The γ-tubulin meshwork assists in the recruitment of PCNA to chromatin in mammalian cells

Changes in the location of γ-tubulin ensure cell survival and preserve genome integrity. We investigated whether the nuclear accumulation of γ-tubulin facilitates the transport of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) between the cytosolic and the nuclear compartment in mammalian cells. We found that the γ-tubulin meshwork assists in the recruitment of PCNA to chromatin. Also, decreased levels of γ-tubulin reduce the nuclear pool of PCNA. In addition, the γ-tubulin C terminus encodes a PCNA-interacting peptide (PIP) motif, and a γ-tubulin–PIP-mutant affects the nuclear accumulation of PCNA. In a cell-free system, PCNA and γ-tubulin formed a complex. In tumors, there is a significant positive correlation between TUBG1 and PCNA expression. Thus, we report a novel mechanism that constitutes the basis for tumor growth by which the γ-tubulin meshwork maintains indefinite proliferation by acting as an opportune scaffold for the transport of PCNA from the cytosol to the chromatin.