Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA.
Mol Cell Biol. 2013 Apr;33(7):1410-6. doi: 10.1128/MCB.01654-12. Epub 2013 Jan 28.
The coordinated replication and transcription of pericentromeric repeats enable RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated transmission of pericentromeric heterochromatin in fission yeast, which is essential for the proper function of centromeres. Rad3/ATR kinase phosphorylates histone H2A on serine-128/-129 to create γH2A in pericentromeric heterochromatin during S phase, which recruits Brc1 through its breast cancer gene 1 protein (BRCA1) C-terminal (BRCT) domains. Brc1 prevents the collapse of stalled replication forks; however, it is unknown whether this activity influences centromere function. Here, we show that Brc1 localizes in pericentromeric heterochromatin during S phase, where it enhances Clr4/Suv39-mediated H3 lysine-9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) and gene silencing. Loss of Brc1 increases sensitivity to the microtubule-destabilizing drug thiabendazole (TBZ) and increases chromosome missegregation in the presence of TBZ. Brc1 retains significant function even when it cannot bind γH2A. However, elimination of the serine-121 site on histone H2A, a target of Bub1 spindle assembly checkpoint kinase, sensitizes γH2A-deficient and brc1Δ cells to replication stress and microtubule destabilization. Collective results suggest that Brc1-mediated stabilization of stalled replication forks is necessary for fully efficient transmission of pericentromeric heterochromatin, which is required for accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis.
着丝粒周围重复序列的协调复制和转录使裂殖酵母中的 RNA 干扰(RNAi)能够介导着丝粒异染色质的传递,这对于着丝粒的正常功能至关重要。Rad3/ATR 激酶在 S 期将组蛋白 H2A 的丝氨酸 128/-129 磷酸化,在着丝粒异染色质中产生γH2A,该蛋白通过其乳腺癌基因 1 蛋白(BRCA1)C 端(BRCT)结构域招募 Brc1。Brc1 可防止停滞的复制叉崩溃;然而,尚不清楚这种活性是否会影响着丝粒功能。在这里,我们表明 Brc1 在 S 期定位于着丝粒异染色质中,在那里它增强了 Clr4/Suv39 介导的 H3 赖氨酸-9 二甲基化(H3K9me2)和基因沉默。Brc1 的缺失增加了对微管不稳定药物噻苯达唑(TBZ)的敏感性,并在存在 TBZ 的情况下增加了染色体错误分离。即使 Brc1 不能结合 γH2A,它也保留了重要的功能。然而,消除组蛋白 H2A 上的丝氨酸-121 位点,该位点是 Bub1 纺锤体组装检查点激酶的靶标,使 γH2A 缺陷和 brc1Δ细胞对复制应激和微管不稳定敏感。集体研究结果表明,Brc1 介导的停滞复制叉的稳定对于高效传递着丝粒异染色质是必要的,这对于有丝分裂期间染色体的准确分离是必需的。