Werner syndrome protein participates in a complex with RAD51, RAD54, RAD54B and ATR in response to ICL-induced replication arrest

Proteome-wide identification of WRN-interacting proteins in untreated and nuclease-treated samples

Werner syndrome (WS) is characterized by the premature onset of several age-associated pathologies. The protein defective in WS patients (WRN) is a helicase/exonuclease involved in DNA repair, replication, telomere maintenance, and transcription. Here, we present the results of a large-scale proteome analysis to determine protein partners of WRN. We expressed fluorescent tagged-WRN (eYFP-WRN) in human 293 embryonic kidney cells and detected interacting proteins by co-immunoprecipitation from cell extract. We identified by mass spectrometry 220 nuclear proteins that complexed with WRN. This number was reduced to 40 when broad-spectrum nucleases were added to the lysate. We consider these 40 proteins as directly interacting with WRN. Some of these proteins have previously been shown to interact with WRN, whereas most are new partners. Among the top 15 hits, we find the new interactors TMPO, HNRNPU, RPS3, RALY, RPS9 DDX21, and HNRNPM. These proteins are likely important components in understanding the function of WRN in preventing premature aging and deserve further investigation. We have confirmed endogenous WRN interaction with endogenous RPS3, a ribosomal protein with endonuclease activities involved in oxidative DNA damage recognition. Our results suggest that the use of nucleases during cell lysis severely restricts interacting protein partners and thus enhances specificity.

Comparison of proliferation and genomic instability responses to WRN silencing in hematopoietic HL60 and TK6 cells

Background

Werner syndrome (WS) results from defects in the RecQ helicase (WRN) and is characterized by premature aging and accelerated tumorigenesis. Contradictorily, WRN deficient human fibroblasts derived from WS patients show a characteristically slower cell proliferation rate, as do primary fibroblasts and human cancer cell lines with WRN depletion. Previous studies reported that WRN silencing in combination with deficiency in other genes led to significantly accelerated cellular proliferation and tumorigenesis. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of silencing WRN in p53 deficient HL60 and p53 wild-type TK6 hematopoietic cells, in order to further the understanding of WRN-associated tumorigenesis.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We found that silencing WRN accelerated the proliferation of HL60 cells and decreased the cell growth rate of TK6 cells. Loss of WRN increased DNA damage in both cell types as measured by COMET assay, but elicited different responses in each cell line. In HL60 cells, but not in TK6 cells, the loss of WRN led to significant increases in levels of phosphorylated RB and numbers of cells progressing from G1 phase to S phase as shown by cell cycle analysis. Moreover, WRN depletion in HL60 cells led to the hyper-activation of homologous recombination repair via up-regulation of RAD51 and BLM protein levels. This resulted in DNA damage disrepair, apparent by the increased frequencies of both spontaneous and chemically induced structural chromosomal aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges.

Conclusions/Significance

Together, our data suggest that the effects of WRN silencing on cell proliferation and genomic instability are modulated probably by other genetic factors, including p53, which might play a role in the carcinogenesis induced by WRN deficiency.

Mechanism of cluster DNA damage repair in response to high-atomic number and energy particles radiation

Low-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation (i.e., γ- and X-rays) induces DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that are rapidly repaired (rejoined). In contrast, DNA damage induced by the dense ionizing track of high-atomic number and energy (HZE) particles is slowly repaired or is irreparable. These unrepaired and/or misrepaired DNA lesions may contribute to the observed higher relative biological effectiveness for cell killing, chromosomal aberrations, mutagenesis, and carcinogenesis in HZE particle irradiated cells compared to those treated with low-LET radiation. The types of DNA lesions induced by HZE particles have been characterized in vitro and usually consist of two or more closely spaced strand breaks, abasic sites, or oxidized bases on opposing strands. It is unclear why these lesions are difficult to repair. In this review, we highlight the potential of a new technology allowing direct visualization of different types of DNA lesions in human cells and document the emerging significance of live-cell imaging for elucidation of the spatio-temporal characterization of complex DNA damage. We focus on the recent insights into the molecular pathways that participate in the repair of HZE particle-induced DSBs. We also discuss recent advances in our understanding of how different end-processing nucleases aid in repair of DSBs with complicated ends generated by HZE particles. Understanding the mechanism underlying the repair of DNA damage induced by HZE particles will have important implications for estimating the risks to human health associated with HZE particle exposure.

Human RECQ helicases: roles in DNA metabolism, mutagenesis and cancer biology

Helicases use the energy of ATP hydrolysis to separate double-stranded nucleic acids to facilitate essential processes such as replication, recombination, transcription and repair. This article focuses on the human RECQ helicase gene and protein family. Loss of function of three different members has been shown to cause Bloom syndrome (BS), Werner syndrome (WS) and Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS). This article outlines clinical and cellular features of these cancer predisposition syndromes, and discusses their pathogenesis in light of our understanding of RECQ helicase biochemical activities and in vivo functions. I also discuss the emerging role for RECQ helicases as predictors of disease risk and the response to therapy.

ATR and ATM differently regulate WRN to prevent DSBs at stalled replication forks and promote replication fork recovery

Accurate response to replication arrest is crucial to preserve genome stability and requires both the ATR and ATM functions. The Werner syndrome protein (WRN) is implicated in the recovery of stalled replication forks, and although an ATR/ATM-dependent phosphorylation of WRN was observed after replication arrest, the function of such modifications during the response to perturbed replication is not yet appreciated. Here, we report that WRN is directly phosphorylated by ATR at multiple C-terminal S/TQ residues. Suppression of ATR-mediated phosphorylation of WRN prevents proper accumulation of WRN in nuclear foci, co-localisation with RPA and causes breakage of stalled forks. On the other hand, inhibition of ATM kinase activity or expression of an ATM-unphosphorylable WRN allele leads to retention of WRN in nuclear foci and impaired recruitment of RAD51 recombinase resulting in reduced viability after fork collapse. Altogether, our findings indicate that ATR and ATM promote recovery from perturbed replication by differently regulating WRN at defined moments of the response to replication fork arrest.

A role for the Werner syndrome protein in epigenetic inactivation of the pluripotency factor Oct4

Werner syndrome (WS) is an autosomal recessive disorder, the hallmarks of which are premature aging and early onset of neoplastic diseases (Orren, 2006; Bohr, 2008). The gene, whose mutation underlies the WS phenotype, is called WRN. The protein encoded by the WRN gene, WRNp, has DNA helicase activity (Gray et al., 1997; Orren, 2006; Bohr, 2008; Opresko, 2008). Extensive evidence suggests that WRNp plays a role in DNA replication and DNA repair (Chen et al., 2003; Hickson, 2003; Orren, 2006; Turaga et al., 2007; Bohr, 2008). However, WRNp function is not yet fully understood. In this study, we show that WRNp is involved in de novo DNA methylation of the promoter of the Oct4 gene, which encodes a crucial stem cell transcription factor. We demonstrate that WRNp localizes to the Oct4 promoter during retinoic acid-induced differentiation of human pluripotent cells and associates with the de novo methyltransferase Dnmt3b in the chromatin of differentiating pluripotent cells. Depletion of WRNp does not affect demethylation of lysine 4 of the histone H3 at the Oct4 promoter, nor methylation of lysine 9 of H3, but it blocks the recruitment of Dnmt3b to the promoter and results in the reduced methylation of CpG sites within the Oct4 promoter. The lack of DNA methylation was associated with continued, albeit greatly reduced, Oct4 expression in WRN-deficient, retinoic acid-treated cells, which resulted in attenuated differentiation. The presented results reveal a novel function of WRNp and demonstrate that WRNp controls a key step in pluripotent stem cell differentiation.

Role of homologous recombination in DNA interstrand crosslink repair

Homologous recombination repair (HRR) encompasses mechanisms that employ homologous DNA sequences as templates for repair or tolerance of a wide range of DNA lesions that inhibit DNA replication in S phase. Arguably the most imposing of these DNA lesions is that of the interstrand crosslink (ICL), consisting of a covalently attached chemical bridge between opposing DNA strands. ICL repair requires the coordinated activities of HRR and a number of proteins from other DNA repair and damage response systems, including nucleotide excision repair, base excision repair, mismatch repair, and translesion DNA synthesis (TLS). Interestingly, different organisms favor alternative methods of HRR in the ICL repair process. E. coli perform ICL repair using a homology-driven damage bypass mechanism analogous to daughter strand gap repair. Eukaryotes from yeast to humans initiate ICL repair primarily during DNA replication, relying on HRR activity to restart broken replication forks associated with double-strand break intermediates induced by nucleolytic activities of other excision repair factors. Higher eukaryotes also employ several additional factors, including members of the Fanconi anemia damage-response network, which further promote replication-associated ICL repair through the activation and coordination of various DNA excision repair, TLS, and HRR proteins. This review focuses on the proteins and general mechanisms of HRR associated with ICL repair in different model organisms.

WRN participates in translesion synthesis pathway through interaction with NBS1

Werner syndrome (WS), caused by mutation of the WRN gene, is an autosomal recessive disorder associated with premature aging and predisposition to cancer. WRN belongs to the RecQ DNA helicase family, members of which play a role in maintaining genomic stability. Here, we demonstrate that WRN rapidly forms discrete nuclear foci in an NBS1-dependent manner following DNA damage. NBS1 physically interacts with WRN through its FHA domain, which interaction is important for the phosphorylation of WRN. WRN subsequently forms DNA damage-dependent foci during the S phase, but not in the G1 phase. WS cells exhibit an increase in spontaneous focus formation of poleta and Rad18, which are important for translesion synthesis (TLS). WRN also interacts with PCNA in the absence of DNA damage, but DNA damage induces the dissociation of PCNA from WRN, leading to the ubiquitination of PCNA, which is essential for TLS. This dissociation correlates with ATM/NBS1-dependent degradation of WRN. Moreover, WS cells show constitutive ubiquitination of PCNA and interaction between PCNA and Rad18 E3 ligase in the absence of DNA damage. Taken together, these results indicate that WRN participates in the TLS pathway to prevent genomic instability in an ATM/NBS1-dependent manner.

Age-related alterations of gene expression patterns in human CD8+ T cells

Aging is associated with progressive T-cell deficiency and increased incidence of infections, cancer and autoimmunity. In this comprehensive study, we have compared the gene expression profiles in CD8+ T cells from aged and young healthy subjects using Affymetrix microarray Human Genome U133A-2 GeneChips. A total of 5.2% (754) of the genes analyzed had known functions and displayed statistically significant age-associated expression changes. These genes were involved in a broad array of complex biological processes, mainly in nucleic acid and protein metabolism. Functional groups, in which downregulated genes were overrepresented, were the following: RNA transcription regulation, RNA and DNA metabolism, intracellular (Golgi, endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear) transportation, signaling transduction pathways (T-cell receptor, Ras/MAPK, JNK/Stat, PI3/AKT, Wnt, TGFbeta, insulin-like growth factor and insulin), and the ubiquitin cycle. In contrast, the following functional groups contained more up-regulated genes than expected: response to oxidative stress and cytokines, apoptosis, and the MAPKK signaling cascade. These age-associated gene expression changes may be responsible for impaired DNA replication, RNA transcription, and signal transduction, possibly resulting in instability of cellular and genomic integrity, and alterations of growth, differentiation, apoptosis and anergy in human aged CD8+ T cells.

Inventory and phylogenomic distribution of meiotic genes in Nasonia vitripennis and among diverse arthropods

The parasitoid jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis reproduces by haplodiploidy (arrhenotokous parthenogenesis). In diploid females, meiosis occurs during oogenesis, but in haploid males spermatogenesis is ameiotic and involves a single equational division. Here we describe the phylogenomic distribution of meiotic genes in N. vitripennis and in 10 additional arthropods. Homologues for 39 meiosis-related genes (including seven meiosis-specific genes) were identified in N. vitripennis. The meiotic genes missing from N. vitripennis are also sporadically absent in other arthropods, suggesting that certain meiotic genes are dispensable for meiosis. Among an additional set of 15 genes thought to be specific for male meiosis in Drosophila, two genes (bol and crl) were identified in N. vitripennis and Apis mellifera (both for which canonical meiosis is absent in males) and in other arthropods. The distribution of meiotic genes across arthropods and the impact of gene duplications and reproductive modes on meiotic gene evolution are discussed.

Roles of Werner syndrome protein in protection of genome integrity

Werner syndrome protein (WRN) is one of a family of five human RecQ helicases implicated in the maintenance of genome stability. The conserved RecQ family also includes RecQ1, Bloom syndrome protein (BLM), RecQ4, and RecQ5 in humans, as well as Sgs1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rqh1 in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and homologs in Caenorhabditis elegans, Xenopus laevis, and Drosophila melanogaster. Defects in three of the RecQ helicases, RecQ4, BLM, and WRN, cause human pathologies linked with cancer predisposition and premature aging. Mutations in the WRN gene are the causative factor of Werner syndrome (WS). WRN is one of the best characterized of the RecQ helicases and is known to have roles in DNA replication and repair, transcription, and telomere maintenance. Studies both in vitro and in vivo indicate that the roles of WRN in a variety of DNA processes are mediated by post-translational modifications, as well as several important protein-protein interactions. In this work, we will summarize some of the early studies on the cellular roles of WRN and highlight the recent findings that shed some light on the link between the protein with its cellular functions and the disease pathology.

Altered nuclear functions in progeroid syndromes: a paradigm for aging research

Syndromes of accelerated aging could provide an entry point for identifying and dissecting the cellular pathways that are involved in the development of age-related pathologies in the general population. However, their usefulness for aging research has been controversial, as it has been argued that these diseases do not faithfully reflect the process of natural aging. Here we review recent findings on the molecular basis of two progeroid diseases, Werner syndrome (WS) and Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), and highlight functional connections to cellular processes that may contribute to normal aging.

Identification of a novel, widespread, and functionally important PCNA-binding motif

AlkB PCNA-interacting motif (APIM) is present in >200 proteins and may mediate PCNA binding during genotoxic stress.

Numerous proteins, many essential for the DNA replication machinery, interact with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) through the PCNA-interacting peptide (PIP) sequence called the PIP box. We have previously shown that the oxidative demethylase human AlkB homologue 2 (hABH2) colocalizes with PCNA in replication foci. In this study, we show that hABH2 interacts with a posttranslationally modified PCNA via a novel PCNA-interacting motif, which we term AlkB homologue 2 PCNA-interacting motif (APIM). We identify APIM in >200 other proteins involved in DNA maintenance, transcription, and cell cycle regulation, and verify a functional APIM in five of these. Expression of an APIM peptide increases the cellular sensitivity to several cytostatic agents not accounted for by perturbing only the hABH2–PCNA interaction. Thus, APIM is likely to mediate PCNA binding in many proteins involved in DNA repair and cell cycle control during genotoxic stress.

WRN helicase promotes repair of DNA double-strand breaks caused by aberrant mismatch repair of chromium-DNA adducts

Recent studies in yeast have found that processing of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) for recombination repair involves Sgs1 helicase. Human cells have five Sgs1 homologues with unknown selectivity and significance for repair of different DSB types. Here we examined the importance of WRN helicase in repair of G(2)-specific DSB caused by abnormal mismatch repair (MMR) of ternary Cr-DNA adducts. We found that Cr(VI) induced a rapid dispersal of WRN from the nucleolus resulting in its prolonged retention in the nucleoplasm. The loss of MSH2 or MLH1 MMR proteins abolished the long-term but not the initial WRN relocalization. WRN-deficient fibroblasts were hypersensitive to Cr(VI)-induced clonogenic death and contained high levels of persistent DSB detected by gamma-H2AX/53BP1 foci and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. WRN was involved in recombination repair of Cr-induced DNA damage, as evidenced by WRN-RAD51 colocalization and defective formation of RAD51 foci in the absence of WRN. The accumulation of unrepaired DSB in WRN-depleted cells was rescued by the inactivation of MMR, indicating that MMR-generated DSB were a key substrate for WRN action in Cr(VI)-treated cells. Competition for the limited amounts of WRN in primary cells between G(2) processes of telomere rebuilding and recombinational repair is expected to increase persistence of Cr-induced DSB and may cause telomeric abnormalities in tissues of chronically chromate-exposed workers. Our work provides the first demonstration of the major importance of WRN in repair of a specific class of DSB in human cells.

The Werner syndrome protein functions in repair of Cr(VI)-induced replication-associated DNA damage

Werner syndrome is a premature aging disorder characterized by cancer predisposition that is caused by loss of the Werner syndrome protein (WRN) helicase/exonuclease DNA repair protein. Hexavalent chromium is an environmental carcinogen and genotoxicant that is associated with respiratory cancers and induces several forms of DNA damage, including lesions that interfere with DNA replication. Based on the evidence that WRN protein facilitates repair of stalled and collapsed replication forks, we hypothesized that WRN functions in the cellular response to and recovery from Cr(VI)-induced genotoxicity and genomic instability. Here we report that human cells deficient in WRN protein are hypersensitive to Cr(VI) toxicity, and exhibit a delayed reduction in DNA breaks and stalled replication forks, indicated by gammaH2AX foci, during recovery from Cr(VI) exposure. Cr(VI)-induced WRN protein translocation from the nucleoli into nucleoplasmic foci in S-phase cells, and these foci colocalized with gammaH2AX foci indicating WRN responds to replication-associated DNA damage. As further evidence that Cr(VI) triggers stalled DNA replication, we observed Cr(VI) treatment induced an accumulation of cells in S-phase that exhibited high levels of gammaH2AX foci. Therefore, these data demonstrate a novel role for WRN protein in cellular protection against the environmental genotoxicant Cr(VI) and further provide evidence that Cr(VI) induces DNA replicative stress which has implications for aging and cancer.

Choreography of recombination proteins during the DNA damage response

Genome integrity is frequently challenged by DNA lesions from both endogenous and exogenous sources. A single DNA double-strand break (DSB) is lethal if unrepaired and may lead to loss of heterozygosity, mutations, deletions, genomic rearrangements and chromosome loss if repaired improperly. Such genetic alterations are the main causes of cancer and other genetic diseases. Consequently, DNA double-strand break repair (DSBR) is an important process in all living organisms. DSBR is also the driving mechanism in most strategies of gene targeting, which has applications in both genetic and clinical research. Here we review the cell biological response to DSBs in mitotically growing cells with an emphasis on homologous recombination pathways in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and in mammalian cells.

Roles of RECQ helicases in recombination based DNA repair, genomic stability and aging

The maintenance of the stability of genetic material is an essential feature of every living organism. Organisms across all kingdoms have evolved diverse and highly efficient repair mechanisms to protect the genome from deleterious consequences of various genotoxic factors that might tend to destabilize the integrity of the genome in each generation. One such group of proteins that is actively involved in genome surveillance is the RecQ helicase family. These proteins are highly conserved DNA helicases, which have diverse roles in multiple DNA metabolic processes such as DNA replication, recombination and DNA repair. In humans, five RecQ helicases have been identified and three of them namely, WRN, BLM and RecQL4 have been linked to genetic diseases characterized by genome instability, premature aging and cancer predisposition. This helicase family plays important roles in various DNA repair pathways including protecting the genome from illegitimate recombination during chromosome segregation in mitosis and assuring genome stability. This review mainly focuses on various roles of human RecQ helicases in the process of recombination-based DNA repair to maintain genome stability and physiological consequences of their defects in the development of cancer and premature aging.

WRN protects against topo I but not topo II inhibitors by preventing DNA break formation

The Werner syndrome helicase/3'-exonuclease (WRN) is a major component of the DNA repair and replication machinery. To analyze whether WRN is involved in the repair of topoisomerase-induced DNA damage we utilized U2-OS cells, in which WRN is stably down-regulated (wrn-kd), and the corresponding wild-type cells (wrn-wt). We show that cells not expressing WRN are hypersensitive to the toxic effect of the topoisomerase I inhibitor topotecan, but not to the topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide. This was shown by mass survival assays, colony formation and induction of apoptosis. Upon topotecan treatment WRN deficient cells showed enhanced DNA replication inhibition and S-phase arrest, whereas after treatment with etoposide they showed the same cell cycle response as the wild-type. A considerable difference between WRN and wild-type cells was observed for DNA single- and double-strand break formation in response to topotecan. Topotecan induced DNA single-strand breaks 6h after treatment. In both wrn-wt and wrn-kd cells these breaks were repaired at similar kinetics. However, in wrn-kd but not wrn-wt cells they were converted into DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) at high frequency, as shown by neutral comet assay and phosphorylation of H2AX. Our data provide evidence that WRN is involved in the repair of topoisomerase I, but not topoisomerase II-induced DNA damage, most likely via preventing the conversion of DNA single-strand breaks into DSBs during the resolution of stalled replication forks at topo I-DNA complexes. We suggest that the WRN status of tumor cells impacts anticancer therapy with topoisomerase I, but not topoisomerase II inhibitors.

Rising from the RecQ-age: the role of human RecQ helicases in genome maintenance

The RecQ helicases are guardians of the genome. Members of this conserved family of proteins have a key role in protecting and stabilizing the genome against deleterious changes. Deficiencies in RecQ helicases can lead to high levels of genomic instability and, in humans, to premature aging and increased susceptibility to cancer. Their diverse roles in DNA metabolism, which include a role in telomere maintenance, reflect interactions with multiple cellular proteins, some of which are multifunctional and also have very diverse functions. The results of in vitro cellular and biochemical studies have been complimented by recent in vivo studies using genetically modified mouse strains. Together, these approaches are helping to unravel the mechanism(s) of action and biological functions of the RecQ helicases.

Rad54B targeting to DNA double-strand break repair sites requires complex formation with S100A11

S100A11 is involved in a variety of intracellular activities such as growth regulation and differentiation. To gain more insight into the physiological role of endogenously expressed S100A11, we used a proteomic approach to detect and identify interacting proteins in vivo. Hereby, we were able to detect a specific interaction between S100A11 and Rad54B, which could be confirmed under in vivo conditions. Rad54B, a DNA-dependent ATPase, is described to be involved in recombinational repair of DNA damage, including DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Treatment with bleomycin, which induces DSBs, revealed an increase in the degree of colocalization between S100A11 and Rad54B. Furthermore, S100A11/Rad54B foci are spatially associated with sites of DNA DSB repair. Furthermore, while the expression of p21(WAF1/CIP1) was increased in parallel with DNA damage, its protein level was drastically down-regulated in damaged cells after S100A11 knockdown. Down-regulation of S100A11 by RNA interference also abolished Rad54B targeting to DSBs. Additionally, S100A11 down-regulated HaCaT cells showed a restricted proliferation capacity and an increase of the apoptotic cell fraction. These observations suggest that S100A11 targets Rad54B to sites of DNA DSB repair sites and identify a novel function for S100A11 in p21-based regulation of cell cycle.

DNA double-strand breaks: a potential causative factor for mammalian aging?

Aging is a pleiotropic and stochastic process influenced by both genetics and environment. As a result the fundamental underlying causes of aging are controversial and likely diverse. Genome maintenance and in particular the repair of DNA damage is critical to ensure longevity needed for reproduction and as a consequence imperfections or defects in maintaining the genome may contribute to aging. There are many forms of DNA damage with double-strand breaks (DSBs) being the most toxic. Here we discuss DNA DSBs as a potential causative factor for aging including factors that generate DNA DSBs, pathways that repair DNA DSBs, consequences of faulty or failed DSB repair and how these consequences may lead to age-dependent decline in fitness. At the end we compare mouse models of premature aging that are defective for repairing either DSBs or UV light-induced lesions. Based on these comparisons we believe the basic mechanisms responsible for their aging phenotypes are fundamentally different demonstrating the complex and pleiotropic nature of this process.

Werner syndrome helicase activity is essential in maintaining fragile site stability

WRN is a member of the RecQ family of DNA helicases implicated in the resolution of DNA structures leading to the stall of replication forks. Fragile sites have been proposed to be DNA regions particularly sensitive to replicative stress. Here, we establish that WRN is a key regulator of fragile site stability. We demonstrate that in response to mild doses of aphidicolin, WRN is efficiently relocalized in nuclear foci in replicating cells and that WRN deficiency is associated with accumulation of gaps and breaks at common fragile sites even under unperturbed conditions. By expressing WRN isoforms impaired in either helicase or exonuclease activity in defective cells, we identified WRN helicase activity as the function required for maintaining the stability of fragile sites. Finally, we find that WRN stabilizes fragile sites acting in a common pathway with the ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related replication checkpoint. These findings provide the first evidence of a crucial role for a helicase in protecting cells against chromosome breakage at normally occurring replication fork stalling sites.

Interstrand crosslink repair: can XPF-ERCC1 be let off the hook?

The interstrand crosslink (ICL) presents a challenge to both the cell and the scientist. From a clinical standpoint, these lesions are particularly intriguing: ICL-inducing agents are powerful tools in cancer chemotherapy, and spontaneous ICLs have recently been linked with accelerated aging phenotypes. Nevertheless, the ICL repair process has proven difficult to elucidate. Here we discuss recent additions to the current model and argue that the endonuclease xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group F-excision repair cross-complementing rodent repair deficiency complementation group 1 (XPF-ERCC1) has been heretofore misplaced. During nucleotide excision repair, XPF-ERCC1 makes a single-strand nick adjacent to the lesion. XPF-ERCC1 has been thought to play an analogous role in ICL repair. However, recent data has implicated XPF-ERCC1 in homologous recombination. We suggest that this role, rather than its function in nucleotide excision repair, defines its importance to ICL repair.

The RecQ helicase WRN is required for normal replication fork progression after DNA damage or replication fork arrest

Werner syndrome is an autosomal recessive genetic instability and cancer predisposition syndrome with features of premature aging. Several lines of evidence have suggested that the Werner syndrome protein WRN plays a role in DNA replication and S-phase progression. In order to define the exact role of WRN in genomic replication we examined cell cycle kinetics during normal cell division and after methyl-methane-sulfonate (MMS) DNA damage or hydroxyurea (HU)-mediated replication arrest following acute depletion of WRN from human fibroblasts. Loss of WRN markedly extended the time cells needed to complete the cell cycle after either of these genotoxic treatments. Moreover, replication track analysis of individual, stretched DNA fibers showed that WRN depletion significantly reduced the speed at which replication forks elongated in vivo after MMS or HU treatment. These results establish the importance of WRN during genomic replication and indicate that WRN acts to facilitate fork progression after DNA damage or replication arrest. The data provide a mechanistic basis for a better understanding of WRN-mediated maintenance of genomic stability and for predicting the outcomes of DNA-targeting chemotherapy in several adult cancers that silence WRN expression.

Delayed kinetics of DNA double-strand break processing in normal and pathological aging

Accumulation of DNA damage may play an essential role in both cellular senescence and organismal aging. The ability of cells to sense and repair DNA damage declines with age. However, the underlying molecular mechanism for this age-dependent decline is still elusive. To understand quantitative and qualitative changes in the DNA damage response during human aging, DNA damage-induced foci of phosphorylated histone H2AX (gamma-H2AX), which occurs specifically at sites of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and eroded telomeres, were examined in human young and senescing fibroblasts, and in lymphocytes of peripheral blood. Here, we show that the incidence of endogenous gamma-H2AX foci increases with age. Fibroblasts taken from patients with Werner syndrome, a disorder associated with premature aging, genomic instability and increased incidence of cancer, exhibited considerably higher incidence of gamma-H2AX foci than those taken from normal donors of comparable age. Further increases in gamma-H2AX focal incidence occurred in culture as both normal and Werner syndrome fibroblasts progressed toward senescence. The rates of recruitment of DSB repair proteins to gamma-H2AX foci correlated inversely with age for both normal and Werner syndrome donors, perhaps due in part to the slower growth of gamma-H2AX foci in older donors. Because genomic stability may depend on the efficient processing of DSBs, and hence the rapid formation of gamma-H2AX foci and the rapid accumulation of DSB repair proteins on these foci at sites of nascent DSBs, our findings suggest that decreasing efficiency in these processes may contribute to genome instability associated with normal and pathological aging.

Contributions of DNA interstrand cross-links to aging of cells and organisms

Impaired DNA damage repair, especially deficient transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair, leads to segmental progeroid syndromes in human patients as well as in rodent models. Furthermore, DNA double-strand break signalling has been pinpointed as a key inducer of cellular senescence. Several recent findings suggest that another DNA repair pathway, interstrand cross-link (ICL) repair, might also contribute to cell and organism aging. Therefore, we summarize and discuss here that (i) systemic administration of anti-cancer chemotherapeutics, in many cases DNA cross-linking drugs, induces premature progeroid frailty in long-term survivors; (ii) that ICL-inducing 8-methoxy-psoralen/UVA phototherapy leads to signs of premature skin aging as prominent long-term side effect and (iii) that mutated factors involved in ICL repair like ERCC1/XPF, the Fanconi anaemia proteins, WRN and SNEV lead to reduced replicative life span in vitro and segmental progeroid syndromes in vivo. However, since ICL-inducing drugs cause damage different from ICL and since all currently known ICL repair factors work in more than one pathway, further work will be needed to dissect the actual contribution of ICL damage to aging.

Human premature aging, DNA repair and RecQ helicases

Genomic instability leads to mutations, cellular dysfunction and aberrant phenotypes at the tissue and organism levels. A number of mechanisms have evolved to cope with endogenous or exogenous stress to prevent chromosomal instability and maintain cellular homeostasis. DNA helicases play important roles in the DNA damage response. The RecQ family of DNA helicases is of particular interest since several human RecQ helicases are defective in diseases associated with premature aging and cancer. In this review, we will provide an update on our understanding of the specific roles of human RecQ helicases in the maintenance of genomic stability through their catalytic activities and protein interactions in various pathways of cellular nucleic acid metabolism with an emphasis on DNA replication and repair. We will also discuss the clinical features of the premature aging disorders associated with RecQ helicase deficiencies and how they relate to the molecular defects.

RECQL5/Recql5 helicase regulates homologous recombination and suppresses tumor formation via disruption of Rad51 presynaptic filaments

Members of the RecQ helicase family play critical roles in genome maintenance. There are five RecQ homologs in mammals, and defects in three of these (BLM, WRN, and RECQL4) give rise to cancer predisposition syndromes in humans. RECQL and RECQL5 have not been associated with a human disease. Here we show that deletion of Recql5 in mice results in cancer susceptibility. Recql5-deficient cells exhibit elevated frequencies of spontaneous DNA double-strand breaks and homologous recombination (HR) as scored using a reporter that harbors a direct repeat, and are prone to gross chromosomal rearrangements in response to replication stress. To understand how RECQL5 regulates HR, we use purified proteins to demonstrate that human RECQL5 binds the Rad51 recombinase and inhibits Rad51-mediated D-loop formation. By biochemical means and electron microscopy, we show that RECQL5 displaces Rad51 from single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) in a reaction that requires ATP hydrolysis and RPA. Together, our results identify RECQL5 as an important tumor suppressor that may act by preventing inappropriate HR events via Rad51 presynaptic filament disruption.