title: DNA-binding properties of Smc6, a core component of the Smc5-6 DNA repair complex.
abstract: The Smc5-6 complex is an essential regulator of chromosome integrity and a key component of the DNA damage response. As an essential DNA repair factor, the Smc5-6 complex is expected to interact with DNA and/or chromatin during the execution of its functions. How the Smc6 protein promotes the binding of the Smc5-6 complex to DNA lesions is currently unknown. We show here that Smc6 is a strong DNA-binding protein with a clear preference for single-stranded DNA substrates. Importantly, Smc6 associates with DNA in the absence of other Smc5-6 complex components and its activity is modulated by nucleotides. Our results also show that the minimal size of single-stranded DNA required for tight association with Smc6 is ~60 nucleotides in length. Taken together, our results suggest that Smc6 contributes to DNA repair in vivo by targeting the Smc5-6 complex to single-stranded DNA substrates created during the processes of homologous recombination and/or DNA replication.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Département de Pathologie et Biologie Cellulaire, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: Marc-André
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: D'Amours
mesh_terms: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004260:DNA Repair; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; C486628:Smc5 protein, S pombe; C486630:smc6 protein, S pombe