Fdo1, Fkh1, Fkh2 and the Swi6-Mbp1 MBF complex regulate Mcd1 levels to impact eco1 rad61 cell growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Cohesins promote proper chromosome segregation, gene transcription, genomic architecture, DNA condensation, and DNA damage repair. Mutations in either cohesin subunits or regulatory genes can give rise to severe developmental abnormalities (such as Robert Syndrome and Cornelia de Lange Syndrome) and also are highly correlated with cancer. Despite this, little is known about cohesin regulation. Eco1 (ESCO2/EFO2 in humans) and Rad61 (WAPL in humans) represent two such regulators but perform opposing roles. Eco1 acetylation of cohesin during S phase, for instance, stabilizes cohesin-DNA binding to promote sister chromatid cohesion. On the other hand, Rad61 promotes the dissociation of cohesin from DNA. While Eco1 is essential, ECO1 and RAD61 co-deletion results in yeast cell viability, but only within a limited temperature range. Here, we report that eco1 rad61 cell lethality is due to reduced levels of the cohesin subunit Mcd1. Results from a suppressor screen further reveals that FDO1 deletion rescues the temperature sensitive (ts) growth defects exhibited by eco1 rad61 double mutant cells by increasing Mcd1 levels. Regulation of MCD1 expression, however, appears more complex. Elevated expression of MBP1, which encodes a subunit of the MBF transcription complex, also rescues eco1 rad61 cell growth defects. Elevated expression of SWI6, however, which encodes the Mbp1-binding partner of MBF, exacerbates eco1 rad61 cell growth and also abrogates the Mpb1-dependent rescue. Finally, we identify two additional transcription factors, Fkh1 and Fkh2, that impact MCD1 expression. In combination, these findings provide new insights into the nuanced and multi-faceted transcriptional pathways that impact MCD1 expression.

Fkh1 and Fkh2 associate with Sir2 to control CLB2 transcription under normal and oxidative stress conditions.

The Forkhead (Fkh) box family of transcription factors is evolutionary conserved from yeast to higher eukaryotes and its members are involved in many physiological processes including metabolism, DNA repair, cell cycle, stress resistance, apoptosis, and aging. In budding yeast, four Fkh transcription factors were identified, namely Fkh1, Fkh2, Fhl1, and Hcm1, which are implicated in chromatin silencing, cell cycle regulation, and stress response. These factors impinge transcriptional regulation during cell cycle progression, and histone deacetylases (HDACs) play an essential role in this process, e.g., the nuclear localization of Hcm1 depends on Sir2 activity, whereas Sin3/Rpd3 silence cell cycle specific gene transcription in G2/M phase. However, a direct involvement of Sir2 in Fkh1/Fkh2-dependent regulation of target genes is at present unknown. Here, we show that Fkh1 and Fkh2 associate with Sir2 in G1 and M phase, and that Fkh1/Fkh2-mediated activation of reporter genes is antagonized by Sir2. We further report that Sir2 overexpression strongly affects cell growth in an Fkh1/Fkh2-dependent manner. In addition, Sir2 regulates the expression of the mitotic cyclin Clb2 through Fkh1/Fkh2-mediated binding to the CLB2 promoter in G1 and M phase. We finally demonstrate that Sir2 is also enriched at the CLB2 promoter under stress conditions, and that the nuclear localization of Sir2 is dependent on Fkh1 and Fkh2. Taken together, our results show a functional interplay between Fkh1/Fkh2 and Sir2 suggesting a novel mechanism of cell cycle repression. Thus, in budding yeast, not only the regulation of G2/M gene expression but also the protective response against stress could be directly coordinated by Fkh1 and Fkh2.

Mechanistic insights into aging, cell-cycle progression, and stress response.

The longevity of an organism depends on the health of its cells. Throughout life cells are exposed to numerous intrinsic and extrinsic stresses, such as free radicals, generated through mitochondrial electron transport, and ultraviolet irradiation. The cell has evolved numerous mechanisms to scavenge free radicals and repair damage induced by these insults. One mechanism employed by the yeast Saccharomycescerevisiae to combat stress utilizes the Anaphase Promoting Complex (APC), an essential multi-subunit ubiquitin-protein ligase structurally and functionally conserved from yeast to humans that controls progression through mitosis and G1. We have observed that yeast cells expressing compromised APC subunits are sensitive to multiple stresses and have shorter replicative and chronological lifespans. In a pathway that runs parallel to that regulated by the APC, members of the Forkhead box (Fox) transcription factor family also regulate stress responses. The yeast Fox orthologs Fkh1 and Fkh2 appear to drive the transcription of stress response factors and slow early G1 progression, while the APC seems to regulate chromatin structure, chromosome segregation, and resetting of the transcriptome in early G1. In contrast, under non-stress conditions, the Fkhs play a complex role in cell-cycle progression, partially through activation of the APC. Direct and indirect interactions between the APC and the yeast Fkhs appear to be pivotal for lifespan determination. Here we explore the potential for these interactions to be evolutionarily conserved as a mechanism to balance cell-cycle regulation with stress responses.