title: The checkpoint protein Ddc2, functionally related to S. pombe Rad26, interacts with Mec1 and is regulated by Mec1-dependent phosphorylation in budding yeast.
abstract: DDC2 is a novel component of the DNA integrity checkpoint pathway, which is required for proper checkpoint response to DNA damage and to incomplete DNA replication. Moreover, Ddc2 overproduction causes sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents and checkpoint defects. Ddc2 physically interacts with Mec1 and undergoes Mec1-dependent phosphorylation both in vitro and in vivo. The phosphorylation of Ddc2 takes place in late S phase and in G(2) phase during an unperturbed cell cycle and is further increased in response to DNA damage. Because Ddc2 phosphorylation does not require any other known tested checkpoint factors but Mec1, the Ddc2-Mec1 complex might respond to the presence of some DNA structures independently of the other known checkpoint proteins. Our findings suggest that Ddc2 may be the functional homolog of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Rad26, strengthening the hypothesis that the mechanisms leading to checkpoint activation are conserved throughout evolution.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Paciotti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clerici
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucchini
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Longhese
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D017353:Gene Deletion; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011485:Protein Binding; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000378:metabolism*; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C115052:SML1 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; C088086:rad26 protein, S pombe; C088937:MEC1 protein, S cerevisiae; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases