Restoration of UV-inhibited transcription requires removal of transcription-blocking DNA lesions by transcription-coupled repair (TCR). In mammals, TCR is dependent on CSA and CSB proteins; however, their functions are largely unknown. Here, we analyzed the composition of UV-stalled transcription elongation complexes from human cells. We show that CSB and CSA display differential roles in recruitment of TCR-specific factors and that assembly for TCR occurs without disruption of the UV-stalled RNA polymerase II (RNAPIIo). CSB fulfills a key role as a coupling factor to attract histone acetyltransferase p300, nucleotide excision repair (NER) proteins, and CSA-DDB1 E3-ubiquitin ligase complex with the COP9 signalosome. CSA is dispensable for attraction of NER proteins to lesion-stalled RNAPIIo, yet in cooperation with CSB is required to recruit XAB2, the nucleosomal binding protein HMGN1, and TFIIS. These results give insight into the nature and order of molecular events that take place during TCR in the context of chromosomal DNA.

The encounter of elongating RNA polymerase II (RNAPIIo) with DNA lesions has severe consequences for the cell as this event provides a strong signal for P53-dependent apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. To counteract prolonged blockage of transcription, the cell removes the RNAPIIo-blocking DNA lesions by transcription-coupled repair (TC-NER), a specialized subpathway of nucleotide excision repair (NER). Exposure of mice to UVB light or chemicals has elucidated that TC-NER is a critical survival pathway protecting against acute toxic and long-term effects (cancer) of genotoxic exposure. Deficiency in TC-NER is associated with mutations in the CSA and CSB genes giving rise to the rare human disorder Cockayne syndrome (CS). Recent data suggest that CSA and CSB play differential roles in mammalian TC-NER: CSB as a repair coupling factor to attract NER proteins, chromatin remodellers and the CSA-E3-ubiquitin ligase complex to the stalled RNAPIIo. CSA is dispensable for attraction of NER proteins, yet in cooperation with CSB is required to recruit XAB2, the nucleosomal binding protein HMGN1 and TFIIS. The emerging picture of TC-NER is complex: repair of transcription-blocking lesions occurs without displacement of the DNA damage-stalled RNAPIIo, and requires at least two essential assembly factors (CSA and CSB), the core NER factors (except for XPC-RAD23B), and TC-NER specific factors. These and yet unidentified proteins will accomplish not only efficient repair of transcription-blocking lesions, but are also likely to contribute to DNA damage signalling events.

Heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) family members are chromatin-associated proteins involved in transcription, replication, and chromatin organization. We show that HP1 isoforms HP1-α, HP1-β, and HP1-γ are recruited to ultraviolet (UV)-induced DNA damage and double-strand breaks (DSBs) in human cells. This response to DNA damage requires the chromo shadow domain of HP1 and is independent of H3K9 trimethylation and proteins that detect UV damage and DSBs. Loss of HP1 results in high sensitivity to UV light and ionizing radiation in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, indicating that HP1 proteins are essential components of DNA damage response (DDR) systems. Analysis of single and double HP1 mutants in nematodes suggests that HP1 homologues have both unique and overlapping functions in the DDR. Our results show that HP1 proteins are important for DNA repair and may function to reorganize chromatin in response to damage.

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is the most versatile DNA repair system that deals with the major UV photoproducts in DNA, as well as many other DNA adducts. The early steps of NER are well understood, whereas the later steps of repair synthesis and ligation are not. In particular, which polymerases are definitely involved in repair synthesis and how they are recruited to the damaged sites has not yet been established. We report that, in human fibroblasts, approximately half of the repair synthesis requires both pol kappa and pol delta, and both polymerases can be recovered in the same repair complexes. Pol kappa is recruited to repair sites by ubiquitinated PCNA and XRCC1 and pol delta by the classical replication factor complex RFC1-RFC, together with a polymerase accessory factor, p66, and unmodified PCNA. The remaining repair synthesis is dependent on pol epsilon, recruitment of which is dependent on the alternative clamp loader CTF18-RFC.

Transcription-coupled nucleotide-excision repair (TC-NER) is a subpathway of NER that efficiently removes the highly toxic RNA polymerase II blocking lesions in DNA. Defective TC-NER gives rise to the human disorders Cockayne syndrome and UV-sensitive syndrome (UV(S)S). NER initiating factors are known to be regulated by ubiquitination. Using a SILAC-based proteomic approach, we identified UVSSA (formerly known as KIAA1530) as part of a UV-induced ubiquitinated protein complex. Knockdown of UVSSA resulted in TC-NER deficiency. UVSSA was found to be the causative gene for UV(S)S, an unresolved NER deficiency disorder. The UVSSA protein interacts with elongating RNA polymerase II, localizes specifically to UV-induced lesions, resides in chromatin-associated TC-NER complexes and is implicated in stabilizing the TC-NER master organizing protein ERCC6 (also known as CSB) by delivering the deubiquitinating enzyme USP7 to TC-NER complexes. Together, these findings indicate that UVSSA-USP7–mediated stabilization of ERCC6 represents a critical regulatory mechanism of TC-NER in restoring gene expression.

Impaired gap filling and sealing of chromosomal DNA in nucleotide excision repair (NER) leads to genome instability. XRCC1-DNA ligase IIIalpha (XRCC1-Lig3) plays a central role in the repair of DNA single-strand breaks but has never been implicated in NER. Here we show that XRCC1-Lig3 is indispensable for ligation of NER-induced breaks and repair of UV lesions in quiescent cells. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that two distinct complexes differentially carry out gap filling in NER. XRCC1-Lig3 and DNA polymerase delta colocalize and interact with NER components in a UV- and incision-dependent manner throughout the cell cycle. In contrast, DNA ligase I and DNA polymerase epsilon are recruited to UV-damage sites only in proliferating cells. This study reveals an unexpected and key role for XRCC1-Lig3 in maintenance of genomic integrity by NER in both dividing and nondividing cells and provides evidence for cell-cycle regulation of NER-mediated repair synthesis in vivo.

Chromatin remodeling is tightly linked to all DNA-transacting activities. To study chromatin remodeling during DNA repair, we established quantitative fluorescence imaging methods to measure the exchange of histones in chromatin in living cells. We show that particularly H2A and H2B are evicted and replaced at an accelerated pace at sites of UV-induced DNA damage. This accelerated exchange of H2A/H2B is facilitated by SPT16, one of the two subunits of the histone chaperone FACT (facilitates chromatin transcription) but largely independent of its partner SSRP1. Interestingly, SPT16 is targeted to sites of UV light-induced DNA damage-arrested transcription and is required for efficient restart of RNA synthesis upon damage removal. Together, our data uncover an important role for chromatin dynamics at the crossroads of transcription and the UV-induced DNA damage response.

In previous work we used the rad18-X mutant to show BN1 9RR, UK that the Rad18 protein was involved in repair of ionizing 1 Corresponding author radiation damage (Lehmann et al., 1995). Double-strand e-mail: a.r.lehmann@sussex.ac.uk breaks are the principal lesions responsible for killing cells by ionizing radiation. Both Verkade et al. (1999) and In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, rad18 is an essential we (unpublished observations) have shown that rad18-X gene involved in the repair of DNA damage produced cells are deficient in repair of radiation-induced doubleby ionizing radiation and in tolerance of UV-induced strand breaks. DNA damage. The Rad18 protein is a member of Epistasis analysis in response to UV-irradiation suggests the SMC (structural maintenance of chromosomes)that Rad18 is not involved in NER, but that it does play superfamily, and we show that, like the other SMC a role in the second excision repair pathway for UV proteins in condensin and cohesin, Rad18 is a compondamage. The first step in this pathway is mediated by UV ent of a high-molecular-weight complex. This complex damage-endonuclease (UVDE) (Yonemasu et al., 1997), contains at least six other proteins, the largest of which which nicks UV-irradiated DNA on the 5Ј side of UV is Spr18, a novel SMC family member closely related photoproducts (Avery et al., 1999;Yoon et al., 1999). In to Rad18, and likely to be its heterodimeric partner.a uvde background, the rad18-X mutation still sensitized SMC proteins have ATP-binding domains at the the cells to UV-irradiation (Yonemasu et al., 1997), and N-and C-termini, and two extended coiled-coil domainsfurther epistasis analysis suggested that this was due to a separated by a hinge in the middle. We show that the role for Rad18 in a DNA damage tolerance pathway N-terminal ATP-binding domain of Rad18 is essential . Furthermore, deletion of the rad18 for all functions, and overexpression of an N-terminal gene demonstrated that it was essential for cell proliferamutant has a dominant-negative effect. We have identition, and our data led us to propose tentatively that this fied an important mutation (S1045A) near the essential role was an involvement in DNA replication C-terminus of Rad18 that separates its repair and (Lehmann et al., 1995). Figure 1 summarizes the pathways essential roles. Potential models for the role of the in which Rad18 is involved, based on this genetic analysis. Rad18-Spr18 complex during DNA repair are disSequence analysis of Rad18 (Lehmann et al., 1995) cussed.showed that the 131 kDa Rad18 protein was a member Keywords: ATPase/coiled coils/DNA repair/fission yeast/ of the SMC (structural maintenance of chromosomes) SMC proteins superfamily. SMC proteins have globular N-and C-terminal domains, which are involved in ATP and Mg 2ϩ binding, and two extended α-helical coiled-coil domains involved in protein-protein interactions, separated by a