Chromosome number and structure instability is the hallmark of cancer. Equal chromosome segregation is guaranteed by the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), thus defective SAC leads to chromosome instability. However, aneuploidy alone is not oncogenic, and whether compromised SAC is associated with structure instability remains elusive. BubR1 is a core component of SAC, which is acetylated at lysine 250 in mitosis. Previously, we showed that deficiency of BubR1 acetylation in mice (K243R/+) leads to spontaneous tumorigenesis via chromosome mis-segregation. Here, we asked whether loss of BubR1 acetylation is associated with chromosome structure instability by examining K243R/+ mice intercrossed to p53-deficient mice. Genome-wide sequencing and spectral karyotyping of the double mutant mouse tumors revealed that BubR1 acetylation deficiency leads to complex chromosome rearrangements, including Robertsonian-like whole-arm translocations and premature sister-chromatid separations (PMSCS). In primary MEFs, replication stress was markedly increased in telomeres and centromeres, suggesting that the replication stress underlies the significant increase of DNA damage and subsequent chromosome rearrangements. Furthermore, defects in BubR1 acetylation at K250 were detected in human cancers as well. Collectively, we propose that chromosome mis-segregation by the loss of BubR1 acetylation causes chromosome structure instability, leading to massive chromosome rearrangements through the induction of replication stress.

Loss of BubR1 Acetylation instigates Replication Stress leading to Complex Chromosomal Rearrangement in tumors