Replication protein-A, RPA, plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of recombination checkpoint in yeast meiosis

Sci Rep. 2024 Apr 25;14(1):9550. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-60082-x.

Abstract

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) activate DNA damage responses (DDRs) in both mitotic and meiotic cells. A single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) binding protein, Replication protein-A (RPA) binds to the ssDNA formed at DSBs to activate ATR/Mec1 kinase for the response. Meiotic DSBs induce homologous recombination monitored by a meiotic DDR called the recombination checkpoint that blocks the pachytene exit in meiotic prophase I. In this study, we further characterized the essential role of RPA in the maintenance of the recombination checkpoint during Saccharomyces cerevisiae meiosis. The depletion of an RPA subunit, Rfa1, in a recombination-defective dmc1 mutant, fully alleviates the pachytene arrest with the persistent unrepaired DSBs. RPA depletion decreases the activity of a meiosis-specific CHK2 homolog, Mek1 kinase, which in turn activates the Ndt80 transcriptional regulator for pachytene exit. These support the idea that RPA is a sensor of ssDNAs for the activation of meiotic DDR. Rfa1 depletion also accelerates the prophase I delay in the zip1 mutant defective in both chromosome synapsis and the recombination, consistent with the notion that the accumulation of ssDNAs rather than defective synapsis triggers prophase I delay in the zip1 mutant.

Keywords: Auxin degron; Homologous recombination; Meiosis; RPA; Recombination checkpoint; Rfa1; Synapsis checkpoint.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism
  • DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded*
  • DNA, Single-Stranded / genetics
  • DNA, Single-Stranded / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Homologous Recombination
  • MAP Kinase Kinase 1 / genetics
  • MAP Kinase Kinase 1 / metabolism
  • Meiosis*
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
  • Recombination, Genetic
  • Replication Protein A* / genetics
  • Replication Protein A* / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins* / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins* / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae* / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae* / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors*

Substances

  • Replication Protein A
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • RFA1 protein, S cerevisiae
  • DMC1 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • NDT80 protein, S cerevisiae
  • MAP Kinase Kinase 1
  • DNA, Single-Stranded
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Transcription Factors