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Biomedical subjects

Katsuhiko Shirahige

Publications and source records attributed to Katsuhiko Shirahige.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Perturbation of the activity of replication origin by meiosis-specific transcription.

We have determined the activity of all ARSs on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome VI as chromosomal replication origins in premeiotic S-phase by neutral/neutral two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The comparison of origin activity of each origin in mitotic and premeiotic S-phase showed that one of the most efficient origins in mitotic S-phase, ARS605, was completely inhibited in premeiotic S-phase. ARS605 is located within the open reading frame of MSH4 gene that is transcribed specifically during an early stage of meiosis. Systematic analysis of relationships between MSH4 transcription and ARS605 origin activity revealed that transcription of MSH4 inhibited the ARS605 origin activity by removing origin recognition complex from ARS605. Deletion of UME6, a transcription factor responsible for repressing MSH4 during mitotic S-phase, resulted in inactivation of ARS605 in mitosis. Our finding is the first demonstration that the transcriptional regulation on the replication origin activity is related to changes in cell physiology. These results may provide insights into changes in replication origin activity in embryonic cell cycle during early developmental stages.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗

Abnormality in initiation program of DNA replication is monitored by the highly repetitive rRNA gene array on chromosome XII in budding yeast.

We have shown previously that perturbation of origin firing in chromosome replication causes DNA lesions and triggers DNA damage checkpoint control, which ensures genomic integrity by stopping cell cycle progression until the lesions are repaired or by inducing cell death if they are not properly repaired. This was based on the observation that the temperature-sensitive phenotype of orc1-4 and orc2-1 mutants required a programmed action of the RAD9-dependent DNA damage checkpoint. Here, we report that DNA lesions in the orc mutants are induced much more quickly and frequently within the rRNA gene (rDNA) locus than at other chromosomal loci upon temperature shift. orc mutant cells with greatly reduced rDNA copy numbers regained the ability to grow at restrictive temperatures, and the checkpoint response after the temperature shift became weak in these cells. In orc2-1 cells, completion of chromosomal duplication was delayed specifically on chromosome XII, where the rDNA array is located, and the delay was partially suppressed when the rDNA copy number was reduced. These results suggest that the rDNA locus primarily signals abnormalities in the initiation program to the DNA damage checkpoint and that the rDNA copy number modulates the sensitivity of this monitoring function.

Chromosomes, Fungal↗

Evidence that loading of cohesin onto chromosomes involves opening of its SMC hinge.

Cohesin is a multisubunit complex that mediates sister-chromatid cohesion. Its Smc1 and Smc3 subunits possess ABC-like ATPases at one end of 50 nm long coiled coils. At the other ends are pseudosymmetrical hinge domains that interact to create V-shaped Smc1/Smc3 heterodimers. N- and C-terminal domains within cohesin's kleisin subunit Scc1 bind to Smc3 and Smc1 ATPase heads respectively, thereby creating a huge tripartite ring. It has been suggested that cohesin associates with chromosomes by trapping DNA within its ring. Opening of the ring due to cleavage of Scc1 by separase destroys sister-chromatid cohesion and triggers anaphase. We show that cohesin's hinges are not merely dimerization domains. They are essential for cohesin's association with chromosomes, which is blocked by artificially holding hinge domains together but not by preventing Scc1's dissociation from SMC ATPase heads. Our results suggest that entry of DNA into cohesin's ring requires transient dissociation of Smc1 and Smc3 hinge domains.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗

An integrated map of p53-binding sites and histone modification in the human ENCODE regions.

TP53 (tumor protein p53; p53) regulates its target genes under various cellular stresses. By combining chromatin immunoprecipitation with oligonucleotide microarrays, we have mapped binding sites of p53 (p53-BS) in the genome of HCT116 human colon carcinoma cells, along with those of acetylated H3, acetylated H4, and methylated H3-K4. We analyzed a 30-Mb portion of the human genome selected as a representative model by the ENCODE Consortium. In the region, we found 37 p53-BS, of which the p53-binding motif was present in 32 (86%). Acetylated histone H3 and H4 were detected at 14 (38%) and 33 (89%) of the p53-BS, respectively. A significant portion (58%) of H4 acetylation in the p53-BS was not accompanied by H3 acetylation. Acetyl H3 were preferentially located at the 5' and 3' ends of genes, whereas acetyl H4 were distributed widely across the genome. These results provide novel insights into how p53 binding coordinates with histone modification in human.

Acetylation↗

Monopolar attachment of sister kinetochores at meiosis I requires casein kinase 1.

In meiosis, a single round of DNA replication is followed by two consecutive rounds of chromosome segregation, called meiosis I and II. Disjunction of maternal from paternal centromeres during meiosis I depends on the attachment of sister kinetochores to microtubules emanating from the same pole. In budding yeast, monopolar attachment requires recruitment to kinetochores of the monopolin complex. How monopolin promotes monopolar attachment was unclear, as its subunits are poorly conserved and lack similarities to proteins with known functions. We show here that the monopolin subunit Mam1 binds tightly to Hrr25, a highly conserved casein kinase 1 delta/epsilon (CK1delta/epsilon), and recruits it to meiosis I centromeres. Hrr25 kinase activity and Mam1 binding are both essential for monopolar attachment. Since CK1delta/epsilon activity is important for accurate chromosome segregation during meiosis I also in fission yeast, phosphorylation of kinetochore proteins by CK1delta/epsilon might be an evolutionary conserved process required for monopolar attachment.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Establishment of sister chromatid cohesion at the S. cerevisiae replication fork.

Two identical sister copies of eukaryotic chromosomes are synthesized during S phase. To facilitate their recognition as pairs for segregation in mitosis, sister chromatids are held together from their synthesis onward by the chromosomal cohesin complex. Replication fork progression is thought to be coupled to establishment of sister chromatid cohesion, facilitating identification of replication products, but evidence for this has remained circumstantial. Here we show that three proteins required for sister chromatid cohesion, Eco1, Ctf4, and Ctf18, are found at, and Ctf4 travels along chromosomes with, replication forks. The ring-shaped cohesin complex is loaded onto chromosomes before S phase in an ATP hydrolysis-dependent reaction. Cohesion establishment during DNA replication follows without further cohesin recruitment and without need for cohesin to re-engage an ATP hydrolysis motif that is critical for its initial DNA binding. This provides evidence for cohesion establishment in the context of replication forks and imposes constraints on the mechanism involved.

Acetyltransferases↗

Meiotic cohesins modulate chromosome compaction during meiotic prophase in fission yeast.

The meiotic cohesin Rec8 is required for the stepwise segregation of chromosomes during the two rounds of meiotic division. By directly measuring chromosome compaction in living cells of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we found an additional role for the meiotic cohesin in the compaction of chromosomes during meiotic prophase. In the absence of Rec8, chromosomes were decompacted relative to those of wild-type cells. Conversely, loss of the cohesin-associated protein Pds5 resulted in hypercompaction. Although this hypercompaction requires Rec8, binding of Rec8 to chromatin was reduced in the absence of Pds5, indicating that Pds5 promotes chromosome association of Rec8. To explain these observations, we propose that meiotic prophase chromosomes are organized as chromatin loops emanating from a Rec8-containing axis: the absence of Rec8 disrupts the axis, resulting in disorganized chromosomes, whereas reduced Rec8 loading results in a longitudinally compacted axis with fewer attachment points and longer chromatin loops.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗

Chromosomal association of the Smc5/6 complex reveals that it functions in differently regulated pathways.

The SMC protein complexes safeguard genomic integrity through their functions in chromosome segregation and repair. The chromosomal localization of the budding yeast Smc5/6 complex determined here reveals that the complex works specifically on the duplicated genome in differently regulated pathways. The first controls the association to centromeres and chromosome arms in unchallenged cells, the second regulates the association to DNA breaks, and the third directs the complex to the chromosome arm that harbors the ribosomal DNA arrays. The chromosomal interaction pattern predicts a function that becomes more important with increasing chromosome length and that the complex's role in unchallenged cells is independent of DNA damage. Additionally, localization of Smc6 to collapsed replication forks indicates an involvement in their rescue. Altogether this shows that the complex maintains genomic integrity in multiple ways, and evidence is presented that the Smc5/6 complex is needed during replication to prevent the accumulation of branched chromosome structures.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗

Different requirements for the association of ATR-ATRIP and 9-1-1 to the stalled replication forks.

DNA replication checkpoint, a surveillance mechanism for S-phase progression, plays a crucial role for the maintenance of genome integrity. A variety of factors have been characterized to be involved in the checkpoint signal transduction. Rpa, a single strand DNA binding protein, was found to be responsible for forming a structure that is recognized by checkpoint sensors and then emits the initial signal for the activation of DNA damage checkpoint. Here we use a mutant of rpa1 gene, rfa1-t11, that has defects in recruiting checkpoint sensor proteins to the site of double strand break, to examine the mutant's effects on the activation of DNA replication checkpoint. We found that the mutant cells activated DNA replication checkpoint normally and showed no defects in recruiting ATR-ATRIP, a major sensor complex that is essential for DNA replication/damage checkpoint, to the site of stalled forks. In contrast, the mutant was defective in recruiting 9-1-1 complex, another sensor complex that functions in DNA damage checkpoint signal transduction, to the stalled forks. Moreover we found that sensitivity for HU obviously appeared in rfa1-t11 mutant when Mrc1 was deleted, while deletion of Rad9, an adaptor specific for damage checkpoint, had subtle effect. These data strongly suggest that rfa1-t11 mutant was mainly defective for activating DNA damage checkpoint and molecular requirement for the recruitment of ATR-ATRIP and 9-1-1 to the stressed forks may be different.

Base Sequence↗

Protein phosphatase 2A protects centromeric sister chromatid cohesion during meiosis I.

Segregation of homologous maternal and paternal centromeres to opposite poles during meiosis I depends on post-replicative crossing over between homologous non-sister chromatids, which creates chiasmata and therefore bivalent chromosomes. Destruction of sister chromatid cohesion along chromosome arms due to proteolytic cleavage of cohesin's Rec8 subunit by separase resolves chiasmata and thereby triggers the first meiotic division. This produces univalent chromosomes, the chromatids of which are held together by centromeric cohesin that has been protected from separase by shugoshin (Sgo1/MEI-S332) proteins. Here we show in both fission and budding yeast that Sgo1 recruits to centromeres a specific form of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Its inactivation causes loss of centromeric cohesin at anaphase I and random segregation of sister centromeres at the second meiotic division. Artificial recruitment of PP2A to chromosome arms prevents Rec8 phosphorylation and hinders resolution of chiasmata. Our data are consistent with the notion that efficient cleavage of Rec8 requires phosphorylation of cohesin and that this is blocked by PP2A at meiosis I centromeres.

Animals↗

Screening for candidate genes involved in tolerance to organic solvents in yeast.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant strain, KK-211, isolated from serial culture in medium containing isooctane showed an extremely higher tolerance to the hydrophobic organic-solvents, which are toxic to yeast cells compared to the wild-type parent strain, DY-1. To detect genes that are related to this tolerance, a DNA microarray analysis was performed using mRNAs isolated from strains DY-1 and KK-211. Fourteen genes were identified as being related to the tolerance. The expression of 12 genes including ICT1, YNL190W, and PRY3, was induced while the expression of two genes including PHO84 was repressed in strain KK-211. Two genes, ICT1 and YNL190W showed the same profile in the DNA microarray analysis and a differential display-polymerase chain reaction analysis. But, there is no detectable difference in the expression profile of KK-211 cells cultured with or without isooctane. The results suggest that change in expression levels of multiple genes that confer the modification function of the cell surface, not by a single gene, might be required for yeast cell tolerance to organic solvents.

Culture Media↗

Genomic approach for the understanding of dynamic aspect of chromosome behavior.

Various functions are integrated into a single chromosome molecule. The genomic approach (ChIP-chip) we introduce here is a very powerful tool to study dynamic changes of the structure and function of the chromosome at the level of protein-DNA interaction as precisely as possible without prejudice or bias. This technology opens up the way to understand how local protein-protein or protein-DNA interactions lead to the dynamic changes of chromosome structure and how various chromosomal functions are connected to make a network for the faithful maintenance of the genome.

Base Sequence↗

A checkpoint control linking meiotic S phase and recombination initiation in fission yeast.

During meiosis, high levels of recombination initiated by DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) occur only after DNA replication. However, how DSB formation is coupled to DNA replication is unknown. We examined several DNA replication proteins for a role in this coupling in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and we show that ribonucleotide reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme of deoxyribonucleotide synthesis and the target of the DNA synthesis inhibitor hydroxyurea (HU) is indirectly required for DSB formation linked to DNA replication. However, in cells in which the function of the DNA-replication-checkpoint proteins Rad1p, Rad3p, Rad9p, Rad17p, Rad26p, Hus1p, or Cds1p was compromised, DSB formation occurred at similar frequencies in the absence or presence of HU. The DSBs in the HU-treated mutant cells occurred at normal sites and were associated with recombination. In addition, Cdc2p is apparently not involved in this process. We propose that the sequence of meiotic S phase and initiation of recombination is coordinated by DNA-replication-checkpoint proteins.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗

Identification and characterization of rns4/vps32 mutation in the RNase T1 expression-sensitive strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Evidence for altered ambient response resulting in transportation of the secretory protein to vacuoles.

We previously reported a genetic analysis of the growth-inhibitory effect caused by the overexpression of the Aspergillus oryzae rntA gene, encoding RNase T1 (Ribonuclease T1), in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Subsequently, rns (ribonuclease T1 sensitive) mutants with mutations in the rns1 (DSL1), rns2 (UMP1), and rns3 (SEC17) genes, were identified. In the present study, rns4 (VPS32/SNF7) gene mutation was identified by complementation of tunicamycin sensitivity. While the rns4 mutant exhibited sensitivity to ambient stress conditions (200 mM CaCl(2), 1M NaCl and pH 8.0), genome-wide expression analysis revealed a similar pattern of genes up-regulated as was observed under nitrogen depletion condition by Gasch et al. [Mol. Biol. Cell 11 (2000) 4241]. Notably, the genes participating in autophagy (ATG4 and ATG8), the genes encoding a vacuolar protease (PRB1), vacuolar protease inhibitors (PAI3, PBI2 and TFS1) and YHR138c (a PBI2 homolog) were up-regulated in the rns4 mutant. Interestingly, the RNase T1*-GFP fusion protein (*inactive form) expressed in the rns4 mutant strain localized at the ER and vacuole under both stress or no-stress conditions. In contrast, the RNase T1*-GFP fusion protein expressed in the wild-type strain could not be detected under no-stress conditions, however, a stress-dependent localization of the fusion protein was observed at the vacuole. Since, the rns4 mutant exhibited a partial starvation-like response in spite of a rich ambient environment, leading to transportation of the secretory protein to the vacuole and accumulation in the endoplasmic reticulum, the present findings implicate a novel role for Rns4/Vps32 in proper response and adaptation to ambient conditions.

Biological Transport↗

Glucose-dependent cell size is regulated by a G protein-coupled receptor system in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, cell size is affected by the kind of carbon source in the medium. Here, we present evidence that the Gpr1 receptor and Gpa2 Galpha subunit are required for both maintenance and modulation of cell size in response to glucose. In the presence of glucose, mutants lacking GPR1 or GPA2 gene showed smaller cells than the wild-type strain. Physiological studies revealed that protein synthesis rate was reduced in the mutant strains indicating that reduced growth rate, while the level of mRNAs for CLN1, 2 and 3 was not affected in all strains. Gene chip analysis also revealed a down-regulation in the expression of genes related to biosynthesis of not only protein but also other cellular component in the mutant strains. We also show that GPR1 and GPA2 are required for a rapid increase in cell size in response to glucose. Wild-type cells grown in ethanol quickly increased in size by addition of glucose, while little change was observed in the mutant strains, in which glucose-dependent cell cycle arrest caused by CLN1 repression was somewhat alleviated. Our study indicates that the yeast G-protein coupled receptor system consisting of Gpr1 and Gpa2 regulates cell size by affecting both growth rate and cell division.

Cyclins↗

Spo13 facilitates monopolin recruitment to kinetochores and regulates maintenance of centromeric cohesion during yeast meiosis.

BACKGROUND: Cells undergoing meiosis perform two consecutive divisions after a single round of DNA replication. During the first meiotic division, homologous chromosomes segregate to opposite poles. This is achieved by (1) the pairing of maternal and paternal chromosomes via recombination producing chiasmata, (2) coorientation of homologous chromosomes such that sister chromatids attach to the same spindle pole, and (3) resolution of chiasmata by proteolytic cleavage by separase of the meiotic-specific cohesin Rec8 along chromosome arms. Crucially, cohesin at centromeres is retained to allow sister centromeres to biorient at the second division. Little is known about how these meiosis I-specific events are regulated. RESULTS: Here, we show that Spo13, a centromere-associated protein produced exclusively during meiosis I, is required to prevent sister kinetochore biorientation by facilitating the recruitment of the monopolin complex to kinetochores. Spo13 is also required for the reaccumulation of securin, the persistence of centromeric cohesin during meiosis II, and the maintenance of a metaphase I arrest induced by downregulation of the APC/C activator CDC20. CONCLUSION: Spo13 is a key regulator of several meiosis I events. The presence of Spo13 at centromere-surrounding regions is consistent with the notion that it plays a direct role in both monopolin recruitment to centromeres during meiosis I and maintenance of centromeric cohesion between the meiotic divisions. Spo13 may also limit separase activity after the first division by ensuring securin reaccumulation and, in doing so, preventing precocious removal from chromatin of centromeric cohesin.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Postreplicative recruitment of cohesin to double-strand breaks is required for DNA repair.

Chromosome stability depends on accurate chromosome segregation and efficient DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. Sister chromatid cohesion, established during S phase by the protein complex cohesin, is central to both processes. In the absence of cohesion, chromosomes missegregate and G2-phase DSB repair fails. Here, we demonstrate that G2-phase repair also requires the presence of cohesin at the damage site. Cohesin components are shown to be recruited to extended chromosome regions surrounding DNA breaks induced during G2. We find that in the absence of functional cohesin-loading proteins (Scc2/Scc4), the accumulation of cohesin at DSBs is abolished and repair is defective, even though sister chromatids are connected by S phase generated cohesion. Evidence is also provided that DSB induction elicits establishment of sister chromatid cohesion in G2, implicating that damage-recruited cohesin facilitates DNA repair by tethering chromatids.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗