Replication protein A prevents unregulated priming and Rad51 loading on single-stranded DNA in nuclear extracts of...

In eukaryotes, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) generated during DNA replication, recombination, and repair is rapidly bound and protected by the major single-stranded DNA-binding protein replication protein A (RPA). RPA not only stabilizes ssDNA but also acts as a central platform that coordinates diverse DNA transactions. Exhaustion of RPA due to unregulated ssDNA production leads to replication fork breakage and replication catastrophe, underscoring its critical role in genome stability. However, the direct consequences of RPA limitation remain incompletely understood. Using Xenopus egg extracts, we show that excess ssDNA induces spontaneous priming, a reaction that is otherwise prevented in a physiological nuclear environment. We provide evidence that priming suppression is mediated by stoichiometric binding of RPA to ssDNA. Analysis of the ssDNA-binding proteome reveals that RPA promotes the association of ATR checkpoint factors, Polα-primase, and the RFWD3 ubiquitin ligase with ssDNA. In contrast, RPA depletion induces the recruitment of Rad51, Rad51 paralogs, and Fbh1, a DNA helicase that interacts with both RPA and Rad51 and promotes fork breakage under replication stress. Collectively, our findings suggest that RPA contributes to genome stability by protecting ssDNA from inappropriate DNA synthesis and unscheduled recruitment of recombination and fork-processing factors.