Actin-Related Protein 6 (Arp6) Influences Double-Strand Break Repair in Yeast

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are the most deleterious form of DNA damage and are repaired through non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) or homologous recombination (HR). Repair initiation, regulation and communication with signaling pathways require several histone-modifying and chromatin-remodeling complexes. In budding yeast, this involves three primary complexes: INO80-C, which is primarily associated with HR, SWR1-C, which promotes NHEJ, and RSC-C, which is involved in both pathways as well as the general DNA damage response. Here we identify ARP6 as a factor involved in DSB repair through an RSC-C-related pathway. The loss of ARP6 significantly reduces the NHEJ repair efficiency of linearized plasmids with cohesive ends, impairs the repair of chromosomal breaks, and sensitizes cells to DNA-damaging agents. Genetic interaction analysis indicates that ARP6, MRE11 and RSC-C function within the same pathway, and the overexpression of ARP6 rescues rsc2∆ and mre11∆ sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. Double mutants of ARP6, and members of the INO80 and SWR1 complexes, cause a significant reduction in repair efficiency, suggesting that ARP6 functions independently of SWR1-C and INO80-C. These findings support a novel role for ARP6 in DSB repair that is independent of the SWR1 chromatin remodeling complex, through an apparent RSC-C and MRE11-associated DNA repair pathway.