Alessandra Blasina

A human homologue of the checkpoint kinase Cds1 directly inhibits Cdc25 phosphatase

BACKGROUND In human cells, the mitosis-inducing kinase Cdc2 is inhibited by phosphorylation on Thr14 and Tyr15. Disruption of these phosphorylation sites abrogates checkpoint-mediated regulation of Cdc2 and renders cells highly sensitive to agents that damage DNA. Phosphorylation of these sites is controlled by the opposing activities of the Wee1/Myt1 kinases and the Cdc25 phosphatase. The regulation of these enzymes is therefore likely to be crucial for the operation of the G2-M DNA-damage checkpoint. RESULTS Here, we show that the activity of Cdc25 decreased following exposure to ionizing radiation. The irradiation-induced decrease in Cdc25 activity was suppressed by wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinases, and was dependent on the function of the gene that is mutated in ataxia telangiectasia. We also identified two human kinases that phosphorylate and inactivate Cdc25 in vitro. One is the previously characterized Chk1 kinase. The second is novel and is homologous to the Cds1/Rad53 family of checkpoint kinases in yeast. Human Cds1 was found to be activated in response to DNA damage. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that, in human cells, the DNA-damage checkpoint involves direct inactivation of Cdc25 catalyzed by Cds1 and/or Chk1.

Caffeine inhibits the checkpoint kinase ATM

The basis of many anti-cancer therapies is the use of genotoxic agents that damage DNA and thus kill dividing cells. Agents that cause cells to override the DNA-damage checkpoint are predicted to sensitize cells to killing by genotoxic agents. They have therefore been sought as adjuncts in radiation therapy and chemotherapy. One such compound, caffeine, uncouples cell-cycle progression from the replication and repair of DNA [1] [2]. Caffeine therefore servers as a model compound in establishing the principle that agents that override DNA-damage checkpoints can be used to sensitize cells to the killing effects of genotoxic drugs [3]. But despite more than 20 years of use, the molecular mechanisms by which caffeine affects the cell cycle and checkpoint responses have not been identified. We investigated the effects of caffeine on the G2/M DNA-damage checkpoint in human cells. We report that the radiation-induced activation of the kinase Cds1 [4] (also known as Chk2 [5]) is inhibited by caffeine in vivo and that ATM kinase activity is directly inhibited by caffeine in vitro. Inhibition of ATM provides a molecular explanation of the attenuation of DNA-damage checkpoint responses and for the increased radiosensitivity of caffeine-treated cells [6] [7] [8].

Threonine 68 is required for radiation-induced phosphorylation and activation of Cds1.

In response to DNA damage, eukaryotic cells use a system of checkpoint controls to delay cell-cycle progression. Checkpoint delays provide time for repair of damaged DNA before its replication in S phase and before segregation of chromatids in M phase. The Cds1 (Chk2) tumour-suppressor protein has been implicated in certain checkpoint responses in mammalian cells. It directly phosphorylates and inactivates the mitosis-inducing phosphatase Cdc25 in vitro and is required to maintain the G2 arrest that is observed in response to γ-irradiation. Cds1 also directly phosphorylates p53 in vitro at a site that is implicated in its stabilization, and is required for stabilization of p53 and induction of p53-dependent transcripts in vivo upon γ-ionizing radiation. Thus, Cds1 functions in both the G1 and G2 checkpoint responses. Like Cds1, the checkpoint protein kinase ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated) is required for correct operation of both the G1 and G2 damage checkpoints. ATM is necessary for phosphorylation and activation of Cds1 in vivo and can phosphorylate Cds1 in vitro, although evidence that the sites that are phosphorylated by ATM are required for activation is lacking. Here we show that threonine 68 of Cds1 is the preferred site of phosphorylation by ATM in vitro, and is the principal irradiation-induced site of phosphorylation in vivo. The importance of this phosphorylation site is demonstrated by the failure of a mutant, non-phosphorylatable form of Cds1 to be fully activated, and by its reduced ability to induce G1 arrest in response to ionising radiation.

Human Mus81-Associated Endonuclease Cleaves Holliday Junctions In Vitro

Mus81, a protein with homology to the XPF subunit of the ERCC1-XPF endonuclease, is important for replicational stress tolerance in both budding and fission yeast. Human Mus81 has associated endonuclease activity against structure-specific oligonucleotide substrates, including synthetic Holliday junctions. Mus81-associated endonuclease resolves Holliday junctions into linear duplexes by cutting across the junction exclusively on strands of like polarity. In addition, Mus81 protein abundance increases in cells following exposure to agents that block DNA replication. Taken together, these findings suggest a role for Mus81 in resolving Holliday junctions that arise when DNA replication is blocked by damage or by nucleotide depletion. Mus81 is not related by sequence to previously characterized Holliday junction resolving enzymes, and it has distinct enzymatic properties that suggest it uses a novel enzymatic strategy to cleave Holliday junctions.