1. POSTREPLICATIVE HOMOLOGOUS RECOMBINATION AND FORK PROTECTION

  

1.1 Ctf4/Pol alpha/Primase role in template switching and fork protection.

Previously we uncovered a role for budding yeast Ctf4/Pol alpha/Primase in promoting template switching and for normal fork architecture (Fumasoni et al., Mol Cell, 2015), and for vertebrate Ctf4/AND-1 in fork protection against MRE11-mediated resection (Abe et al., Nat Commun, 2018). To understand if the role of Ctf4 in fork protection is related to its ability to facilitate repriming activities, we are testing different alleles of ctf4 (defective in interacting with specific replication factors and rDNA functions) and ctf4 mutants in combination with suppressors newly isolated in the lab for damage sensitivity, local recombination defects, and replication fork architecture alterations in the presence of MMS and CPT.

Team members: Valeria Dolce, Chinnu Rose Joseph, Sabrina Dusi

  

 1.2. Kinases and helicases facilitating replication-associated recombination. We uncovered that the checkpoint plays roles in promoting replication-associated recombination in budding yeast (Karras et al., Mol Cell, 2013; Szakal and Branzei, EMBO J, 2013). Moreover, the 9-1-1 checkpoint complex functions jointly with the conserved DNA helicase (Chl1/DDX11) in promoting bypass of bulky lesions in vertebrate cells (Abe et al., PNAS, 2018). We are studying the effect of different kinases and helicases in supporting replication-associated recombination in budding yeast.

Team members: Barnabas Szakal, Clarisse Reyes, Chinnu Rose Joseph, Sabrina Dusi