CHK1 activity is required for replication fork elongation but not stabilisation after UV irradiation

• UV-induced DNA damage cause an efficient block for elongating replication forks. Since CHK1 has been shown to stabilise replication forks following hydroxyurea treatment, we wanted to test if the increased killing with the unspecific kinase inhibitor caffeine, inhibiting ATM and ATR amongst other kinases, is explained by inability to activate the CHK1 kinase to stabilise UV-stalled replication forks. For this, we used cells deficient in Polη, a translesion synthesis polymerase capable of properly bypassing the UV-induced cis-syn TT pyrimidine dimer, which blocks replication. These cells, derived from the variant type of xeroderma pigmentosum, are sensitised to UV irradiation by caffeine treatment. We demonstrate that both caffeine and CHK1 inhibition, using CEP-3891, equally retards replication fork elongation after UV treatment in Polη deficient cells. Interestingly, we found more pronounced UV-sensitisation by caffeine than with the CHK1 inhibitor in clonogenic survival experiments. Furthermore, we demonstrate an increased collapse of UV-stalled forks after caffeine treatment, but not after CHK1 inhibition, demonstrating that CHK1 activity is not required for stabilisation of UV-stalled replication forks. These data suggest that stabilisation and elongation at UV-stalled forks are distinct mechanisms, and that CHK1 is only involved in fork elongation. 

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Molecular Genetics

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