SLFN11 counteracts the RFWD3-PRIMPOL DNA damage tolerance axis to restrain gapped DNA synthesis in response to replication stress

Schlafen family member 11 (SLFN11) expression sensitizes cells to a spectrum of DNA-damaging chemotherapies. Previous studies have shown that SLFN11 is recruited to stalled replication forks in response to replication stress; however, the role of SLFN11 at stressed replication forks remains unclear. Using single-molecule DNA fiber analysis and super-resolution microscopy to interrogate the dynamics of individual replication forks, we show that SLFN11 acts upon stalled replication forks to suppress efficient fork restart. In the absence of SLFN11 expression, fork restart proceeds through a pathway involving the ubiquitin ligase RFWD3 and the DNA primase-polymerase PRIMPOL to facilitate gapped DNA synthesis, thereby ensuring that cells do not accumulate replication-associated DNA damage. SLFN11 antagonizes this pathway by disrupting recruitment of RFWD3 and PRIMPOL to stalled forks in a manner dependent on a functional ATPase domain and persistent fork localization, but not on tRNA hydrolysis or ssDNA binding. Collectively, our results provide a mechanistic basis for how SLFN11 can counteract DNA damage tolerance by suppressing the RFWD3-PRIMPOL fork restart pathway.