Analysis of Fission Yeast Primase Defines the Checkpoint Responses to Aberrant S Phase Initiation

To investigate the checkpoint response to aberrant initiation, we analyzed the cell cycle checkpoint response induced by mutations of Schizosaccharomyces pombe DNA primase. DNA primase has two subunits, Spp1 and Spp2 (S. pombe primases 1 and 2). Spp1 is the catalytic subunit that synthesizes the RNA primer, which is then extended by DNA polymerase α (Polα) to synthesize an initiation DNA structure, and this catalytic function of Polα is a prerequisite for generating the S-M phase checkpoint. Here we show that Spp2 is required for coupling the function of Spp1 to Polα. Thermosensitive mutations of spp2(+) destabilize the Polα-primase complex, resulting in an allele-specific S phase checkpoint defect. The mutant exhibiting a more severe checkpoint defect also has a higher extent of Polα-primase complex instability and deficiency in the hydroxyurea-induced Cds1-mediated intra-S phase checkpoint response. However, this mutant is able to activate the Cds1 response to S phase arrest induced by temperature. These findings suggest that the Cds1 response to the S-phase arrest signal(s) induced by a initiation mutant is different from that induced by hydroxyurea. Interestingly, a polαts mutant with a defective S-M phase checkpoint and an spp2 mutant with an intact checkpoint have a similar Polα-primase complex stability, and the Cds1 response induced by hydroxyurea or by the mutant arrests at the restrictive temperature. Thus, the Cds1-mediated intra-S phase checkpoint response induced by hydroxyurea can also be distinguished from the S-M phase checkpoint response that requires the initiation DNA synthesis by Polα.