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The evolution of sex determination (SD) mechanisms in teleost fishes is amazingly dynamic, as reflected by the variety of different master sex-determining genes identified, even sometimes among closely related species. Pangasiids are a group of economically important catfishes in many South-Asian countries, but little is known about their sex determination system. Here, we generated novel genomic resources for 12 Pangasiid species and provided a first characterization of their SD system. Based on an Oxford Nanopore long-read chromosome-scale high quality genome assembly of the striped catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, we identified a duplication of the anti-Müllerian hormone receptor type II gene (amhr2), which was further characterized as being sex-linked in males and expressed only in testicular samples. These first results point to a male-specific duplication on the Y chromosome (amhr2by) of the autosomal amhr2a. Sequence annotation revealed that the P. hypophthalmus Amhr2by is truncated in its N-terminal domain, lacking the cysteine-rich extracellular part of the receptor that is crucial for ligand binding, suggesting a potential route for its neofunctionalization. Short-read genome sequencing and reference-guided assembly of 11 additional Pangasiid species, along with sex-linkage studies, revealed that this truncated amhr2by duplication is also conserved as a male-specific gene in many Pangasiids. Reconstructions of the amhr2 phylogeny suggested that amhr2by arose from an ancient duplication / insertion event at the root of the Siluroidei radiation that is dated around 100 million years ago. Altogether these results bring multiple lines of evidence supporting that amhr2by is an ancient and conserved master sex-determining gene in Pangasiid catfishes, a finding that highlights the recurrent usage of the transforming growth factor β pathway in teleost sex determination and brings another empirical case towards the understanding of the dynamics or stability of sex determination systems.

Enterococcus cecorum is an important pathogen of poultry worldwide. It causes a number of locomotor disorders and septicemia, particularly in fast-growing broilers.

The Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) is a key species in the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea ecosystems, where it also supports important fisheries. However, the lack of genomic resources limits our understanding of evolutionary, environmental and anthropogenic forces affecting key life history characteristics of Pacific halibut and prevents the application of genomic tools in fisheries management and conservation efforts. In the present study, we report on the first generation of a high-quality chromosome-level assembly of the Pacific halibut genome, with an estimated size of 602 Mb, 24 chromosome-length scaffolds that contain 99.8% of the assembly and a N

Enterococcus cecorumis an emerging pathogen responsible for osteomyelitis, spondylitis, and femoral head necrosis causing animal suffering, mortality, and requiring antimicrobial use in poultry. Paradoxically,E. cecorumis a common inhabitant of the intestinal microbiota of adult chickens. Despite evidence suggesting the existence of clones with pathogenic potential, the genetic and phenotypic relatedness of disease-associated isolates remains little investigated. Here, we sequenced and analyzed the genomes and characterized the phenotypes of more than 100 isolates, the majority of which were collected over the last ten years in 16 French broiler farms. Comparative genomics, genome-wide association study, and measured susceptibility to serum, biofilm forming capacity, and adhesion to chicken type II collagen were used to identify features associated with clinical isolates. We found that none of the tested phenotypes could discriminate origin of the isolates or phylogenetic group. Instead, we found that most clinical isolates are grouped phylogenetically and our analyses selected six genes that discriminate 94% of isolates associated with disease from those that are not. Analysis of the resistome and the mobilome revealed that multidrug-resistant clones ofE. cecorumcluster in few clades and that integrative conjugative elements and genomic islands are the main carriers of antimicrobial resistance. This comprehensive genomic analysis shows that disease-associated clones ofE. cecorumbelong mainly to one phylogenetic clade.IMPORTANCEEnterococcus cecorumis an important pathogen in poultry worldwide. It causes a number of locomotor disorders and septicemia, particularly in fast-growing broilers. Animal suffering, antimicrobial use, and associated economic losses require a better understanding of disease-associatedE. cecorumisolates. To address this need, we performed whole genome sequencing and analysis of a large collection of isolates responsible for outbreaks in France. By providing the first dataset on the genetic diversity and resistome ofE. cecorumstrains circulating in France, we pinpoint an epidemic lineage probably also circulating elsewhere and which should be targeted preferentially by preventive strategies in order to reduce the burden ofE. cecorum-related diseases.

Background: The CDK4/6 inhibitors palbociclib is prescribed in association with hormonal therapy for the management of metastatic breast cancer patients. Like most oral targeted drug, therapeutic drug monitoring may be used for personalize their dosage. Using a recently published dosing technique (LC-MS/MS), we aimed at evaluating the correlation between first-cycle palbociclib plasma exposition and co-medications in order to evaluate drug-drug interaction (DDI) impact under palbociclib treatment.Methods: This is an open-label phase 4 study conducted in female subjects with first-line metastatic breast cancer (NCT04025541) treated with a palbociclib-aromatase inhibitor association. Plasma concentration of palbociclib was assessed at 24 hours postdose (plasma trough concentration Ctrough) at day 15 of first cycle of treatment. A dedicated pharmacist consultation allowed the determination of clinical covariates of interest, such as weight, body surface area, ethnicity, food intake, co-medications use and DDI before Palbociclib initiation and retrospectively at the end of clinical trial. Patients were classified then according to their risk of DDI potentially leading to inhibition of CYP3A4 and/or P-glycoprotein and gastric pH increase by gastric acid-suppressive (GAS) agents (such as proton pump inhibitors, histamine H2-receptor blockers or alginic acid). Relevant drug known to have an inhibition of CYP3A4 and/or P-glycoprotein or pH-modification activity were checked in databases (e.g. DDI predictor®, Drugs.com®, Pubmed®). Results: To date, after Ctrough analysis of the 35 first cases, the geometric mean (± standard deviation [min-max]) of palbociclib plasma Ctrough was 79.5 ng/ml (± 26.1% [43.6 ng/mL - 133 ng/mL]) at day 15, similar to what reported in the PALOMA trials. No correlation between plasma concentration and body weight, body area or also age of the patients was found in our cohort. Regarding ethnicity, all the included patients were from Caucasian origin. 31% of patients (11/35) were identified of taking drugs that could cause DDI CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein inhibition mediated (amlodipine n=3, simvastatin n=3, losartan n=2, fluconazole n=1, atorvastatin n=1, ivabradine n=1). These potential DDI interactions were associated with a significantly higher palbociclib concentration DDI subgroup (102 ng/mL vs 69 ng/mL) (p=0.000272) (Table 1). No CYP3A4 and/or P-glycoprotein inductor were reported in cohort. 1.4% of patients (5/35) were identified of taking GAS agents (pantoprazole n=2, ranitidine n=2, alginic acid n=1). We found a significantly reduction of palbociclib concentration (59.2 ng/mL vs 79.8 ng/mL) (p=0.048) in patients taking GAS medications (Table 1). Conclusion : These preliminary results, in real-life settings, obtained with our recently-published HPLC-MS/MS method, give important information on palbociclib monitoring and pharmacokinetic variability. DDI appear to have a significant impact on palbociclib plasma exposure, GAS agents are already know to modified palbociclib absorption. Additional studies are needed to characterize palbociclib plasma concentration variations between patients, and their clinical impact on efficacy and safety. The study is ongoing and will evaluate additional potential clinical and biological impact of DDI on neutropenia occurrence, on a larger population of patients. Table 1: Patients’ plasma palbociclib concentration (day 15 of cycle 1 of treatment).Plasma palbociclib concentrations (ng/ml), global cohort (n=35)Geometric mean (CV%) (min;max)79.5 (26.1%) (43.6;133)Plasma palbociclib concentrations (ng/ml), cohort with DDI CYP3A4 and P-gp mediated (n=11)Geometric mean (CV%)102 (24.3%)Plasma palbociclib concentrations (ng/ml), cohort without DDI CYP3A4 and P-gp mediated (n=24)Geometric mean (CV%)69 (19.8%)Plasma palbociclib concentrations (ng/ml), cohort with GAS treatment (n=5)Geometric mean (CV%)59.2 (15.9%)Plasma palbociclib concentrations (ng/ml), cohort without GAS treatment (n=30)Geometric mean (CV%)82.9 (26.1%) Citation Format: Fanny Leenhardt, Matthieu Gracia, Catherine Perrin, Claudia Muracciole-Bich, Bénédicte Marion, Celine Roques, Marie Alexandre, Nelly Firmin, Stephane Pouderoux, Litaty Mbatchi, Celine Gongora, William Jacot, Alexandre Evrard. Impact of drug-drug interaction on palbociclib serum levels: Interest of therapeutic drug monitoring [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS5-16.

MRG15/MORF4L1 is a highly conserved protein in eukaryotes that contains a chromodomain recognizing H3K36me3 in chromatin. Intriguingly, it has been reported in the literature to interact with several different factors involved in chromatin modifications, gene regulation, alternative mRNA splicing and DNA repair by homologous recombination. In order to get a complete and reliable picture of associations in physiological conditions, we used genome editing and tandem affinity purification to analyze the stable native interactome of human MRG15, its paralog MRGX/MORF4L2 that lacks the chromodomain, and MRGBP (MRG-binding protein) in isogenic K562 cells. We found stable interchangeable association of MRG15 and MRGX with the NuA4/TIP60 histone acetyltransferase/chromatin remodeler, Sin3B histone deacetylase/demethylase, ASH1L histone methyltransferase and PALB2/BRCA2 DNA repair protein complexes. These associations were further confirmed and analyzed by CRISPR-tagging of endogenous proteins and comparison of expressed isoforms. Importantly, based on structural information, point mutations could be introduced that can specifically disrupt MRG15 association with some complexes but not others. Most interestingly, we also identified a new abundant native complex formed by MRG15/X-MRGBP-BRD8-EP400NL that is functionally similar to the yeast TINTIN (Trimer Independent of NuA4 for Transcription Interactions with Nucleosomes) complex. Our results show that EP400NL, being homologous to the N-terminal region of NuA4/TIP60 subunit EP400, creates TINTIN by competing for BRD8 association. Functional genomics indicate that human TINTIN plays a role in transcription of specific genes. This is most likely linked to the H4ac-binding bromodomain of BRD8 along the H3K36me3-binding chromodomain of MRG15 on the coding region of transcribed genes. Taken together, our data provide a complete detailed picture of human MRG proteins-associated protein complexes which is essential to understand and correlate their diverse biological functions in chromatin-based nuclear processes.HighlightsMRG15 and MRGX are stably associated with several different protein complexes important for genome expression and stability.Several MRG-containing complexes are chromatin modifiers.Specific point mutations in the MRG domain differentially affect associated complexes.A major human complex homologous to the yeast TINTIN complex is identified.The protein EP400NL competes with EP400 to functionally separate TINTIN from the NuA4/TIP60 complex.TINTIN contains a bromodomain and a chromodomain to regulate transcription.

Although native to North America, the invasion of the aphid-like grape phylloxera Daktulosphaira vitifoliae across the globe altered the course of grape cultivation. For the past 150 years, viticulture relied on grafting-resistant North American Vitis species as rootstocks, thereby limiting genetic stocks tolerant to other stressors such as pathogens and climate change. Limited understanding of the insect genetics resulted in successive outbreaks across the globe when rootstocks failed. Here we report the 294-Mb genome of D. vitifoliae as a basic tool to understand host plant manipulation, nutritional endosymbiosis, and enhance global viticulture.Using a combination of genome, RNA, and population resequencing, we found grape phylloxera showed high duplication rates since its common ancestor with aphids, but similarity in most metabolic genes, despite lacking obligate nutritional symbioses and feeding from parenchyma. Similarly, no enrichment occurred in development genes in relation to viviparity. However, phylloxera evolved 2700 unique genes that resemble putative effectors and are active during feeding. Population sequencing revealed the global invasion began from the upper Mississippi River in North America, spread to Europe and from there to the rest of the world.The grape phylloxera genome reveals genetic architecture relative to the evolution of nutritional endosymbiosis, viviparity, and herbivory. The extraordinary expansion in effector genes also suggests novel adaptations to plant feeding and how insects induce complex plant phenotypes, for instance galls. Finally, our understanding of the origin of this invasive species and its genome provide genetics resources to alleviate rootstock bottlenecks restricting the advancement of viticulture.

The genus Oryzias consists of 35 medaka-fish species each exhibiting various ecological, morphological and physiological peculiarities and adaptations. Beyond of being a comprehensive phylogenetic group for studying intra-genus evolution of several traits like sex determination, behavior, morphology or adaptation through comparative genomic approaches, all medaka species share many advantages of experimental model organisms including small size and short generation time, transparent embryos and genome editing tools for reverse and forward genetic studies. The Java medaka, Oryzias javanicus, is one of the two species of medaka perfectly adapted for living in brackish/sea-waters. Being an important component of the mangrove ecosystem, O. javanicus is also used as a valuable marine test-fish for ecotoxicology studies. Here, we sequenced and assembled the whole genome of O. javanicus, and anticipate this resource will be catalytic for a wide range of comparative genomic, phylogenetic and functional studies. Complementary sequencing approaches including long-read technology and data integration with a genetic map allowed the final assembly of 908 Mbp of the O. javanicus genome. Further analyses estimate that the O. javanicus genome contains 33% of repeat sequences and has a heterozygosity of 0.96%. The achieved draft assembly contains 525 scaffolds with a total length of 809.7 Mbp, a N50 of 6,3 Mbp and a L50 of 37 scaffolds. We identified 21454 predicted transcripts for a total transcriptome size of 57, 146, 583 bps. We provide here a high-quality chromosome scale draft genome assembly of the euryhaline Javafish medaka (321 scaffolds anchored on 24 chromosomes (representing 97.7% of the total bases)), and give emphasis on the evolutionary adaptation to salinity.

Background: Although native to North America, the invasion of the aphid-like grape phylloxera Daktulosphaira vitifoliae across the globe altered the course of grape cultivation. For the past 150 years, viticulture relied on grafting-resistant North American Vitis species as rootstocks, thereby limiting genetic stocks tolerant to other stressors such as pathogens and climate change. Limited understanding of the insect genetics resulted in successive outbreaks across the globe when rootstocks failed. Here we report the 294-Mb genome of D. vitifoliae as a basic tool to understand host plant manipulation, nutritional endosymbiosis, and enhance global viticulture. Results: Using a combination of genome, RNA, and population resequencing, we found grape phylloxera showed high duplication rates since its common ancestor with aphids, but similarity in most metabolic genes, despite lacking obligate nutritional symbioses and feeding from parenchyma. Similarly, no enrichment occurred in development genes in relation to viviparity. However, phylloxera evolved > 2700 unique genes that resemble putative effectors and are active during feeding. Population sequencing revealed the global invasion began from the upper Mississippi River in North America, spread to Europe and from there to the rest of the world. Conclusions: The grape phylloxera genome reveals genetic architecture relative to the evolution of nutritional endosymbiosis, viviparity, and herbivory. The extraordinary expansion in effector genes also suggests novel adaptations to plant feeding and how insects induce complex plant phenotypes, for instance galls. Finally, our understanding of the origin of this invasive species and its genome provide genetics resources to alleviate rootstock bottlenecks restricting the advancement of viticulture., This work has been funded by INRAE (France) and by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 764840 for the ITN IGNITE project. Rosa Fernandez was funded by a Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación Fellowship (Government of Spain, IJCI-2015-26627) and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (747607). Angela Douglas was supported by the US National Institute of Food and Agriculture Grant 12216941. Honglin Feng was supported by a University of Miami Maytag Fellowship, William H. Evoy Graduate Research Support Fund, and a Molecular Biosciences Graduate Research Award from the Department of Biology.

Imidazoquinoxaline derivatives (imiqualines) are a new series of anticancer compounds. Two lead compounds (EAPB0203 and EAPB0503) with remarkable in vitro and in vivo activity on melanoma and T-cell lymphomas have been previously identified. The modulation of the chemical structure of the most active compound, EAPB0503, has led to the synthesis of two compounds, EAPB02302 and EAPB02303, 7 and 40 times more active than EAPB0503 against A375 human melanoma cancer cell line, respectively. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a sensitive and accurate liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method to simultaneously quantify EAPB02303 and its potential active metabolite, EAPB02302, in rat and mouse plasma. Analytes were detected in multiple reaction monitoring acquisition mode using an electrospray ionization detector in positive ion mode. Following a liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate, analytes and internal standard were separated by HPLC reversed-phase on a C18 RP18 Nucleoshell column (2.7μm, 4.6×100mm). The method was validated according to FDA and EMA Bioanalytical Method Validation guidelines. The robustness of the method was assessed by introducing small variations in nine nominal analytical parameters. Statistical interpretation was performed by mean of the Student's t-test. Standard curves were generated via unweighted quadratic regression of calibrators (EAPB02303: 1.95-1000ng/mL, EAPB02302: 7.81-1000ng/mL in rat plasma; EAPB02303: 0.98-1000ng/mL, EAPB02302: 1.95-1000ng/mL in mouse plasma). From the analysis of QC samples, intra- and inter-assay precision and accuracy studies demonstrated %R.S.Ds.12.5% and percent deviation from nominal concentration7%. Matrix effects (mean matrix factors from 91.8-108.5% in rat plasma; and from 90.4-102.4% in mouse plasma) and stability assays (recoveries87%) were acceptable and in accordance with the guidelines. No quantifiable carryover effect was observed. The LLOQs were 1.95ng/mL for EAPB02303 and 7.81ng/mL for EAPB02302 in rat plasma, and 0.98ng/mL and 1.95ng/mL for the two compounds in mouse plasma, respectively. This method was successfully implemented to support a mouse pharmacokinetic study following a single intraperitoneal administration of EAPB02303 in male C57Bl/6 mice. The obtained pharmacokinetic parameters of EAPB02303 would be useful to optimize the dosing and the rhythm of administration for subsequent preclinical in vivo activity studies.

Urolithins are microflora human metabolites of dietary ellagic acid derivatives. There is now a growing interest in the biological activities of these compounds. Several studies suggest that urolithins have potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and anti-glycative activities. Recently, our group investigated the role of urolithins as potential anti-diabetic treatments; among the four urolithins, urolithin C was the most promising compound. The purpose of this paper was to develop a rapid, sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method for the determination of urolithin C in rat plasma. To date, no method is reported for the quantification of urolithin C in any of the matrices. Plasma samples were extracted with ethyl acetate. Urolithin D was selected as the internal standard. The separation was carried out on a C18 Kinetex EVO column (2.1mm×150mm, 2.6μm) using a mobile phase of acetonitrile-1% aqueous formic acid solution (30:70, v/v). A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer in the negative ion mode was used for the determination of the target analyte. The monitored ion transitions were m/z 243→187 for urolithin C and m/z 259→213 for the internal standard. The calibration curve range was 4.95-1085μg/L (r2>0.994). The intra- and inter-day precisions were less than 10%; accuracies ranged from 96.6 to 109%. The mean extraction recovery of urolithins C and D was greater than 91%. No significant matrix effects and no carryover effects were observed. Small changes in LC-ESI-MS/MS conditions did not have significant effect on the determination of urolithin C. Stability tests under various conditions were also investigated. This highly specific and sensitive method was used to analyze samples collected during preclinical pharmacokinetic studies in rats. Glucuronyl and sulfate conjugates of urolithin C were the main metabolites detected in plasma.

Summary The interplay between homologous DNA recombination and mitotic progression is poorly understood. The five RAD51 paralogs (RAD51B, RAD51C, RAD51D, XRCC2 and XRCC3) are key enzymes for DNA double-strand break repair. In our search for specific functions of the various RAD51 paralogs, we found that inhibition of XRCC3 elicits checkpoint defects, while inhibition of RAD51B or RAD51C induces G2/M cell cycle arrest in HeLa cells. Using live-cell microscopy we show that in XRCC3-knockdown cells the spindle assembly checkpoint persists and there is a higher frequency of chromosome misalignments, anaphase bridges, and aneuploidy. We observed centrosome defects in the absence of XRCC3. While RAD51B and RAD51C act early in homologous recombination, XRCC3 functions jointly with GEN1 later in the pathway at the stage of Holliday junction resolution. Our data demonstrate that Holliday junction resolution has critical functions for preventing aberrant mitosis and aneuploidy in mitotic cells.

The BRCA2 tumor suppressor is important in maintaining genomic stability. BRCA2 is proposed to control the availability, cellular localization and DNA binding activity of the central homologous recombination protein, RAD51, with loss of BRCA2 resulting in defective homologous recombination. Nevertheless, the roles of BRCA2 in regulating RAD51 and how other proteins implicated in RAD51 regulation, such as RAD52 and RAD54 function relative to BRCA2 is not known. In this study, we tested whether defective homologous recombination in Brca2-depleted mouse hybridoma cells could be rectified by expression of mouse Rad51 or the Rad51-interacting mouse proteins, Rad52 and Rad54. In the Brca2-depleted cells, defective homologous recombination can be restored by over-expression of wild-type mouse Rad51, but not mouse Rad52 or Rad54. Correction of the homologous recombination defect requires Rad51 ATPase activity. A sizeable fraction ( approximately 50%) of over-expressed wild-type Rad51 is nuclear localized. The restoration of homologous recombination in the presence of a low (i.e., non-functional) level of Brca2 by wild-type Rad51 over-expression is unexpected. We suggest that Rad51 may access the nuclear compartment in a Brca2-independent manner and when Rad51 is over-expressed, the normal requirement for Brca2 control over Rad51 function in homologous recombination is dispensable. Our studies support loss of Rad51 function as a critical underlying factor in the homologous recombination defect in the Brca2-depleted cells.

The NuA4/TIP60 acetyltransferase complex is a key regulator of genome expression and stability. Here, we identified MBTD1 as a new stable subunit of the complex and gleaned intriguing insights into TIP60’s function. Harboring a histone reader domain for H4K20me1/2, MBTD1 allows TIP60 to associate with specific gene promoters and to promote the repair of DNA double strand breaks by homologous recombination. Interestingly, the non-homologous end joining factor 53BP1 engages chromatin through simultaneous binding of H4K20me2 and H2AK15ub, and it was postulated that Tip60-dependent acetylation of H4 regulates this binding. Our findings now indicate that the TIP60 complex is a potent regulator of DNA damage repair pathways in part by targeting the same histone mark as 53BP1. In addition, deposition of H2AK15ub by RNF168 inhibits chromatin acetylation by TIP60, while this residue can be acetylated by TIP60 in vivo, blocking its ubiquitylation. Altogether, these results uncover an intricate mechanism orchestrated by the TIP60 complex which regulates 53BP1-dependent repair pathway selection through incompatible bivalent binding and modification of chromatin.

SummaryConventional affinity purification followed by mass spectrometry (AP-MS) analysis is a broadly applicable method used to decipher molecular interaction networks and infer protein function. However, it is sensitive to perturbations induced by ectopically overexpressed target proteins and does not reflect multilevel physiological regulation in response to diverse stimuli. Here, we developed an interface between genome editing and proteomics to isolate native protein complexes produced from their natural genomic contexts. We used CRISPR/Cas9 and TAL effector nucleases (TALENs) to tag endogenous genes and purified several DNA repair and chromatin-modifying holoenzymes to near homogeneity. We uncovered subunits and interactions among well-characterized complexes and report the isolation of MCM8/9, highlighting the efficiency and robustness of the approach. These methods improve and simplify both small- and large-scale explorations of protein interactions as well as the study of biochemical activities and structure-function relationships.

During DNA replication, thousands of replication origins are activated across the genome. Chromatin architecture contributes to origin specification and usage, yet it remains unclear which chromatin features impact on DNA replication. Here, we perform a RNAi screen for chromatin regulators implicated in replication control by measuring RPA accumulation upon replication stress. We identify six factors required for normal rates of DNA replication and characterize a function of the bromodomain and PHD finger-containing protein 3 (BRPF3) in replication initiation. BRPF3 forms a complex with HBO1 that specifically acetylates histone H3K14, and genomewide analysis shows high enrichment of BRPF3, HBO1 and H3K14ac at ORC1-binding sites and replication origins found in the vicinity of TSSs. Consistent with this, BRPF3 is necessary for H3K14ac at selected origins and efficient origin activation. CDC45 recruitment, but not MCM2-7 loading, is impaired in BRPF3-depleted cells, identifying a BRPF3-dependent function of HBO1 in origin activation that is complementary to its role in licencing. We thus propose that BRPF3-HBO1 acetylation of histone H3K14 around TSS facilitates efficient activation of nearby replication origins.