The INO80 complex is required for damage-induced recombination

The budding yeast INO80 complex has a role in remodeling chromatin structure, and the SWR1 complex replaces a H2A/H2B dimer with a variant dimer, H2A.Z (Htz1)/H2B. It has been reported that these chromatin remodeling complexes contain Arp4 (actin-related protein) and actin in common and are recruited to HO endonuclease-induced DNA double-strand break (DSB) site. Reportedly, Ino80 can evict nucleosomes surrounding a HO-induced DSB; however, it has no apparent role to play in the repair of HO-induced DSB. Here we show that an essential factor for INO80 chromatin remodeling activity, Arp8, is involved in damage-induced sister chromatid recombination and interchromosomal recombination between heteroalleles. In contrast, arp6 mutants are proficient for recombination, indicating that the SWR1 complex does not promote recombination. Our data suggest that the remodeling of chromatin by the INO80 complex facilitates efficient homologous recombination upon DNA damages.     

Distinct roles for SWR1 and INO80 chromatin remodeling complexes at chromosomal double-strand breaks

INO80 and SWR1 are two closely related ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes that share several subunits. Ino80 was reported to be recruited to the HO endonuclease-induced double-strand break (DSB) at the budding yeast mating-type locus, MAT. We find Swr1 similarly recruited in a manner dependent on the phosphorylation of H2A (gammaH2AX). This is not unique to cleavage at MAT; both Swr1 and Ino80 bind near an induced DSB on chromosome XV. Whereas Swr1 incorporates the histone variant H2A.Z into chromatin at promoters, H2A.Z levels do not increase at DSBs. Instead, H2A.Z, gammaH2AX and core histones are coordinately removed near the break in an INO80-dependent, but SWR1-independent, manner. Mutations in INO80-specific subunits Arp8 or Nhp10 impair the binding of Mre11 nuclease, yKu80 and ATR-related Mec1 kinase at the DSB, resulting in defective end-processing and checkpoint activation. In contrast, Mre11 binding, end-resection and checkpoint activation were normal in the swr1 strain, but yKu80 loading and error-free end-joining were impaired. Thus, these two related chromatin remodelers have distinct roles in DSB repair and checkpoint activation.     

Binding of chromatin-modifying activities to phosphorylated histone H2A at DNA damage sites

Yeast histone H2A is phosphorylated on Ser129 upon DNA damage, an event required for efficient repair. We show that phosphorylation occurs rapidly over a large region around DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Histone H4 acetylation is also important for DSB repair, and we found that the NuA4 HAT complex associates specifically with phospho-H2A peptides. A single NuA4 subunit, Arp4, is responsible for the interaction. The NuA4 complex is recruited to a DSB concomitantly with the appearance of H2A P-Ser129 and Arp4 is important for this binding. Arp4 is also a subunit of the Ino80 and Swr1 chromatin remodeling complexes, which also interact with H2A P-Ser129 and are recruited to DSBs. This association again requires Arp4 but also prior NuA4 recruitment and action. Thus, phosphorylation of H2A at DNA damage sites creates a mark recognized by different chromatin modifiers. This interaction leads to stepwise chromatin reconfiguration, allowing efficient DNA repair.     

Involvement of actin-related proteins in ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling

Actin-related proteins (Arps) and conventional actin are enigmatic components of many chromatin-remodeling enzyme complexes. The yeast INO80 ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complex contains stoichiometric amounts of Arp4, Arp5, Arp8, and actin. Here we have revealed functions of Arp5 and Arp8 by analysis of mutants. arp5 Delta and arp8 Delta mutants display an ino80 Delta phenotype. Purification of INO80 complexes from arp5 Delta and arp8 Delta cells shows that protein complexes remain intact but are compromised for INO80 ATPase activity, DNA binding, and nucleosome mobilization. The INO80 (arp8 Delta) complex is strikingly deficient, not only for the Arp8 subunit, but also for Arp4 and actin, suggesting an ordered assembly of Arps. Binding of Arp8 to the INO80 complex requires an N-terminal region of Ino80 adjacent to the conserved ATPase domain. GST-Arp8 binds preferentially to histones H3 and H4 in vitro, suggesting a histone chaperone function. These findings show direct involvement of Arps in the chromatin-remodeling process.     

INO80-dependent chromatin remodeling regulates early and late stages of mitotic homologous recombination

Chromatin remodeling is emerging as a critical regulator of DNA repair factor access to DNA damage, and optimum accessibility of these factors is a major determinant of DNA repair outcome. Hence, chromatin remodeling is likely to play a key role in genome stabilization and tumor suppression. We previously showed that nucleosome eviction near double-strand breaks (DSBs) in yeast is regulated by the INO80 nucleosome remodeling complex and is defective in mutants lacking the Arp8 subunit of INO80. In the absence of homologous donor sequences, RPA recruitment to a DSB appeared normal in arp8Δ, but Rad51 recruitment was defective. We now show that the early strand invasion step of homologous recombination (HR) is markedly delayed in an arp8Δ haploid, but there is only a minor defect in haploid HR efficiency (MAT switching). In an arp8Δ diploid, interhomolog DSB repair by HR shows a modest defect that is partially suppressed by overexpression of Rad51 or its mediator, Rad52. In wild type cells, DSB repair typically results in gene conversion, and most gene conversion tracts are continuous, reflecting efficient mismatch repair of heteroduplex DNA. In contrast, arp8Δ gene conversion tracts are longer and frequently discontinuous, indicating defects in late stages of HR. Interestingly, when a homologous donor sequence is present, Rad51 is recruited normally to a DSB in arp8Δ, but its transfer to the donor is delayed, and this correlates with defective displacement of donor nucleosomes. We propose that retained nucleosomes at donors destabilize heteroduplex DNA or impair mismatch recognition, reflected in delayed strand invasion and altered conversion tracts.     

The mammalian INO80 chromatin remodeling complex is required for replication stress recovery

A number of studies have implicated the yeast INO80 chromatin remodeling complex in DNA replication, but the function of the human INO80 complex during S phase remains poorly understood. Here, we have systematically investigated the involvement of the catalytic subunit of the human INO80 complex during unchallenged replication and under replication stress by following the effects of its depletion on cell survival, S-phase checkpoint activation, the fate of individual replication forks, and the consequences of fork collapse. We report that INO80 was specifically needed for efficient replication elongation, while it was not required for initiation of replication. In the absence of the Ino80 protein, cells became hypersensitive to hydroxyurea and displayed hyperactive ATR-Chk1 signaling. Using bulk and fiber labeling of DNA, we found that cells deficient for Ino80 and Arp8 had impaired replication restart after treatment with replication inhibitors and accumulated double-strand breaks as evidenced by the formation of γ-H2AX and Rad51 foci. These data indicate that under conditions of replication stress mammalian INO80 protects stalled forks from collapsing and allows their subsequent restart.     

Proficient repair in chromatin remodeling defective ino80 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae highlights replication defects as the main contributor to DNA damage sensitivity

Ino80 is an evolutionarily conserved member of the SWI2/SNF2-family of ATPases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It resides in a multiprotein helicase/chromatin remodeling complex, and has been shown to play a key role in the stability of replication forks during replication stress. Though yeast with defects in ino80 show sensitivity to killing by a variety of DNA-damaging agents, a role for the INO80 protein complex in the repair of DNA has only been assessed for double-strand breaks, and the results are contradictory and inconclusive. We report that ino80Δ cells are hypersensitive to DNA base lesions induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation and methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), but show little (or no) increased sensitivity to the DNA double-strand break (DSB)-inducing agents ionizing radiation and camptothecin. Importantly, ino80Δ cells display efficient removal of UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, and show a normal rate of removal of DNA methylation damage after MMS exposure. In addition, ino80Δ cells have an overall normal rate of repair of DSBs induced by ionizing radiation. Altogether, our data support a model of INO80 as an important suppressor of genome instability in yeast involved in DNA damage tolerance through a role in stability and recovery of broken replication forks, but not in the repair of lesions leading to such events. This conclusion is in contrast to strong evidence for the DNA repair-promoting role of the corresponding INO80 complexes in higher eukaryotes. Thus, our results provide insight into the specialized roles of the INO80 subunits and the differential needs of different species for chromatin remodeling complexes in genome maintenance.     

Generation and Purification of Human INO80 Chromatin Remodeling Complexes and Subcomplexes

INO80 chromatin remodeling complexes regulate nucleosome dynamics and DNA accessibility by catalyzing ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling. Human INO80 complexes consist of 14 protein subunits including Ino80, a SNF2-like ATPase, which serves both as the catalytic subunit and the scaffold for assembly of the complexes. Functions of the other subunits and the mechanisms by which they contribute to the INO80 complex''s chromatin remodeling activity remain poorly understood, in part due to the challenge of generating INO80 subassemblies in human cells or heterologous expression systems. This JOVE protocol describes a procedure that allows purification of human INO80 chromatin remodeling subcomplexes that are lacking a subunit or a subset of subunits. N-terminally FLAG epitope tagged Ino80 cDNA are stably introduced into human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cell lines using Flp-mediated recombination. In the event that a subset of subunits of the INO80 complex is to be deleted, one expresses instead mutant Ino80 proteins that lack the platform needed for assembly of those subunits. In the event an individual subunit is to be depleted, one transfects siRNAs targeting this subunit into an HEK 293 cell line stably expressing FLAG tagged Ino80 ATPase. Nuclear extracts are prepared, and FLAG immunoprecipitation is performed to enrich protein fractions containing Ino80 derivatives. The compositions of purified INO80 subcomplexes can then be analyzed using methods such as immunoblotting, silver staining, and mass spectrometry. The INO80 and INO80 subcomplexes generated according to this protocol can be further analyzed using various biochemical assays, which are described in the accompanying JOVE protocol. The methods described here can be adapted for studies of the structural and functional properties of any mammalian multi-subunit chromatin remodeling and modifying complexes.     

Mammalian INO80 chromatin remodeler cooperates with FANCM to mediate DNA interstrand crosslink-induced checkpoint activation and repair

Chromatin regulators play crucial roles in the DNA damage response. While the chromatin changes needed for double-strand break repair and nucleotide excision repair have been intensely studied, the chromatin requirements of interstrand crosslink (ICL) repair have remained largely unexplored. Here, we studied the effect of silencing the INO80 chromatin remodeler subunits on the cellular response to ICLs. Cells depleted of Ino80 ATPase were more sensitive to mitomycin C (MMC) and defective in FANCD2 chromatin recruitment. Ino80-deficient cells displayed strongly reduced Chk1 phosphorylation after MMC treatment indicating impaired ATR-dependent DNA damage signaling, likely due to the significantly slower RPA foci formation which we observed in these cells. MMC treatment of cells silenced for FANCM - a protein required for ICL-induced checkpoint signaling, Ino80 or both genes simultaneously led to similar decreases in RPA phosphorylation suggesting that the two proteins were involved in the same checkpoint pathway. Co-immunoprecipitation data indicated that Ino80 and FANCM interact physically. Taken together our data demonstrate for the first time that the INO80 chromatin remodeler cooperates with FANCM to mediate ICL-induced checkpoint activation by promoting accumulation of RPA at the lesion sites. This constitutes a novel mechanism by which the INO80 chromatin remodeler participates in the repair of ICLs and genome integrity maintenance.     

Mammalian Ino80 mediates double-strand break repair through its role in DNA end strand resection

Chromatin modifications/remodeling are important mechanisms by which cells regulate various functions through providing accessibility to chromatin DNA. Recent studies implicated INO80, a conserved chromatin-remodeling complex, in the process of DNA repair. However, the precise underlying mechanism by which this complex mediates repair in mammalian cells remains enigmatic. Here, we studied the effect of silencing of the Ino80 subunit of the complex on double-strand break repair in mammalian cells. Comet assay and homologous recombination repair reporter system analyses indicated that Ino80 is required for efficient double-strand break repair. Ino80 association with chromatin surrounding double-strand breaks suggested the direct involvement of INO80 in the repair process. Ino80 depletion impaired focal recruitment of 53BP1 but did not impede Rad51 focus formation, suggesting that Ino80 is required for the early steps of repair. Further analysis by using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled single-stranded DNA and replication protein A (RPA) immunofluorescent staining showed that INO80 mediates 5'-3' resection of double-strand break ends.     

Phosphorylation of human INO80 is involved in DNA damage tolerance

Double strand breaks (DSBs) are the most serious type of DNA damage. DSBs can be generated directly by exposure to ionizing radiation or indirectly by replication fork collapse. The DNA damage tolerance pathway, which is conserved from bacteria to humans, prevents this collapse by overcoming replication blockages. The INO80 chromatin remodeling complex plays an important role in the DNA damage response. The yeast INO80 complex participates in the DNA damage tolerance pathway. The mechanisms regulating yINO80 complex are not fully understood, but yeast INO80 complex are necessary for efficient proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) ubiquitination and for recruitment of Rad18 to replication forks. In contrast, the function of the mammalian INO80 complex in DNA damage tolerance is less clear. Here, we show that human INO80 was necessary for PCNA ubiquitination and recruitment of Rad18 to DNA damage sites. Moreover, the C-terminal region of human INO80 was phosphorylated, and overexpression of a phosphorylation-deficient mutant of human INO80 resulted in decreased ubiquitination of PCNA during DNA replication. These results suggest that the human INO80 complex, like the yeast complex, was involved in the DNA damage tolerance pathway and that phosphorylation of human INO80 was involved in the DNA damage tolerance pathway. These findings provide new insights into the DNA damage tolerance pathway in mammalian cells.     

Ubiquitin-H2AX fusions render 53BP1 recruitment to DNA damage sites independent of RNF8 or RNF168

The mammalian E3 ubiquitin ligases RNF8 and RNF168 facilitate recruitment of the DNA damage response protein 53BP1 to sites of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The mechanism involves recruitment of RNF8, followed by recruitment of RNF168, which ubiquitinates histones H2A/H2AX on K15. 53BP1 then binds to nucleosomes at sites of DNA DSBs by recognizing, in addition to methyl marks, histone H2A/H2AX ubiquitinated on K15. We report here that expressing H2AX fusion proteins with N-terminal bulky moieties can rescue 53BP1 recruitment to sites of DNA DSBs in cells lacking RNF8 or RNF168 or in cells treated with proteasome inhibitors, in which histone ubiquitination at sites of DNA DSBs is compromised. The rescue required S139 at the C-terminus of the H2AX fusion protein and was occasionally accompanied by partial rescue of ubiquitination at sites of DNA DSBs. We conclude that recruitment of 53BP1 to sites of DNA DSBs is possible in the absence of RNF8 or RNF168, but still dependent on chromatin ubiquitination.     

Structure of Actin-related protein 8 and its contribution to nucleosome binding

Nuclear actin-related proteins (Arps) are subunits of several chromatin remodelers, but their molecular functions within these complexes are unclear. We report the crystal structure of the INO80 complex subunit Arp8 in its ATP-bound form. Human Arp8 has several insertions in the conserved actin fold that explain its inability to polymerize. Most remarkably, one insertion wraps over the active site cleft and appears to rigidify the domain architecture, while active site features shared with actin suggest an allosterically controlled ATPase activity. Quantitative binding studies with nucleosomes and histone complexes reveal that Arp8 and the Arp8–Arp4–actin-HSA sub-complex of INO80 strongly prefer nucleosomes and H3–H4 tetramers over H2A–H2B dimers, suggesting that Arp8 functions as a nucleosome recognition module. In contrast, Arp4 prefers free (H3–H4)₂ over nucleosomes and may serve remodelers through binding to (dis)assembly intermediates in the remodeling reaction.     

Removal of H2A.Z by INO80 promotes homologous recombination

The mammalian INO80 remodelling complex facilitates homologous recombination (HR), but the mechanism by which it does this is unclear. Budding yeast INO80 can remove H2A.Z/H2B dimers from chromatin and replace them with H2A/H2B dimers. H2A.Z is actively incorporated at sites of damage in mammalian cells, raising the possibility that H2A.Z may need to be subsequently removed for resolution of repair. Here, we show that H2A.Z in human cells is indeed rapidly removed from chromatin flanking DNA damage by INO80. We also report that the histone chaperone ANP32E, which is implicated in removing H2AZ from chromatin, similarly promotes HR and appears to work on the same pathway as INO80 in these assays. Importantly, we demonstrate that the HR defect in cells depleted of INO80 or ANP32E can be rescued by H2A.Z co‐depletion, suggesting that H2A.Z removal from chromatin is the primary function of INO80 and ANP32E in promoting homologous recombination.