Genome-wide Profiling of DNA Replication Timing in pombe.

DNA replication is initiated at multiple sites or origins enriched with AT-rich sequences at various times during the S-phase. While current studies of genome-wide DNA replication profiles have focused on the timing of replication and the location of origins, the efficiency of replication/firing at various origins remains unclear. In this study, we show different efficiencies of DNA replication at various loci by using ORF-specific DNA microarrays. DNA copy-number increases as a function of time at individual loci are approximated to near-sigmoidal models for estimation of replication initiation and completion timings in HU-challenged cells. Duplicating times (from initiation to completion) vary from loci to loci, partly contributing to various firing efficiencies at origins. DNA replication timing profiles are strikingly similar to the reported patterns of enriched ssDNA, suggesting that majority stalled forks are restored for resumption of DNA replication. Although the DNA replication timing profiles are disrupted in HU-challenged cds1? cells, ~85% of potential origins overlapped with those found in wild type cells, significantly, most of which represents inefficiently fired origins in wild type cells. Together, our result indicates that replication checkpoint plays a role in monitoring efficient origins and thus maintaining global DNA replication patterns in HU-challenged cells. Keywords: WT or Cds1 HU synchronized cells released in HU free media and harvested at different time points vs WT or Cds1 synchronized with HU for 3 hrs. We analyzed 32 arrays for WT and 38 arrays for Cds1 cells which were synchronized with HU and released in HU free media and harvested at different time points. At least two biological repeats were done for each time points.