Project description:The minichromosome maintenance complex (MCM) DNA helicase is an important replicative factor during DNA replication. The proper chromatin loading of MCM is a key step to ensure replication initiation during G1/S phase. Because replication initiation is regulated by multiple biological cues, additional changes to MCM may provide deeper understanding towards this event. Here, we uncover that the histidine methyltransferase SETD3 promotes DNA replication in an enzymatic activity dependent manner. Nascent-strand sequencing (NS-seq) shows that SETD3 regulates replication initiation, as depletion of SETD3 attenuates early replication origins firing. Mechanistically, biochemical experiments reveal that SETD3 binds MCM mainly during G1/S phase, which is required for CDT1-mediated chromatin loading of MCM. The MCM loading relies on the histidine-459 methylation (H459me) on MCM7 that is catalyzed by SETD3. Impairment of H459 methylation attenuates DNA synthesis and chromatin loading of MCM. Furthermore, we show that CDK2 phosphorylates SETD3 at Serine-21 during the G1/S phase, which is required for DNA replication and cell cycle progression. These findings demonstrate a novel mechanism by which SETD3 methylates MCM to regulate replication initiation.
Project description:The hexameric DNA helicase MCM (Mcm2-7) is a central regulatory target in eukaryotic replication. Chromatin-bound MCM is kept inactive during G1 phase and subsequently activated in S phase to initiate replication. During this transition, the only known chemical change on the Mcm2-7 proteins is the gain of multi-site phosphorylation that promotes recruitment of co-factors. As replication initiation is tied intimately to multiple biological cues, additional changes on these proteins can provide a second regulatory point. Here we describe a new MCM modification cycle mediated by SUMO that enables a negative regulation of replication initiation. We show that all MCM subunits undergo sumoylation upon loading at origins in G1 phase prior to MCM phosphorylation. Then bulk MCM sumoylation is lost as MCM phosphorylation rises. The pattern of MCM sumoylation suggests a negative role in replication. Indeed, increasing MCM sumoylation delays genome-wide replication initiation. Mechanistically, this is partly due to enhancing the recruitment of a conserved phosphatase that delays MCM phosphorylation and activation. By revealing a new MCM modification cycle and its role in replication, our findings suggest a new model, in which MCM sumoylation counterbalances kinase-based regulation to ensure accurate control of replication initiation.
Project description:Eukaryotic genomes are compacted into loops and topologically associating domains (TADs), which contribute to transcription, recombination and genomic stability. Cohesin extrudes DNA into loops that are thought to lengthen until it encounters CTCF boundaries. Little is known whether loop extrusion is impeded by macromolecular machines. We demonstrate that the replicative helicase MCM is a barrier that restricts loops and TADs in G1 phase. Single-nucleus Hi-C of one-cell embryos revealed that MCM loading reduces CTCF-anchored loops and increases TAD boundary insulation, suggesting loop extrusion is impeded before reaching CTCF. Single-molecule imaging provides evidence that MCM are physical barriers that constrain cohesin translocation in vitro. Simulations are consistent with MCM as abundant, random barriers with low permeability. We conclude that distinct loop extrusion barriers contribute to shaping 3D genomes.
Project description:Eukaryotic genomes are compacted into loops and topologically associating domains (TADs), which contribute to transcription, recombination and genomic stability. Cohesin extrudes DNA into loops that are thought to lengthen until CTCF boundaries are encountered. Little is known about whether loop extrusion is impeded by DNA-bound macromolecular machines. We demonstrate that the replicative helicase MCM is a barrier that restricts loop extrusion in G1 phase. Single-nucleus Hi-C of one-cell embryos revealed that MCM loading reduces CTCF-anchored loops and decreases TAD boundary insulation, suggesting loop extrusion is impeded before reaching CTCF. Single-molecule imaging shows that MCMs are physical barriers that constrain cohesin translocation in vitro. Simulations are consistent with MCMs as abundant, random barriers. We conclude that distinct loop extrusion barriers contribute to shaping 3D genomes.
Project description:Eukaryotic genomes are compacted into loops and topologically associating domains (TADs), which contribute to transcription, recombination and genomic stability. Cohesin extrudes DNA into loops that are thought to lengthen until CTCF boundaries are encountered. Little is known about whether loop extrusion is impeded by DNA-bound machines. Here we show that the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) complex is a barrier that restricts loop extrusion in G1 phase. Single-nucleus Hi-C of mouse zygotes revealed that MCM loading reduces CTCF-anchored loops and decreases TAD boundary insulation, suggesting loop extrusion is impeded before reaching CTCF. This effect extends to HCT116 cells, where MCMs affect the number of CTCF-anchored loops and gene expression. Simulations suggest that MCMs are abundant, randomly positioned, partially permeable barriers. Single-molecule imaging shows that MCMs are physical barriers that frequently constrain cohesin translocation in vitro. Remarkably, chimaeric yeast MCMs harbouring a cohesin-interaction motif from human MCM3 induce cohesin pausing, suggesting that MCMs are “active” barriers with binding sites. These findings raise the possibility that cohesin can arrive by loop extrusion at MCMs, which determine the genomic sites at which sister chromatid cohesion is established. Based on in vivo, in silico and in vitro data, we conclude that distinct loop extrusion barriers shape the 3D genome.
Project description:The spatio-temporal program of genome replication across eukaryotes is thought to be driven both by the uneven loading of pre-replication complexes (pre-RCs) across the genome at the onset of S-phase, and by differences in the timing of activation of these complexes during S-phase. To determine the degree to which distribution of pre-RC loading alone could account for chromosomal replication patterns, we mapped the binding sites of the Mcm2-7 helicase complex (MCM) in budding yeast, fission yeast, mouse and humans. We observed identical individual MCM double-hexamer (DH) footprints across the species, but notable differences in their distribution. Nonetheless, most fluctuations in replication timing in all four organisms could be accounted for by differences in chromosomal MCM distribution. We conclude that, although certain genomic regions, most notably the inactive X-chromosome, are subject to post-licensing regulation, most differences in replication timing along the chromosome reflect uneven chromosomal distribution of stochastically firing pre-replication complexes.
Project description:FCS and MCM appear highly similar disorders. However, they importantly differ in term of risk and response to treatments. Some sets of genes might be up or down regulated in both disorders and could partly explain those differences. We used microarrays to explore gene expression patterns in FCS and MCM patients to identify potential targets that can be selected for protein quantification and functional studies.
Project description:MYCN and HDAC2 jointly repress the transcription of tumor suppressive micro RNA miR-183 in neuroblastoma. Enforced miR-183 expression induces neuroblastoma cell death and inhibits anchorage-independent colony formation and subcutaneous xenograft growth in mice. We here aimed to unravel the miR-183 signaling network and elucidated the role of MYCN mediated transcriptional activation of members of the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) family protein family involving miR-183 . The hexamer protein complex formed by MCM proteins is involved in the initiation and elongation of eukaryotic genome replication, thereby contributing to genomic integrity. Analysis of miR-183 versus negative control transfected neuroblastoma cells identified 85 differentially expressed proteins in a label-free mass spectrometric approach. Six members of the MCM family were found to be lower expressed upon enforced miR-183 expression, and subsequent annotation category enrichment analysis revealed a 14-fold enrichment in the protein module category “MCM”. Down-regulation was confirmed by western blot analysis. MicroRNA target prediction software studies revealed that miR-183 was predicted to directly target several MCMs.