title: Two-stage mechanism for activation of the DNA replication checkpoint kinase Cds1 in fission yeast.
abstract: The DNA replication checkpoint is a complex signal transduction pathway, present in all eukaryotic cells, that functions to maintain genomic integrity and cell viability when DNA replication is perturbed. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe the major effector of the replication checkpoint is the protein kinase Cds1. Activation of Cds1 is known to require the upstream kinase Rad3 and the mediator Mrc1, but the biochemical mechanism of activation is not well understood. We report that the replication checkpoint is activated in two stages. In the first stage, Mrc1 recruits Cds1 to stalled replication forks by interactions between the FHA domain of Cds1 and specific phosphorylated Rad3 consensus sites in Mrc1. Cds1 is then primed for activation by Rad3-dependent phosphorylation. In the second stage, primed Cds1 molecules dimerize via phospho-specific interactions mediated by the FHA domains and are activated by autophosphorylation. This two-stage activation mechanism for the replication checkpoint allows for rapid activation with a high signal-to-noise ratio.
authors.affiliation: Program in Molecular Biology, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, New York 10021, USA.
authors.forename: Yong-jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davenport
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Kelly
mesh_terms: D020134:Catalytic Domain; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D064447:Checkpoint Kinase 2; D019281:Dimerization; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000201:enzymology*; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; D064447:Checkpoint Kinase 2; C578636:Cds1 protein, S pombe; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C456840:rad3 protein, S pombe; C513624:tel1 protein, S pombe