Comparison of clastogen-induced gene expression profiles in wild-type and DNA repair-deficient Rad54/Rad54B cells

Rad54B serves as a scaffold in the DNA damage response that limits checkpoint strength

The strength of the DNA damage checkpoint critically influences cell fate, yet the mechanisms behind the fine tuning of checkpoint strength during the DNA damage response (DDR) are poorly understood. Here we show that Rad54B--a SNF2 helicase-like DNA-repair protein--limits the strength of both the G1/S and G2/M checkpoints. We find that Rad54B functions as a scaffold for p53 degradation via its direct interaction with the MDM2-MDMX ubiquitin-ligase complex. During the early phases of the DDR, Rad54B is upregulated, thereby maintaining low checkpoint strength and facilitating cell cycle progression. Once the p53-mediated checkpoint is established, Rad54B is downregulated, and high checkpoint strength is maintained. Constitutive upregulation of Rad54B activity, which is frequently observed in tumours, promotes genomic instability because of checkpoint override. Thus, the scaffolding function of Rad54B dynamically regulates the maintenance of genome integrity by limiting checkpoint strength.

Sulforaphane mitigates genotoxicity induced by radiation and anticancer drugs in human lymphocytes

Sulforaphane, present in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, is a dietary anticancer agent. Sulforaphane, added 2 or 20 h following phytohemaglutinin stimulation to cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes of individuals accidentally exposed to mixed γ and β-radiation, reduced the micronucleus frequency by up to 70%. Studies with whole blood cultures obtained from healthy volunteers confirmed the ability of sulforaphane to ameliorate γ-radiation-induced genotoxicity and to reduce micronucleus induction by other DNA-damaging anticancer agents, such as bleomycin and doxorubicin. This reduction in genotoxicity in lymphocytes treated at the G(0) or G(1) stage suggests a role for sulforaphane in modulating DNA repair. Sulforaphane also countered the radiation-induced increase in lymphocyte HDAC activity, to control levels, when cells were treated 2 h after exposure, and enhanced histone H4 acetylation status. Sulforaphane post-irradiation treatment enhanced the CD 34(+)Lin(-) cell population in culture. Sulforaphane has therapeutic potential for management of the late effects of radiation.

The stress response resolution assay. I. Quantitative assessment of environmental agent/condition effects on cellular stress resolution outcomes in epithelium

The events or factors that lead from normal cell function to conditions and diseases such as aging or cancer reflect complex interactions between cells and their environment. Cellular stress responses, a group of processes involved in homeostasis and adaptation to environmental change, contribute to cell survival under stress and can be resolved with damage avoidance or damage tolerance outcomes. To investigate the impact of environmental agents/conditions upon cellular stress response outcomes in epithelium, a novel quantitative assay, the "stress response resolution" (SRR) assay, was developed. The SRR assay consists of pretreatment with a test agent or vehicle followed later by a calibrated stress conditions exposure step (here, using 6-thioguanine). Pilot studies conducted with a spontaneously-immortalized murine mammary epithelial cell line pretreated with vehicle or 20 µg N-ethyl-N-nitrososurea/ml medium for 1 hr, or two hTERT-immortalized human bronchial epithelial cell lines pretreated with vehicle or 100 µM zidovudine/lamivudine for 12 days, found minimal alterations in cell morphology, survival, or cell function through 2 weeks post-exposure. However, when these pretreatments were followed 2 weeks later by exposure to calibrated stress conditions of limited duration (for 4 days), significant alterations in stress resolution were observed in pretreated cells compared with vehicle-treated control cells, with decreased damage avoidance survival outcomes in all cell lines and increased damage tolerance outcomes in two of three cell lines. These pilot study results suggest that sub-cytotoxic pretreatments with chemical mutagens have long-term adverse impact upon the ability of cells to resolve subsequent exposure to environmental stressors.

Revisiting the sequencing of the first tree genome: Populus trichocarpa

Ten years ago, it was announced that the Joint Genome Institute with funds provided by the Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research would sequence the black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray) genome. This landmark decision was the culmination of work by the forest science community to develop Populus as a model system. Since its public release in late 2006, the availability of the Populus genome has spawned research in plant biology, morphology, genetics and ecology. Here we address how the tree physiologist has used this resource. More specifically, we revisit our earlier contention that the rewards of sequencing the Populus genome would depend on how quickly scientists working with woody perennials could adopt molecular approaches to investigate the mechanistic underpinnings of basic physiological processes. Several examples illustrate the integration of functional and comparative genomics into the forest sciences, especially in areas that target improved understanding of the developmental differences between woody perennials and herbaceous annuals (e.g., phase transitions). Sequencing the Populus genome and the availability of genetic and genomic resources has also been instrumental in identifying candidate genes that underlie physiological and morphological traits of interest. Genome-enabled research has advanced our understanding of how phenotype and genotype are related and provided insights into the genetic mechanisms whereby woody perennials adapt to environmental stress. In the future, we anticipate that low-cost, high-throughput sequencing will continue to facilitate research in tree physiology and enhance our understanding at scales of individual organisms and populations. A challenge remains, however, as to how genomic resources, including the Populus genome, can be used to understand ecosystem function. Although examples are limited, progress in this area is encouraging and will undoubtedly improve as future research targets the many unique aspects of Populus as a keystone species in terrestrial ecosystems.