Tetrameric Ctp1 coordinates DNA binding and bridging in DNA double strand break repair

Ctp1 (aka CtIP or Sae2) collaborates with Mre11–Rad50–Nbs1 to initiate repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), but its function(s) remain enigmatic. We report that tetrameric Schizosaccharomyces pombe Ctp1 harbors multivalent DNA-binding and bridging activities. Through structural and biophysical analyses of the Ctp1 tetramer we define the salient features of Ctp1 architecture: an N-terminal interlocking tetrameric helical dimer-of-dimers (THDD) domain and a central intrinsically disordered region (IDR) linked to C-terminal “RHR” DNA interaction motifs. The THDD, IDR and RHR are required for Ctp1 DNA bridging activity in vitro and both the THDD and RHR are required for efficient DSB repair in S. pombe. Our results establish non-nucleolytic roles for Ctp1 in binding and coordination of DSB repair intermediates and suggest that ablation of human CtIP DNA binding by truncating mutations underlie the CTIP-linked Seckel and Jawad syndromes.