Restoration of G1 chemo/radioresistance and double-strand-break repair proficiency by wild-type but not endonuclease-deficient Artemis

Artemis and its role in cancer

Artemis is a key nuclease involved in the non-homologous end joining repair pathway upon DNA double-stranded breaks and during V(D)J recombination. It participates in various cellular processes and cooperates with various proteins involved in tumorigenesis. Its hereditary mutations lead to several pathological conditions, such as severe combined immunodeficiency with radiation sensitivity. Recent studies suggest that Artemis deregulation plays an important role in cancer and is associated with poorer oncologic outcomes and resistance to treatment including radiotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapeutics. Artemis emerges as an attractive candidate for cancer prognosis and treatment. Its role in modulating sensitivity to ionizing radiation and DNA-damaging agents makes it an appealing target for drug development. Various existing drugs and novel compounds have been described to inhibit Artemis activity. This review synthesizes the up-to-date information regarding Artemis function, its role in different malignancies and its clinical utility as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in Oncology.

Modeling the interplay between DNA-PK, Artemis, and ATM in non-homologous end-joining repair in G1 phase of the cell cycle

Modeling a biological process equips us with more comprehensive insight into the process and a more advantageous experimental design. Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is a major double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway that occurs throughout the cell cycle. The objective of the current work is to model the fast and slow phases of NHEJ in G1 phase of the cell cycle following exposure to ionizing radiation (IR). The fast phase contains the major components of NHEJ; Ku70/80 complex, DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs), and XLF/XRCC4/ligase IV complex (XXL). The slow phase in G1 phase of the cell cycle is associated with more complex lesions and involves ATM and Artemis proteins in addition to the major components. Parameters are mainly obtained from experimental data. The model is successful in predicting the kinetics of DSB foci in 13 normal, ATM-deficient, and Artemis-deficient mammalian fibroblast cell lines in G1 phase of the cell cycle after exposure to low doses of IR. The involvement of ATM provides the model with the potency to be connected to different signaling pathways. Ku70/80 concentration and DNA-binding rate as well as XXL concentration and enzymatic activity are introduced as the best targets for affecting NHEJ DSB repair process. On the basis of the current model, decreasing concentration and DNA binding rate of DNA-PKcs is more effective than inhibiting its activity towards the Artemis protein.

Silencing Artemis Enhances Colorectal Cancer Cell Sensitivity to DNA-Damaging Agents

Artemis is a key protein of NHEJ (nonhomologous end joining), which is the major pathway for the repair of IR-induced DSBs in mammalian cells. However, the expression of Artemis in tumors and the influence of silencing Artemis on tumor sensitivity to radiation have not been investigated fully. In this study, we investigated how the expression levels of Artemis may affect the treatment outcome of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in colorectal cancer cells. First, we found that the expression of Artemis is strong in some human rectal cancer samples, being higher than in adjacent normal tissues using immunohistochemical staining. We then knocked down Artemis gene in a human colorectal cancer cell line (RKO) using lentivirus-mediated siRNAs. Compared to the control RKO cells, the Artemis knockdown cells showed significantly increased sensitivity to bleomycin, etoposide, camptothecin, and IR. Induced by DNA-damaging agents, delayed DNA repair kinetics was found by the γ-H2AX foci assay, and a significantly increased cell apoptosis occurred in the Artemis knockdown RKO cells through apoptosis detection methods and Western blot. We also found that the p53/p21 signaling pathway may be involved in the apoptosis process. Taken together, our study indicates that manipulating Artemis can enhance colorectal cancer cell sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. Therefore, Artemis can serve as a therapeutic target in rectal cancer therapy.

TDP1 suppresses mis-joining of radiomimetic DNA double-strand breaks and cooperates with Artemis to promote optimal nonhomologous end joining

The Artemis nuclease and tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase (TDP1) are each capable of resolving protruding 3'-phosphoglycolate (PG) termini of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Consequently, both a knockout of Artemis and a knockout/knockdown of TDP1 rendered cells sensitive to the radiomimetic agent neocarzinostatin (NCS), which induces 3'-PG-terminated DSBs. Unexpectedly, however, a knockdown or knockout of TDP1 in Artemis-null cells did not confer any greater sensitivity than either deficiency alone, indicating a strict epistasis between TDP1 and Artemis. Moreover, a deficiency in Artemis, but not TDP1, resulted in a fraction of unrepaired DSBs, which were assessed as 53BP1 foci. Conversely, a deficiency in TDP1, but not Artemis, resulted in a dramatic increase in dicentric chromosomes following NCS treatment. An inhibitor of DNA-dependent protein kinase, a key regulator of the classical nonhomologous end joining (C-NHEJ) pathway sensitized cells to NCS, but eliminated the sensitizing effects of both TDP1 and Artemis deficiencies. These results suggest that TDP1 and Artemis perform different functions in the repair of terminally blocked DSBs by the C-NHEJ pathway, and that whereas an Artemis deficiency prevents end joining of some DSBs, a TDP1 deficiency tends to promote DSB mis-joining.

The Interaction of the Metallo-Glycopeptide Anti-Tumour Drug Bleomycin with DNA

The cancer chemotherapeutic drug, bleomycin, is clinically used to treat several neoplasms including testicular and ovarian cancers. Bleomycin is a metallo-glycopeptide antibiotic that requires a transition metal ion, usually Fe(II), for activity. In this review, the properties of bleomycin are examined, especially the interaction of bleomycin with DNA. A Fe(II)-bleomycin complex is capable of DNA cleavage and this process is thought to be the major determinant for the cytotoxicity of bleomycin. The DNA sequence specificity of bleomycin cleavage is found to at 5′-GT* and 5′-GC* dinucleotides (where * indicates the cleaved nucleotide). Using next-generation DNA sequencing, over 200 million double-strand breaks were analysed, and an expanded bleomycin sequence specificity was found to be 5′-RTGT*AY (where R is G or A and Y is T or C) in cellular DNA and 5′-TGT*AT in purified DNA. The different environment of cellular DNA compared to purified DNA was proposed to be responsible for the difference. A number of bleomycin analogues have been examined and their interaction with DNA is also discussed. In particular, the production of bleomycin analogues via genetic manipulation of the modular non-ribosomal peptide synthetases and polyketide synthases in the bleomycin gene cluster is reviewed. The prospects for the synthesis of bleomycin analogues with increased effectiveness as cancer chemotherapeutic agents is also explored.

Structure-Specific nuclease activities of Artemis and the Artemis: DNA-PKcs complex

Artemis is a vertebrate nuclease with both endo- and exonuclease activities that acts on a wide range of nucleic acid substrates. It is the main nuclease in the non-homologous DNA end-joining pathway (NHEJ). Not only is Artemis important for the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in NHEJ, it is essential in opening the DNA hairpin intermediates that are formed during V(D)J recombination. Thus, humans with Artemis deficiencies do not have T- or B-lymphocytes and are diagnosed with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). While Artemis is the only vertebrate nuclease capable of opening DNA hairpins, it has also been found to act on other DNA substrates that share common structural features. Here, we discuss the key structural features that all Artemis DNA substrates have in common, thus providing a basis for understanding how this structure-specific nuclease recognizes its DNA targets.

End-processing nucleases and phosphodiesterases: An elite supporting cast for the non-homologous end joining pathway of DNA double-strand break repair

Nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) is an error-prone DNA double-strand break repair pathway that is active throughout the cell cycle. A substantial fraction of NHEJ repair events show deletions and, less often, insertions in the repair joints, suggesting an end-processing step comprising the removal of mismatched or damaged nucleotides by nucleases and other phosphodiesterases, as well as subsequent strand extension by polymerases. A wide range of nucleases, including Artemis, Metnase, APLF, Mre11, CtIP, APE1, APE2 and WRN, are biochemically competent to carry out such double-strand break end processing, and have been implicated in NHEJ by at least circumstantial evidence. Several additional DNA end-specific phosphodiesterases, including TDP1, TDP2 and aprataxin are available to resolve various non-nucleotide moieties at DSB ends. This review summarizes the biochemical specificities of these enzymes and the evidence for their participation in the NHEJ pathway.

Effects of hyperthermia on DNA repair pathways: one treatment to inhibit them all

The currently available arsenal of anticancer modalities includes many DNA damaging agents that can kill malignant cells. However, efficient DNA repair mechanisms protect both healthy and cancer cells against the effects of treatment and contribute to the development of drug resistance. Therefore, anti-cancer treatments based on inflicting DNA damage can benefit from inhibition of DNA repair. Hyperthermia – treatment at elevated temperature – considerably affects DNA repair, among other cellular processes, and can thus sensitize (cancer) cells to DNA damaging agents. This effect has been known and clinically applied for many decades, but how heat inhibits DNA repair and which pathways are targeted has not been fully elucidated. In this review we attempt to summarize the known effects of hyperthermia on DNA repair pathways relevant in clinical treatment of cancer. Furthermore, we outline the relationships between the effects of heat on DNA repair and sensitization of cells to various DNA damaging agents.

Persistent γH2AX: A promising molecular marker of DNA damage and aging

One of the earliest cellular responses to DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) is the phosphorylation of the core histone protein H2AX (termed γH2AX). Persistent γH2AX is the level of γH2AX above baseline, measured at a given time-point beyond which DNA DSBs are normally expected to be repaired (usually persist for days to months). This review summarizes the concept of persistent γH2AX in the context of exogenous source induced DNA DSBs (e.g. ionizing radiation (IR), chemotherapeutic drugs, genotoxic agents), and endogenous γH2AX levels in normal aging and accelerated aging disorders. Summary of the current literature demonstrates the following (i) γH2AX persistence is a common phenomenon that occurs in humans and animals; (ii) nuclei retain persistent γH2AX foci for up to several months after IR exposure, allowing for retrospective biodosimetry; (iii) the combination of various radiosensitizing drugs with ionizing radiation exposure leads to persistent γH2AX response, thus enabling the potential for monitoring cancer patients' response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well as tailoring cancer treatments; (iv) persistent γH2AX accumulates in telomeric DNA and in cells undergoing cellular senescence; and (v) increased endogenous γH2AX levels may be associated with diseases of accelerated aging. In summary, measurement of persistent γH2AX could potentially be used as a marker of radiation biodosimetry, evaluating sensitivity to therapeutic genotoxins and radiotherapy, and exploring the association of unrepaired DNA DSBs on telomeres with diseases of accelerated aging.

PARP-2 depletion results in lower radiation cell survival but cell line-specific differences in poly(ADP-ribose) levels

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-2 (PARP-2) activity contributes to a cells' poly(ADP-ribosyl)ating potential and like PARP-1, has been implicated in several DNA repair pathways including base excision repair and DNA single strand break repair. Here the consequences of its stable depletion in HeLa, U20S, and AS3WT2 cells were examined. All three PARP-2 depleted models showed increased sensitivity to the cell killing effects on ionizing radiation as reported in PARP-2 depleted mouse embryonic fibroblasts providing further evidence for a role in DNA strand break repair. The PARP-2 depleted HeLa cells also showed both higher constitutive and DNA damage-induced levels of polymers of ADP-ribose (PAR) associated with unchanged PARP-1 protein levels, but higher PARP activity and a concomitant lower PARG protein levels and activity. These changes were accompanied by a reduced maximal recruitment of PARP-1, XRCC1, PCNA, and PARG to DNA damage sites. This PAR-associated phenotype could be reversed in HeLa cells on re-expression of PARP-2 and was not seen in U20S and AS3WT2 cells. These results highlight the complexity of the relationship between different members of the PARP family on PAR metabolism and suggest that cell model dependent phenotypes associated with the absence of PARP-2 exist within a common background of radiation sensitivity.

Involvement of the Artemis protein in the relative biological efficiency observed with the 76-MeV proton beam used at the Institut Curie Proton Therapy Center in Orsay

PURPOSE

Previously we showed that the relative biological efficiency for induced cell killing by the 76-MeV beam used at the Institut Curie Proton Therapy Center in Orsay increased with depth throughout the spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP). To investigate the repair pathways underlying this increase, we used an isogenic human cell model in which individual DNA repair proteins have been depleted, and techniques dedicated to precise measurements of radiation-induced DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs) and double-strand breaks (DSBs).

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The 3-Gy surviving fractions of HeLa cells individually depleted of Ogg1, XRCC1, and PARP1 (the base excision repair/SSB repair pathway) or of ATM, DNA-PKcs, XRCC4, and Artemis (nonhomologous end-joining pathway) were determined at the 3 positions previously defined in the SOBP. Quantification of incident SSBs and DSBs by the alkaline elution technique and 3-dimensional (3D) immunofluorescence of γ-H2AX foci, respectively, was performed in SQ20 B cells.

RESULTS

We showed that the amount of SSBs and DSBs depends directly on the particle fluence and that the increase in relative biological efficiency observed in the distal part of the SOBP is due to a subset of lesions generated under these conditions, leading to cell death via a pathway in which the Artemis protein plays a central role.

CONCLUSIONS

Because therapies like proton or carbon beams are now being used to treat cancer, it is even more important to dissect the mechanisms implicated in the repair of the lesions generated by these particles. Additionally, alteration of the expression or activity of the Artemis protein could be a novel therapeutic tool before high linear energy transfer irradiation treatment.

Involvement of p53 in the repair of DNA double strand breaks: multifaceted Roles of p53 in homologous recombination repair (HRR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ)

p53 is a tumor suppressor protein that prevents oncogenic transformation and maintains genomic stability by blocking proliferation of cells harboring unrepaired or misrepaired DNA. A wide range of genotoxic stresses such as DNA damaging anti-cancer drugs and ionizing radiation promote nuclear accumulation of p53 and trigger its ability to activate or repress a number of downstream target genes involved in various signaling pathways. This cascade leads to the activation of multiple cell cycle checkpoints and subsequent cell cycle arrest, allowing the cells to either repair the DNA or undergo apoptosis, depending on the intensity of DNA damage. In addition, p53 has many transcription-independent functions, including modulatory roles in DNA repair and recombination. This chapter will focus on the role of p53 in regulating or influencing the repair of DNA double-strand breaks that mainly includes homologous recombination repair (HRR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). Through this discussion, we will try to establish that p53 acts as an important linchpin between upstream DNA damage signaling cues and downstream cellular events that include repair, recombination, and apoptosis.

Trimming of damaged 3' overhangs of DNA double-strand breaks by the Metnase and Artemis endonucleases

Both Metnase and Artemis possess endonuclease activities that trim 3' overhangs of duplex DNA. To assess the potential of these enzymes for facilitating resolution of damaged ends during double-strand break rejoining, substrates bearing a variety of normal and structurally modified 3' overhangs were constructed, and treated either with Metnase or with Artemis plus DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK). Unlike Artemis, which trims long overhangs to 4-5 bases, cleavage by Metnase was more evenly distributed over the length of the overhang, but with significant sequence dependence. In many substrates, Metnase also induced marked cleavage in the double-stranded region within a few bases of the overhang. Like Artemis, Metnase efficiently trimmed overhangs terminated in 3'-phosphoglycolates (PGs), and in some cases the presence of 3'-PG stimulated cleavage and altered its specificity. The nonplanar base thymine glycol in a 3' overhang severely inhibited cleavage by Metnase in the vicinity of the modified base, while Artemis was less affected. Nevertheless, thymine glycol moieties could be removed by Metnase- or Artemis-mediated cleavage at sites farther from the terminus than the lesion itself. In in vitro end-joining systems based on human cell extracts, addition of Artemis, but not Metnase, effected robust trimming of an unligatable 3'-PG overhang, resulting in a dramatic stimulation of ligase IV- and XLF-dependent end joining. Thus, while both Metnase and Artemis are biochemically capable of resolving a variety of damaged DNA ends for the repair of complex double-strand breaks, Artemis appears to act more efficiently in the context of other nonhomologous end joining proteins.

Elevated expression of artemis in human fibroblast cells is associated with cellular radiosensitivity and increased apoptosis

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to determine the molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular radiosensitivity in two human fibroblast cell lines 84BR and 175BR derived from two cancer patients.

METHODS

Clonogenic assays were performed following exposure to increasing doses of gamma radiation to confirm radiosensitivity. γ-H2AX foci assays were used to determine the efficiency of DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair in cells. Quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) established the expression levels of key DNA DSB repair genes. Imaging flow cytometry using annexin V-FITC was used to compare artemis expression and apoptosis in cells.

RESULTS

Clonogenic cellular hypersensitivity in the 84BR and 175BR cell lines was associated with a defect in DNA DSB repair measured by the γ-H2AX foci assay. The Q-PCR analysis and imaging flow cytometry revealed a two-fold overexpression of the artemis DNA repair gene, which was associated with an increased level of apoptosis in the cells before and after radiation exposure. Overexpression of normal artemis protein in a normal immortalised fibroblast cell line NB1-Tert resulted in increased radiosensitivity and apoptosis.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that elevated expression of artemis is associated with higher levels of DNA DSB, radiosensitivity and elevated apoptosis in two radio-hypersensitive cell lines. These data reveal a potentially novel mechanism responsible for radiosensitivity and show that increased artemis expression in cells can result in either radiation resistance or enhanced sensitivity.

Artemis is required to improve the accuracy of repair of double-strand breaks with 5'-blocked termini generated from non-DSB-clustered lesions

Clustered DNA lesions are defined as ≥2 damage events within 20 bp. Oxidised bases, abasic (AP) sites, single-strand breaks and double-strand breaks (DSBs) exist in radiation-induced clusters, and these lesions are more difficult to repair and can be more mutagenic than single lesions. Understanding clustered lesion repair is therefore important for the design of complementary treatments to enhance radiotherapy. Non-DSB-clustered lesions consisting of opposing AP sites can be converted to DSBs by base excision repair, and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) plays a role in repairing these DSBs. Artemis is an endonuclease that removes blocking groups from DSB termini during NHEJ. Hence, we hypothesised that Artemis plays a role in the processing of DSBs or complex DSBs generated from non-DSB-clustered lesions. We examined the repair of clusters containing two or three lesions in wild-type (WT) or Artemis-deficient (ART(-/-)) mouse fibroblasts using a reporter plasmid. Each cluster contained two opposing tetrahydrofurans (an AP site analogue), which AP endonuclease can convert to a DSB with blocked 5' termini. Loss of Artemis did not decrease plasmid survival, but did result in more mutagenic repair with plasmids containing larger deletions. This increase in deletions did not occur with ClaI-linearised plasmid. Since Mre11 has been implicated in deletional NHEJ, we used small interfering RNA to reduce Mre11 in WT and ART(-/-) cells, but decreasing Mre11 did not change the size of deletions in the repair products. This work implicates Artemis in limiting the deletions introduced during repair of 5'-blocked termini DSBs generated from non-DSB-clustered lesions. Decreasing repair accuracy without decreasing repair capacity could result in mutated cells surviving irradiation. Inhibiting Artemis in normal cells could promote carcinogenesis, while in tumour cells enhanced mutagenic repair following irradiation could promote tumour recurrence.

Processing of damaged DNA ends for double-strand break repair in mammalian cells

Most DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs)formed in a natural environment have chemical modifications at or near the ends that preclude direct religation and require removal or other processing so that rejoining can proceed. Free radical-mediated DSBs typically bear unligatable 3'-phosphate or 3'-phosphoglycolate termini and often have oxidized bases and/or abasic sites near the break. Topoisomerase-mediated DSBs are blocked by covalently bound peptide fragments of the topoisomerase. Enzymes capable of resolving damaged ends include polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase, which restores missing 5'-phosphates and removes 3'-phosphates; tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterases I and II (TDP1 and TDP2), which remove peptide fragments of topoisomerases I and II, respectively, and the Artemis and Metnase endonucleases, which can trim damaged overhangs of diverse structure. TDP1 as well as APE1 can remove 3'-phosphoglycolates and other 3' blocks, while CtIP appears to provide an alternative pathway for topoisomerase II fragment removal. Ku, a core DSB joining protein, can cleave abasic sites near DNA ends. The downstream processes of patching and ligation are tolerant of residual damage, and can sometimes proceed without complete damage removal. Despite these redundant pathways for resolution, damaged ends appear to be a significant barrier to rejoining, and their resolution may be a rate-limiting step in repair of some DSBs..