Lecture Panel 2 Flashcards
What are the key characteristics of DNA replication?
Two template strands are anti-parallel
DNA is always synthesized 5’ to 3’
DNA synthesis proceeds from right to left on one strand and left to right on the other strand, which is essentially saying DNA synthesis takes place e in opposite directions on the two DNA template strands
When does DNA replication begin?
DNA replication at a single replication fork begins when a double stranded DNA molecule unwinds to provide two single strand templates
What are the steps for continuous and discontinuous replication on leading and lagging strands?
1) On the lower template strand, DNA synthesis proceeds continuously in the 5’ to 3’ direction, the same direction of unwinding (continuous)
2) On the upper template strand, DNA synthesis begins at the fork and proceeds in the direction opposite of unwinding, so it runs out of template (discontinuous)
3) DNA synthesis starts again on the upper strand at the fork, each time proceeding away from the fork
4) DNA synthesis on this strand is discontinuous; the short fragments of DNA produced by discontinuous synthesis are called Okazaki fragments
What happens to nucleosomes during replication? Why?
There needs to be disruption of the original nucleosomes on the parental DNA during replication
There needs to be the redistribution of pre-existing histones on the new DNA
There needs to be the addition of newly synthesized histones to complete the formation of new nucleosomes
This happens because it is important for maintaining the epigenetic landscape of the cell
What is the difference in prokaryotes and eukaryotes in terms of the ORC?
Prokaryotes: Only one ORC
Eukaryotes: Many ORC that begin replication at different points in time
We do not understand the order of firing
Why do we use S. Cerevisiae as a model organism?
1) Has a well defined consensus element
2) Small Genome
3) Closely related homologous replication factors and histone chaperones to humans
4) Yeast is easy to grow and manipulate
5) No ethical concerns
6) Origins of replication in yeast and humans are very different, but replication factors are very similar, so we can extrapolate their function to humans
What do origins in budding yeast have?
Origins in budding yeast have a defined sequence called the ARS
Describe the sequence of ARS and its binding
The core element of ARS is ACS
ACS binds the ORC
There are 12,000 ACS in the yeast genome, only a few of them (400- 600) actually fire under normal conditions in S phase
What are the auxiliary elements in yeast origins?
B1, B2, B3, Abf1
Describe the auxiliary elements in yeast origins
B1 is an AT rich short element. It is a secondary site for the ORC to bind
B2 is where DNA will be unwound by the MCM helices. MCM helices bind to B2
B3 binds a protein called Abf1
Abf1, depending on where it binds, it can act as an activator or repressor of transcription or as a heterochromatin factor
What licensing factors are involved with DNA Replication Origins
Cdc6 and Cdt1
Where is the ORC located and what does it do?
ORC sits on the DNA and tells the other proteins that the position could be an origin of replication.
ORC binds to ACS
What does ACS generate?
ACS generates nucleosome free regions and facilitates the association of pre-initiation factors
ACS alone does not do this
Once ORC binds, there is an array of nucleosomes around the origin, but the origin must remain nucleosome free
What does ORC binding do?
ORC binding induces a regular positioning of nucleosomes adjacent to the ACS
Again, the ORC is nucleosome free but around the ORC, there are nicely spaced nucleosomes
How do origins in other eukaryotes (not yeast) work?
In most other eukaryotes, origins have no consensus sequence
The more complex the genome, the larger the amount of origins
What are the similarities between the ORC in humans and yeast?
There are significantly more potential origins per cell than needed
origins bind ORC and recruit pre-initiation factors
What happens with the many origins in the genome?
Only 1 in 5 licensed origins actually fire
Many origins are loaded, but only a few actually fire, the cell has to select which ones fire
This only applies to somatic cells, embryonic cells have significantly more origins fired
Explain the origins in S. cerevisiae
400-600 origins fire in each cell cycle
These active origins are close to the centromere and nearby active genes
There are many dormant origins close to the telomere
Heterochromatin is abundant in the sub-telomeric loci
Dormant origins stimulate formation of heterochromatin
It is possible that heterochromatin may have a negative effect on origin activity and that transcription supports euchromatin and influences the firing of origins
Origins can sense the state of chromatin
Explain the origins in Mammals
3000 - 6000 origins fire in each cell cycle
Origin bound factors can sense chromatin and determine the activity of the origin (this is poorly understood)
Explain the active and dormant origins
Active origins: Firing
Dormant origins: Have origins, but cell selects not to fire these origins
When are origins licensed?
Origins are licensed in G1 phase
How are origins licensed?
1) ORC binds to replication origins and marks the positions of the future pre- RC.
ORC binds right after S phase
2) Cdc6 and cdt1, the licensing factors, recruit MCM helices onto ORC bound to origins. The step of loading MCM onto the origin is called licensing. These licensing factors clamp MCM helices onto DNA
Here, MCM helices is inactive, it will become activated in S phase by CDK and DDK
Why do we not want origins to fire more than once?
We do not want origins to fire more than once, because if it fired more than once generates genome instability.
What is the importance of licensing?
Licensing prevents the origins from firing more than once. Origin can only fire once in S phase
Explain MCM
Believed that two MCM complexes are located on each origin
MCM: 6 peptides and hexametric ring forms around DNA when activated: MCM is a heterodimer
Why do we have an excess of “licensed” origins?
A very significant number of potential origins are “licensed”, but only a subset of these “licensed” origins fire in S phase
The excess of these “licensed” origins is a backup mechanism to ensure that the complete replication of the genome occurs if active replication forks slow down or encounter a problem
What does it mean when origins are “licensed”?
Origins are loaded with ORC and MCM in G1
When does the firing of licensed origins occur?
In S Phase
What is activated in S phase in regards to the firing of licensed origins?
CDKS are activated, which initiates the process that fires the origin
What is the process of firing the licensed origins?
1) Pre- RC now contains ORC and MCM
CdC45 is an elongation factor
2) S phase CDKs are activated. They will initiate an elaborate process that fires the origin
3) CDKs phosphorylate Sld2/Sld3/CdC45. The phosphorylated Sld2/Sld3/CdC45 associates with the licensed origin
4) Sld2/Sld3/CdC45 brings another complex, GINS, to associate with the MCM helicase
5) Dpb11 facilitates the recruitment of Sld2/Sld3/CdC45 and GINS to the helicase
6) GINS brings in Pol alpha (Initiation DNA polymerase). DNA polymerase alpha will be replaced by two processive DNA polymerases after initiation
7) No the pre replicative complex is loaded with elongation factors and is ready to fire
8) Once the MCM/GINS/Sld2/Sld3/CdC45 complex is formed, another kinase called DDK, will phosphorylate MCM4, then DDK phosphorylates MCM6 and MCM2
9) The phosphorylation of MCM4 is essential, it leads to a conformational switch and the activation of the MCM helicase
10) The MCM helicase unwinds DNA and DNA pol alpha initiates DNA synthesis
11) The origin fires
How is the license destroyed?
Firing of origins co-insides with phosphorylation of the loaders
CDT1 and CDD6 and degradation
Means there will be no more loading of MCM to replicated origins, so no more licensing
Origin will fire once and only once per cell cycle
What is the process of DNA elongation?
1) Dpb11 and Sld3 leave the complex, and CTD1, CDC6 are destroyed
2) CDC45 and GINS remain associated with MCM, this complex is called CMG
3) The helicase is activated through DDK phosphorylation (CMG and CMC are activated by DDK phosphorylation, they fire and open the replication bubble)
4) Shortly after initiation, the PCNA is loaded on both the leading and lagging strands that are being synthesized by DNA pol alpha
5) DNA pol alpha is replaced by DNA pol DNA pol epsilon on the leading strand and DNA pol delta on the lagging strand
What is PCNA?
PCNA is a DNA replication clamp that acts as a processivity factor by DNA polymerase delta
PCNA recruits polymerases
How and where does PCNA travel?
PCNA travels on both the leading and lagging strand behind the replication helices (MCM and CMG)
What is unique about the origins in higher eukaryotes?
The origin sequence is not defined, but the step wise process of licensing and firing is highly conserved
Significantly more origins fire in the more complex genomes of higher eukaryotes
Explain the firing origins in eukaryotes
Origins do not fire at the same time, there are early and late origins
The selection of origins and the timing of firing is regulated, but the mechanisms of this control are not so understood
What are the homologous factors in yeast and humans?
ORC, MCM, DDKs, CDKs
They operate in almost identical fashion
How is DNA replicated? (explain the process)
1) Each chromosome contains numerous origins
2) At each origin, the DNA unwinds producing a replication bubble
3) DNA synthesis takes place on both strands at each end of the bubble as the replication forks proceed outward
4) Eventually the fork of adjacent bubbles run into each other and the segments of DNA fuse
5) Producing two identical linear DNA molecules
What is a replicon?
Piece of DNA that is replicated from the firing of a single origin
What domain is located in the ORC1 of S. pombe? What does this domain interact with?
Bromo Homology Domain (BAH)
The BAH interacts with H4K20me2 and other epigenetic marks
We don’t know which other epigenetic marks interact with BAH but H4K20me2 is the most studied
What happens in higher eukaryotes at the ORC? (Metazoans)
In higher eukaryotes ORC binds to an AT rich sequence
It is the surrounding chromatin that tells the ORC exactly where to bind and it does that because of the BAH domain
How have eukaryotes evolved to produce various means of directing the origin licensing and firing independently of the sequence of DNA
1) Specialized domains in ORC bind AT rich DNA
2) Metazoan ORC1 contains a broom-adjacent homology (BAH) domain that interacts with H4K20me2
3) Origins in all eukaryotes are free of nucleosomes
4) Euchromatic origins replicate early and are more efficient than origins in heterochromatin
5) Mammalian ORC interacts with several chromatin
What is the directing of ORC dependent on?
The directing of ORC is dependent on the DNA sequence as well as the surrounding epigenetic elements
Since there is no consensus sequence in higher eukaryotes for an origin or replication, how does this origin fire?
Chromatin directs which loci will fire
The origins that fire will vary in different cell types
What happens when DNA actually begins to elongate?
1) New DNA is synthesized from deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs)
2) In replication, the 3’ OH group of the last nucleotide on the last strand attacks the 5’ phosphate group of the incoming dNTP
3) Two phosphates are cleaved off
4) A phosphodiester bond forms between the two nucleotides
The newly synthesized strand is complementary and antiparallel to the template strand
How are two DNA strands held together?
By hydrogen bonds between the bases
What are the important factors in the replisome required for DNA elongation? What is their role?
CMG helicase (MCM/CDC45, GINS)
Topoisomerases (reverse supercoiling of DNA caused by MCM)
DNA pol epsilon (leading strand)
DNA pol delta (lagging strand)
DNA pol alpha (lagging strand)
DNA ligase (lagging strand)
RP- A (single stranded DNA binding protein, on lagging strand)
PCNA (both strands)
PCNA loader (lagging strand)
PCNA unloader (lagging strand)
What happens to replicated chromosomes?
Replicated chromosomes stay together
Describe the structure of the cohesion ring?
Smc1 and Smc3 form a ring structure
Other proteins are also involved in the formation of the cohesion complex
How is cohesion loaded onto DNA?
1) In G1 phase cohesions are loaded onto the chromosomes –> interphase dynamics of cohesion association is important for regulating interphase chromatin structure and gene expression
2) In S phase/G2 during the elongation of DNA replication, cohesion acetyltransferases acetylate Smc3 and the ring closes behind the replication fork to encircle the replicated sister chromatids –> During G2, sister chromatids are linked along their entire length by cohesion
3) In Anaphase, mitotic kinases release cohesions from chromosome arms, metaphase can commence
What happens to cohesions as the replication fork moves?
As the replication fork moves, the cohesion rings allow passage of fork before the rings are closed, which holds the resulting chromatids together until mitosis
What happens to mutations in cohesion?
Mutations in cohesion have known consequences
Closed ring will survive until mitosis
What is cohesion?
Cohesion is a collection of proteins that forms a ring when activated