacteria possess a DNA DSB repair apparatus that shares many features with the NHEJ system of eukarya and suggest that this DNA repair pathway arose before the prokaryotic and eukaryotic lineages diverged.     

Distinct properties of the XY pseudoautosomal region crucial for male meiosis

Meiosis requires that each chromosome find its homologous partner and undergo at least one crossover. X-Y chromosome segregation hinges on efficient crossing-over in a very small region of homology, the pseudoautosomal region (PAR). We find that mouse PAR DNA occupies unusually long chromosome axes, potentially as shorter chromatin loops, predicted to promote double-strand break (DSB) formation. Most PARs show delayed appearance of RAD51/DMC1 foci, which mark DSB ends, and all PARs undergo delayed DSB-mediated homologous pairing. Analysis of Spo11β isoform-specific transgenic mice revealed that late RAD51/DMC1 foci in the PAR are genetically distinct from both early PAR foci and global foci and that late PAR foci promote efficient X-Y pairing, recombination, and male fertility. Our findings uncover specific mechanisms that surmount the unique challenges of X-Y recombination.     

BRCA2 function in DNA binding and recombination from a BRCA2-DSS1-ssDNA structure

Mutations in the BRCA2 (breast cancer susceptibility gene 2) tumor suppressor lead to chromosomal instability due to defects in the repair of double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) by homologous recombination, but BRCA2's role in this process has been unclear. Here, we present the 3.1 angstrom crystal structure of a approximately 90-kilodalton BRCA2 domain bound to DSS1, which reveals three oligonucleotide-binding (OB) folds and a helix-turn-helix (HTH) motif. We also (i) demonstrate that this BRCA2 domain binds single-stranded DNA, (ii) present its 3.5 angstrom structure bound to oligo(dT)9, (iii) provide data that implicate the HTH motif in dsDNA binding, and (iv) show that BRCA2 stimulates RAD51-mediated recombination in vitro. These findings establish that BRCA2 functions directly in homologous recombination and provide a structural and biochemical basis for understanding the loss of recombination-mediated DSB repair in BRCA2-associated cancers.     

Nonrandomness of translocations in man: preferential entry of chromosomes into 13-15-21 translocations

Lymphocytes from 20 individuals with Down's syndrome due to 13-15/21 centric-fusion translocations were studied by autoradiography after continuous late labeling with tritiated thymidine. In no case was chromosome 13 involved; chromosome 14 was involved in 18 cases, and chromosome 15 in two cases. These results are similar to those from 13 previously studied cases and indicate that the entry of chromosomes 13-15 into translocations is nonrandom. This nonrandomness is not a simple function of chromosome size or shape, since chromosomes 13-15 are acrocentrics of similar size.     

电池废液对小鼠骨髓细胞染色体的影响

电池废液主要来源于废旧电池的内容物,有关报道曾指出电池废液对染色体有一定影响,文章对此做进一步的研究和讨论。利用遗传毒理学原理,采用“小鼠骨髓细胞染色体畸变分析”方法,探讨电池废液对小鼠骨髓细胞染色体畸变率的影响。实验结果表明,0.4,0.6实验组的小鼠与阴性对照组的小鼠细胞染色体畸变率存在极显著差异(P<0.01)。从而证明了电池废液对染色体有畸变作用,并且发现雌雄小鼠对电池废液的反应程度不同,两者间的差异显著(P<0.05),由此证明雌雄个体在对药物的耐受上存在差异。     

Physical mapping of a translocation breakpoint in neurofibromatosis

The gene for von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis (NF1), one of the most common autosomal-dominant disorders of humans, was recently mapped to chromosome 17 by linkage analysis. The identification of two NF1 patients with balanced translocations that involved chromosome 17q11.2 suggests that the disease can arise by gross rearrangement of the NF1 locus, and that the NF1 gene might be identified by cloning the region around these translocation breakpoints. To further define the region of these translocations, a series of chromosome 17 Not I-linking clones has been mapped to proximal 17q and studied by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. One clone, 17L1 (D17S133), clearly identifies the breakpoint in an NF1 patient with a t(1;17) translocation. A 2.3-megabase pulsed-field map of this region was constructed and indicates that the NF1 breakpoint is only 10 to 240 kilobases away from 17L1. This finding prepares the way for the cloning of NF1.     

由小麦×玉米获得的小麦DH系花粉母细胞减数分裂观察

研究了由小麦×玉米远缘杂交获得的小麦双单倍体DH2代花粉母细胞减数分裂过程。结果表明,大多数双单倍体小麦与异源六倍体普通小麦染色体数目相同,这是染色体经秋水仙素成功加倍的结果。同时在少数细胞中观察到了染色体的“块状移动”,在这些“块”中存在少数“染色体落后”现象,这可能是由于在染色体加倍过程中部分细胞染色体数目发生变异造成的。     

RAP80 targets BRCA1 to specific ubiquitin structures at DNA damage sites

Mutations affecting the BRCT domains of the breast cancer-associated tumor suppressor BRCA1 disrupt the recruitment of this protein to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The molecular structures at DSBs recognized by BRCA1 are presently unknown. We report the interaction of the BRCA1 BRCT domain with RAP80, a ubiquitin-binding protein. RAP80 targets a complex containing the BRCA1-BARD1 (BRCA1-associated ring domain protein 1) E3 ligase and the deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB) BRCC36 to MDC1-gammaH2AX-dependent lysine(6)- and lysine(63)-linked ubiquitin polymers at DSBs. These events are required for cell cycle checkpoint and repair responses to ionizing radiation, implicating ubiquitin chain recognition and turnover in the BRCA1-mediated repair of DSBs.