Protection of genome integrity depends on the coordinated activities of DNA replication, DNA repair, chromatin assembly and chromosome segregation mechanisms. DNA lesions are detected by the master checkpoint kinases ATM (Tel1) and ATR (Rad3/Mec1), which phosphorylate multiple substrates, including a C-terminal SQ motif in histone H2A or H2AX. The 6-BRCT domain protein Brc1, which is required for efficient recovery from replication fork arrest and collapse in fission yeast, binds phospho-histone H2A (γH2A)-coated chromatin at stalled and damaged replication forks. We recently found that Brc1 co-localizes with γH2A that appears in pericentromeric heterochromatin during S-phase. Our studies indicate that Brc1 contributes to the maintenance of pericentromeric heterochromatin, which is required for efficient chromosome segregation during mitosis. Here, we review these studies and present additional results that establish the functional requirements for the N-terminal BRCT domains of Brc1 in the replication stress response and resistance to the microtubule destabilizing drug thiabendazole (TBZ). We also identify the nuclear localization signal (NLS) in Brc1, which closely abuts the C-terminal pair of BRCT domains that form the γH2A-binding pocket. This compact arrangement of localization domains may be a shared feature of other γH2A-binding proteins, including Rtt107, PTIP and Mdc1.
Keywords: BRCT domain; DNA damage response; centromere; heterochromatin; mitosis; nuclear localization signal; replication stress.