title: Antagonism of Chk1 signaling in the G2 DNA damage checkpoint by dominant alleles of Cdr1.
abstract: Activation of the Chk1 protein kinase by DNA damage enforces a checkpoint that maintains Cdc2 in its inactive, tyrosine-15 (Y15) phosphorylated state. Chk1 downregulates the Cdc25 phosphatases and concomitantly upregulates the Wee1 kinases that control the phosphorylation of Cdc2. Overproduction of Chk1 causes G(2) arrest/delay independently of DNA damage and upstream checkpoint genes. We utilized this to screen fission yeast for mutations that alter sensitivity to Chk1 signaling. We describe three dominant-negative alleles of cdr1, which render cells supersensitive to Chk1 levels, and suppress the checkpoint defects of chk1Delta cells. Cdr1 encodes a protein kinase previously identified as a negative regulator of Wee1 activity in response to limited nutrition, but Cdr1 has not previously been linked to checkpoint signaling. Overproduction of Cdr1 promotes checkpoint defects and exacerbates the defective response to DNA damage of cells lacking Chk1. We conclude that regulation of Wee1 by Cdr1 and possibly by related kinases is an important antagonist of Chk1 signaling and represents a novel negative regulation of cell cycle arrest promoted by this checkpoint.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA.
authors.forename: Teresa M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Calonge
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: O'Connell
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000235:genetics; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D000071877:Checkpoint Kinase 1; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000235:genetics*; D016195:G2 Phase / Q000235:genetics*; D005799:Genes, Dominant / Q000502:physiology; D009154:Mutation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000235:genetics; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D013489:Suppression, Genetic; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; C080364:cdr1 protein, S pombe; C068689:wee1 protein, S pombe; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D000071877:Checkpoint Kinase 1; C000605873:Chk1 protein, S pombe; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases