DNA sliding clamps encircle DNA and provide binding sites for many DNA-processing enzymes. However, it is largely unknown how sliding clamps like proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) coordinate multistep DNA transactions. We have determined structures of Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA ligase and heterotrimeric PCNA separately by X-ray diffraction and in complex by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Three distinct PCNA subunits assemble into a protein ring resembling the homotrimeric PCNA of humans but with three unique protein-binding sites. In the absence of nicked DNA, the Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA ligase has an open, extended conformation. When complexed with heterotrimeric PCNA, the DNA ligase binds to the PCNA3 subunit and ligase retains an open, extended conformation. A closed, ring-shaped conformation of ligase catalyzes a DNA end-joining reaction that is strongly stimulated by PCNA. This open-to-closed switch in the conformation of DNA ligase is accommodated by a malleable interface with PCNA that serves as an efficient platform for DNA ligation.

In mammalian cells, perturbations in DNA replication result in chromosome breaks in regions termed "fragile sites." Using DNA microarrays, we mapped recombination events and chromosome rearrangements induced by reduced levels of the replicative DNA polymerase-α in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that the recombination events were nonrandomly associated with a number of structural/sequence motifs that correlate with paused DNA replication forks, including replication-termination sites (TER sites) and binding sites for the helicase Rrm3p. The pattern of gene-conversion events associated with cross-overs suggests that most of the DNA lesions that initiate recombination between homologs are double-stranded DNA breaks induced during S or G2 of the cell cycle, in contrast to spontaneous recombination events that are initiated by double-stranded DNA breaks formed prior to replication. Low levels of DNA polymerase-α also induced very high rates of aneuploidy, as well as chromosome deletions and duplications. Most of the deletions and duplications had Ty retrotransposons at their breakpoints.mitotic cross-overs | loss of heterozygosity | break-induced replication

The increasing ability to sequence and compare multiple individual genomes within a species has highlighted the fact that copy-number variation (CNV) is a substantial and underappreciated source of genetic diversity. Chromosome-scale mutations occur at rates orders of magnitude higher than base substitutions, yet our understanding of the mechanisms leading to CNVs has been lagging. We examined CNV in a region of chromosome 5 (chr5) in haploid and diploid strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We optimized a CNV detection assay based on a reporter cassette containing the SFA1 and CUP1 genes that confer gene dosage-dependent tolerance to formaldehyde and copper, respectively. This optimized reporter allowed the selection of low-order gene amplification events, going from one copy to two copies in haploids and from two to three copies in diploids. In haploid strains, most events involved tandem segmental duplications mediated by nonallelic homologous recombination between flanking direct repeats, primarily Ty1 elements. In diploids, most events involved the formation of a recurrent nonreciprocal translocation between a chr5 Ty1 element and another Ty1 repeat on chr13. In addition to amplification events, a subset of clones displaying elevated resistance to formaldehyde had point mutations within the SFA1 coding sequence. These mutations were all dominant and are proposed to result in hyperactive forms of the formaldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme.A S a consequence of studies that utilize genomic microarrays and next-generation DNA sequencing, it has become clear that much of the natural genetic variation that exists between individuals is due to alterations in the number of copies of genes rather than differences in the nucleotide sequence (Girirajan et al. 2011;Veltman and Brunner 2012). It has been calculated that 8-25 kb of DNA are deleted or duplicated per generation in humans compared to about 100 bp of point mutations (Itsara et al. 2010). Although deletions and duplications vary in size from a few base pairs (for example, changes in the lengths of microsatellites) to many megabases (for example, changes in ploidy), Girirajan et al. (2011) define copy-number variants (CNVs) in humans as changes that vary in size between 50 bp and 1 Mb. While most CNV events have no obvious effect, a significant number are associated with human diseases including Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome, autosomal dominant leukodystrophy, Williams syndrome, several cancer predispositions, and autism-related and other neurodevelopmental disorders (Abrahams and Geschwind 2008;Girirajan et al. 2011;Krepischi et al. 2012;Malhotra and Sebat 2012;Sullivan et al. 2012). There is also strong evidence suggesting that CNVs played a significant role in human evolution (Iskow et al. 2012). Finally, multiple somatic CNV events are frequently observed in the altered karyotypes of cancer cells (Stratton et al. 2009).CNVs have also been widely observed in natural populations and have been studied in detail in model organisms. In the discussion below, w...