Distinct roles of cdk2 and cdc2 in RP-A phosphorylation during the cell cycle

RP-A is a single-stranded DNA-binding protein, which has been shown to be required for DNA replication using an SV40 model system. The protein has also been shown to be phosphorylated at the G1-S phase transition. Using Xenopus cell-free extracts we have investigated the role of RP-A in nuclear replication and characterized the kinases and conditions that lead to phosphorylation of RP-A during the cell cycle. By immunodepleting RP-A from Xenopus extracts we have shown that RP-A is essential for replication of chromosomal DNA. Our results show that, during S phase, only that RP-A which is associated with nuclei is phosphorylated. Furthermore our results indicate that during S phase RP-A is only phosphorylated when associated with single-stranded DNA. By immunodepleting cdk2 kinase we show that cdk2 kinase is required for the observed phosphorylation of RP-A in nuclei during S phase. However, using purified cdk2 kinase and RP-A we are unable to detect a direct phosphorylation of RP-A by cdk2 kinase. This observation suggests that phosphorylation of DNA-bound RP-A at S phase is carried out by a kinase distinct from cdk2. Consistent with this we find that when single-stranded DNA is added to S phase extracts depleted of cdk2 kinase, RP-A is phosphorylated. Together these results suggest that cdk2 kinase participates in the activation of DNA replication at a stage prior to the binding of RP-A to the initiation complex. In addition to RP-A phosphorylation in S phase, we have also found that at the onset of mitosis RP-A is quantitatively phosphorylated and that phosphorylation is directly mediated by cdc2 kinase. However, at this time during the cell cycle, cdc2-dependent phosphorylation of RP-A is independent of DNA binding. These observations further demonstrate the distinctions between cdk2 and cdc2 kinases.