LIM Protein Ajuba associates with the RPA complex through direct and cell cycle-dependent interaction with the RPA70 subunit.

Abstract

DNA damage response pathways are essential for genome stability and cell survival. Specifically, the ATR kinase is activated by DNA replication stress. An early event in this activation is the recruitment and phosphorylation of RPA, a single stranded DNA binding complex composed of three subunits, RPA70,RPA32 and RPA14. We have previously shown that the LIM protein Ajuba associates with RPA, and that depletion of Ajuba leads to potent activation of ATR. In this study, we show evidence that the Ajuba-RPA interaction occurs through direct protein contact with RPA70, and that their association is cell cycle-regulated and is reduced upon DNA replication stress. We propose a model in which Ajuba negatively regulates the ATR pathway by directly interacting with RPA70, thereby preventing an inappropriate ATR activation. Our results provide a framework to understand the mechanism of regulation of ATR in human cells, which is important to prevent cellular transformation and tumorigenesis.