Chromatin immunoprecipitation to investigate origin association of replication factors in mammalian cells.

A variety of DNA-binding proteins regulate DNA transactions including DNA replication and DNA damage response. To initiate DNA replication in S phase of the cell cycle, numerous replication proteins must be recruited to the replication origin in order to unwind and synthesize DNA. Some replication factors stay at the origin, while replisome components move with the replication fork. When the replisome encounters DNA damage or other issues during DNA replication, the replication fork stalls and accumulates single-stranded DNA that triggers the ATR-dependent replication checkpoint, in order to slow down S phase and arrest the cell cycle at the G2-M transition. It is also possible that replication forks collapse, leading to double-strand breaks that recruit various DNA damage response proteins to activate cell cycle checkpoints and DNA repair pathways. Therefore, defining the localization of DNA transaction factors during the cell cycle should provide important insights into mechanistic understanding of DNA replication and its related processes. In this chapter, we describe a chromatin immunoprecipitation method to locate replisome components at replication origins in human cells.

Timeless preserves telomere length by promoting efficient DNA replication through human telomeres.

A variety of telomere protection programs are utilized to preserve telomere structure. However, the complex nature of telomere maintenance remains elusive. The Timeless protein associates with the replication fork and is thought to support efficient progression of the replication fork through natural impediments, including replication fork block sites. However, the mechanism by which Timeless regulates such genomic regions is not understood. Here, we report the role of Timeless in telomere length maintenance. We demonstrate that Timeless depletion leads to telomere shortening in human cells. This length maintenance is independent of telomerase, and Timeless depletion causes increased levels of DNA damage, leading to telomere aberrations. We also show that Timeless is associated with Shelterin components TRF1 and TRF2. Timeless depletion slows telomere replication in vitro, and Timeless-depleted cells fail to maintain TRF1-mediated accumulation of replisome components at telomeric regions. Furthermore, telomere replication undergoes a dramatic delay in Timeless-depleted cells. These results suggest that Timeless functions together with TRF1 to prevent fork collapse at telomere repeat DNA and ensure stable maintenance of telomere length and integrity.

Sequence diversity in the glycoprotein B gene complicates real-time PCR assays for detection and quantification of cytomegalovirus.

Real-time quantitative PCR systems (Q-PCR) for the rapid detection and quantification of microorganisms in clinical specimens employ oligodeoxyribonucleotide primers and probes for specificity, which makes them vulnerable to false negatives caused by sequence diversity in the template. Schaade et al. (J. Clin. Microbiol. 39:3809, 2001) reported a sequence variant (C630T) in the cytomegalovirus (CMV) glycoprotein B (gB) gene that, although detectable in their Q-PCR assay, could not be accurately quantified. In an effort to evaluate the impact of CMV sequence variants in our patient population by use of a similar Q-PCR assay, we surveyed 54 isolates of CMV, each from a different patient. We detected evidence for the C630T variant in 4 of 54 (7.4%) patients. Furthermore, isolates from two additional patients were completely negative in the test. Sequencing of these false-negative isolates revealed multiple mutations within the probe hybridization sites. A Q-PCR that targeted the CMV polymerase gene instead of gB detected all 54 isolates. We suggest that Q-PCR assays for viral load be rigorously tested on large panels of viral isolates to assess the impact of sequence diversity on detection as well as quantification.