A Comprehensive Analysis of the Dynamic Response to Aphidicolin-Mediated Replication Stress Uncovers Targets for ATM and ATMIN

Abstract

The cellular response to replication stress requires the DNA-damage-responsive kinase ATM and its cofactor ATMIN; however, the roles of this signaling pathway following replication stress are unclear. To identify the functions of ATM and ATMIN in response to replication stress, we utilized both transcriptomics and quantitative mass-spectrometry-based phosphoproteomics. We found that replication stress induced by aphidicolin triggered widespread changes in both gene expression and protein phosphorylation patterns. These changes gave rise to distinct early and late replication stress responses. Furthermore, our analysis revealed previously unknown targets of ATM and ATMIN downstream of replication stress. We demonstrate ATMIN-dependent phosphorylation of H2AX and of CRMP2, a protein previously implicated in Alzheimer's disease but not in the DNA damage response. Overall, our dataset provides a comprehensive resource for discovering the cellular responses to replication stress and, potentially, associated pathologies.

Keywords: ATM; ATMIN; CRMP2; gene regulation; phosphoproteomics; replication stress; γH2AX.