Division of labor between MCM2-7 and MCM8-9 helicases in non-canonical DNA replication

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K18482
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Molecular biology
• Research Institution: National Institute of Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Natsume Toyoaki 国立遺伝学研究所, 分子遺伝研究系, 助教 (10435513)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 非通常型DNA複製 / MCM2-7複製ヘリカーゼ / MCM8-9ヘリカーゼ / オーキシンデグロン法 / DNA複製バックアップシステム / 複製フォーク / 細胞周期

Outline of Final Research Achievements

DNA replication takes place once per cell cycle during S phase. It is known that some types of DNA replication are deviated from the normal one (hereinafter called ‘non-canonical DNA replication), but their molecular basis is not well understood. By inhibiting the MCM2-7 replicative helicase, which works in the normal replication, I studied how cells respond when the normal replication is perturbed. First, I established an experimental system, in which target proteins are rapidly degraded within human cells using the auxin-inducible degron (AID) technology. By applying this system to the MCM2-7 helicase, I found a new type of the non-canonical DNA replication, in which the MCM8-9 helicase, a paralog of the MCM2-7 helicase, restarts DNA replication after MCM2-7 is destructed.

Free Research Field

分子遺伝学、細胞遺伝学