Minute virus of mice NS1 redirects casein kinase 2 specificity to suppress the ATR DNA damage response pathway during infection.

During infection the autonomous parvovirus minute virus of mice (MVM) generates extensive DNA damage which facilitates virus replication and induces a cellular DNA damage response (DDR) driven by the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase. Atypically, the ataxia telangiectasia and Rad-3-related (ATR) DDR pathway remains inactive. Upon DNA damage ATR is normally recruited to single-stranded DNA sequences formed at genomic DNA damage sites, and while within a multiprotein complex activates, via phosphorylation, the key DDR regulator checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1). Inactivation of ATR during MVM infection leads to the accumulation of damaged DNA and enhancement of virus replication. Although ATR is inactivated, we show that during infection, the Chk1 activation pathway downstream of the initial ATR activating events remained functional. Activation of ATR, and consequently of Chk1, requires interaction with TopBP1, which itself is maintained in proximity to ATR by interaction with the phosphorylated S387 residue of Rad9, part of the Rad9-Hus1-Rad1 (911) complex. Both MVM infection and MVM NS1 overexpression inhibited Rad9 S387 phosphorylation and subsequent ATR activation. ATR inactivation during infection was suppressed by expression of Rad9 bearing a phosphomimetic 387 residue, indicating that this site, and the function it served, was the target of NS1 inhibition. NS1 interaction with CK2α and CK2α enzymatic activity was both required to prevent ATR activation, indicating MVM retargeted this kinase's activity during infection. Inhibition of the protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) prevented Rad9 S387 dephosphorylation and Chk1 inactivation during MVM infection and NS1 overexpression revealing its role in the pathway's suppression. IMPORTANCE: Infection by the parvovirus minute virus of mice (MVM) causes significant DNA damage and induces a potent DNA damage response (DDR) which the virus exploits to further its replication. The cell responds to infection with an ATM-regulated DDR; however, atypically, the ATR-regulated DDR pathway is disabled during infection. This prevents Chk1 activation, thus allowing the accumulation of damaged DNA which facilitates virus replication. We describe here how MVM, and specifically the main viral replication protein NS1, inhibits ATR activation. Activation of ATR, and consequently Chk1, requires TopBP1 localization into the activating complex via its interaction with a phosphorylated residue of Rad9. We show that NS1 redirects casein kinase 2 to activate a phosphatase in the PP2C family which causes dephosphorylation of this critical residue, thus inhibiting ATR activation. This work provides mechanistic insight into one of the ways by which parvoviruses modify the host DDR response to facilitate their replication.