title: Role of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rad53 checkpoint kinase in signaling double-strand breaks during the meiotic cell cycle.
abstract: DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) can arise at unpredictable locations after DNA damage or in a programmed manner during meiosis. DNA damage checkpoint response to accidental DSBs during mitosis requires the Rad53 effector kinase, whereas the meiosis-specific Mek1 kinase, together with Red1 and Hop1, mediates the recombination checkpoint in response to programmed meiotic DSBs. Here we provide evidence that exogenous DSBs lead to Rad53 phosphorylation during the meiotic cell cycle, whereas programmed meiotic DSBs do not. However, the latter can trigger phosphorylation of a protein fusion between Rad53 and the Mec1-interacting protein Ddc2, suggesting that the inability of Rad53 to transduce the meiosis-specific DSB signals might be due to its failure to access the meiotic recombination sites. Rad53 phosphorylation/activation is elicited when unrepaired meiosis-specific DSBs escape the recombination checkpoint. This activation requires homologous chromosome segregation and delays the second meiotic division. Altogether, these data indicate that Rad53 prevents sister chromatid segregation in the presence of unrepaired programmed meiotic DSBs, thus providing a salvage mechanism ensuring genetic integrity in the gametes even in the absence of the recombination checkpoint.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, P.zza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cartagena-Lirola
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Guerini
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Manfrini
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucchini
authors.forename: Maria Pia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Longhese
mesh_terms: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D064447:Checkpoint Kinase 2; D053903:DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004720:Endonucleases; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008540:Meiosis; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C513033:DMC1 protein, S cerevisiae; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C107849:SAE2 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D064447:Checkpoint Kinase 2; C088937:MEC1 protein, S cerevisiae; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C067022:RAD53 protein, S cerevisiae; D004720:Endonucleases