HIRA protects telomeres against R-loop-induced instability in ALT cancer cells [CUT&RUN]

Alterations to chromatin modifiers, such as the inactivating mutations in the ATRX-DAXX chromatin remodeling/histone H3.3 deposition complex, are implicated as drivers of the cancer-specific Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) pathway. Prior studies revealed that HIRA adapts to compensate for ATRX-DAXX loss to sustain ALT cancer cell survival. However, the specific mechanisms underlying HIRA’s ability to rescue telomeres from the consequences of ATRX-DAXX loss remain unclear. Here, using ATAC-seq and CUT&RUN, we demonstrate that HIRA-mediated deposition of new H3.3 is essential to maintain chromatin accessibility and to prevent the detrimental accumulation of nucleosome-free single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) at telomeres in ATRX-deficient ALT cancer cells. We provide evidence that the timely deposition of new H3.3 by HIRA and interacting partners UBN1 and UBN2 is crucial to prevent unwarranted TERRA R-loop formation and transcription-replication conflicts (TRCs) at telomeres. Furthermore, we determined that the delivery of H3.3 to telomeric chromatin by HIRA may link the phosphorylation of an H3.3-specific amino acid, serine 31, by Chk1 with mechanisms that promote productive ALT. Therefore, these studies identify a role for HIRA-mediated histone H3.3 deposition in TERRA R-loop homeostasis that we propose is essential for ensuring the survival of ALT cancer cells where the ATRX-DAXX complex is activated.