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Triggering ubiquitination of a CDK inhibitor at origins of DNA replication

Nature Cell Biology volume 3, pages 715–722 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

To ensure proper timing of the G1–S transition in the cell cycle, the cyclin E–Cdk2 complex, which is responsible for the initiation of DNA replication, is restrained by the p21Cip1/p27Kip1/p57Kip2 family of CDK (cyclin-dependent kinase) inhibitors in humans and by the related p27Xic1 protein in Xenopus. Activation of cyclin E–Cdk2 is linked to the ubiquitination of human p27Kip1 or Xenopus p27Xic1 by SCF (for Skp1–Cullin–F-box protein) ubiquitin ligases. For human p27Kip1, ubiquitination requires direct phosphorylation by cyclin E–Cdk2. We show here that Xic1 ubiquitination does not require phosphorylation by cyclin E–Cdk2, but it does require nuclear accumulation of the Xic1–cyclin E–Cdk2 complex and recruitment of this complex to chromatin by the origin-recognition complex together with Cdc6 replication preinitiation factors; it also requires an activation step necessitating cyclin E–Cdk2-kinase and SCF ubiquitin-ligase activity, and additional factors associated with mini-chromosome maintenance proteins, including the inactivation of geminin. Components of the SCF ubiquitin-ligase complex, including Skp1 and Cul1, are also recruited to chromatin through cyclin E–Cdk2 and the preinitiation complex. Thus, activation of the cyclin E–Cdk2 kinase and ubiquitin-dependent destruction of its inhibitor are spatially constrained to the site of a properly assembled preinitiation complex.

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Figure 1: Mutation of consensus CDK phosphorylation sites abolishes phosphorylation by cyclin E–Cdk2, but does not stabilize Xic1.
Figure 2: The appearance of ubiquitinated forms of Xic1 on chromatin requires cyclin E–Cdk2-chromatin binding and kinase activity.
Figure 3: Assembly of pre-replication complexes is required for Xic1 ubiquitination.
Figure 4: Xic1 nuclear accumulation, ubiquitination on chromatin and proteolytic destruction are dynamic, linked processes.
Figure 5: The SCF components Cul1 and Skp1 are localized to chromatin at replication origins.
Figure 6: A model for the destruction of Xic1 at replication origins.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank A. Dutta, P. R. Yew, J. Maller, M. Rexach and R. Laskey for their generous gifts of reagents, and T. Coleman, P. Carpenter and D. Wolf for critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (to P.K.J.), the National Cancer Institute (to L.F. and B.K.K.), Howard Hughes Medical Institute (to A.G.E.) and a Lieberman Fellowship (to B.K.K.).

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  1. Laura Furstenthal and Craig Swanson: These authors contributed equally to this work.

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  1. Departments of Pathology and Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, MC 5324, Palo Alto, 94305-5324, California, USA

    Laura Furstenthal, Craig Swanson, Brett K. Kaiser, Adam G. Eldridge & Peter K. Jackson

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Correspondence to Peter K. Jackson.

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Furstenthal, L., Swanson, C., Kaiser, B. et al. Triggering ubiquitination of a CDK inhibitor at origins of DNA replication. Nat Cell Biol 3, 715–722 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35087026

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