SummaryThe appropriate execution of DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair is critical for genome stability and tumor avoidance. 53BP1 and BRCA1 directly influence DSB repair pathway choice by regulating 5′ end resection, but how this is achieved remains uncertain. Here we report that Rif1−/− mice are severely compromised for 53BP1-dependent class switch recombination (CSR) and fusion of dysfunctional telomeres. The inappropriate accumulation of RIF1 at DSBs in S phase is antagonized by BRCA1, and deletion of Rif1 suppresses toxic nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) induced by PARP inhibition in Brca1-deficient cells. Mechanistically, RIF1 is recruited to DSBs via the N-terminal phospho-SQ/TQ domain of 53BP1, and DSBs generated by ionizing radiation or during CSR are hyperresected in the absence of RIF1. Thus, RIF1 and 53BP1 cooperate to block DSB resection to promote NHEJ in G1, which is antagonized by BRCA1 in S phase to ensure a switch of DSB repair mode to homologous recombination.

The function of many DNA metabolism proteins depends on their ability to coordinate an iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster. Biogenesis of Fe-S proteins is a multistep process that takes place in mitochondria and the cytoplasm, but how it is linked to nuclear Fe-S proteins is not known. Here, we demonstrate that MMS19 forms a complex with the cytoplasmic Fe-S assembly (CIA) proteins CIAO1, IOP1, and MIP18. Cytoplasmic MMS19 also binds to multiple nuclear Fe-S proteins involved in DNA metabolism. In the absence of MMS19, a failure to transfer Fe-S clusters to target proteins is associated with Fe-S protein instability and preimplantation death of mice in which Mms19 has been knocked out. We propose that MMS19 functions as a platform to facilitate Fe-S cluster transfer to proteins critical for DNA replication and repair.

Recognition and repair of damaged replication forks are essential to maintain genome stability and are coordinated by the combined action of the Fanconi anemia and homologous recombination pathways. These pathways are vital to protect stalled replication forks from uncontrolled nucleolytic activity, which otherwise causes irreparable genomic damage. Here, we identify BOD1L as a component of this fork protection pathway, which safeguards genome stability after replication stress. Loss of BOD1L confers exquisite cellular sensitivity to replication stress and uncontrolled resection of damaged replication forks, due to a failure to stabilize RAD51 at these forks. Blocking DNA2-dependent resection, or downregulation of the helicases BLM and FBH1, suppresses both catastrophic fork processing and the accumulation of chromosomal damage in BOD1L-deficient cells. Thus, our work implicates BOD1L as a critical regulator of genome integrity that restrains nucleolytic degradation of damaged replication forks.

Repair of interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) requires the coordinate action of the intra-S phase checkpoint and the Fanconi Anemia (FA) pathway, which promote ICL incision, translesion synthesis, and homologous recombination (reviewed in 1,2). Previous studies have implicated the 3′-5′ superfamily 2 helicase HELQ/Hel308 in ICL repair in D. melanogaster (known as Mus301 or Spn-C3) and C. elegans (known as Helq-1 or Hel-3084). While in vitro analysis suggests that HELQ preferentially unwinds synthetic replication fork substrates with 3′ ssDNA overhangs and also disrupts protein/DNA interactions while translocating along DNA5,6, little is known regarding its functions in mammalian organisms. Here we report that HELQ helicase-deficient mice exhibit subfertility, germ cell attrition, ICL sensitivity and tumour predisposition, with HelQ heterozygous mice exhibiting a similar, albeit less severe, phenotype than the null, indicative of haploinsufficiency. We establish that HELQ interacts directly with the RAD51 paralog complex, BCDX2, and functions in parallel to the FA pathway to promote efficient HR at damaged replication forks. Thus, our results reveal a critical role for HELQ in replication-coupled DNA repair, germ cell maintenance and tumour suppression in mammals.

SummaryDNA polymerase ε (POLE) is a four-subunit complex and the major leading strand polymerase in eukaryotes. Budding yeast orthologs of POLE3 and POLE4 promote Polε processivity in vitro but are dispensable for viability in vivo. Here, we report that POLE4 deficiency in mice destabilizes the entire Polε complex, leading to embryonic lethality in inbred strains and extensive developmental abnormalities, leukopenia, and tumor predisposition in outbred strains. Comparable phenotypes of growth retardation and immunodeficiency are also observed in human patients harboring destabilizing mutations in POLE1. In both Pole4−/− mouse and POLE1 mutant human cells, Polε hypomorphy is associated with replication stress and p53 activation, which we attribute to inefficient replication origin firing. Strikingly, removing p53 is sufficient to rescue embryonic lethality and all developmental abnormalities in Pole4 null mice. However, Pole4−/−p53+/− mice exhibit accelerated tumorigenesis, revealing an important role for controlled CMG and origin activation in normal development and tumor prevention.