ADAR1 links R-loop homeostasis to ATR activation in replication stress response

Unscheduled R-loops are a major source of replication stress and DNA damage. R-loop-induced replication defects are sensed and suppressed by ATR kinase, whereas it is not known whether R-loop itself is actively involved in ATR activation and, if so, how this is achieved. Here, we report that the nuclear form of RNA-editing enzyme ADAR1 promotes ATR activation and resolves genome-wide R-loops, a process that requires its double-stranded RNA-binding domains. Mechanistically, ADAR1 interacts with TOPBP1 and facilitates its loading on perturbed replication forks by enhancing the association of TOPBP1 with RAD9 of the 9-1-1 complex. When replication is inhibited, DNA-RNA hybrid competes with TOPBP1 for ADAR1 binding to promote the translocation of ADAR1 from damaged fork to accumulate at R-loop region. There, ADAR1 recruits RNA helicases DHX9 and DDX21 to unwind R-loops, simultaneously allowing TOPBP1 to stimulate ATR more efficiently. Collectively, we propose that the tempo-spatially regulated assembly of ADAR1-nucleated protein complexes link R-loop clearance and ATR activation, while R-loops crosstalk with blocked replication forks by transposing ADAR1 to finetune ATR activity and safeguard the genome. Graphical Abstract

Automated summary

Unscheduled R-loops can cause replication stress and DNA damage. The nuclear form of RNA-editing enzyme ADAR1 promotes ATR activation and resolves genome-wide R-loops. ADAR1 interacts with TOPBP1 and enhances its association with RAD9 to address replication fork issues. When replication is inhibited, DNA-RNA hybrid competes with TOPBP1 for ADAR1 binding, leading ADAR1 to translocate from damaged forks to R-loop regions. There, ADAR1 recruits RNA helicases DHX9 and DDX21 to unwind R-loops and enhance ATR activity.