Abstract

The essential Smc5/6 complex is required in response to replication stress and is best known for ensuring the fidelity of homologous recombination. Using single-molecule tracking in live fission yeast to investigate Smc5/6 chromatin association, we show that Smc5/6 is chromatin associated in unchallenged cells and this depends on the non-SMC protein Nse6. We define a minimum of two Nse6-dependent sub-pathways, one of which requires the BRCT-domain protein Brc1. Using defined mutants in genes encoding the core Smc5/6 complex subunits we show that the Nse3 double-stranded DNA binding activity and the arginine fingers of the two Smc5/6 ATPase binding sites are critical for chromatin association. Interestingly, disrupting the ssDNA binding activity at the hinge region does not prevent chromatin association but leads to elevated levels of gross chromosomal rearrangements during replication restart. This is consistent with a downstream function for ssDNA binding in regulating homologous recombination.

Data availability

Single molecule traces exported from GDSC SMLM plugin and used for analysis in SpotOn software are available via the Open Science Framework (osf.io/myxtr).

The following data sets were generated

Article and author information

Author details

  1. Thomas J Etheridge

    Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
    For correspondence
    t.etheridge@sussex.ac.uk
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0001-8144-6917
  2. Desiree Villahermosa

    Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  3. Eduard Campillo-Funollet

    Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0001-7021-1610
  4. Alex David Herbert

    Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-9843-9980
  5. Anja Irmisch

    Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  6. Adam T Watson

    Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  7. Hung Q Dang

    Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-1226-0235
  8. Mark A Osborne

    Department of Chemistry, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  9. Antony W Oliver

    Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-2912-8273
  10. Antony M Carr

    Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-2028-2389
  11. Johanne M Murray

    Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
    For correspondence
    j.m.murray@sussex.ac.uk
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0001-9225-6289

Funding

Wellcome Trust (110047/Z/15/Z)

  • Antony M Carr

Medical Research Council (MR/P018955/1)

  • Antony W Oliver
  • Johanne M Murray

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.

Copyright

© 2021, Etheridge et al.

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.

Metrics

  • 1,806
    views
  • 285
    downloads
  • 22
    citations

Views, downloads and citations are aggregated across all versions of this paper published by eLife.

Download links

A two-part list of links to download the article, or parts of the article, in various formats.

Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)

Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)

Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)

  1. Thomas J Etheridge
  2. Desiree Villahermosa
  3. Eduard Campillo-Funollet
  4. Alex David Herbert
  5. Anja Irmisch
  6. Adam T Watson
  7. Hung Q Dang
  8. Mark A Osborne
  9. Antony W Oliver
  10. Antony M Carr
  11. Johanne M Murray
(2021)
Live-cell single-molecule tracking highlights requirements for stable Smc5/6 chromatin association in vivo
eLife 10:e68579.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.68579

Share this article

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.68579

Further reading

    1. Chromosomes and Gene Expression
    2. Neuroscience
    Robyn D Moir, Emilio Merheb ... Ian M Willis
    Research Article

    Pathogenic variants in subunits of RNA polymerase (Pol) III cause a spectrum of Polr3-related neurodegenerative diseases including 4H leukodystrophy. Disease onset occurs from infancy to early adulthood and is associated with a variable range and severity of neurological and non-neurological features. The molecular basis of Polr3-related disease pathogenesis is unknown. We developed a postnatal whole-body mouse model expressing pathogenic Polr3a mutations to examine the molecular mechanisms by which reduced Pol III transcription results primarily in central nervous system phenotypes. Polr3a mutant mice exhibit behavioral deficits, cerebral pathology and exocrine pancreatic atrophy. Transcriptome and immunohistochemistry analyses of cerebra during disease progression show a reduction in most Pol III transcripts, induction of innate immune and integrated stress responses and cell-type-specific gene expression changes reflecting neuron and oligodendrocyte loss and microglial activation. Earlier in the disease when integrated stress and innate immune responses are minimally induced, mature tRNA sequencing revealed a global reduction in tRNA levels and an altered tRNA profile but no changes in other Pol III transcripts. Thus, changes in the size and/or composition of the tRNA pool have a causal role in disease initiation. Our findings reveal different tissue- and brain region-specific sensitivities to a defect in Pol III transcription.

    1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
    2. Chromosomes and Gene Expression
    Ting-Wen Chen, Hsiao-Wei Liao ... Chung-Te Chang
    Research Article

    The mRNA 5'-cap structure removal by the decapping enzyme DCP2 is a critical step in gene regulation. While DCP2 is the catalytic subunit in the decapping complex, its activity is strongly enhanced by multiple factors, particularly DCP1, which is the major activator in yeast. However, the precise role of DCP1 in metazoans has yet to be fully elucidated. Moreover, in humans, the specific biological functions of the two DCP1 paralogs, DCP1a and DCP1b, remain largely unknown. To investigate the role of human DCP1, we generated cell lines that were deficient in DCP1a, DCP1b, or both to evaluate the importance of DCP1 in the decapping machinery. Our results highlight the importance of human DCP1 in decapping process and show that the EVH1 domain of DCP1 enhances the mRNA-binding affinity of DCP2. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses outline the distinct functions of DCP1a and DCP1b in human cells, regulating specific endogenous mRNA targets and biological processes. Overall, our findings provide insights into the molecular mechanism of human DCP1 in mRNA decapping and shed light on the distinct functions of its paralogs.