Willaume, S. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2026

ZATT/ZNF451 promotes release of stalled TOP2 cleavage complexes

Topoisomerase II (TOP2) resolves DNA topological constraints through a tightly regulated cycle of DNA double-strand cleavage and religation. Nearby DNA damage or chemotherapeutic agents such as etoposide block the DNA religation step, stabilizing TOP2-DNA cleavage complexes (TOP2ccs) at DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The SUMO E3 ligase ZATT (ZNF451) has recently emerged as a key effector of TOP2cc repair, but its mechanism of action remains poorly understood. Here, we show that ZATT is sufficient to resolve TOP2ccs independently of TDP2, TOP2 proteolysis, and canonical DSB repair pathways. Using Xenopus egg extracts and biochemical reconstitution, we find that ZATT salvages trapped TOP2 by promoting TOP2 release from its stalled cleavage complex. Structural modeling and targeted mutagenesis in Xenopus egg extracts and human cells identify a highly conserved hydrophobic pocket in the tower domain of TOP2 where the ZATT coiled-coil "hooks on" to promote TOP2cc resolution. Our findings reveal a new strategy to resolve TOP2ccs that bypasses the exposure of dangerous DNA breaks.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2026

CRISPR-PTM and CRISPR-VEIS: Multiplexed platforms for quantitative functional analysis of endogenous phosphosites

Connecting protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) to phenotypic outcomes is a central challenge. Although phosphoproteomics has richly catalogued specific sites, reliable methods to measure the endogenous effects of individual phosphosites on cellular fitness and signaling are still lacking. Here, we introduce CRISPR-PTM and CRISPR-VEIS as complementary platforms for quantitative, endogenous phosphosite interrogation at both individual and clustered phosphorylation events. CRISPR-PTM is a multiplexed knock-in framework generating defined phosphosite variants with internal allelic markers, enabling precise relative fitness effects in pooled populations. CRISPR-VEIS (Visualisation of Edits In Situ) is an in situ mRNA-genotyping approach that directly links endogenous allelic edits to single-cell phenotypes, addressing needs for subclonal isolation or exogenous reporters. We applied these methods to the WEE1-CDK1 regulatory pathway, where canonical CDK1-Y15 phosphorylation alone cannot explain WEE1 loss or inhibition phenotypes. CRISPR-PTM systematically quantified fitness consequences of CDK1 phosphosite variants and identified Y19 as a previously unrecognized WEE1-dependent inhibitory site. Single non-phosphorylatable substitutions at Y15 or Y19 had minimal impact, but combined CDK1-Y15F/Y19F editing caused pronounced fitness defects, phenocopying WEE1 inactivation and showing epistasis to WEE1 inhibitors. CRISPR-VEIS further demonstrated that acute endogenous editing of both sites correlated with elevated CDK activity at the single-cell level. Together, CRISPR-PTM and CRISPR-VEIS provide broadly applicable approaches for quantitative analysis of PTM function, enabling direct linkage of endogenous phosphosite variation to cellular fitness and signaling phenotypes.

cell biology↗