Chromatin assembly factor 1 is essential and couples chromatin assembly to DNA replication in vivo.

De novo chromatin assembly maintains histone density on the daughter strands in the wake of the replication fork. The heterotrimer chromatin assembly factor 1 (CAF-1) couples DNA replication to histone deposition in vitro, but is not essential for yeast cell proliferation. Depletion of CAF-1 in human cell lines demonstrated that CAF-1 was required for efficient progression through S-phase. Cells lacking CAF-1 accumulated in early and mid S-phase and replicated DNA slowly. The checkpoint kinase Chk1, but not Chk2, was phosphorylated in response to CAF-1 depletion, consistent with a DNA replication defect. CAF-1-depleted cell extracts completely lacked DNA replication-coupled chromatin assembly activity, suggesting that CAF-1 is required for efficient S-phase progression in human cells. These results indicate that, in contrast to yeast, human CAF-1 is necessary for coupling chromatin assembly with DNA replication.