Sustained E2F-Dependent Transcription Is a Key Mechanism to Prevent Replication-Stress-Induced DNA Damage

•Gene expression plays an essential role in the response to replication stress•Key stress response functions depend on sustained E2F-dependent transcription•E2F activity is a key mechanism to cope with and recover from replication stress•E2F activity limits DNA damage resulting from oncogene-induced replication stress

SummaryRecent work established DNA replication stress as a crucial driver of genomic instability and a key event at the onset of cancer. Post-translational modifications play an important role in the cellular response to replication stress by regulating the activity of key components to prevent replication-stress-induced DNA damage. Here, we establish a far greater role for transcriptional control in determining the outcome of replication-stress-induced events than previously suspected. Sustained E2F-dependent transcription is both required and sufficient for many crucial checkpoint functions, including fork stalling, stabilization, and resolution. Importantly, we also find that, in the context of oncogene-induced replication stress, where increased E2F activity is thought to cause replication stress, E2F activity is required to limit levels of DNA damage. These data suggest a model in which cells experiencing oncogene-induced replication stress through deregulation of E2F-dependent transcription become addicted to E2F activity to cope with high levels of replication stress.

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