Combined Ectopic Expression of Homologous Recombination Factors Promotes Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation.

ABSTRACT: Homologous recombination (HR), which ensures accurate DNA replication and strand-break repair, is necessary to preserve embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal. However, little is known about how HR factors modulate ESC differentiation and replication stress-associated DNA breaks caused by unique cell-cycle progression. Here, we report that ESCs utilize Rad51-dependent HR to enhance viability and induce rapid proliferation through a replication-coupled pathway. In addition, ESC differentiation was shown to be enhanced by ectopic expression of a subset of recombinases. Abundant expression of HR proteins throughout the ESC cycle, but not during differentiation, facilitated immediate HR-mediated repair of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) gaps incurred during S-phase, via a mechanism that does not p

SUBMITTER: Choi EH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6079475 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature