HUWE1 interaction partners in HCT116 cells (TMT)

Deregulation of RNA Polymerase II (RNAPII) by oncogenic signaling leads to collisions of RNAPII with DNA synthesis machinery (transcription-replication conflicts, TRCs). TRCs can result in DNA damage and underlie genomic instability in tumor cells. Here we provide evidence that elongating RNAPII promotes activation of the ATM kinase at TRCs to drive DNA repair. We show the ATPase Wrnip1 that binds and protects stalled replication forks, associates with RNAPII and limits ATM activation. Wrnip1 binding to elongating RNAPII requires catalytic activity of the ubiquitin ligase Huwe1. Mutation of Huwe1 promotes the transfer of Wrnip1 onto replisome and induces TRCs stimulating ATM activation on RNAPII. This mechanism is evoked early upon replicative stress to induce Wrnip1 translocation and ATM signaling at TRCs. Thus, although primarily considered as genotoxic events, TRCs can provide a mechanism to maintain genome stability under replicative stress.