Search bioRxiv⌕ Search

Biology subjects

Eden, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Eden, S..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Constitutive ATR Signaling Enforces Domain-Wide Origin Synchrony

Eukaryotic DNA replication relies on organized spatial-temporal domains, yet how neighboring origins are coordinated at the single-molecule level remains unresolved. Combining single-molecule DNA combing with super-resolution microscopy, we demonstrate that during unperturbed early S-phase, adjacent replication origins across diverse vertebrate species fire synchronously as a coordinated unit. This domain-wide temporal harmony is continuously enforced by a baseline, constitutive ATR CHK1 signaling axis that restrains local CDK2 and CDC7 kinase activities. Strikingly, replication stress dismantles this coordination, shifting origin activation toward an asynchronous, replicon-autonomous mode. Mechanistically, stress-induced phosphorylation of the cohesin subunit SMC1A promotes an SMC1A ATR complex that sequesters ATR at stalled replication forks. This localized sequestration creates a regional ATR loss-of-function phenotype, relieving CDK2/CDC7 suppression and driving premature, uncoordinated origin firing. Super-resolution imaging shows that ATR sequestration structurally reorganizes replication foci, converting coordinated clustered foci into fragmented, lower-density clusters. Together, our findings uncover a baseline role for constitutive ATR signaling in enforcing domain synchrony and reveal a molecular switch that dynamically decouples origin activation during genomic stress to safeguard chromosome duplication.

molecular biology↗

Mitotic H3K9ac is controlled by phase-specific activity of HDAC2, HDAC3 and SIRT1

Histone acetylation levels are reduced during mitosis. To study the mitotic regulation of H3K9ac we used an array of inhibitors targeting specific histone deacetylases. We evaluated the involvement of the targeted enzymes in regulating H3K9ac during all mitotic stages by immunofluorescence and immunoblots. We identified HDAC2, HDAC3 and SIRT1 as modulators of H3K9ac mitotic levels. HDAC2 inhibition increased H3K9ac levels in prophase, whereas HDAC3 or SIRT1 inhibition increased H3K9ac levels in metaphase. Next, we performed ChIP-seq on mitotic-arrested cells following targeted inhibition of these histone deacetylases. We found that both HDAC2 and HDAC3 have a similar impact on H3K9ac, and inhibiting either of these two HDACs substantially increases the levels of this histone acetylation in promoters, enhancers and insulators. Altogether, our results support a model in which H3K9 deacetylation is a stepwise process - at prophase HDAC2 modulates most transcription-associated H3K9ac-marked loci and at metaphase HDAC3 maintains the reduced acetylation, whereas SIRT1 potentially regulates H3K9ac by impacting HAT activity. Summary blurbCombination of immunofluorescence, western blot and ChIP-seq revealed the interplay between HDAC2, HDAC3 and SIRT1 in H3K9 deacetylation during mitosis of mammalian cells.

cell biology↗