title: Recovery of arrested replication forks by homologous recombination is error-prone.
abstract: Homologous recombination is a universal mechanism that allows repair of DNA and provides support for DNA replication. Homologous recombination is therefore a major pathway that suppresses non-homology-mediated genome instability. Here, we report that recovery of impeded replication forks by homologous recombination is error-prone. Using a fork-arrest-based assay in fission yeast, we demonstrate that a single collapsed fork can cause mutations and large-scale genomic changes, including deletions and translocations. Fork-arrest-induced gross chromosomal rearrangements are mediated by inappropriate ectopic recombination events at the site of collapsed forks. Inverted repeats near the site of fork collapse stimulate large-scale genomic changes up to 1,500 times over spontaneous events. We also show that the high accuracy of DNA replication during S-phase is impaired by impediments to fork progression, since fork-arrest-induced mutation is due to erroneous DNA synthesis during recovery of replication forks. The mutations caused are small insertions/duplications between short tandem repeats (micro-homology) indicative of replication slippage. Our data establish that collapsed forks, but not stalled forks, recovered by homologous recombination are prone to replication slippage. The inaccuracy of DNA synthesis does not rely on PCNA ubiquitination or trans-lesion-synthesis DNA polymerases, and it is not counteracted by mismatch repair. We propose that deletions/insertions, mediated by micro-homology, leading to copy number variations during replication stress may arise by progression of error-prone replication forks restarted by homologous recombination.
authors.affiliation: Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Iraqui
authors.forename: Yasmina
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chekkal
authors.forename: Nada
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jmari
authors.forename: Violena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pietrobon
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fréon
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Costes
authors.forename: Sarah A E
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lambert
mesh_terms: D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000378:metabolism; D053843:DNA Mismatch Repair; D004260:DNA Repair; D004261:DNA Replication; D023061:Gene Order; D042822:Genomic Instability; D059765:Homologous Recombination; D055029:Inverted Repeat Sequences; D009154:Mutation; D034702:RNA-Binding Protein FUS / Q000378:metabolism; D053484:RecQ Helicases / Q000378:metabolism; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D034702:RNA-Binding Protein FUS; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D004265:DNA Helicases; D053484:RecQ Helicases; C106462:Rqh1 protein, S pombe