Cellular genomes are highly vulnerable to perturbations to chromosomal DNA replication. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), the processivity factor for DNA replication, plays a central role as a platform for recruitment of genome surveillance and DNA repair factors to replication forks, allowing cells to mitigate the threats to genome stability posed by replication stress. We identify the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRAIP as a new factor at active and stressed replication forks that directly interacts with PCNA via a conserved PCNA-interacting peptide (PIP) box motif. We show that TRAIP promotes ATR-dependent checkpoint signaling in human cells by facilitating the generation of RPA-bound single-stranded DNA regions upon replication stress in a manner that critically requires its E3 ligase activity and is potentiated by the PIP box. Consequently, loss of TRAIP function leads to enhanced chromosomal instability and decreased cell survival after replication stress. These findings establish TRAIP as a PCNA-binding ubiquitin ligase with an important role in protecting genome integrity after obstacles to DNA replication.

Ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) function in a wide array of cellular processes. UBL5 is an atypical UBL that does not form covalent conjugates with cellular proteins and which has a known role in modulating pre-mRNA splicing. Here, we report an unexpected involvement of human UBL5 in promoting the function of the Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway for repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs), mediated by a specific interaction with the central FA pathway component FANCI. UBL5-deficient cells display spliceosome-independent reduction of FANCI protein stability, defective FANCI function in response to DNA damage and hypersensitivity to ICLs. By mapping the sequence determinants underlying UBL5-FANCI binding, we generated separation-of-function mutants to demonstrate that key aspects of FA pathway function, including FANCI-FANCD2 heterodimerization, FANCD2 and FANCI monoubiquitylation and maintenance of chromosome stability after ICLs, are compromised when the UBL5-FANCI interaction is selectively inhibited by mutations in either protein. Together, our findings establish UBL5 as a factor that promotes the functionality of the FA DNA repair pathway.

SUMOylation is a form of post-translational modification involving covalent attachment of SUMO (Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier) polypeptides to specific lysine residues in the target protein. In human cells, there are four SUMO proteins, SUMO1-4, with SUMO2 and SUMO3 forming a closely related subfamily. SUMO2/3, in contrast to SUMO1, are predominantly involved in the cellular response to certain stresses, including heat shock. Substantial evidence from studies in yeast has shown that SUMOylation plays an important role in the regulation of DNA replication and repair. Here, we report a proteomic analysis of proteins modified by SUMO2 in response to DNA replication stress in S phase in human cells. We have identified a panel of 22 SUMO2 targets with increased SUMOylation during DNA replication stress, many of which play key functions within the DNA replication machinery and/or in the cellular response to DNA damage. Interestingly, POLD3 was found modified most significantly in response to a low dose aphidicolin treatment protocol that promotes common fragile site (CFS) breakage. POLD3 is the human ortholog of POL32 in budding yeast, and has been shown to act during break-induced recombinational repair. We have also shown that deficiency of POLD3 leads to an increase in RPA-bound ssDNA when cells are under replication stress, suggesting that POLD3 plays a role in the cellular response to DNA replication stress. Considering that DNA replication stress is a source of genome instability, and that excessive replication stress is a hallmark of pre-neoplastic and tumor cells, our characterization of SUMO2 targets during a perturbed S-phase should provide a valuable resource for future functional studies in the fields of DNA metabolism and cancer biology.

Cdc7 kinase regulates DNA replication. However, its role in DNA repair and recombination is poorly understood. Here we describe a pathway that stabilizes the human Cdc7-ASK (activator of S-phase kinase; also called Dbf4), its regulation, and its function in cellular responses to compromised DNA replication. Stalled DNA replication evoked stabilization of the Cdc7-ASK (Dbf4) complex in a manner dependent on ATR-Chk1-mediated checkpoint signaling and its interplay with the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome(Cdh1) (APC/C(Cdh1)) ubiquitin ligase. Mechanistically, Chk1 kinase inactivates APC/C(Cdh1) through degradation of Cdh1 upon replication block, thereby stabilizing APC/C(Cdh1) substrates, including Cdc7-ASK (Dbf4). Furthermore, motif C of ASK (Dbf4) interacts with the N-terminal region of RAD18 ubiquitin ligase, and this interaction is required for chromatin binding of RAD18. Impaired interaction of ASK (Dbf4) with RAD18 disables foci formation by RAD18 and hinders chromatin loading of translesion DNA polymerase η. These findings define a novel mechanism that orchestrates replication checkpoint signaling and ubiquitin-proteasome machinery with the DNA damage bypass pathway to guard against replication collapse under conditions of replication stress.

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are highly cytotoxic lesions and pose a major threat to genome stability if not properly repaired. We and others have previously shown that a class of DSB-induced small RNAs (diRNAs) is produced from sequences around DSB sites. DiRNAs are associated with Argonaute (Ago) proteins and play an important role in DSB repair, though the mechanism through which they act remains unclear. Here, we report that the role of diRNAs in DSB repair is restricted to repair by homologous recombination (HR) and that it specifically relies on the effector protein Ago2 in mammalian cells. Interestingly, we show that Ago2 forms a complex with Rad51 and that the interaction is enhanced in cells treated with ionizing radiation. We demonstrate that Rad51 accumulation at DSB sites and HR repair depend on catalytic activity and small RNA-binding capability of Ago2. In contrast, DSB resection as well as RPA and Mre11 loading is unaffected by Ago2 or Dicer depletion, suggesting that Ago2 very likely functions directly in mediating Rad51 accumulation at DSBs. Taken together, our findings suggest that guided by diRNAs, Ago2 can promote Rad51 recruitment and/or retention at DSBs to facilitate repair by HR.

The linear ubiquitin (Ub) chain assembly complex (LUBAC) generates Met1-linked "linear" Ub chains that regulate the activation of the nuclear factor κB (NFκB) transcription factor and other processes. We recently discovered OTULIN as a deubiquitinase that specifically cleaves Met1-linked polyUb. Now, we show that OTULIN binds via a conserved PUB-interacting motif (PIM) to the PUB domain of the LUBAC component HOIP. Crystal structures and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments reveal the molecular basis for the high-affinity interaction and explain why OTULIN binds the HOIP PUB domain specifically. Analysis of LUBAC-induced NFκB signaling suggests that OTULIN needs to be present on LUBAC in order to restrict Met1-polyUb signaling. Moreover, LUBAC-OTULIN complex formation is regulated by OTULIN phosphorylation in the PIM. Phosphorylation of OTULIN prevents HOIP binding, whereas unphosphorylated OTULIN is part of the endogenous LUBAC complex. Our work exemplifies how coordination of ubiquitin assembly and disassembly activities in protein complexes regulates individual Ub linkage types.

Nonproteolytic ubiquitylation of chromatin surrounding deoxyribonucleic acid double-strand breaks (DSBs), mediated by the RNF8/RNF168 ubiquitin ligases, plays a key role in recruiting repair factors, including 53BP1 and BRCA1, to reestablish genome integrity. In this paper, we show that human RNF169, an uncharacterized E3 ubiquitin ligase paralogous to RNF168, accumulated in DSB repair foci through recognition of RNF168-catalyzed ubiquitylation products by its motif interacting with ubiquitin domain. Unexpectedly, RNF169 was dispensable for chromatin ubiquitylation and ubiquitin-dependent accumulation of repair factors at DSB sites. Instead, RNF169 functionally competed with 53BP1 and RAP80-BRCA1 for association with RNF168-modified chromatin independent of its catalytic activity, limiting the magnitude of their recruitment to DSB sites. By delaying accumulation of 53BP1 and RAP80 at damaged chromatin, RNF169 stimulated homologous recombination and restrained nonhomologous end joining, affecting cell survival after DSB infliction. Our results show that RNF169 functions in a noncanonical fashion to harness RNF168-mediated protein recruitment to DSB-containing chromatin, thereby contributing to regulation of DSB repair pathway utilization.

Repair of damaged DNA is essential for maintaining genome integrity and for preventing genome-instability-associated diseases, such as cancer. By combining proximity labeling with quantitative mass spectrometry, we generated high-resolution interaction neighborhood maps of the endogenously expressed DNA repair factors 53BP1, BRCA1, and MDC1. Our spatially resolved interaction maps reveal rich network intricacies, identify shared and bait-specific interaction modules, and implicate previously concealed regulators in this process. We identified a novel vertebrate-specific protein complex, shieldin, comprising REV7 plus three previously uncharacterized proteins, RINN1 (CTC-534A2.2), RINN2 (FAM35A), and RINN3 (C20ORF196). Recruitment of shieldin to DSBs, via the ATM-RNF8-RNF168-53BP1-RIF1 axis, promotes NHEJ-dependent repair of intrachromosomal breaks, immunoglobulin class-switch recombination (CSR), and fusion of unprotected telomeres. Shieldin functions as a downstream effector of 53BP1-RIF1 in restraining DNA end resection and in sensitizing BRCA1-deficient cells to PARP inhibitors. These findings have implications for understanding cancer-associated PARPi resistance and the evolution of antibody CSR in higher vertebrates.

Conjugation of ubiquitin (Ub) to numerous substrate proteins regulates virtually all cellular processes. Eight distinct ubiquitin polymer linkages specifying different functional outcomes are generated in cells. However, the roles of some atypical poly-ubiquitin topologies, in particular linkages via lysine 27 (K27), remain poorly understood due to a lack of tools for their specific detection and manipulation. Here, we adapted a cell-based ubiquitin replacement strategy to enable selective and conditional abrogation of K27-linked ubiquitylation, revealing that this ubiquitin linkage type is essential for proliferation of human cells. We demonstrate that K27-linked ubiquitylation is predominantly a nuclear modification whose ablation deregulates nuclear ubiquitylation dynamics and impairs cell cycle progression in an epistatic manner with inactivation of the ATPase p97/VCP. Moreover, we show that a p97-proteasome pathway model substrate (Ub(G76V)-GFP) is directly modified by K27-linked ubiquitylation, and that disabling the formation of K27-linked ubiquitin signals or blocking their decoding via overexpression of the K27 linkage-specific binder UCHL3 impedes Ub(G76V)-GFP turnover at the level of p97 function. Our findings suggest a critical role of K27-linked ubiquitylation in supporting cell fitness by facilitating p97-dependent processing of ubiquitylated nuclear proteins.

Embryonic development is dictated by tight regulation of DNA replication, cell division and differentiation. Mutations in DNA repair and replication genes disrupt this equilibrium, giving rise to neurodevelopmental disease characterized by microcephaly, short stature and chromosomal breakage. Here, we identify biallelic variants in two components of the RAD18-SLF1/2-SMC5/6 genome stability pathway, SLF2 and SMC5, in 11 patients with microcephaly, short stature, cardiac abnormalities and anemia. Patient-derived cells exhibit a unique chromosomal instability phenotype consisting of segmented and dicentric chromosomes with mosaic variegated hyperploidy. To signify the importance of these segmented chromosomes, we have named this disorder Atelís (meaning - incomplete) Syndrome. Analysis of Atelís Syndrome cells reveals elevated levels of replication stress, partly due to a reduced ability to replicate through G-quadruplex DNA structures, and also loss of sister chromatid cohesion. Together, these data strengthen the functional link between SLF2 and the SMC5/6 complex, highlighting a distinct role for this pathway in maintaining genome stability.

Dominant missense mutations in the human serine protease FAM111A underlie perinatally lethal gracile bone dysplasia and Kenny-Caffey syndrome, yet how FAM111A mutations lead to disease is not known. We show that FAM111A proteolytic activity suppresses DNA replication and transcription by displacing key effectors of these processes from chromatin, triggering rapid programmed cell death by Caspase-dependent apoptosis to potently undermine cell viability. Patient-associated point mutations in FAM111A exacerbate these phenotypes by hyperactivating its intrinsic protease activity. Moreover, FAM111A forms a complex with the uncharacterized homologous serine protease FAM111B, point mutations in which cause a hereditary fibrosing poikiloderma syndrome, and we demonstrate that disease-associated FAM111B mutants display amplified proteolytic activity and phenocopy the cellular impact of deregulated FAM111A catalytic activity. Thus, patient-associated FAM111A and FAM111B mutations may drive multisystem disorders via a common gain-of-function mechanism that relieves inhibitory constraints on their protease activities to powerfully undermine cellular fitness.

DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) obstruct essential DNA transactions, posing a serious threat to genome stability and functionality. DPCs are proteolytically processed in a ubiquitin- and DNA replication-dependent manner by SPRTN and the proteasome but can also be resolved via targeted SUMOylation. However, the mechanistic basis of SUMO-mediated DPC resolution and its interplay with replication-coupled DPC repair remain unclear. Here, we show that the SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligase RNF4 defines a major pathway for ubiquitylation and proteasomal clearance of SUMOylated DPCs in the absence of DNA replication. Importantly, SUMO modifications of DPCs neither stimulate nor inhibit their rapid DNA replication-coupled proteolysis. Instead, DPC SUMOylation provides a critical salvage mechanism to remove DPCs formed after DNA replication, as DPCs on duplex DNA do not activate interphase DNA damage checkpoints. Consequently, in the absence of the SUMO-RNF4 pathway cells are able to enter mitosis with a high load of unresolved DPCs, leading to defective chromosome segregation and cell death. Collectively, these findings provide mechanistic insights into SUMO-driven pathways underlying replication-independent DPC resolution and highlight their critical importance in maintaining chromosome stability and cellular fitness.

Lamins A/C have been implicated in DNA damage response pathways. We show that the DNA repair protein 53BP1 is a lamin A/C binding protein. In undamaged human dermal fibroblasts (HDF), 53BP1 is a nucleoskeleton protein. 53BP1 binds to lamins A/C via its Tudor domain, and this is abrogated by DNA damage. Lamins A/C regulate 53BP1 levels and consequently lamin A/C-null HDF display a 53BP1 null-like phenotype. Our data favour a model in which lamins A/C maintain a nucleoplasmic pool of 53BP1 in order to facilitate its rapid recruitment to sites of DNA damage and could explain why an absence of lamin A/C accelerates aging.

Chromatin modifications are an important component of the of DNA damage response (DDR) network that safeguard genomic integrity. Recently, we demonstrated nucleotide excision repair (NER)-dependent histone H2A ubiquitination at sites of ultraviolet (UV)-induced DNA damage. In this study, we show a sustained H2A ubiquitination at damaged DNA, which requires dynamic ubiquitination by Ubc13 and RNF8. Depletion of these enzymes causes UV hypersensitivity without affecting NER, which is indicative of a function for Ubc13 and RNF8 in the downstream UV-DDR. RNF8 is targeted to damaged DNA through an interaction with the double-strand break (DSB)-DDR scaffold protein MDC1, establishing a novel function for MDC1. RNF8 is recruited to sites of UV damage in a cell cycle-independent fashion that requires NER-generated, single-stranded repair intermediates and ataxia telangiectasia-mutated and Rad3-related protein. Our results reveal a conserved pathway of DNA damage-induced H2A ubiquitination for both DSBs and UV lesions, including the recruitment of 53BP1 and Brca1. Although both lesions are processed by independent repair pathways and trigger signaling responses by distinct kinases, they eventually generate the same epigenetic mark, possibly functioning in DNA damage signal amplification.

X-linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis (XIAP) is an essential ubiquitin ligase for pro-inflammatory signalling downstream of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing (NOD)-1 and -2 pattern recognition receptors. Mutations in XIAP cause X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome type-2 (XLP2), an immunodeficiency associated with a potentially fatal deregulation of the immune system, whose aetiology is not well understood. Here, we identify the XIAP baculovirus IAP repeat (BIR)2 domain as a hotspot for missense mutations in XLP2. We demonstrate that XLP2-BIR2 mutations severely impair NOD1/2-dependent immune signalling in primary cells from XLP2 patients and in reconstituted XIAP-deficient cell lines. XLP2-BIR2 mutations abolish the XIAP-RIPK2 interaction resulting in impaired ubiquitylation of RIPK2 and recruitment of linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC) to the NOD2-complex. We show that the RIPK2 binding site in XIAP overlaps with the BIR2 IBM-binding pocket and find that a bivalent Smac mimetic compound (SMC) potently antagonises XIAP function downstream of NOD2 to limit signalling. These findings suggest that impaired immune signalling in response to NOD1/2 stimulation is a general defect in XLP2 and demonstrate that the XIAP BIR2-RIPK2 interaction may be targeted pharmacologically to modulate inflammatory signalling.

The Cdc14 family of serine-threonine phosphatases antagonizes CDK activity by reversing CDK-dependent phosphorylation events. It is well established that the yeast members of this family bring about the M/G1 transition. Budding yeast Cdc14 is essential for CDK inactivation at the end of mitosis and fission yeast Cdc14 homologue Flp1/Clp1 down-regulates Cdc25 to ensure the inactivation of mitotic CDK complexes to trigger cell division. However, the functions of human Cdc14 homologues remain poorly understood. Here we have tested the hypothesis that Cdc14A might regulate Cdc25 mitotic inducers in human cells. We found that increasing levels of Cdc14A delay entry into mitosis by inhibiting Cdk1-cyclin B1 activity. By contrast, lowering the levels of Cdc14A accelerates mitotic entry. Biochemical analyses revealed that Cdc14A acts through key Cdk1-cyclin B1 regulators. We observed that Cdc14A directly bound to and dephosphorylated Cdc25B, inhibiting its catalytic activity. Cdc14A also regulated the activity of Cdc25A at the G2/M transition. Our results indicate that Cdc14A phosphatase prevents premature activation of Cdk1 regulating Cdc25A and Cdc25B at the entry into mitosis.

XPC recognizes UV-induced DNA lesions and initiates their removal by nucleotide excision repair (NER). Damage recognition in NER is tightly controlled by ubiquitin and SUMO modifications. Recent studies have shown that the SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligase RNF111 promotes K63-linked ubiquitylation of SUMOylated XPC after DNA damage. However, the exact regulatory function of these modifications in vivo remains elusive. Here we show that RNF111 is required for efficient repair of ultraviolet-induced DNA lesions. RNF111-mediated ubiquitylation promotes the release of XPC from damaged DNA after NER initiation, and is needed for stable incorporation of the NER endonucleases XPG and ERCC1/XPF. Our data suggest that RNF111, together with the CRL4(DDB2) ubiquitin ligase complex, is responsible for sequential XPC ubiquitylation, which regulates the recruitment and release of XPC and is crucial for efficient progression of the NER reaction, thereby providing an extra layer of quality control of NER.

Claspin is an adaptor protein that facilitates the ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR)-mediated phosphorylation and activation of Chk1, a key effector kinase in the DNA damage response. Efficient termination of Chk1 signaling in mitosis and during checkpoint recovery requires SCF(betaTrCP)-dependent destruction of Claspin. Here, we identify the deubiquitylating enzyme ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7) as a novel regulator of Claspin stability. Claspin and USP7 interact in vivo, and USP7 is required to maintain steady-state levels of Claspin. Furthermore, USP7-mediated deubiquitylation markedly prolongs the half-life of Claspin, which in turn increases the magnitude and duration of Chk1 phosphorylation in response to genotoxic stress. Finally, we find that in addition to the M phase-specific, SCF(betaTrCP)-mediated degradation, Claspin is destabilized by the anaphase-promoting complex (APC) and thus remains unstable in G1. Importantly, we demonstrate that USP7 specifically opposes the SCF(betaTrCP)- but not APC(Cdh1)-mediated degradation of Claspin. Thus, Claspin turnover is controlled by multiple ubiquitylation and deubiquitylation activities, which together provide a flexible means to regulate the ATR-Chk1 pathway.

In mammals, ∼100 deubiquitinases act on ∼20,000 intracellular ubiquitination sites. Deubiquitinases are commonly regarded as constitutively active, with limited regulatory and targeting capacity. The BRCA1-A and BRISC complexes serve in DNA double-strand break repair and immune signaling and contain the lysine-63 linkage-specific BRCC36 subunit that is functionalized by scaffold subunits ABRAXAS and ABRO1, respectively. The molecular basis underlying BRCA1-A and BRISC function is currently unknown. Here we show that in the BRCA1-A complex structure, ABRAXAS integrates the DNA repair protein RAP80 and provides a high-affinity binding site that sequesters the tumor suppressor BRCA1 away from the break site. In the BRISC structure, ABRO1 binds SHMT2α, a metabolic enzyme enabling cancer growth in hypoxic environments, which we find prevents BRCC36 from binding and cleaving ubiquitin chains. Our work explains modularity in the BRCC36 DUB family, with different adaptor subunits conferring diversified targeting and regulatory functions.

The faithful segregation of eukaryotic chromosomes in mitosis requires that the genome be duplicated completely prior to anaphase. However, cells with large genomes sometimes fail to complete replication during interphase and instead enter mitosis with regions of incompletely replicated DNA. These regions are processed in early mitosis via a process known as mitotic DNA repair synthesis (MiDAS), but little is known about how cells switch from conventional DNA replication to MiDAS. Using the early embryo of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system, we show that the TRAIP ubiquitin ligase drives replisome disassembly in response to incomplete DNA replication, thereby providing access to replication forks for other factors. Moreover, TRAIP is essential for MiDAS in human cells, and is important in both systems to prevent mitotic segregation errors. Our data indicate that TRAIP is a master regulator of the processing of incomplete DNA replication during mitosis in metazoa.