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To prevent detrimental chromosome re-replication, DNA loading of a double hexamer of the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) replicative helicase is temporally separated from DNA unwinding. Upon S-phase transition in yeast, DNA unwinding is achieved in two steps: limited opening of the double helix and topological separation of the two DNA strands. First, Cdc45, GINS and Polε engage MCM to assemble a double CMGE with two partially separated hexamers that nucleate DNA melting. In the second step, triggered by Mcm10, two CMGEs separate completely, eject the lagging-strand template and cross paths. To understand Mcm10 during helicase activation, we used biochemical reconstitution with cryogenic electron microscopy. We found that Mcm10 splits the double CMGE by engaging the N-terminal homo-dimerization face of MCM. To eject the lagging strand, DNA unwinding is started from the N-terminal side of MCM while the hexamer channel becomes too narrow to harbor duplex DNA., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Initiation of chromosomal DNA replication in eukaryotes involves two steps: licensing and firing. In licensing, a core component of the replicative helicase, the Mcm2-7 complex, is loaded onto replication origins as an inactive double hexamer, which is activated in the firing step by firing factors. A reaction intermediate called the pre-initiation complex (pre-IC) has been proposed to assemble transiently during firing, but the existence of the pre-IC has not yet been confirmed. Here, we show, by systematic chromatin immunoprecipitation, that a distinct intermediate that fits the definition of the pre-IC assembles during firing in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pre-IC assembly is observed in the absence of Mcm10, one of the firing factors, and is mutually dependent on all the firing factors whose association to replication origins is triggered by cyclin-dependent kinase. In the pre-IC, the Mcm2-7 double hexamer is separated into single hexamers, as in the active helicase. Our data indicate that pre-IC assembly functions as an all-or-nothing molecular switch that splits the Mcm2-7 double hexamer., (© 2017 The Authors.)

The formation of the pre-replicative complex (pre-RC) during the G1 phase, which is also called the licensing of DNA replication, is the initial and essential step of faithful DNA replication during the subsequent S phase. It is widely accepted that in the pre-RC, double-stranded DNA passes through the holes of two ring-shaped minichromosome maintenance (MCM) 2-7 hexamers; however, the spatial organization of the DNA and proteins involved in pre-RC formation is unclear. Here we reconstituted the pre-RC from purified DNA and proteins and visualized the complex using atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM revealed that the MCM double hexamers formed elliptical particles on DNA. Analysis of the angle of binding of DNA to the MCM double hexamer suggests that the DNA does not completely pass through both holes of the MCM hexamers, possibly because the DNA exited from the gap between Mcm2 and Mcm5. A DNA loop fastened by the MCM double hexamer was detected in pre-RC samples reconstituted from purified proteins as well as those purified from yeast cells, suggesting a higher-order architecture of the loaded MCM hexamers and DNA strands.

To initiate DNA replication, the origin recognition complex (ORC) and Cdc6 load an Mcm2-7 double hexamer onto DNA. Without ATP hydrolysis, ORC-Cdc6 recruits one Cdt1-bound Mcm2-7 hexamer, thus forming an ORC-Cdc6-Cdt1-Mcm2-7 (OCCM) helicase-loading intermediate. Here we report a 3.9-Å structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae OCCM on DNA. Flexible Mcm2-7 winged-helix domains (WHDs) engage ORC-Cdc6. A three-domain Cdt1 configuration embraces Mcm2, Mcm4, and Mcm6, thus comprising nearly half of the hexamer. The Cdt1 C-terminal domain extends to the Mcm6 WHD, which binds the Orc4 WHD. DNA passes through the ORC-Cdc6 and Mcm2-7 rings. Origin DNA interaction is mediated by an α-helix within Orc4 and positively charged loops within Orc2 and Cdc6. The Mcm2-7 C-tier AAA+ ring is topologically closed by an Mcm5 loop that embraces Mcm2, but the N-tier-ring Mcm2-Mcm5 interface remains open. This structure suggests a loading mechanism of the first Cdt1-bound Mcm2-7 hexamer by ORC-Cdc6.

The minichromosome maintenance complex (MCM) hexameric complex (Mcm2-7) forms the core of the eukaryotic replicative helicase. During G1 phase, two Cdt1-Mcm2-7 heptamers are loaded onto each replication origin by the origin-recognition complex (ORC) and Cdc6 to form an inactive MCM double hexamer (DH), but the detailed loading mechanism remains unclear. Here we examine the structures of the yeast MCM hexamer and Cdt1-MCM heptamer from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Both complexes form left-handed coil structures with a 10-15-Å gap between Mcm5 and Mcm2, and a central channel that is occluded by the C-terminal domain winged-helix motif of Mcm5. Cdt1 wraps around the N-terminal regions of Mcm2, Mcm6 and Mcm4 to stabilize the whole complex. The intrinsic coiled structures of the precursors provide insights into the DH formation, and suggest a spring-action model for the MCM during the initial origin melting and the subsequent DNA unwinding.

DNA replication in eukaryotes is strictly regulated by several mechanisms. A central step in this replication is the assembly of the heterohexameric minichromosome maintenance (MCM2-7) helicase complex at replication origins during G1 phase as an inactive double hexamer. Here, using cryo-electron microscopy, we report a near-atomic structure of the MCM2-7 double hexamer purified from yeast G1 chromatin. Our structure shows that two single hexamers, arranged in a tilted and twisted fashion through interdigitated amino-terminal domain interactions, form a kinked central channel. Four constricted rings consisting of conserved interior β-hairpins from the two single hexamers create a narrow passageway that tightly fits duplex DNA. This narrow passageway, reinforced by the offset of the two single hexamers at the double hexamer interface, is flanked by two pairs of gate-forming subunits, MCM2 and MCM5. These unusual features of the twisted and tilted single hexamers suggest a concerted mechanism for the melting of origin DNA that requires structural deformation of the intervening DNA.

The DNA replication checkpoint (DRC) monitors and responds to stalled replication forks to prevent genomic instability. How core replication factors integrate into this phosphorylation cascade is incompletely understood. Here, through analysis of a unique mcm allele targeting a specific ATPase active site (mcm2DENQ), we show that the Mcm2-7 replicative helicase has a novel DRC function as part of the signal transduction cascade. This allele exhibits normal downstream mediator (Mrc1) phosphorylation, implying DRC sensor kinase activation. However, the mutant also exhibits defective effector kinase (Rad53) activation and classic DRC phenotypes. Our previous in vitro analysis showed that the mcm2DENQ mutation prevents a specific conformational change in the Mcm2-7 hexamer. We infer that this conformational change is required for its DRC role and propose that it allosterically facilitates Rad53 activation to ensure a replication-specific checkpoint response., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Eukaryotic cells license each DNA replication origin during G1 phase by assembling a prereplication complex that contains a Mcm2-7 (minichromosome maintenance proteins 2-7) double hexamer. During S phase, each Mcm2-7 hexamer forms the core of a replicative DNA helicase. However, the mechanisms of origin licensing and helicase activation are poorly understood. The helicase loaders ORC-Cdc6 function to recruit a single Cdt1-Mcm2-7 heptamer to replication origins prior to Cdt1 release and ORC-Cdc6-Mcm2-7 complex formation, but how the second Mcm2-7 hexamer is recruited to promote double-hexamer formation is not well understood. Here, structural evidence for intermediates consisting of an ORC-Cdc6-Mcm2-7 complex and an ORC-Cdc6-Mcm2-7-Mcm2-7 complex are reported, which together provide new insights into DNA licensing. Detailed structural analysis of the loaded Mcm2-7 double-hexamer complex demonstrates that the two hexamers are interlocked and misaligned along the DNA axis and lack ATP hydrolysis activity that is essential for DNA helicase activity. Moreover, we show that the head-to-head juxtaposition of the Mcm2-7 double hexamer generates a new protein interaction surface that creates a multisubunit-binding site for an S-phase protein kinase that is known to activate DNA replication. The data suggest how the double hexamer is assembled and how helicase activity is regulated during DNA licensing, with implications for cell cycle control of DNA replication and genome stability., (© 2014 Sun et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.)

Eukaryotes use distinct polymerases for leading- and lagging-strand replication, but how they target their respective strands is uncertain. We reconstituted Saccharomyces cerevisiae replication forks and found that CMG helicase selects polymerase (Pol) ɛ to the exclusion of Pol δ on the leading strand. Even if Pol δ assembles on the leading strand, Pol ɛ rapidly replaces it. Pol δ-PCNA is distributive with CMG, in contrast to its high stability on primed ssDNA. Hence CMG will not stabilize Pol δ, instead leaving the leading strand accessible for Pol ɛ and stabilizing Pol ɛ. Comparison of Pol ɛ and Pol δ on a lagging-strand model DNA reveals the opposite. Pol δ dominates over excess Pol ɛ on PCNA-primed ssDNA. Thus, PCNA strongly favors Pol δ over Pol ɛ on the lagging strand, but CMG over-rides and flips this balance in favor of Pol ɛ on the leading strand.

The regulated loading of the replicative helicase minichromosome maintenance proteins 2-7 (MCM2-7) onto replication origins is a prerequisite for replication fork establishment and genomic stability. Origin recognition complex (ORC), Cdc6, and Cdt1 assemble two MCM2-7 hexamers into one double hexamer around dsDNA. Although the MCM2-7 hexamer can adopt a ring shape with a gap between Mcm2 and Mcm5, it is unknown which Mcm interface functions as the DNA entry gate during regulated helicase loading. Here, we establish that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae MCM2-7 hexamer assumes a closed ring structure, suggesting that helicase loading requires active ring opening. Using a chemical biology approach, we show that ORC-Cdc6-Cdt1-dependent helicase loading occurs through a unique DNA entry gate comprised of the Mcm2 and Mcm5 subunits. Controlled inhibition of DNA insertion triggers ATPase-driven complex disassembly in vitro, while in vivo analysis establishes that Mcm2/Mcm5 gate opening is essential for both helicase loading onto chromatin and cell cycle progression. Importantly, we demonstrate that the MCM2-7 helicase becomes loaded onto DNA as a single hexamer during ORC/Cdc6/Cdt1/MCM2-7 complex formation prior to MCM2-7 double hexamer formation. Our study establishes the existence of a unique DNA entry gate for regulated helicase loading, revealing key mechanisms in helicase loading, which has important implications for helicase activation., (© 2014 Samel et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.)

Efficient duplication of the genome requires the concerted action of helicase and DNA polymerases at replication forks to avoid stalling of the replication machinery and consequent genomic instability. In eukaryotes, the physical coupling between helicase and DNA polymerases remains poorly understood. Here we define the molecular mechanism by which the yeast Ctf4 protein links the Cdc45-MCM-GINS (CMG) DNA helicase to DNA polymerase α (Pol α) within the replisome. We use X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy to show that Ctf4 self-associates in a constitutive disk-shaped trimer. Trimerization depends on a β-propeller domain in the carboxy-terminal half of the protein, which is fused to a helical extension that protrudes from one face of the trimeric disk. Critically, Pol α and the CMG helicase share a common mechanism of interaction with Ctf4. We show that the amino-terminal tails of the catalytic subunit of Pol α and the Sld5 subunit of GINS contain a conserved Ctf4-binding motif that docks onto the exposed helical extension of a Ctf4 protomer within the trimer. Accordingly, we demonstrate that one Ctf4 trimer can support binding of up to three partner proteins, including the simultaneous association with both Pol α and GINS. Our findings indicate that Ctf4 can couple two molecules of Pol α to one CMG helicase within the replisome, providing a new model for lagging-strand synthesis in eukaryotes that resembles the emerging model for the simpler replisome of Escherichia coli. The ability of Ctf4 to act as a platform for multivalent interactions illustrates a mechanism for the concurrent recruitment of factors that act together at the fork.

Mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins form complexes that are required for DNA replication and are highly conserved throughout evolution. The replicative helicase of eukaryotic organisms is composed of the six paralogs MCM2-7, which form a heterohexameric ring structure. In contrast, the structure of the archaean replicative MCM helicase is a single Mcm protein that forms a homohexameric complex. Atomic structures of archaeal MCMs have identified multiple beta-finger structures in Mcm proteins whose in vivo function is unknown. In the present study, we have investigated the physiological role of the pre-sensor 1 beta-hairpin (PS1-hp) beta-fingers of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mcm4p and Mcm5p in DNA replication initiation and elongation in vivo. The PS1-hp beta-finger mutant of Mcm5p (mcm5-HAT K506A::URA3) has a growth defect at both 18° and 37°. Mutation of the Mcm4p PS1-hp beta-finger (mcm4-HA K658A::TRP1) does not have a growth defect, indicating different functional contributions of the PS1-hp beta-finger structures of different MCM helicase subunits. Both Mcm4p and Mcm5p PS1-hp beta-finger mutants can coimmunoprecipitate Mcm2p, indicating the formation of the hexameric MCM helicase complex. Both PS1-hp beta-finger mutants have a plasmid loss phenotype that is suppressible by origin dosage, indicating a defective replication initiation. Surprisingly, a defect in the binding of PS1-hp MCM mutants to origins of DNA replication was not found by chromatin immunoprecipitation, suggesting a novel interpretation in which the defect is in a subsequent step of DNA strand separation by the MCM helicase. The double mutant mcm4-HA K658A::TRP1 mcm5-HAT K506A::URA3 is lethal, displaying a terminal MCM mutant phenotype of large budded cells., (Copyright © 2014 Ramey and Sclafani.)