C. elegans CUL-4 prevents rereplication by promoting the nuclear export of CDC-6 via a CKI-1-dependent pathway

Curr Biol. 2007 Jun 5;17(11):966-72. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2007.04.055. Epub 2007 May 17.

Abstract

Genome stability requires that genomic DNA is replicated only once per cell cycle. The replication-licensing system ensures that the formation of prereplicative complexes is temporally separated from the initiation of DNA replication [1-4]. The replication-licensing factors Cdc6 and Cdt1 are required for the assembly of prereplicative complexes during G1 phase. During S phase, metazoan Cdt1 is targeted for degradation by the CUL4 ubiquitin ligase [5-8], and vertebrate Cdc6 is translocated from the nucleus to the cytoplasm [9, 10]. However, because residual vertebrate Cdc6 remains in the nucleus throughout S phase [10-13], it has been unclear whether Cdc6 translocation to the cytoplasm prevents rereplication [1, 2, 14]. The inactivation of C. elegans CUL-4 is associated with dramatic levels of DNA rereplication [5]. Here, we show that C. elegans CDC-6 is exported from the nucleus during S phase in response to the phosphorylation of multiple CDK sites. CUL-4 promotes the phosphorylation and subsequent translocation of CDC-6 via negative regulation of the CDK-inhibitor CKI-1. Rereplication can be induced by coexpression of nonexportable CDC-6 with nondegradable CDT-1, indicating that redundant regulation of CDC-6 and CDT-1 prevents rereplication. This demonstrates that CDC-6 translocation is critical for preventing rereplication and that CUL-4 independently controls both replication-licensing factors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Active Transport, Cell Nucleus / physiology
  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / chemistry
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / physiology*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / chemistry
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism*
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor Proteins / metabolism
  • DNA Replication / physiology*
  • Genomic Instability
  • Ligases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Ligases / metabolism
  • Ligases / physiology*
  • Phosphorylation
  • RNA Interference
  • S Phase

Substances

  • CDC-6 protein, C elegans
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Cdt-1 protein, C elegans
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • Cul-4 protein, C elegans
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor Proteins
  • cki-1 protein, C elegans
  • Ligases