An ATM-PPM1D Circuit Controls the Processing and Restart of DNA Replication Forks

In response to DNA replication stress, DNA damage signaling kinases inhibit origin firing and promote the remodeling and stabilization of replication forks, leading to a systemic reduction in DNA synthesis, which collectively protects genomic integrity. Little is understood about the regulatory mechanisms of replication stress recovery, including the mechanisms involved in the restart of stalled replication forks. Here, we identify the oncogenic phosphatase PPM1D/WIP1 as a regulator of replication fork restart. During recovery from replication stress, PPM1D prevents excessive MRE11- and DNA2-dependent nucleolytic degradation of stalled forks. Loss of PPM1D function leads to defects in RAD51 recruitment to chromatin and impairs RAD51-dependent fork restart. Phosphoproteomic analysis reveals that PPM1D regulates a network of ATM substrates, several of which are phosphorylated at an S/T-Q-(E/D)n motif. Strikingly, inhibition of ATM suppresses the deleterious consequences of impaired PPM1D function at replication forks, enabling timely fork restart. The dominant effect of ATM hyper-signaling in suppressing fork restart occurs, in part, through the excessive engagement of 53BP1 and consequent RAD51 antagonization. These findings uncover a new mode of ATM signaling responding to fork stalling and highlight the need for PPM1D to restrain ATM signaling and facilitate proper fork restart.