MTBP phosphorylation controls DNA replication origin firing

Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 19;11(1):4242. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-83287-w.

Abstract

Faithful genome duplication requires regulation of origin firing to determine loci, timing and efficiency of replisome generation. Established kinase targets for eukaryotic origin firing regulation are the Mcm2-7 helicase, Sld3/Treslin/TICRR and Sld2/RecQL4. We report that metazoan Sld7, MTBP (Mdm2 binding protein), is targeted by at least three kinase pathways. MTBP was phosphorylated at CDK consensus sites by cell cycle cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) and Cdk8/19-cyclin C. Phospho-mimetic MTBP CDK site mutants, but not non-phosphorylatable mutants, promoted origin firing in human cells. MTBP was also phosphorylated at DNA damage checkpoint kinase consensus sites. Phospho-mimetic mutations at these sites inhibited MTBP's origin firing capability. Whilst expressing a non-phospho MTBP mutant was insufficient to relieve the suppression of origin firing upon DNA damage, the mutant induced a genome-wide increase of origin firing in unperturbed cells. Our work establishes MTBP as a regulation platform of metazoan origin firing.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Line
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / metabolism
  • DNA Damage
  • DNA Replication*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational
  • Replication Origin*

Substances

  • Carrier Proteins
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • MTBP protein, human
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinases