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PLoS Genetics Sep 2019In all kingdoms of life, DNA is used to encode hereditary information. Propagation of the genetic material between generations requires timely and accurate duplication... (Review)
Review
In all kingdoms of life, DNA is used to encode hereditary information. Propagation of the genetic material between generations requires timely and accurate duplication of DNA by semiconservative replication prior to cell division to ensure each daughter cell receives the full complement of chromosomes. DNA synthesis of daughter strands starts at discrete sites, termed replication origins, and proceeds in a bidirectional manner until all genomic DNA is replicated. Despite the fundamental nature of these events, organisms have evolved surprisingly divergent strategies that control replication onset. Here, we discuss commonalities and differences in replication origin organization and recognition in the three domains of life.
Topics: Biological Evolution; Cell Division; Chromosomes; DNA Replication; Evolution, Molecular; Replication Origin; Replicon
PubMed: 31513569
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008320 -
Methods in Enzymology 2017Understanding the mechanisms of replication stress response following genotoxic stress induction is rapidly emerging as a central theme in cell survival and human... (Review)
Review
Understanding the mechanisms of replication stress response following genotoxic stress induction is rapidly emerging as a central theme in cell survival and human disease. The DNA fiber assay is one of the most powerful tools to study alterations in replication fork dynamics genome-wide at single-molecule resolution. This approach relies on the ability of many organisms to incorporate thymidine analogs into replicating DNA and is widely used to study how genotoxic agents perturb DNA replication. Here, we review different approaches available to prepare DNA fibers and discuss important limitations of each approach. We also review how DNA fiber analysis can be used to shed light upon several replication parameters including fork progression, restart, termination, and new origin firing. Next, we discuss a modified DNA fiber protocol to monitor the presence of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) gaps on ongoing replication forks. ssDNA gaps are very common intermediates of several replication stress response mechanisms, but they cannot be detected by standard DNA fiber approaches due to the resolution limits of this technique. We discuss a novel strategy that relies on the use of an ssDNA-specific endonuclease to nick the ssDNA gaps and generate shorter DNA fibers that can be used as readout for the presence of ssDNA gaps. Finally, we describe a follow-up DNA fiber approach that can be used to study how ssDNA gaps are repaired postreplicatively.
Topics: DNA; DNA Replication; Mutagens
PubMed: 28645379
DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2017.03.019 -
Nature Reviews. Cancer May 2015Genome instability is a hallmark of cancer, and DNA replication is the most vulnerable cellular process that can lead to it. Any condition leading to high levels of DNA... (Review)
Review
Genome instability is a hallmark of cancer, and DNA replication is the most vulnerable cellular process that can lead to it. Any condition leading to high levels of DNA damage will result in replication stress, which is a source of genome instability and a feature of pre-cancerous and cancerous cells. Therefore, understanding the molecular basis of replication stress is crucial to the understanding of tumorigenesis. Although a negative aspect of replication stress is its prominent role in tumorigenesis, a positive aspect is that it provides a potential target for cancer therapy. In this Review, we discuss the link between persistent replication stress and tumorigenesis, with the goal of shedding light on the mechanisms underlying the initiation of an oncogenic process, which should open up new possibilities for cancer diagnostics and treatment.
Topics: Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; DNA Damage; DNA Replication; Genomic Instability; Humans; Neoplasms
PubMed: 25907220
DOI: 10.1038/nrc3916 -
Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology Aug 2017Genome duplication is carried out by pairs of replication forks that assemble at origins of replication and then move in opposite directions. DNA replication ends when... (Review)
Review
Genome duplication is carried out by pairs of replication forks that assemble at origins of replication and then move in opposite directions. DNA replication ends when converging replication forks meet. During this process, which is known as replication termination, DNA synthesis is completed, the replication machinery is disassembled and daughter molecules are resolved. In this Review, we outline the steps that are likely to be common to replication termination in most organisms, namely, fork convergence, synthesis completion, replisome disassembly and decatenation. We briefly review the mechanism of termination in the bacterium Escherichia coli and in simian virus 40 (SV40) and also focus on recent advances in eukaryotic replication termination. In particular, we discuss the recently discovered E3 ubiquitin ligases that control replisome disassembly in yeast and higher eukaryotes, and how their activity is regulated to avoid genome instability.
Topics: DNA; DNA Replication; Escherichia coli; Genomic Instability; Saccharomyces cerevisiae
PubMed: 28537574
DOI: 10.1038/nrm.2017.42 -
Viruses Oct 2021DNA replication is an integral step in the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) life cycle that is coordinated with the cellular DNA damage response, repair and... (Review)
Review
DNA replication is an integral step in the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) life cycle that is coordinated with the cellular DNA damage response, repair and recombination of the viral genome, and viral gene transcription. HSV-1 encodes its own DNA replication machinery, including an origin binding protein (UL9), single-stranded DNA binding protein (ICP8), DNA polymerase (UL30), processivity factor (UL42), and a helicase/primase complex (UL5/UL8/UL52). In addition, HSV-1 utilizes a combination of accessory viral and cellular factors to coordinate viral DNA replication with other viral and cellular processes. The purpose of this review is to outline the roles of viral and cellular proteins in HSV-1 DNA replication and replication-coupled processes, and to highlight how HSV-1 may modify and adapt cellular proteins to facilitate productive infection.
Topics: DNA Helicases; DNA Primase; DNA Replication; DNA, Viral; DNA-Binding Proteins; DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; Genome, Viral; Herpesvirus 1, Human; Humans; Viral Proteins; Virus Replication
PubMed: 34696446
DOI: 10.3390/v13102015 -
Cells Jan 2019As the primary cellular location for respiration and energy production, mitochondria serve in a critical capacity to the cell. Yet, by virtue of this very function of... (Review)
Review
As the primary cellular location for respiration and energy production, mitochondria serve in a critical capacity to the cell. Yet, by virtue of this very function of respiration, mitochondria are subject to constant oxidative stress that can damage one of the unique features of this organelle, its distinct genome. Damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and loss of mitochondrial genome integrity is increasingly understood to play a role in the development of both severe early-onset maladies and chronic age-related diseases. In this article, we review the processes by which mtDNA integrity is maintained, with an emphasis on the repair of oxidative DNA lesions, and the cellular consequences of diminished mitochondrial genome stability.
Topics: DNA Damage; DNA Replication; DNA, Mitochondrial; Disease; Health; Humans; Transcription, Genetic
PubMed: 30700008
DOI: 10.3390/cells8020100 -
Genes Jul 2021Hydroxyurea (HU) is mostly referred to as an inhibitor of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) and as the agent that is commonly used to arrest cells in the S-phase of the... (Review)
Review
Hydroxyurea (HU) is mostly referred to as an inhibitor of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) and as the agent that is commonly used to arrest cells in the S-phase of the cycle by inducing replication stress. It is a well-known and widely used drug, one which has proved to be effective in treating chronic myeloproliferative disorders and which is considered a staple agent in sickle anemia therapy and-recently-a promising factor in preventing cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. The reversibility of HU-induced replication inhibition also makes it a common laboratory ingredient used to synchronize cell cycles. On the other hand, prolonged treatment or higher dosage of hydroxyurea causes cell death due to accumulation of DNA damage and oxidative stress. Hydroxyurea treatments are also still far from perfect and it has been suggested that it facilitates skin cancer progression. Also, recent studies have shown that hydroxyurea may affect a larger number of enzymes due to its less specific interaction mechanism, which may contribute to further as-yet unspecified factors affecting cell response. In this review, we examine the actual state of knowledge about hydroxyurea and the mechanisms behind its cytotoxic effects. The practical applications of the recent findings may prove to enhance the already existing use of the drug in new and promising ways.
Topics: Animals; DNA Replication; Humans; Hydroxyurea; Ribonucleotide Reductases; S Phase
PubMed: 34356112
DOI: 10.3390/genes12071096 -
Annual Review of Pathology 2015Human cancers share properties referred to as hallmarks, among which sustained proliferation, escape from apoptosis, and genomic instability are the most pervasive. The... (Review)
Review
Human cancers share properties referred to as hallmarks, among which sustained proliferation, escape from apoptosis, and genomic instability are the most pervasive. The sustained proliferation hallmark can be explained by mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressors that regulate cell growth, whereas the escape from apoptosis hallmark can be explained by mutations in the TP53, ATM, or MDM2 genes. A model to explain the presence of the three hallmarks listed above, as well as the patterns of genomic instability observed in human cancers, proposes that the genes driving cell proliferation induce DNA replication stress, which, in turn, generates genomic instability and selects for escape from apoptosis. Here, we review the data that support this model, as well as the mechanisms by which oncogenes induce replication stress. Further, we argue that DNA replication stress should be considered as a hallmark of cancer because it likely drives cancer development and is very prevalent.
Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; DNA Damage; DNA Replication; Genomic Instability; Humans; Mutation; Neoplasms; Oncogenes
PubMed: 25621662
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pathol-012414-040424 -
Nature Cell Biology Aug 2022Nucleotide metabolism supports RNA synthesis and DNA replication to enable cell growth and division. Nucleotide depletion can inhibit cell growth and proliferation, but...
Nucleotide metabolism supports RNA synthesis and DNA replication to enable cell growth and division. Nucleotide depletion can inhibit cell growth and proliferation, but how cells sense and respond to changes in the relative levels of individual nucleotides is unclear. Moreover, the nucleotide requirement for biomass production changes over the course of the cell cycle, and how cells coordinate differential nucleotide demands with cell cycle progression is not well understood. Here we find that excess levels of individual nucleotides can inhibit proliferation by disrupting the relative levels of nucleotide bases needed for DNA replication and impeding DNA replication. The resulting purine and pyrimidine imbalances are not sensed by canonical growth regulatory pathways like mTORC1, Akt and AMPK signalling cascades, causing excessive cell growth despite inhibited proliferation. Instead, cells rely on replication stress signalling to survive during, and recover from, nucleotide imbalance during S phase. We find that ATR-dependent replication stress signalling is activated during unperturbed S phases and promotes nucleotide availability to support DNA replication. Together, these data reveal that imbalanced nucleotide levels are not detected until S phase, rendering cells reliant on replication stress signalling to cope with this metabolic problem and disrupting the coordination of cell growth and division.
Topics: Cell Cycle; Cell Division; DNA Replication; Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1; Nucleotides; S Phase
PubMed: 35927450
DOI: 10.1038/s41556-022-00965-1 -
Cell Aug 2017Conflicts between transcription and replication are a potent source of DNA damage. Co-transcriptional R-loops could aggravate such conflicts by creating an additional...
Conflicts between transcription and replication are a potent source of DNA damage. Co-transcriptional R-loops could aggravate such conflicts by creating an additional barrier to replication fork progression. Here, we use a defined episomal system to investigate how conflict orientation and R-loop formation influence genome stability in human cells. R-loops, but not normal transcription complexes, induce DNA breaks and orientation-specific DNA damage responses during conflicts with replication forks. Unexpectedly, the replisome acts as an orientation-dependent regulator of R-loop levels, reducing R-loops in the co-directional (CD) orientation but promoting their formation in the head-on (HO) orientation. Replication stress and deregulated origin firing increase the number of HO collisions leading to genome-destabilizing R-loops. Our findings connect DNA replication to R-loop homeostasis and suggest a mechanistic basis for genome instability resulting from deregulated DNA replication, observed in cancer and other disease states.
Topics: DNA Damage; DNA Replication; DNA Replication Timing; Genomic Instability; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Plasmids; Transcription, Genetic
PubMed: 28802045
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.07.043