PCNA-binding activity separates RNF168 functions in DNA replication and DNA double-stranded break signaling

Yang Yang, Deepika Jayaprakash, Satpal S. Jhujh, John J. Reynolds, Steve Chen, Yanzhe Gao, Jay Ramanlal Anand, Elizabeth Mutter-Rottmayer, Pablo Ariel, Jing An, Xing Cheng, Kenneth H. Pearce, Sophie-Anne Blanchet, Nandana Nandakumar, Pei Zhou, Amélie Fradet-Turcotte, Grant S. Stewart*, Cyrus Vaziri*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

RNF168 orchestrates a ubiquitin-dependent DNA damage response to regulate the recruitment of repair factors, such as 53BP1 to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). In addition to its canonical functions in DSB signaling, RNF168 may facilitate DNA replication fork progression. However, the precise role of RNF168 in DNA replication remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that RNF168 is recruited to DNA replication factories in a manner that is independent of the canonical DSB response pathway regulated by Ataxia-Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) and RNF8. We identify a degenerate Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA)-interacting peptide (DPIP) motif in the C-terminus of RNF168, which together with its Motif Interacting with Ubiquitin (MIU) domain mediates binding to mono-ubiquitylated PCNA at replication factories. An RNF168 mutant harboring inactivating substitutions in its DPIP box and MIU1 domain (termed RNF168 1DPIP/1MIU1) is not recruited to sites of DNA synthesis and fails to support ongoing DNA replication. Notably, the PCNA interaction-deficient RNF168 1DPIP/1MIU1 mutant fully rescues the ability of RNF168−/− cells to form 53BP1 foci in response to DNA DSBs. Therefore, RNF168 functions in DNA replication and DSB signaling are fully separable. Our results define a new mechanism by which RNF168 promotes DNA replication independently of its canonical functions in DSB signaling.

Original languageEnglish
Number of pages17
JournalNucleic Acids Research
Volume52
Issue number21
Early online date24 Oct 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Nov 2024

Bibliographical note

Copyright © The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.
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Data Access Statement

The data underlying this article are available in the article and in its online supplementary material.

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