LSD1 Facilitates Euchromatic Origin Firing and Regulates Replication Timing [Repli-seq]

The chromatin-based rules governing the selection and activation of replication origins remain to be elucidated. It is believed that DNA replication initiates from open chromatin domains, thus replication origins residing in regulatory elements that are located at open and active chromatin. However, we report here that lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), which biochemically catalyzes H3K4me1/2 demethylation to favor chromatin condensation, interacts with the DNA replication machinery. We found that LSD1 level peaks in early S phase. We demonstrated that LSD1 promotes DNA replication by facilitating origin firing in euchromatic regions and through regulating replication timing. Indeed, euchromatic zones enriched in H3K4me2 are the preferred sites for pre-RC binding in early replication. Remarkably, LSD1 deficiency leads to a genome-wide switch from early to late in replication timing. We showed that LSD1-promoted DNA replication is mechanistically linked to the loading of TICRR (TopBP1-Interacting Checkpoint and Replication Regulator) onto the pre-RC and subsequent recruitment of the initiator Cdc45 during origin firing. Together, these results reveal an unexpected role for LSD1 in euchromatic origin firing and replication timing. Examination of genome-wide replication profile after LSD1 knockdown, overexpression or inhibition.