1
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Gadgil RY, Rider SD, Shrestha R, Alhawach V, Hitch D, Leffak M. Microsatellite break-induced replication generates highly mutagenized extrachromosomal circular DNAs. NAR Cancer 2024; 6:zcae027. [PMID: 38854437 PMCID: PMC11161834 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcae027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Extrachromosomal circular DNAs (eccDNAs) are produced from all regions of the eucaryotic genome. We used inverse PCR of non-B microsatellites capable of forming hairpin, triplex, quadruplex and AT-rich structures integrated at a common ectopic chromosomal site to show that these non-B DNAs generate highly mutagenized eccDNAs by replication-dependent mechanisms. Mutagenesis occurs within the non-B DNAs and extends several kilobases bidirectionally into flanking and nonallelic DNA. Each non-B DNA exhibits a different pattern of mutagenesis, while sister clones containing the same non-B DNA also display distinct patterns of recombination, microhomology-mediated template switching and base substitutions. Mutations include mismatches, short duplications, long nontemplated insertions, large deletions and template switches to sister chromatids and nonallelic chromosomes. Drug-induced replication stress or the depletion of DNA repair factors Rad51, the COPS2 signalosome subunit or POLη change the pattern of template switching and alter the eccDNA mutagenic profiles. We propose an asynchronous capture model based on break-induced replication from microsatellite-induced DNA double strand breaks to account for the generation and circularization of mutagenized eccDNAs and the appearance of genomic homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) scars. These results may help to explain the appearance of tumor eccDNAS and their roles in neoantigen production, oncogenesis and resistance to chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rujuta Yashodhan Gadgil
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA
| | - S Dean Rider
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA
| | - Resha Shrestha
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA
| | - Venicia Alhawach
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA
| | - David C Hitch
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA
| | - Michael Leffak
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA
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2
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Zhang X, Joseph S, Wu D, Bowser JL, Vaziri C. The DNA Damage Response (DDR) landscape of endometrial cancer defines discrete disease subtypes and reveals therapeutic opportunities. NAR Cancer 2024; 6:zcae015. [PMID: 38596432 PMCID: PMC11000323 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcae015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Genome maintenance is an enabling characteristic that allows neoplastic cells to tolerate the inherent stresses of tumorigenesis and evade therapy-induced genotoxicity. Neoplastic cells also deploy many mis-expressed germ cell proteins termed Cancer Testes Antigens (CTAs) to promote genome maintenance and survival. Here, we present the first comprehensive characterization of the DNA Damage Response (DDR) and CTA transcriptional landscapes of endometrial cancer in relation to conventional histological and molecular subtypes. We show endometrial serous carcinoma (ESC), an aggressive endometrial cancer subtype, is defined by gene expression signatures comprising members of the Replication Fork Protection Complex (RFPC) and Fanconi Anemia (FA) pathway and CTAs with mitotic functions. DDR and CTA-based profiling also defines a subset of highly aggressive endometrioid endometrial carcinomas (EEC) with poor clinical outcomes that share similar profiles to ESC yet have distinct characteristics based on conventional histological and genomic features. Using an unbiased CRISPR-based genetic screen and a candidate gene approach, we confirm that DDR and CTA genes that constitute the ESC and related EEC gene signatures are required for proliferation and therapy-resistance of cultured endometrial cancer cells. Our study validates the use of DDR and CTA-based tumor classifiers and reveals new vulnerabilities of aggressive endometrial cancer where none currently exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingyuan Zhang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC - 27599, USA
| | - Sayali Joseph
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC - 27599, USA
| | - Di Wu
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, NC - 27599, USA
| | - Jessica L Bowser
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC - 27599, USA
- UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC - 27599, USA
| | - Cyrus Vaziri
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC - 27599, USA
- UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC - 27599, USA
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3
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Stroik S, Luthman AJ, Ramsden DA. Templated insertions-DNA repair gets acrobatic. ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS 2024; 65 Suppl 1:82-89. [PMID: 37438951 PMCID: PMC10962320 DOI: 10.1002/em.22564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Deletions associated with the repair of DNA double-strand breaks is a source of genetic alternation and a recognized source of disease-causing mutagenesis. Theta-mediated end joining is a DNA repair mechanism, which guarantees deletions by its employment of microhomology (MH) alignment to facilitate end joining. A lesser-characterized templated insertion ability of this pathway, on the other hand, is associated with both deletion and insertion. This mechanism is characterized by at least one round of polymerase θ-mediated synthesis, which does not result in successful repair, followed by a subsequent round of polymerase engagement and synthesis that does lead to repair. Here we focus on the mechanisms by which polymerase θ introduces these insertions-direct, inverse, and a new class which we have termed strand switching. We observe this new class of templated insertions at multiple loci and across multiple species, often at a comparable frequency to those previously characterized. Templated insertion mutations are often enriched in cancer genomes and repeat expansion disorders. This repair mechanism thus contributes to disease-associated mutagenesis, and may plausibly even promote disease. Characterization of the types of polymerase θ-dependent insertions can provide new insight into these diseases and clinical promise for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Stroik
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Adam J. Luthman
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC, USA
| | - Dale A. Ramsden
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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4
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Ma L, Chen W, Yang M, Ha S, Xiong S, Zhu J, Xiang H, Luo G. Discovery and Proof of Concept of Potent Dual Polθ/PARP Inhibitors for Efficient Treatment of Homologous Recombination-Deficient Tumors. J Med Chem 2024; 67:3606-3625. [PMID: 38375763 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
DNA polymerase theta (Polθ) has recently emerged as a new attractive synthetic lethal target involved in DNA damage repair. Inactivating Polθ alone or in combination with PARP inhibitors has demonstrated substantial therapeutic potential against tumors with homologous recombination (HR) defects such as alternation of BRCA genes. Herein, we report the design and proof of concept of a highly potent dual Polθ/PARP inhibitor 25d, which exhibited low nanomolar inhibitory activities against both Polθ and PARP1. Compared to combination treatment, 25d demonstrated superior antitumor efficacy in both MDA-MB-436 cells and xenografts by inducing more DNA damage and apoptosis. Importantly, 25d retained sensitivity in PARP inhibitor-resistant MDA-MB-436 cells with 53BP1 defect. Altogether, these findings illustrate the potential advantages of 25d, a first-in-class dual Polθ/PARP inhibitor, over monotherapy in treating HR-deficient tumors, including those with acquired PARP inhibitor resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luyu Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China
| | - Wei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China
| | - Ming Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China
| | - Si Ha
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China
| | - Shuangshuang Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China
| | - Jiacheng Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China
| | - Hua Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China
| | - Guoshun Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China
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5
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Kamoen L, Kralemann LEM, van Schendel R, van Tol N, Hooykaas PJJ, de Pater S, Tijsterman M. Genetic dissection of mutagenic repair and T-DNA capture at CRISPR-induced DNA breaks in Arabidopsis thaliana. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae094. [PMID: 38463035 PMCID: PMC10923293 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
A practical and powerful approach for genome editing in plants is delivery of CRISPR reagents via Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation. The double-strand break (DSB)-inducing enzyme is expressed from a transferred segment of bacterial DNA, the T-DNA, which upon transformation integrates at random locations into the host genome or is captured at the self-inflicted DSB site. To develop efficient strategies for precise genome editing, it is thus important to define the mechanisms that repair CRISPR-induced DSBs, as well as those that govern random and targeted integration of T-DNA. In this study, we present a detailed and comprehensive genetic analysis of Cas9-induced DSB repair and T-DNA capture in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that classical nonhomologous end joining (cNHEJ) and polymerase theta-mediated end joining (TMEJ) are both, and in part redundantly, acting on CRISPR-induced DSBs to produce very different mutational outcomes. We used newly developed CISGUIDE technology to establish that 8% of mutant alleles have captured T-DNA at the induced break site. In addition, we find T-DNA shards within genomic DSB repair sites indicative of frequent temporary interactions during TMEJ. Analysis of thousands of plant genome-T-DNA junctions, followed up by genetic dissection, further reveals that TMEJ is responsible for attaching the 3' end of T-DNA to a CRISPR-induced DSB, while the 5' end can be attached via TMEJ as well as cNHEJ. By identifying the mechanisms that act to connect recombinogenic ends of DNA molecules at chromosomal breaks, and quantifying their contributions, our study supports the development of tailor-made strategies toward predictable engineering of crop plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lycka Kamoen
- Department of Plant Sciences, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden 2333 BE, The Netherlands
| | - Lejon E M Kralemann
- Department of Plant Sciences, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden 2333 BE, The Netherlands
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden 2300 RC, The Netherlands
| | - Robin van Schendel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden 2300 RC, The Netherlands
| | - Niels van Tol
- Department of Plant Sciences, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden 2333 BE, The Netherlands
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden 2300 RC, The Netherlands
| | - Paul J J Hooykaas
- Department of Plant Sciences, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden 2333 BE, The Netherlands
| | - Sylvia de Pater
- Department of Plant Sciences, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden 2333 BE, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Tijsterman
- Department of Plant Sciences, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden 2333 BE, The Netherlands
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden 2300 RC, The Netherlands
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6
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Gadgil RY, Rider SD, Shrestha R, Alhawach V, Hitch DC, Leffak M. Microsatellite break-induced replication generates highly mutagenized extrachromosomal circular DNAs. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.12.575055. [PMID: 38260482 PMCID: PMC10802558 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.12.575055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Extrachromosomal circular DNAs (eccDNAs) are produced from all regions of the eucaryotic genome. In tumors, highly transcribed eccDNAs have been implicated in oncogenesis, neoantigen production and resistance to chemotherapy. Here we show that unstable microsatellites capable of forming hairpin, triplex, quadruplex and AT-rich structures generate eccDNAs when integrated at a common ectopic site in human cells. These non-B DNA prone microsatellites form eccDNAs by replication-dependent mechanisms. The microsatellite-based eccDNAs are highly mutagenized and display template switches to sister chromatids and to nonallelic chromosomal sites. High frequency mutagenesis occurs within the eccDNA microsatellites and extends bidirectionally for several kilobases into flanking DNA and nonallelic DNA. Mutations include mismatches, short duplications, longer nontemplated insertions and large deletions. Template switching leads to recurrent deletions and recombination domains within the eccDNAs. Template switching events are microhomology-mediated, but do not occur at all potential sites of complementarity. Each microsatellite exhibits a distinct pattern of recombination, microhomology choice and base substitution signature. Depletion of Rad51, the COPS2 signalosome subunit or POLη alter the eccDNA mutagenic profiles. We propose an asynchronous capture model based on break-induced replication from microsatellite-induced DNA breaks for the generation and circularization of mutagenized eccDNAs and genomic homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) scars.
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7
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Zhang X, Joseph S, Wu D, Bowser JL, Vaziri C. The DNA Damage Response (DDR) landscape of endometrial cancer defines discrete disease subtypes and reveals therapeutic opportunities. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.20.567919. [PMID: 38045328 PMCID: PMC10690150 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.20.567919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Genome maintenance is an enabling characteristic that allows neoplastic cells to tolerate the inherent stresses of tumorigenesis and evade therapy-induced genotoxicity. Neoplastic cells also deploy mis-expressed germ cell proteins termed Cancer Testes Antigens (CTAs) to promote genome maintenance and survival. Here, we present the first comprehensive characterization of the DNA Damage Response (DDR) and CTA transcriptional landscapes of endometrial cancer in relation to conventional histological and molecular subtypes. We show endometrial serous carcinoma (ESC), an aggressive endometrial cancer subtype, is defined by gene expression signatures comprising members of the Replication Fork Protection Complex (RFPC) and Fanconi Anemia (FA) pathway and CTAs with mitotic functions. DDR and CTA- based profiling also defines a subset of highly aggressive endometrioid endometrial carcinomas (EEC) with poor clinical outcomes that share similar profiles to ESC yet have distinct characteristics based on conventional histological and genomic features. Using an unbiased CRISPR-based genetic screen and a candidate gene approach, we confirm that DDR and CTA genes that constitute the ESC and related EEC gene signatures are required for proliferation and therapy-resistance of cultured endometrial cancer cells. Our study validates the use of DDR and CTA-based tumor classifiers and reveals new vulnerabilities of aggressive endometrial cancer where none currently exist.
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8
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Paniagua I, Jacobs JJL. Freedom to err: The expanding cellular functions of translesion DNA polymerases. Mol Cell 2023; 83:3608-3621. [PMID: 37625405 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases were originally described as error-prone enzymes involved in the bypass of DNA lesions. However, extensive research over the past few decades has revealed that these enzymes play pivotal roles not only in lesion bypass, but also in a myriad of other cellular processes. Such processes include DNA replication, DNA repair, epigenetics, immune signaling, and even viral infection. This review discusses the wide range of functions exhibited by TLS polymerases, including their underlying biochemical mechanisms and associated mutagenicity. Given their multitasking ability to alleviate replication stress, TLS polymerases represent a cellular dependency and a critical vulnerability of cancer cells. Hence, this review also highlights current and emerging strategies for targeting TLS polymerases in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inés Paniagua
- Division of Oncogenomics, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jacqueline J L Jacobs
- Division of Oncogenomics, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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9
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Vekariya U, Toma M, Nieborowska-Skorska M, Le BV, Caron MC, Kukuyan AM, Sullivan-Reed K, Podszywalow-Bartnicka P, Chitrala KN, Atkins J, Drzewiecka M, Feng W, Chan J, Chatla S, Golovine K, Jelinek J, Sliwinski T, Ghosh J, Matlawska-Wasowska K, Chandramouly G, Nejati R, Wasik M, Sykes SM, Piwocka K, Hadzijusufovic E, Valent P, Pomerantz RT, Morton G, Childers W, Zhao H, Paietta EM, Levine RL, Tallman MS, Fernandez HF, Litzow MR, Gupta GP, Masson JY, Skorski T. DNA polymerase θ protects leukemia cells from metabolically induced DNA damage. Blood 2023; 141:2372-2389. [PMID: 36580665 PMCID: PMC10273171 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2022018428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Leukemia cells accumulate DNA damage, but altered DNA repair mechanisms protect them from apoptosis. We showed here that formaldehyde generated by serine/1-carbon cycle metabolism contributed to the accumulation of toxic DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) in leukemia cells, especially in driver clones harboring oncogenic tyrosine kinases (OTKs: FLT3(internal tandem duplication [ITD]), JAK2(V617F), BCR-ABL1). To counteract this effect, OTKs enhanced the expression of DNA polymerase theta (POLθ) via ERK1/2 serine/threonine kinase-dependent inhibition of c-CBL E3 ligase-mediated ubiquitination of POLθ and its proteasomal degradation. Overexpression of POLθ in OTK-positive cells resulted in the efficient repair of DPC-containing DNA double-strand breaks by POLθ-mediated end-joining. The transforming activities of OTKs and other leukemia-inducing oncogenes, especially of those causing the inhibition of BRCA1/2-mediated homologous recombination with and without concomitant inhibition of DNA-PK-dependent nonhomologous end-joining, was abrogated in Polq-/- murine bone marrow cells. Genetic and pharmacological targeting of POLθ polymerase and helicase activities revealed that both activities are promising targets in leukemia cells. Moreover, OTK inhibitors or DPC-inducing drug etoposide enhanced the antileukemia effect of POLθ inhibitor in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, we demonstrated that POLθ plays an essential role in protecting leukemia cells from metabolically induced toxic DNA lesions triggered by formaldehyde, and it can be targeted to achieve a therapeutic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umeshkumar Vekariya
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Monika Toma
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Margaret Nieborowska-Skorska
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Bac Viet Le
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Marie-Christine Caron
- CHU de Québec Research Centre (Oncology Division) and Laval University Cancer Research Center, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Anna-Mariya Kukuyan
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Katherine Sullivan-Reed
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Kumaraswamy N. Chitrala
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Jessica Atkins
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Malgorzata Drzewiecka
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Wanjuan Feng
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Joe Chan
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Srinivas Chatla
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Konstantin Golovine
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Tomasz Sliwinski
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Jayashri Ghosh
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Gurushankar Chandramouly
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Reza Nejati
- Department of Pathology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Mariusz Wasik
- Department of Pathology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Stephen M. Sykes
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Katarzyna Piwocka
- Laboratory of Cytometry, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Emir Hadzijusufovic
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Hematology and Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Department of Internal Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department for Companion Animals & Horses, Clinic for Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Valent
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Hematology and Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Department of Internal Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard T. Pomerantz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - George Morton
- Moulder Center for Drug Discovery, Temple University School of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Wayne Childers
- Moulder Center for Drug Discovery, Temple University School of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Huaqing Zhao
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Elisabeth M. Paietta
- Department of Oncology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine-Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
| | - Ross L. Levine
- Center for Hematologic Malignancies, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Martin S. Tallman
- Center for Hematologic Malignancies, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Hugo F. Fernandez
- Moffitt Malignant Hematology & Cellular Therapy at Memorial Healthcare System, Pembroke Pines, FL
| | - Mark R. Litzow
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Gaorav P. Gupta
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Jean-Yves Masson
- CHU de Québec Research Centre (Oncology Division) and Laval University Cancer Research Center, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Tomasz Skorski
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
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10
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Fleury H, MacEachern MK, Stiefel CM, Anand R, Sempeck C, Nebenfuehr B, Maurer-Alcalá K, Ball K, Proctor B, Belan O, Taylor E, Ortega R, Dodd B, Weatherly L, Dansoko D, Leung JW, Boulton SJ, Arnoult N. The APE2 nuclease is essential for DNA double-strand break repair by microhomology-mediated end joining. Mol Cell 2023; 83:1429-1445.e8. [PMID: 37044098 PMCID: PMC10164096 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ) is an intrinsically mutagenic pathway of DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair essential for proliferation of homologous recombination (HR)-deficient tumors. Although targeting MMEJ has emerged as a powerful strategy to eliminate HR-deficient (HRD) cancers, this is limited by an incomplete understanding of the mechanism and factors required for MMEJ repair. Here, we identify the APE2 nuclease as an MMEJ effector. We show that loss of APE2 inhibits MMEJ at deprotected telomeres and at intra-chromosomal DSBs and is epistatic with Pol Theta for MMEJ activity. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that APE2 possesses intrinsic flap-cleaving activity, that its MMEJ function in cells depends on its nuclease activity, and further identify an uncharacterized domain required for its recruitment to DSBs. We conclude that this previously unappreciated role of APE2 in MMEJ contributes to the addiction of HRD cells to APE2, which could be exploited in the treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hubert Fleury
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Myles K MacEachern
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Clara M Stiefel
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Roopesh Anand
- DSB Repair Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Colin Sempeck
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Benjamin Nebenfuehr
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Kelper Maurer-Alcalá
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Kerri Ball
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Bruce Proctor
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Ondrej Belan
- DSB Repair Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Erin Taylor
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Raquel Ortega
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Benjamin Dodd
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Laila Weatherly
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Djelika Dansoko
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Justin W Leung
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Simon J Boulton
- DSB Repair Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK; Artios Pharma Ltd, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3FH, UK
| | - Nausica Arnoult
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
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11
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Yi G, Sung Y, Kim C, Ra JS, Hirakawa H, Kato T, Fujimori A, Kim H, Takata KI. DNA polymerase θ-mediated repair of high LET radiation-induced complex DNA double-strand breaks. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:2257-2269. [PMID: 36805268 PMCID: PMC10018357 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA polymerase θ (POLQ) is a unique DNA polymerase that is able to perform microhomology-mediated end-joining as well as translesion synthesis (TLS) across an abasic (AP) site and thymine glycol (Tg). However, the biological significance of the TLS activity is currently unknown. Herein we provide evidence that the TLS activity of POLQ plays a critical role in repairing complex DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induced by high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. Radiotherapy with high LET radiation such as carbon ions leads to more deleterious biological effects than corresponding doses of low LET radiation such as X-rays. High LET-induced DSBs are considered to be complex, carrying additional DNA damage such as AP site and Tg in close proximity to the DSB sites. However, it is not clearly understood how complex DSBs are processed in mammalian cells. We demonstrated that genetic disruption of POLQ results in an increase of chromatid breaks and enhanced cellular sensitivity following treatment with high LET radiation. At the biochemical level, POLQ was able to bypass an AP site and Tg during end-joining and was able to anneal two single-stranded DNA tails when DNA lesions were located outside the microhomology. This study offers evidence that POLQ is directly involved in the repair of complex DSBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geunil Yi
- Center for Genomic Integrity, Institute for Basic Science, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Yubin Sung
- Center for Genomic Integrity, Institute for Basic Science, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Chanwoo Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Sun Ra
- Center for Genomic Integrity, Institute for Basic Science, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Hirokazu Hirakawa
- Department of Charged Particle Therapy Research, Institute for Quantum Medical Science, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Takamitsu A Kato
- Department of Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Colorado 80523, USA
| | - Akira Fujimori
- Department of Charged Particle Therapy Research, Institute for Quantum Medical Science, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Hajin Kim
- Center for Genomic Integrity, Institute for Basic Science, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Kei-ichi Takata
- Center for Genomic Integrity, Institute for Basic Science, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
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12
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Multifaceted Nature of DNA Polymerase θ. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043619. [PMID: 36835031 PMCID: PMC9962433 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA polymerase θ belongs to the A family of DNA polymerases and plays a key role in DNA repair and damage tolerance, including double-strand break repair and DNA translesion synthesis. Pol θ is often overexpressed in cancer cells and promotes their resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. In this review, we discuss unique biochemical properties and structural features of Pol θ, its multiple roles in protection of genome stability and the potential of Pol θ as a target for cancer treatment.
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13
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Belan O, Sebald M, Adamowicz M, Anand R, Vancevska A, Neves J, Grinkevich V, Hewitt G, Segura-Bayona S, Bellelli R, Robinson HMR, Higgins GS, Smith GCM, West SC, Rueda DS, Boulton SJ. POLQ seals post-replicative ssDNA gaps to maintain genome stability in BRCA-deficient cancer cells. Mol Cell 2022; 82:4664-4680.e9. [PMID: 36455556 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
POLQ is a key effector of DSB repair by microhomology-mediated end-joining (MMEJ) and is overexpressed in many cancers. POLQ inhibitors confer synthetic lethality in HR and Shieldin-deficient cancer cells, which has been proposed to reflect a critical dependence on the DSB repair pathway by MMEJ. Whether POLQ also operates independent of MMEJ remains unexplored. Here, we show that POLQ-deficient cells accumulate post-replicative ssDNA gaps upon BRCA1/2 loss or PARP inhibitor treatment. Biochemically, cooperation between POLQ helicase and polymerase activities promotes RPA displacement and ssDNA-gap fill-in, respectively. POLQ is also capable of microhomology-mediated gap skipping (MMGS), which generates deletions during gap repair that resemble the genomic scars prevalent in POLQ overexpressing cancers. Our findings implicate POLQ in mutagenic post-replicative gap sealing, which could drive genome evolution in cancer and whose loss places a critical dependency on HR for gap protection and repair and cellular viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondrej Belan
- DSB Repair Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Marie Sebald
- DNA Recombination and Repair Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Marek Adamowicz
- DSB Repair Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Roopesh Anand
- DSB Repair Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Aleksandra Vancevska
- DSB Repair Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Joana Neves
- Artios Pharma Ltd., B940 Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3FH, UK
| | - Vera Grinkevich
- Artios Pharma Ltd., B940 Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3FH, UK
| | - Graeme Hewitt
- DSB Repair Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Sandra Segura-Bayona
- DSB Repair Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Roberto Bellelli
- Centre for Cancer Cell and Molecular Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Helen M R Robinson
- Artios Pharma Ltd., B940 Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3FH, UK
| | - Geoff S Higgins
- Medical Research Council Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Graeme C M Smith
- Artios Pharma Ltd., B940 Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3FH, UK
| | - Stephen C West
- DNA Recombination and Repair Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - David S Rueda
- Department of Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK; Single Molecule Imaging Group, MRC-London Institute of Medical Sciences, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Simon J Boulton
- DSB Repair Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK; Artios Pharma Ltd., B940 Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3FH, UK.
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14
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Liddiard K, Aston-Evans AN, Cleal K, Hendrickson E, Baird D. POLQ suppresses genome instability and alterations in DNA repeat tract lengths. NAR Cancer 2022; 4:zcac020. [PMID: 35774233 PMCID: PMC9241439 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcac020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA polymerase theta (POLQ) is a principal component of the alternative non-homologous end-joining (ANHEJ) DNA repair pathway that ligates DNA double-strand breaks. Utilizing independent models of POLQ insufficiency during telomere-driven crisis, we found that POLQ - /- cells are resistant to crisis-induced growth deceleration despite sustaining inter-chromosomal telomere fusion frequencies equivalent to wild-type (WT) cells. We recorded longer telomeres in POLQ - / - than WT cells pre- and post-crisis, notwithstanding elevated total telomere erosion and fusion rates. POLQ - /- cells emerging from crisis exhibited reduced incidence of clonal gross chromosomal abnormalities in accordance with increased genetic heterogeneity. High-throughput sequencing of telomere fusion amplicons from POLQ-deficient cells revealed significantly raised frequencies of inter-chromosomal fusions with correspondingly depreciated intra-chromosomal recombinations. Long-range interactions culminating in telomere fusions with centromere alpha-satellite repeats, as well as expansions in HSAT2 and HSAT3 satellite and contractions in ribosomal DNA repeats, were detected in POLQ - / - cells. In conjunction with the expanded telomere lengths of POLQ - /- cells, these results indicate a hitherto unrealized capacity of POLQ for regulation of repeat arrays within the genome. Our findings uncover novel considerations for the efficacy of POLQ inhibitors in clinical cancer interventions, where potential genome destabilizing consequences could drive clonal evolution and resistant disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Liddiard
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Alys N Aston-Evans
- Dementia Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Kez Cleal
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Eric A Hendrickson
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Duncan M Baird
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
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15
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Hanscom T, Woodward N, Batorsky R, Brown AJ, Roberts SA, McVey M. Characterization of sequence contexts that favor alternative end joining at Cas9-induced double-strand breaks. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:7465-7478. [PMID: 35819195 PMCID: PMC9303309 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative end joining (alt-EJ) mechanisms, such as polymerase theta-mediated end joining, are increasingly recognized as important contributors to inaccurate double-strand break repair. We previously proposed an alt-EJ model whereby short DNA repeats near a double-strand break anneal to form secondary structures that prime limited DNA synthesis. The nascent DNA then pairs with microhomologous sequences on the other break end. This synthesis-dependent microhomology-mediated end joining (SD-MMEJ) explains many of the alt-EJ repair products recovered following I-SceI nuclease cutting in Drosophila. However, sequence-specific factors that influence SD-MMEJ repair remain to be fully characterized. Here, we expand the utility of the SD-MMEJ model through computational analysis of repair products at Cas9-induced double-strand breaks for 1100 different sequence contexts. We find evidence at single nucleotide resolution for sequence characteristics that drive successful SD-MMEJ repair. These include optimal primer repeat length, distance of repeats from the break, flexibility of DNA sequence between primer repeats, and positioning of microhomology templates relative to preferred primer repeats. In addition, we show that DNA polymerase theta is necessary for most SD-MMEJ repair at Cas9 breaks. The analysis described here includes a computational pipeline that can be utilized to characterize preferred mechanisms of alt-EJ repair in any sequence context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terrence Hanscom
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4700, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Nicholas Woodward
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4700, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Rebecca Batorsky
- Data Intensive Studies Center, Tufts University, 177 College Ave, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Alexander J Brown
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, P100 Dairy Road, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Steven A Roberts
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, P100 Dairy Road, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Mitch McVey
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4700, Medford, MA 02155, USA
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16
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Drzewiecka M, Barszczewska-Pietraszek G, Czarny P, Skorski T, Śliwiński T. Synthetic Lethality Targeting Polθ. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13061101. [PMID: 35741863 PMCID: PMC9223150 DOI: 10.3390/genes13061101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Research studies regarding synthetic lethality (SL) in human cells are primarily motivated by the potential of this phenomenon to be an effective, but at the same time, safe to the patient's anti-cancer chemotherapy. Among the factors that are targets for the induction of the synthetic lethality effect, those involved in DNA repair seem to be the most relevant. Specifically, when mutation in one of the canonical DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathways occurs, which is a frequent event in cancer cells, the alternative pathways may be a promising target for the elimination of abnormal cells. Currently, inhibiting RAD52 and/or PARP1 in the tumor cells that are deficient in the canonical repair pathways has been the potential target for inducing the effect of synthetic lethality. Unfortunately, the development of resistance to commonly used PARP1 inhibitors (PARPi) represents the greatest obstacle to working out a successful treatment protocol. DNA polymerase theta (Polθ), encoded by the POLQ gene, plays a key role in an alternative DSB repair pathway-theta-mediated end joining (TMEJ). Thus, it is a promising target in the treatment of tumors harboring deficiencies in homologous recombination repair (HRR), where its inhibition can induce SL. In this review, the authors discuss the current state of knowledge on Polθ as a potential target for synthetic lethality-based anticancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata Drzewiecka
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, 90-236 Lodz, Poland; (M.D.); (G.B.-P.)
| | - Gabriela Barszczewska-Pietraszek
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, 90-236 Lodz, Poland; (M.D.); (G.B.-P.)
| | - Piotr Czarny
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Medical University of Lodz, 92-216 Lodz, Poland;
| | - Tomasz Skorski
- Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Departament of Cancer and Cellular Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
- Correspondence: (T.S.); (T.Ś.); Tel.: +1-215-707-9157 (T.S.); +48-42-635-44-86 (T.Ś.)
| | - Tomasz Śliwiński
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, 90-236 Lodz, Poland; (M.D.); (G.B.-P.)
- Correspondence: (T.S.); (T.Ś.); Tel.: +1-215-707-9157 (T.S.); +48-42-635-44-86 (T.Ś.)
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17
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Moyret-Lalle C, Prodhomme MK, Burlet D, Kashiwagi A, Petrilli V, Puisieux A, Seimiya H, Tissier A. Role of EMT in the DNA damage response, double-strand break repair pathway choice and its implications in cancer treatment. Cancer Sci 2022; 113:2214-2223. [PMID: 35534984 PMCID: PMC9277259 DOI: 10.1111/cas.15389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) characteristics have now been demonstrated to participate in tumor development. Indeed, EMT is involved in invasion, acquisition of stem cell properties, and therapy‐associated resistance of cancer cells. Together, these mechanisms offer advantages in adapting to changes in the tumor microenvironment. However, recent findings have shown that EMT‐associated transcription factors (EMT‐TFs) may also be involved in DNA repair. A better understanding of the coordination between the DNA repair pathways and the role played by some EMT‐TFs in the DNA damage response (DDR) should pave the way for new treatments targeting tumor‐specific molecular vulnerabilities, which result in selective destruction of cancer cells. Here we review recent advances, providing novel insights into the role of EMT in the DDR and repair pathways, with a particular focus on the influence of EMT on cellular sensitivity to damage, as well as the implications of these relationships for improving the efficacy of cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Moyret-Lalle
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Centre of Lyon, Lyon, France.,LabEx DEVweCAN, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Mélanie K Prodhomme
- Department of Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Delphine Burlet
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Centre of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Ayaka Kashiwagi
- Division of Molecular Biotherapy, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Virginie Petrilli
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Centre of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Alain Puisieux
- Institut Curie, Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Hiroyuki Seimiya
- Division of Molecular Biotherapy, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Agnès Tissier
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Centre of Lyon, Lyon, France
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18
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Shapiro JA. What we have learned about evolutionary genome change in the past 7 decades. Biosystems 2022; 215-216:104669. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2022.104669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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19
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Ramsden DA, Carvajal-Garcia J, Gupta GP. Mechanism, cellular functions and cancer roles of polymerase-theta-mediated DNA end joining. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2022; 23:125-140. [PMID: 34522048 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-021-00405-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cellular pathways that repair chromosomal double-strand breaks (DSBs) have pivotal roles in cell growth, development and cancer. These DSB repair pathways have been the target of intensive investigation, but one pathway - alternative end joining (a-EJ) - has long resisted elucidation. In this Review, we highlight recent progress in our understanding of a-EJ, especially the assignment of DNA polymerase theta (Polθ) as the predominant mediator of a-EJ in most eukaryotes, and discuss a potential molecular mechanism by which Polθ-mediated end joining (TMEJ) occurs. We address possible cellular functions of TMEJ in resolving DSBs that are refractory to repair by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), DSBs generated following replication fork collapse and DSBs present owing to stalling of repair by homologous recombination. We also discuss how these context-dependent cellular roles explain how TMEJ can both protect against and cause genome instability, and the emerging potential of Polθ as a therapeutic target in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dale A Ramsden
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Juan Carvajal-Garcia
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Gaorav P Gupta
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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20
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Hacker L, Capdeville N, Feller L, Enderle-Kukla J, Dorn A, Puchta H. The DNA-dependent protease AtWSS1A suppresses persistent double strand break formation during replication. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:1172-1187. [PMID: 34761387 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The protease WSS1A is an important factor in the repair of DNA-protein crosslinks in plants. Here we show that the loss of WSS1A leads to a reduction of 45S rDNA repeats and chromosomal fragmentation in Arabidopsis. Moreover, in the absence of any factor of the RTR (RECQ4A/TOP3α/RMI1/2) complex, which is involved in the dissolution of DNA replication intermediates, WSS1A becomes essential for viability. If WSS1A loss is combined with loss of the classical (c) or alternative (a) nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) pathways of double-strand break (DSB) repair, the resulting mutants show proliferation defects and enhanced chromosome fragmentation, which is especially aggravated in the absence of aNHEJ. This indicates that WSS1A is involved either in the suppression of DSB formation or in DSB repair itself. To test the latter we induced DSB by CRISPR/Cas9 at different loci in wild-type and mutant cells and analyzed their repair by deep sequencing. However, no change in the quality of the repair events and only a slight increase in their quantity was found. Thus, by removing complex DNA-protein structures, WSS1A seems to be required for the repair of replication intermediates which would otherwise be resolved into persistent DSB leading to genome instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonie Hacker
- Botanical Institute, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Fritz-Haber-Weg 4, Karlsruhe, 76131, Germany
| | - Niklas Capdeville
- Botanical Institute, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Fritz-Haber-Weg 4, Karlsruhe, 76131, Germany
| | - Laura Feller
- Botanical Institute, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Fritz-Haber-Weg 4, Karlsruhe, 76131, Germany
| | - Janina Enderle-Kukla
- Botanical Institute, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Fritz-Haber-Weg 4, Karlsruhe, 76131, Germany
| | - Annika Dorn
- Botanical Institute, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Fritz-Haber-Weg 4, Karlsruhe, 76131, Germany
| | - Holger Puchta
- Botanical Institute, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Fritz-Haber-Weg 4, Karlsruhe, 76131, Germany
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21
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Hussain SS, Majumdar R, Moore GM, Narang H, Buechelmaier E, Bazil MJ, Ravindran PT, Leeman J, Li Y, Jalan M, Anderson KS, Farina A, Soni R, Mohibullah N, Hamzic E, Rong-Mullins X, Sifuentes C, Damerla RR, Viale A, Powell SN, Higginson D. Measuring nonhomologous end-joining, homologous recombination and alternative end-joining simultaneously at an endogenous locus in any transfectable human cell. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:e74. [PMID: 33877327 PMCID: PMC8287935 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Double strand break (DSB) repair primarily occurs through 3 pathways: non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ), alternative end-joining (Alt-EJ), and homologous recombination (HR). Typical methods to measure pathway usage include integrated cassette reporter assays or visualization of DNA damage induced nuclear foci. It is now well understood that repair of Cas9-induced breaks also involves NHEJ, Alt-EJ, and HR pathways, providing a new format to measure pathway usage. Here, we have developed a simple Cas9-based system with validated repair outcomes that accurately represent each pathway and then converted it to a droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) readout, thus obviating the need for Next Generation Sequencing and bioinformatic analysis with the goal to make Cas9-based system accessible to more laboratories. The assay system has reproduced several important insights. First, absence of the key Alt-EJ factor Pol θ only abrogates ∼50% of total Alt-EJ. Second, single-strand templated repair (SSTR) requires BRCA1 and MRE11 activity, but not BRCA2, establishing that SSTR commonly used in genome editing is not conventional HR. Third, BRCA1 promotes Alt-EJ usage at two-ended DSBs in contrast to BRCA2. This assay can be used in any system, which permits Cas9 delivery and, importantly, allows rapid genotype-to-phenotype correlation in isogenic cell line pairs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suleman S Hussain
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Rahul Majumdar
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Grace M Moore
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Himanshi Narang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Erika S Buechelmaier
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Weill Cornell Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Maximilian J Bazil
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | | | - Jonathan E Leeman
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02189, USA
| | - Yi Li
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Manisha Jalan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Kyrie S Anderson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Andrea Farina
- Integrated Genomics Operations, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Rekha Soni
- Integrated Genomics Operations, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Neeman Mohibullah
- Integrated Genomics Operations, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Edin Hamzic
- Biocomputix, Sarajevo, 71000, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Xiaoqing Rong-Mullins
- Department of Biostatistics, The Ohio State University College of Public Health, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | | | - Rama R Damerla
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Agnes Viale
- Integrated Genomics Operations, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Simon N Powell
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Daniel S Higginson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
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22
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Zatreanu D, Robinson HMR, Alkhatib O, Boursier M, Finch H, Geo L, Grande D, Grinkevich V, Heald RA, Langdon S, Majithiya J, McWhirter C, Martin NMB, Moore S, Neves J, Rajendra E, Ranzani M, Schaedler T, Stockley M, Wiggins K, Brough R, Sridhar S, Gulati A, Shao N, Badder LM, Novo D, Knight EG, Marlow R, Haider S, Callen E, Hewitt G, Schimmel J, Prevo R, Alli C, Ferdinand A, Bell C, Blencowe P, Bot C, Calder M, Charles M, Curry J, Ekwuru T, Ewings K, Krajewski W, MacDonald E, McCarron H, Pang L, Pedder C, Rigoreau L, Swarbrick M, Wheatley E, Willis S, Wong AC, Nussenzweig A, Tijsterman M, Tutt A, Boulton SJ, Higgins GS, Pettitt SJ, Smith GCM, Lord CJ. Polθ inhibitors elicit BRCA-gene synthetic lethality and target PARP inhibitor resistance. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3636. [PMID: 34140467 PMCID: PMC8211653 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23463-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
To identify approaches to target DNA repair vulnerabilities in cancer, we discovered nanomolar potent, selective, low molecular weight (MW), allosteric inhibitors of the polymerase function of DNA polymerase Polθ, including ART558. ART558 inhibits the major Polθ-mediated DNA repair process, Theta-Mediated End Joining, without targeting Non-Homologous End Joining. In addition, ART558 elicits DNA damage and synthetic lethality in BRCA1- or BRCA2-mutant tumour cells and enhances the effects of a PARP inhibitor. Genetic perturbation screening revealed that defects in the 53BP1/Shieldin complex, which cause PARP inhibitor resistance, result in in vitro and in vivo sensitivity to small molecule Polθ polymerase inhibitors. Mechanistically, ART558 increases biomarkers of single-stranded DNA and synthetic lethality in 53BP1-defective cells whilst the inhibition of DNA nucleases that promote end-resection reversed these effects, implicating these in the synthetic lethal mechanism-of-action. Taken together, these observations describe a drug class that elicits BRCA-gene synthetic lethality and PARP inhibitor synergy, as well as targeting a biomarker-defined mechanism of PARPi-resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Zatreanu
- CRUK Gene Function Laboratory, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Helen M R Robinson
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Omar Alkhatib
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marie Boursier
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Harry Finch
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Lerin Geo
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Diego Grande
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Vera Grinkevich
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Robert A Heald
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sophie Langdon
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jayesh Majithiya
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Claire McWhirter
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Niall M B Martin
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shaun Moore
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joana Neves
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Eeson Rajendra
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marco Ranzani
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Theresia Schaedler
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Martin Stockley
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kimberley Wiggins
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rachel Brough
- CRUK Gene Function Laboratory, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Sandhya Sridhar
- CRUK Gene Function Laboratory, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Aditi Gulati
- CRUK Gene Function Laboratory, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Nan Shao
- CRUK Gene Function Laboratory, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Luned M Badder
- The Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Daniela Novo
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Eleanor G Knight
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Rebecca Marlow
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- The Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Syed Haider
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Elsa Callen
- Laboratory of Genome Integrity, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Joost Schimmel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Remko Prevo
- Medical Research Council Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Christina Alli
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Amanda Ferdinand
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Cameron Bell
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Peter Blencowe
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Chris Bot
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mathew Calder
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mark Charles
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jayne Curry
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tennyson Ekwuru
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Katherine Ewings
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Wojciech Krajewski
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ellen MacDonald
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hollie McCarron
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Leon Pang
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Chris Pedder
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Laurent Rigoreau
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Martin Swarbrick
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ed Wheatley
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Simon Willis
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ai Ching Wong
- Cancer Research UK, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andre Nussenzweig
- Laboratory of Genome Integrity, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Marcel Tijsterman
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew Tutt
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- The Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Simon J Boulton
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Geoff S Higgins
- Medical Research Council Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Stephen J Pettitt
- CRUK Gene Function Laboratory, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
| | - Graeme C M Smith
- Artios Pharma, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Christopher J Lord
- CRUK Gene Function Laboratory, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
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23
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Stok C, Kok Y, van den Tempel N, van Vugt MATM. Shaping the BRCAness mutational landscape by alternative double-strand break repair, replication stress and mitotic aberrancies. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:4239-4257. [PMID: 33744950 PMCID: PMC8096281 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumours with mutations in the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes have impaired double-stranded DNA break repair, compromised replication fork protection and increased sensitivity to replication blocking agents, a phenotype collectively known as 'BRCAness'. Tumours with a BRCAness phenotype become dependent on alternative repair pathways that are error-prone and introduce specific patterns of somatic mutations across the genome. The increasing availability of next-generation sequencing data of tumour samples has enabled identification of distinct mutational signatures associated with BRCAness. These signatures reveal that alternative repair pathways, including Polymerase θ-mediated alternative end-joining and RAD52-mediated single strand annealing are active in BRCA1/2-deficient tumours, pointing towards potential therapeutic targets in these tumours. Additionally, insight into the mutations and consequences of unrepaired DNA lesions may also aid in the identification of BRCA-like tumours lacking BRCA1/BRCA2 gene inactivation. This is clinically relevant, as these tumours respond favourably to treatment with DNA-damaging agents, including PARP inhibitors or cisplatin, which have been successfully used to treat patients with BRCA1/2-defective tumours. In this review, we aim to provide insight in the origins of the mutational landscape associated with BRCAness by exploring the molecular biology of alternative DNA repair pathways, which may represent actionable therapeutic targets in in these cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Stok
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Yannick P Kok
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Nathalie van den Tempel
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel A T M van Vugt
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands
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24
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van Schendel R, Romeijn R, Buijs H, Tijsterman M. Preservation of lagging strand integrity at sites of stalled replication by Pol α-primase and 9-1-1 complex. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabf2278. [PMID: 34138739 PMCID: PMC8133754 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf2278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
During genome duplication, the replication fork encounters a plethora of obstacles in the form of damaged bases, DNA-cross-linked proteins, and secondary structures. How cells protect DNA integrity at sites of stalled replication is currently unknown. Here, by engineering "primase deserts" into the Caenorhabditis elegans genome close to replication-impeding G-quadruplexes, we show that de novo DNA synthesis downstream of the blocked fork suppresses DNA loss. We next identify the pol α-primase complex to limit deletion mutagenesis, a conclusion substantiated by whole-genome analysis of animals carrying mutated POLA2/DIV-1. We subsequently identify a new role for the 9-1-1 checkpoint clamp in protecting Okazaki fragments from resection by EXO1. Together, our results provide a mechanistic model for controlling the fate of replication intermediates at sites of stalled replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin van Schendel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg 20, 2333 ZC Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Ron Romeijn
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg 20, 2333 ZC Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Helena Buijs
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg 20, 2333 ZC Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Marcel Tijsterman
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg 20, 2333 ZC Leiden, Netherlands.
- Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, Netherlands
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25
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Meier B, Volkova NV, Hong Y, Bertolini S, González-Huici V, Petrova T, Boulton S, Campbell PJ, Gerstung M, Gartner A. Protection of the C. elegans germ cell genome depends on diverse DNA repair pathways during normal proliferation. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250291. [PMID: 33905417 PMCID: PMC8078821 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintaining genome integrity is particularly important in germ cells to ensure faithful transmission of genetic information across generations. Here we systematically describe germ cell mutagenesis in wild-type and 61 DNA repair mutants cultivated over multiple generations. ~44% of the DNA repair mutants analysed showed a >2-fold increased mutagenesis with a broad spectrum of mutational outcomes. Nucleotide excision repair deficiency led to higher base substitution rates, whereas polh-1(Polη) and rev-3(Polζ) translesion synthesis polymerase mutants resulted in 50-400 bp deletions. Signatures associated with defective homologous recombination fall into two classes: 1) brc-1/BRCA1 and rad-51/RAD51 paralog mutants showed increased mutations across all mutation classes, 2) mus-81/MUS81 and slx-1/SLX1 nuclease, and him-6/BLM, helq-1/HELQ or rtel-1/RTEL1 helicase mutants primarily accumulated structural variants. Repetitive and G-quadruplex sequence-containing loci were more frequently mutated in specific DNA repair backgrounds. Tandem duplications embedded in inverted repeats were observed in helq-1 helicase mutants, and a unique pattern of 'translocations' involving homeologous sequences occurred in rip-1 recombination mutants. atm-1/ATM checkpoint mutants harboured structural variants specifically enriched in subtelomeric regions. Interestingly, locally clustered mutagenesis was only observed for combined brc-1 and cep-1/p53 deficiency. Our study provides a global view of how different DNA repair pathways contribute to prevent germ cell mutagenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Meier
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland
| | - Nadezda V. Volkova
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Ye Hong
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland
| | - Simone Bertolini
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland
| | | | - Tsvetana Petrova
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland
| | | | - Peter J. Campbell
- Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation Program, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Haematology, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Moritz Gerstung
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anton Gartner
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
- Center for Genomic Integrity, Institute for Basic Science, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
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26
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Suehiro Y, Yoshina S, Motohashi T, Iwata S, Dejima K, Mitani S. Efficient collection of a large number of mutations by mutagenesis of DNA damage response defective animals. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7630. [PMID: 33828169 PMCID: PMC8027614 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87226-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
With the development of massive parallel sequencing technology, it has become easier to establish new model organisms that are ideally suited to the specific biological phenomena of interest. Considering the history of research using classical model organisms, we believe that the efficient construction and sharing of gene mutation libraries will facilitate the progress of studies using these new model organisms. Using C. elegans, we applied the TMP/UV mutagenesis method to animals lacking function in the DNA damage response genes atm-1 and xpc-1. This method produces genetic mutations three times more efficiently than mutagenesis of wild-type animals. Furthermore, we confirmed that the use of next-generation sequencing and the elimination of false positives through machine learning could automate the process of mutation identification with an accuracy of over 95%. Eventually, we sequenced the whole genomes of 488 strains and isolated 981 novel mutations generated by the present method; these strains have been made available to anyone who wants to use them. Since the targeted DNA damage response genes are well conserved and the mutagens used in this study are also effective in a variety of species, we believe that our method is generally applicable to a wide range of animal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuji Suehiro
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sawako Yoshina
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoko Motohashi
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoru Iwata
- Chubu University Center for Education in Laboratory Animal Research, Kasugai, Aichi, Japan
| | - Katsufumi Dejima
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shohei Mitani
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.
- Tokyo Women's Medical University Institute for Integrated Medical Sciences, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.
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27
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Liddiard K, Grimstead JW, Cleal K, Evans A, Baird DM. Tracking telomere fusions through crisis reveals conflict between DNA transcription and the DNA damage response. NAR Cancer 2021; 3:zcaa044. [PMID: 33447828 PMCID: PMC7787266 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcaa044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying attributes that distinguish pre-malignant from senescent cells provides opportunities for targeted disease eradication and revival of anti-tumour immunity. We modelled a telomere-driven crisis in four human fibroblast lines, sampling at multiple time points to delineate genomic rearrangements and transcriptome developments that characterize the transition from dynamic proliferation into replicative crisis. Progression through crisis was associated with abundant intra-chromosomal telomere fusions with increasing asymmetry and reduced microhomology usage, suggesting shifts in DNA repair capacity. Eroded telomeres also fused with genomic loci actively engaged in transcription, with particular enrichment in long genes. Both gross copy number alterations and transcriptional responses to crisis likely underpin the elevated frequencies of telomere fusion with chromosomes 9, 16, 17, 19 and most exceptionally, chromosome 12. Juxtaposition of crisis-regulated genes with loci undergoing de novo recombination exposes the collusive contributions of cellular stress responses to the evolving cancer genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Liddiard
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Julia W Grimstead
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Kez Cleal
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Anna Evans
- Wales Gene Park, Institute of Medical Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Duncan M Baird
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
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28
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Gartner A, Engebrecht J. DNA repair, recombination, and damage signaling. Genetics 2021; 220:6522877. [PMID: 35137093 PMCID: PMC9097270 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA must be accurately copied and propagated from one cell division to the next, and from one generation to the next. To ensure the faithful transmission of the genome, a plethora of distinct as well as overlapping DNA repair and recombination pathways have evolved. These pathways repair a large variety of lesions, including alterations to single nucleotides and DNA single and double-strand breaks, that are generated as a consequence of normal cellular function or by external DNA damaging agents. In addition to the proteins that mediate DNA repair, checkpoint pathways have also evolved to monitor the genome and coordinate the action of various repair pathways. Checkpoints facilitate repair by mediating a transient cell cycle arrest, or through initiation of cell suicide if DNA damage has overwhelmed repair capacity. In this chapter, we describe the attributes of Caenorhabditis elegans that facilitate analyses of DNA repair, recombination, and checkpoint signaling in the context of a whole animal. We review the current knowledge of C. elegans DNA repair, recombination, and DNA damage response pathways, and their role during development, growth, and in the germ line. We also discuss how the analysis of mutational signatures in C. elegans is helping to inform cancer mutational signatures in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Gartner
- Department for Biological Sciences, IBS Center for Genomic Integrity, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 689-798, Republic of Korea,Corresponding author: (A.G.); (J.E.)
| | - JoAnne Engebrecht
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Corresponding author: (A.G.); (J.E.)
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29
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Unravelling roles of error-prone DNA polymerases in shaping cancer genomes. Oncogene 2021; 40:6549-6565. [PMID: 34663880 PMCID: PMC8639439 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-021-02032-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Mutagenesis is a key hallmark and enabling characteristic of cancer cells, yet the diverse underlying mutagenic mechanisms that shape cancer genomes are not understood. This review will consider the emerging challenge of determining how DNA damage response pathways-both tolerance and repair-act upon specific forms of DNA damage to generate mutations characteristic of tumors. DNA polymerases are typically the ultimate mutagenic effectors of DNA repair pathways. Therefore, understanding the contributions of DNA polymerases is critical to develop a more comprehensive picture of mutagenic mechanisms in tumors. Selection of an appropriate DNA polymerase-whether error-free or error-prone-for a particular DNA template is critical to the maintenance of genome stability. We review different modes of DNA polymerase dysregulation including mutation, polymorphism, and over-expression of the polymerases themselves or their associated activators. Based upon recent findings connecting DNA polymerases with specific mechanisms of mutagenesis, we propose that compensation for DNA repair defects by error-prone polymerases may be a general paradigm molding the mutational landscape of cancer cells. Notably, we demonstrate that correlation of error-prone polymerase expression with mutation burden in a subset of patient tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas can identify mechanistic hypotheses for further testing. We contrast experimental approaches from broad, genome-wide strategies to approaches with a narrower focus on a few hundred base pairs of DNA. In addition, we consider recent developments in computational annotation of patient tumor data to identify patterns of mutagenesis. Finally, we discuss the innovations and future experiments that will develop a more comprehensive portrait of mutagenic mechanisms in human tumors.
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30
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Zhang S, Shen J, Li D, Cheng Y. Strategies in the delivery of Cas9 ribonucleoprotein for CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. Theranostics 2021; 11:614-648. [PMID: 33391496 PMCID: PMC7738854 DOI: 10.7150/thno.47007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 56.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing has gained rapidly increasing attentions in recent years, however, the translation of this biotechnology into therapy has been hindered by efficient delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 materials into target cells. Direct delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 system as a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex consisting of Cas9 protein and single guide RNA (sgRNA) has emerged as a powerful and widespread method for genome editing due to its advantages of transient genome editing and reduced off-target effects. In this review, we summarized the current Cas9 RNP delivery systems including physical approaches and synthetic carriers. The mechanisms and beneficial roles of these strategies in intracellular Cas9 RNP delivery were reviewed. Examples in the development of stimuli-responsive and targeted carriers for RNP delivery are highlighted. Finally, the challenges of current Cas9 RNP delivery systems and perspectives in rational design of next generation materials for this promising field will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Zhang
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Molecular Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Jiangtao Shen
- The Second People's Hospital of Taizhou affiliated to Yangzhou University, Taizhou, 225500, China
| | - Dali Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Yiyun Cheng
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Molecular Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
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31
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Santonicola P, Germoglio M, d'Abbusco DS, Adamo A. Functional characterization of Caenorhabditis elegans cbs-2 gene during meiosis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20913. [PMID: 33262405 PMCID: PMC7708620 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78006-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) is a eukaryotic enzyme that maintains the cellular homocysteine homeostasis and catalyzes the conversion of homocysteine to L-cystathionine and Hydrogen sulfide, via the trans-sulfuration pathway. In Caenorhabditis elegans, two cbs genes are present: cbs-1 functions similarly as to human CBS, and cbs-2, whose roles are instead unknown. In the present study we performed a phenotypic characterization of the cbs-2 mutant. The null cbs-2 mutant is viable, fertile and shows the wild-type complement of six bivalents in most oocyte nuclei, which is indicative of a correct formation of crossover recombination. In absence of synaptonemal complex formation (syp-2 mutant), loss of cbs-2 leads to chromosome fragmentation, suggesting that cbs-2 is essential during inter-sister repair. Interestingly, although proficient in the activation of the DNA damage checkpoint after exposure to genotoxic stress, the cbs-2 mutant is defective in DNA damage-induced apoptosis in meiotic germ cells. These results suggest possible functions for CBS-2 in meiosis, distinct from a role in the trans-sulfuration pathway. We propose that the C. elegans CBS-2 protein is required for both inter-sister repair and execution of DNA damage-induced apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Santonicola
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Marcello Germoglio
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Domenico Scotto d'Abbusco
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Adele Adamo
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy.
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32
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Meier B, Volkova NV, Gerstung M, Gartner A. Analysis of mutational signatures in C. elegans: Implications for cancer genome analysis. DNA Repair (Amst) 2020; 95:102957. [PMID: 32980770 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2020.102957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Genome integrity is constantly challenged by exogenous and endogenous insults, and mutations are associated with inherited disease and cancer. Here we summarize recent studies that utilized C. elegans whole genome next generation sequencing to experimentally determine mutational signatures associated with mutagen exposure, DNA repair deficiency or a combination of both and discuss the implications of these results for the understanding of cancer genome evolution. The experimental analysis of wild-type and DNA repair deficient nematodes propagated under unchallenged conditions over many generations revealed increased mutagenesis in approximately half of all DNA repair deficient strains, its rate, except for DNA mismatch repair, only being moderately increased. The exposure of wild-type and DNA repair defective strains to selected genotoxins, including UV-B and ionizing radiation, alkylating compounds, aristolochic acid, aflatoxin-B1, and cisplatin enabled the systematic analysis of the relative contributions of redundant repair modalities that mend DNA damage. Combining genotoxin exposure with DNA repair deficiency can manifest as altered mutation rates and/or as a change in mutational profiles, and reveals how different DNA alterations induced by one genotoxin are repaired by separate DNA repair pathways, often in a highly redundant way. Cancer genomes provide a snapshot of all mutational events that happened prior to cancer detection and sequencing, necessitating computational models to deduce mutational signatures using mathematical best fit approaches. While computationally deducing signatures from cancer genomes has been tremendously successful in associating some signatures to known mutagenic causes, many inferred signatures lack a clear link to a known mutagenic process. Moreover, analytical signatures might not reflect any distinct mutagenic processes. Nonetheless, combined effects of mutagen exposure and DNA damage-repair deficiency are also present in cancer genomes, but cannot be as easily detected owing to the unknown histories of genotoxic exposures and because biallelic in contrast to monoallelic DNA repair deficiency is rare. The impact of damage-repair interactions also manifests through selective pressure for DNA repair gene inactivation during cancer evolution. Using these considerations, we discuss a theoretical framework that explains why minute mutagenic changes, possibly too small to manifest as change in a signature, can have major effects in oncogenesis. Overall, the experimental analysis of mutational processes underscores that the interpretation of mutational signatures requires considering both the primary DNA lesion and repair status and imply that mutational signatures derived from cancer genomes may be more variable than currently anticipated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Meier
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK
| | - Nadezda V Volkova
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Moritz Gerstung
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK; European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anton Gartner
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea; Center for Genomic Integrity, Institute for Basic Science, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
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33
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Hwang T, Reh S, Dunbayev Y, Zhong Y, Takata Y, Shen J, McBride KM, Murnane JP, Bhak J, Lee S, Wood RD, Takata KI. Defining the mutation signatures of DNA polymerase θ in cancer genomes. NAR Cancer 2020; 2:zcaa017. [PMID: 32885167 PMCID: PMC7454005 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcaa017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA polymerase theta (POLQ)-mediated end joining (TMEJ) is a distinct pathway for mediating DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. TMEJ is required for the viability of BRCA-mutated cancer cells. It is crucial to identify tumors that rely on POLQ activity for DSB repair, because such tumors are defective in other DSB repair pathways and have predicted sensitivity to POLQ inhibition and to cancer therapies that produce DSBs. We define here the POLQ-associated mutation signatures in human cancers, characterized by short insertions and deletions in a specific range of microhomologies. By analyzing 82 COSMIC (Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer) signatures, we found that BRCA-mutated cancers with a higher level of POLQ expression have a greatly enhanced representation of the small insertion and deletion signature 6, as well as single base substitution signature 3. Using human cancer cells with disruptions of POLQ, we further show that TMEJ dominates end joining of two separated DSBs (distal EJ). Templated insertions with microhomology are enriched in POLQ-dependent distal EJ. The use of this signature analysis will aid in identifying tumors relying on POLQ activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taejoo Hwang
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Shelley Reh
- Department of Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, TX 78957, USA
| | - Yerkin Dunbayev
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Yi Zhong
- Department of Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, TX 78957, USA
| | - Yoko Takata
- Department of Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, TX 78957, USA
| | - Jianjun Shen
- Department of Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, TX 78957, USA
| | - Kevin M McBride
- Department of Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, TX 78957, USA
| | - John P Murnane
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Jong Bhak
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Semin Lee
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Richard D Wood
- Department of Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, TX 78957, USA
| | - Kei-Ichi Takata
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
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34
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Lee MH, Liu CS, Zhu Y, Kaeser GE, Rivera R, Romanow WJ, Kihara Y, Chun J. Reply to: APP gene copy number changes reflect exogenous contamination. Nature 2020; 584:E29-E33. [PMID: 32814882 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2523-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Hsiang Lee
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Christine S Liu
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Biomedical Sciences Program, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yunjiao Zhu
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Richard Rivera
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - William J Romanow
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yasuyuki Kihara
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jerold Chun
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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35
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Kamp JA, van Schendel R, Dilweg IW, Tijsterman M. BRCA1-associated structural variations are a consequence of polymerase theta-mediated end-joining. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3615. [PMID: 32680986 PMCID: PMC7368036 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17455-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Failure to preserve the integrity of the genome is a hallmark of cancer. Recent studies have revealed that loss of the capacity to repair DNA breaks via homologous recombination (HR) results in a mutational profile termed BRCAness. The enzymatic activity that repairs HR substrates in BRCA-deficient conditions to produce this profile is currently unknown. We here show that the mutational landscape of BRCA1 deficiency in C. elegans closely resembles that of BRCA1-deficient tumours. We identify polymerase theta-mediated end-joining (TMEJ) to be responsible: knocking out polq-1 suppresses the accumulation of deletions and tandem duplications in brc-1 and brd-1 animals. We find no additional back-up repair in HR and TMEJ compromised animals; non-homologous end-joining does not affect BRCAness. The notion that TMEJ acts as an alternative to HR, promoting the genome alteration of HR-deficient cells, supports the idea that polymerase theta is a promising therapeutic target for HR-deficient tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Kamp
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg 20, 2333 ZC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - R van Schendel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg 20, 2333 ZC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - I W Dilweg
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg 20, 2333 ZC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - M Tijsterman
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg 20, 2333 ZC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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36
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A Multimodal Genotoxic Anticancer Drug Characterized by Pharmacogenetic Analysis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2020; 215:609-621. [PMID: 32414869 PMCID: PMC7337070 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.120.303169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
New anticancer therapeutics require extensive in vivo characterization to identify endogenous and exogenous factors affecting efficacy, to measure toxicity and mutagenicity, and to determine genotypes that result in therapeutic sensitivity or resistance. We used Caenorhabditis elegans as a platform with which to characterize properties of the anticancer therapeutic CX-5461. To understand the processes that respond to CX-5461-induced damage, we generated pharmacogenetic profiles for a panel of C. elegans DNA replication and repair mutants with common DNA-damaging agents for comparison with the profile of CX-5461. We found that multiple repair pathways, including homology-directed repair, microhomology-mediated end joining, nucleotide excision repair, and translesion synthesis, were needed for CX-5461 tolerance. To determine the frequency and spectrum of CX-5461-induced mutations, we used a genetic balancer to capture CX-5461-induced mutations. We found that CX-5461 is mutagenic, resulting in both large copy number variations and a high frequency of single-nucleotide variations (SNVs), which are consistent with the pharmacogenetic profile for CX-5461. Whole-genome sequencing of CX-5461-exposed animals found that CX-5461-induced SNVs exhibited a distinct mutational signature. We also phenocopied the CX-5461 photoreactivity observed in clinical trials and demonstrated that CX-5461 generates reactive oxygen species when exposed to UVA radiation. Together, the data from C. elegans demonstrate that CX-5461 is a multimodal DNA-damaging anticancer agent.
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37
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Carvajal-Garcia J, Cho JE, Carvajal-Garcia P, Feng W, Wood RD, Sekelsky J, Gupta GP, Roberts SA, Ramsden DA. Mechanistic basis for microhomology identification and genome scarring by polymerase theta. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:8476-8485. [PMID: 32234782 PMCID: PMC7165422 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1921791117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA polymerase theta mediates an end joining pathway (TMEJ) that repairs chromosome breaks. It requires resection of broken ends to generate long, 3' single-stranded DNA tails, annealing of complementary sequence segments (microhomologies) in these tails, followed by microhomology-primed synthesis sufficient to resolve broken ends. The means by which microhomologies are identified is thus a critical step in this pathway, but is not understood. Here we show microhomologies are identified by a scanning mechanism initiated from the 3' terminus and favoring bidirectional progression into flanking DNA, typically to a maximum of 15 nucleotides into each flank. Polymerase theta is frequently insufficiently processive to complete repair of breaks in microhomology-poor, AT-rich regions. Aborted synthesis leads to one or more additional rounds of microhomology search, annealing, and synthesis; this promotes complete repair in part because earlier rounds of synthesis generate microhomologies de novo that are sufficiently long that synthesis is more processive. Aborted rounds of synthesis are evident in characteristic genomic scars as insertions of 3 to 30 bp of sequence that is identical to flanking DNA ("templated" insertions). Templated insertions are present at higher levels in breast cancer genomes from patients with germline BRCA1/2 mutations, consistent with an addiction to TMEJ in these cancers. Our work thus describes the mechanism for microhomology identification and shows how it both mitigates limitations implicit in the microhomology requirement and generates distinctive genomic scars associated with pathogenic genome instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Carvajal-Garcia
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Jang-Eun Cho
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Pablo Carvajal-Garcia
- Departamento de Ingeniería Geológica y Minera, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28003 Madrid, Spain
| | - Wanjuan Feng
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Richard D Wood
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, TX 78957
| | - Jeff Sekelsky
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Integrative Program in Biological and Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Gaorav P Gupta
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Steven A Roberts
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164
| | - Dale A Ramsden
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599;
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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38
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van Bostelen I, van Schendel R, Romeijn R, Tijsterman M. Translesion synthesis polymerases are dispensable for C. elegans reproduction but suppress genome scarring by polymerase theta-mediated end joining. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008759. [PMID: 32330130 PMCID: PMC7202663 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bases within DNA are frequently damaged, producing obstacles to efficient and accurate DNA replication by replicative polymerases. Translesion synthesis (TLS) polymerases, via their ability to catalyze nucleotide additions to growing DNA chains across DNA lesions, promote replication of damaged DNA, thus preventing checkpoint activation, genome instability and cell death. In this study, we used C. elegans to determine the contribution of TLS activity on long-term stability of an animal genome. We monitored and compared the types of mutations that accumulate in REV1, REV3, POLH1 and POLK deficient animals that were grown under unchallenged conditions. We also addressed redundancies in TLS activity by combining all deficiencies. Remarkably, animals that are deficient for all Y-family polymerases as well as animals that have lost all TLS activity are viable and produce progeny, demonstrating that TLS is not essential for animal life. Whole genome sequencing analyses, however, reveal that TLS is needed to prevent genomic scars from accumulating. These scars, which are the product of polymerase theta-mediated end joining (TMEJ), are found overrepresented at guanine bases, consistent with TLS suppressing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) from occurring at replication-blocking guanine adducts. We found that in C. elegans, TLS across spontaneous damage is predominantly error free and anti-clastogenic, and thus ensures preservation of genetic information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivo van Bostelen
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Robin van Schendel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ron Romeijn
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Tijsterman
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Schimmel J, van Schendel R, den Dunnen JT, Tijsterman M. Templated Insertions: A Smoking Gun for Polymerase Theta-Mediated End Joining. Trends Genet 2019; 35:632-644. [PMID: 31296341 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2019.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
A recognized source of disease-causing genome alterations is erroneous repair of broken chromosomes, which can be executed by two distinct mechanisms: non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) and the recently discovered polymerase theta-mediated end joining (TMEJ) pathway. While TMEJ has previously been considered to act as an alternative mechanism backing up NHEJ, recent work points to a role for TMEJ in the repair of replication-associated DNA breaks that are excluded from repair through homologous recombination. Because of its mode of action, TMEJ is intrinsically mutagenic and sometimes leaves behind a recognizable genomic scar when joining chromosome break ends (i.e., 'templated insertions'). This review article focuses on the intriguing observation that this polymerase theta signature is frequently observed in disease alleles, arguing for a prominent role of this double-strand break repair pathway in genome diversification and disease-causing spontaneous mutagenesis in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joost Schimmel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Robin van Schendel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Johan T den Dunnen
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Tijsterman
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Nenarokova A, Záhonová K, Krasilnikova M, Gahura O, McCulloch R, Zíková A, Yurchenko V, Lukeš J. Causes and Effects of Loss of Classical Nonhomologous End Joining Pathway in Parasitic Eukaryotes. mBio 2019; 10:e01541-19. [PMID: 31311886 PMCID: PMC6635534 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01541-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
We report frequent losses of components of the classical nonhomologous end joining pathway (C-NHEJ), one of the main eukaryotic tools for end joining repair of DNA double-strand breaks, in several lineages of parasitic protists. Moreover, we have identified a single lineage among trypanosomatid flagellates that has lost Ku70 and Ku80, the core C-NHEJ components, and accumulated numerous insertions in many protein-coding genes. We propose a correlation between these two phenomena and discuss the possible impact of the C-NHEJ loss on genome evolution and transition to the parasitic lifestyle.IMPORTANCE Parasites tend to evolve small and compact genomes, generally endowed with a high mutation rate, compared with those of their free-living relatives. However, the mechanisms by which they achieve these features, independently in unrelated lineages, remain largely unknown. We argue that the loss of the classical nonhomologous end joining pathway components may be one of the crucial steps responsible for characteristic features of parasite genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Nenarokova
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Kristína Záhonová
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marija Krasilnikova
- Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
| | - Ondřej Gahura
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Richard McCulloch
- Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
| | - Alena Zíková
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Vyacheslav Yurchenko
- Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia
- Life Science Research Centre and Institute of Environmental Technologies, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Julius Lukeš
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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Liddiard K, Ruis B, Kan Y, Cleal K, Ashelford KE, Hendrickson EA, Baird DM. DNA Ligase 1 is an essential mediator of sister chromatid telomere fusions in G2 cell cycle phase. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:2402-2424. [PMID: 30590694 PMCID: PMC6411840 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky1279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusion of critically short or damaged telomeres is associated with the genomic rearrangements that support malignant transformation. We have demonstrated the fundamental contribution of DNA ligase 4-dependent classical non-homologous end-joining to long-range inter-chromosomal telomere fusions. In contrast, localized genomic recombinations initiated by sister chromatid fusion are predominantly mediated by alternative non-homologous end-joining activity that may employ either DNA ligase 3 or DNA ligase 1. In this study, we sought to discriminate the relative involvement of these ligases in sister chromatid telomere fusion through a precise genetic dissociation of functional activity. We have resolved an essential and non-redundant role for DNA ligase 1 in the fusion of sister chromatids bearing targeted double strand DNA breaks that is entirely uncoupled from its requisite engagement in DNA replication. Importantly, this fusogenic repair occurs in cells fully proficient for non-homologous end-joining and is not compensated by DNA ligases 3 or 4. The dual functions of DNA ligase 1 in replication and non-homologous end-joining uniquely position and capacitate this ligase for DNA repair at stalled replication forks, facilitating mitotic progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Liddiard
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Brian Ruis
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Yinan Kan
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Kez Cleal
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Kevin E Ashelford
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Eric A Hendrickson
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Duncan M Baird
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
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42
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Abstract
The number of DNA polymerases identified in each organism has mushroomed in the past two decades. Most newly found DNA polymerases specialize in translesion synthesis and DNA repair instead of replication. Although intrinsic error rates are higher for translesion and repair polymerases than for replicative polymerases, the specialized polymerases increase genome stability and reduce tumorigenesis. Reflecting the numerous types of DNA lesions and variations of broken DNA ends, translesion and repair polymerases differ in structure, mechanism, and function. Here, we review the unique and general features of polymerases specialized in lesion bypass, as well as in gap-filling and end-joining synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Yang
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA;
| | - Yang Gao
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA;
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43
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Abstract
The mechanistic understanding of how DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) are repaired is rapidly advancing in part due to the advent of inducible site-specific break model systems as well as the employment of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies to sequence repair junctions at high depth. Unfortunately, the sheer volume of data produced by these methods makes it difficult to analyze the structure of repair junctions manually or with other general-purpose software. Here, we describe methods to produce amplicon libraries of DSB repair junctions for sequencing, to map the sequencing reads, and then to use a robust, custom python script, Hi-FiBR, to analyze the sequence structure of mapped reads. The Hi-FiBR analysis processes large data sets quickly and provides information such as number and type of repair events, size of deletion, size of insertion and inserted sequence, microhomology usage, and whether mismatches are due to sequencing error or biological effect. The analysis also corrects for common alignment errors generated by sequencing read mapping tools, allowing high-throughput analysis of DSB break repair fidelity to be accurately conducted regardless of which suite of NGS analysis software is available.
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44
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Khodaverdian VY, Hanscom T, Yu AM, Yu TL, Mak V, Brown AJ, Roberts SA, McVey M. Secondary structure forming sequences drive SD-MMEJ repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Nucleic Acids Res 2018; 45:12848-12861. [PMID: 29121353 PMCID: PMC5728401 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx1056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative end-joining (alt-EJ) repair of DNA double-strand breaks is associated with deletions, chromosome translocations, and genome instability. Alt-EJ frequently uses annealing of microhomologous sequences to tether broken ends. When accessible pre-existing microhomologies do not exist, we have postulated that new microhomologies can be created via limited DNA synthesis at secondary-structure forming sequences. This model, called synthesis-dependent microhomology-mediated end joining (SD-MMEJ), predicts that differences between DNA sequences near double-strand breaks should alter repair outcomes in predictable ways. To test this hypothesis, we injected plasmids with sequence variations flanking an I-SceI endonuclease recognition site into I-SceI expressing Drosophila embryos and used Illumina amplicon sequencing to compare repair junctions. As predicted by the model, we found that small changes in sequences near the I-SceI site had major impacts on the spectrum of repair junctions. Bioinformatic analyses suggest that these repair differences arise from transiently forming loops and hairpins within 30 nucleotides of the break. We also obtained evidence for ‘trans SD-MMEJ,’ involving at least two consecutive rounds of microhomology annealing and synthesis across the break site. These results highlight the importance of sequence context for alt-EJ repair and have important implications for genome editing and genome evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varandt Y Khodaverdian
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4700, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Terrence Hanscom
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4700, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Amy Marie Yu
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4700, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Taylor L Yu
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4700, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Victoria Mak
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4700, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Alexander J Brown
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, P100 Dairy Road, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Steven A Roberts
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, P100 Dairy Road, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Mitch McVey
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4700, Medford, MA 02155, USA
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45
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Schimmel J, Kool H, van Schendel R, Tijsterman M. Mutational signatures of non-homologous and polymerase theta-mediated end-joining in embryonic stem cells. EMBO J 2017; 36:3634-3649. [PMID: 29079701 PMCID: PMC5730883 DOI: 10.15252/embj.201796948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Revised: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells employ potentially mutagenic DNA repair mechanisms to avoid the detrimental effects of chromosome breaks on cell survival. While classical non-homologous end-joining (cNHEJ) is largely error-free, alternative end-joining pathways have been described that are intrinsically mutagenic. Which end-joining mechanisms operate in germ and embryonic cells and thus contribute to heritable mutations found in congenital diseases is, however, still largely elusive. Here, we determined the genetic requirements for the repair of CRISPR/Cas9-induced chromosomal breaks of different configurations, and establish the mutational consequences. We find that cNHEJ and polymerase theta-mediated end-joining (TMEJ) act both parallel and redundant in mouse embryonic stem cells and account for virtually all end-joining activity. Surprisingly, mutagenic repair by polymerase theta (Pol θ, encoded by the Polq gene) is most prevalent for blunt double-strand breaks (DSBs), while cNHEJ dictates mutagenic repair of DSBs with protruding ends, in which the cNHEJ polymerases lambda and mu play minor roles. We conclude that cNHEJ-dependent repair of DSBs with protruding ends can explain de novo formation of tandem duplications in mammalian genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joost Schimmel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Hanneke Kool
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Robin van Schendel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Tijsterman
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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46
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Caenorhabditis elegans BUB-3 and SAN-1/MAD3 Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Components Are Required for Genome Stability in Response to Treatment with Ionizing Radiation. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2017; 7:3875-3885. [PMID: 29046436 PMCID: PMC5714485 DOI: 10.1534/g3.117.1122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Relatively little is known about the cross-talk between the spindle assembly checkpoint and the DNA damage response, especially in multicellular organisms. We performed a Caenorhabditis elegans forward genetic screen to uncover new genes involved in the repair of DNA damage induced by ionizing radiation. We isolated a mutation, gt2000, which confers hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation and showed that gt2000 introduces a premature stop in bub-3. BUB-3 is a key component of the spindle assembly checkpoint. We provide evidence that BUB-3 acts during development and in the germline; irradiated bub-3(gt2000) larvae are developmentally retarded and form abnormal vulvae. Moreover, bub-3(gt2000) embryos sired from irradiated worms show increased levels of lethality. Both bub-3 and san-1 (the C. elegans homolog of MAD3) deletion alleles confer hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation, consistent with the notion that the spindle assembly checkpoint pathway is required for the DNA damage response. bub-3(gt2000) is moderately sensitive to the cross-linking drug cisplatin but not to ultraviolet light or methyl methanesulfonate. This is consistent with a role in dealing with DNA double-strand breaks and not with base damage. Double mutant analysis revealed that bub-3 does not act within any of the three major pathways involved in the repair of double-strand breaks. Finally, the cdc-20 gain-of-function mutant cdc-20/fzy-1(av15), which is refractory to the cell cycle delay conferred by the spindle checkpoint, showed phenotypes similar to bub-3 and san-1 mutants. We speculate that BUB-3 is involved in the DNA damage response through regulation of cell cycle timing.
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47
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Seol JH, Shim EY, Lee SE. Microhomology-mediated end joining: Good, bad and ugly. Mutat Res 2017; 809:81-87. [PMID: 28754468 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Revised: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are induced by a variety of genotoxic agents, including ionizing radiation and chemotherapy drugs for treating cancers. The elimination of DSBs proceeds via distinctive error-free and error-prone pathways. Repair by homologous recombination (HR) is largely error-free and mediated by RAD51/BRCA2 gene products. Classical non-homologous end joining (C-NHEJ) requires the Ku heterodimer and can efficiently rejoin breaks, with occasional loss or gain of DNA information. Recently, evidence has unveiled another DNA end-joining mechanism that is independent of recombination factors and Ku proteins, termed alternative non-homologous end joining (A-NHEJ). While A-NHEJ-mediated repair does not require homology, in a subtype of A-NHEJ, DSB breaks are sealed by microhomology (MH)-mediated base-pairing of DNA single strands, followed by nucleolytic trimming of DNA flaps, DNA gap filling, and DNA ligation, yielding products that are always associated with DNA deletion. This highly error-prone DSB repair pathway is termed microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ). Dissecting the mechanisms of MMEJ is of great interest because of its potential to destabilize the genome through gene deletions and chromosomal rearrangements in cells deficient in canonical repair pathways, including HR and C-NHEJ. In addition, evidence now suggests that MMEJ plays a physiological role in normal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ja-Hwan Seol
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, United States
| | - Eun Yong Shim
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, United States
| | - Sang Eun Lee
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, United States; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, United States.
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48
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Beagan K, Armstrong RL, Witsell A, Roy U, Renedo N, Baker AE, Schärer OD, McVey M. Drosophila DNA polymerase theta utilizes both helicase-like and polymerase domains during microhomology-mediated end joining and interstrand crosslink repair. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006813. [PMID: 28542210 PMCID: PMC5466332 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2016] [Revised: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Double strand breaks (DSBs) and interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) are toxic DNA lesions that can be repaired through multiple pathways, some of which involve shared proteins. One of these proteins, DNA Polymerase θ (Pol θ), coordinates a mutagenic DSB repair pathway named microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ) and is also a critical component for bypass or repair of ICLs in several organisms. Pol θ contains both polymerase and helicase-like domains that are tethered by an unstructured central region. While the role of the polymerase domain in promoting MMEJ has been studied extensively both in vitro and in vivo, a function for the helicase-like domain, which possesses DNA-dependent ATPase activity, remains unclear. Here, we utilize genetic and biochemical analyses to examine the roles of the helicase-like and polymerase domains of Drosophila Pol θ. We demonstrate an absolute requirement for both polymerase and ATPase activities during ICL repair in vivo. However, similar to mammalian systems, polymerase activity, but not ATPase activity, is required for ionizing radiation-induced DSB repair. Using a site-specific break repair assay, we show that overall end-joining efficiency is not affected in ATPase-dead mutants, but there is a significant decrease in templated insertion events. In vitro, Pol θ can efficiently bypass a model unhooked nitrogen mustard crosslink and promote DNA synthesis following microhomology annealing, although ATPase activity is not required for these functions. Together, our data illustrate the functional importance of the helicase-like domain of Pol θ and suggest that its tethering to the polymerase domain is important for its multiple functions in DNA repair and damage tolerance. Error-prone DNA Polymerase θ (Pol θ) plays a conserved role in a mutagenic DNA double-strand break repair mechanism called microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ). In many organisms, it also participates in a process crucial to the removal/repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks. The exact mechanism by which Pol θ promotes these processes is unclear, but a clue may lie in its dual-domain structure. While the role of its polymerase domain has been well-studied, the function of its helicase-like domain remains an open question. Here we report an absolute requirement for ATPase activity of the helicase-like domain during interstrand crosslink repair in Drosophila melanogaster. We also find that although end joining frequency does not decrease in ATPase-dead mutants, ATPase activity is critical for generating templated insertions. Using purified Pol θ protein, we show that it can bypass synthetic substrates mimicking interstrand crosslink intermediates and can promote MMEJ-like reactions with partial double-stranded and single-stranded DNA. Together, these data demonstrate a novel function for the helicase-like domain of Pol θ in both interstrand crosslink repair and MMEJ and provide insight into why the dual-domain structure has been conserved throughout evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Beagan
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | | | - Alice Witsell
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Upasana Roy
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Nikolai Renedo
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Amy E. Baker
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Orlando D. Schärer
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
- Center for Genomic Integrity, Institute for Basic Science, Ulsan, Korea and Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Korea
| | - Mitch McVey
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
- * E-mail:
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van Bostelen I, Tijsterman M. Combined loss of three DNA damage response pathways renders C. elegans intolerant to light. DNA Repair (Amst) 2017; 54:55-62. [PMID: 28472716 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2017.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Infliction of DNA damage initiates a complex cellular reaction - the DNA damage response - that involves both signaling and DNA repair networks with many redundancies and parallel pathways. Here, we reveal the three strategies that the simple multicellular eukaryote, C. elegans, uses to deal with DNA damage induced by light. Separately inactivating repair or replicative bypass of photo-lesions results in cellular hypersensitivity towards UV-light, but impeding repair of replication associated DNA breaks does not. Yet, we observe an unprecedented synergistic relationship when these pathways are inactivated in combination. C. elegans mutants that lack nucleotide excision repair (NER), translesion synthesis (TLS) and alternative end joining (altEJ) grow undisturbed in the dark, but become sterile when grown in light. Even exposure to very low levels of normal daylight impedes animal growth. We show that NER and TLS operate to suppress the formation of lethal DNA breaks that require polymerase theta-mediated end joining (TMEJ) for their repair. Our data testifies to the enormous genotoxicity of light and to the demand of multiple layers of protection against an environmental threat that is so common.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivo van Bostelen
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Tijsterman
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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50
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Annealing of Complementary DNA Sequences During Double-Strand Break Repair in Drosophila Is Mediated by the Ortholog of SMARCAL1. Genetics 2017; 206:467-480. [PMID: 28258182 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.117.200238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) pose a serious threat to genomic integrity. If unrepaired, they can lead to chromosome fragmentation and cell death. If repaired incorrectly, they can cause mutations and chromosome rearrangements. DSBs are repaired using end-joining or homology-directed repair strategies, with the predominant form of homology-directed repair being synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA). SDSA is the first defense against genomic rearrangements and information loss during DSB repair, making it a vital component of cell health and an attractive target for chemotherapeutic development. SDSA has also been proposed to be the primary mechanism for integration of large insertions during genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9. Despite the central role for SDSA in genome stability, little is known about the defining step: annealing. We hypothesized that annealing during SDSA is performed by the annealing helicase SMARCAL1, which can anneal RPA-coated single DNA strands during replication-associated DNA damage repair. We used unique genetic tools in Drosophila melanogaster to test whether the fly ortholog of SMARCAL1, Marcal1, mediates annealing during SDSA. Repair that requires annealing is significantly reduced in Marcal1 null mutants in both synthesis-dependent and synthesis-independent (single-strand annealing) assays. Elimination of the ATP-binding activity of Marcal1 also reduced annealing-dependent repair, suggesting that the annealing activity requires translocation along DNA. Unlike the null mutant, however, the ATP-binding defect mutant showed reduced end joining, shedding light on the interaction between SDSA and end-joining pathways.
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