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Locations of mouse DNA damage response and repair loci, and cancer risk modifiers.

An outline is presented of an electronically accessible database that compares the locations of mouse genes involved in DNA repair, apoptosis, cell cycle and signal transduction with those of known cancer risk modifier genes. The database has a primary but not exclusive focus on modifiers of ionizing radiation (IR) cancer risk and genes involved in IR-induced DNA damage responses. The database () provides a useful tool for assessing the role of DNA damage response genes in cancer predisposition.

Animals↗

NIMA-related protein kinase 1 is involved early in the ionizing radiation-induced DNA damage response.

Cellular functions of the NimA-related mammalian kinase Nek1 have not been demonstrated to date. Here we show that Nek1 is involved early in the DNA damage response induced by ionizing radiation (IR) and that Nek1 is important for cells to repair and recover from DNA damage. When primary or transformed cells are exposed to IR, Nek1 kinase activity is increased within 4 minutes, and Nek1 expression is up-regulated shortly thereafter and sustained for hours. At the same early time frame after IR that its kinase activity is highest, a portion of Nek1 redistributes in cells from cytoplasm to discrete nuclear foci at sites of DNA double-strand breaks. There it colocalizes with gamma-H2AX and NFBD1/MDC1, two key proteins involved very early in the response to IR-induced DNA double-strand breaks. Finally, Nek1-deficient fibroblasts are much more sensitive to the effects of IR-induced DNA damage than otherwise identical fibroblasts expressing Nek1. These results suggest that Nek1 may function as a kinase early in the DNA damage response pathway.

Animals↗

Tof1p regulates DNA damage responses during S phase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A tof1 mutant was recovered in a screen aimed at identifying genes involved specifically in the S phase branch of the MEC1-dependent DNA damage response pathway. The screen was based on the observation that mutants missing this branch are particularly dependent on the cell cycle-wide branch and, therefore, on RAD9, for surviving DNA damage. tof1 and rad9 conferred synergistic sensitivity to MMS, UV, and HU, and the double mutant was incapable of slowing S phase in response to MMS, inducing RNR3 transcription in response to UV, and phosphorylating Rad53p in response to HU. TOF1's contribution to DNA damage response appeared to be restricted to S phase, since TOF1 did not contribute to UV-induced transcription during G1 or to the cdc13-1-induced block to anaphase in G2/M. I suggest a model in which Tof1p functions to link Mec1p with Rad53p.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗

An overview of the DNA damage response in female reproductive system and breast cancers: A narrative review.

The DNA damage response (DDR) is a fundamental cellular network that preserves genomic integrity, and its dysregulation drives initiation, progression, and therapeutic response in female reproductive system and breast cancers. This narrative review provides a comparative analysis of DDR alterations across ovarian, endometrial, cervical, and breast cancers, synthesizing molecular studies, clinical trials, and international guidelines from PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science. DDR alterations vary substantially among these cancers, reflecting differences in tissue origin, hormonal regulation, and viral oncogenesis. Homologous recombination repair defects, particularly in breast cancer susceptibility 1/2, partner and localizer of BRCA2, ataxia telangiectasia mutated, and checkpoint kinase 2), are prevalent in ovarian, endometrial, and breast cancers, predicting sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors. In endometrial cancer, homologous recombination deficiency predominates in high-grade tumor protein p53-mutated subtypes, while Fanconi anemia pathway alterations characterize aggressive serous carcinomas. Cervical cancer exhibits virus-induced DDR disruption and replication stress. Quantitative biomarkers, including tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, Radiation sensitive 51, Fanconi anemia complementation group D2, excision repair cross-complementation group 1, and DDR-related microRNAs enable patient stratification. Emerging ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related and WEE1 inhibitors show promise in combination regimens. Understanding of tumor-specific DDR enables rational therapeutic stratification, providing a framework for precision oncology.

DNA damage response, Ovarian neoplasms, Endometria↗

New advances in the DNA damage response network of Fanconi anemia and BRCA proteins. FAAP95 replaces BRCA2 as the true FANCB protein.

Fanconi anemia (FA) proteins function in a DNA damage response pathway that appears to be part of the network including breast cancer susceptibility gene products, BRCA1 and BRCA2. In response to DNA damage or replication signals, a nuclear FA core complex of at least 6 FA proteins (FANCA, FANCC, FANCE, FANCF, FANCG and FANCL) is activated and leads to monoubiquitination of the downstream FA protein, FANCD2. One puzzling question for this pathway is the role of BRCA2. A previous study has proposed that BRCA2 could be identical to two FA proteins: FANCD1, which functions either downstream or in a parallel pathway; and FANCB, which functions upstream of the FANCD2 monoubiquitination. Now, a new study shows that the real FANCB protein is not BRCA2, but a previously uncharacterized component of the FA core complex, FAAP95, suggesting that BRCA2 does not act upstream of the FA pathway. Interestingly, the newly discovered FANCB gene is X-linked and subject to X-inactivation. The presence of a single active copy of FANCB and its essentiality for a functional FA-BRCA pathway make it a potentially vulnerable component of the cellular machinery that maintains genomic integrity.

BRCA1 Protein↗

The functions of budding yeast Sae2 in the DNA damage response require Mec1- and Tel1-dependent phosphorylation.

DNA damage checkpoint pathways sense DNA lesions and transduce the signals into appropriate biological responses, including cell cycle arrest, induction of transcriptional programs, and modification or activation of repair factors. Here we show that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sae2 protein, known to be involved in processing meiotic and mitotic double-strand breaks, is required for proper recovery from checkpoint-mediated cell cycle arrest after DNA damage and is phosphorylated periodically during the unperturbed cell cycle and in response to DNA damage. Both cell cycle- and DNA damage-dependent Sae2 phosphorylation requires the main checkpoint kinase, Mec1, and the upstream components of its pathway, Ddc1, Rad17, Rad24, and Mec3. Another pathway, involving Tel1 and the MRX complex, is also required for full DNA damage-induced Sae2 phosphorylation, that is instead independent of the downstream checkpoint transducers Rad53 and Chk1, as well as of their mediators Rad9 and Mrc1. Mutations altering all the favored ATM/ATR phosphorylation sites of Sae2 not only abolish its in vivo phosphorylation after DNA damage but also cause hypersensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate treatment, synthetic lethality with RAD27 deletion, and decreased rates of mitotic recombination between inverted Alu repeats, suggesting that checkpoint-mediated phosphorylation of Sae2 is important to support its repair and recombination functions.

Alleles↗

Human cytomegalovirus inhibits a DNA damage response by mislocalizing checkpoint proteins.

The DNA damage checkpoint pathway responds to DNA damage and induces a cell cycle arrest to allow time for DNA repair. Several viruses are known to activate or modulate this cellular response. Here we show that the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated checkpoint pathway, which responds to double-strand breaks in DNA, is activated in response to human cytomegalovirus DNA replication. However, this activation does not propagate through the pathway; it is blocked at the level of the effector kinase, checkpoint kinase 2 (Chk2). Late after infection, several checkpoint proteins, including ataxia-telangiectasia mutated and Chk2, are mislocalized to a cytoplasmic virus assembly zone, where they are colocalized with virion structural proteins. This colocalization was confirmed by immunoprecipitation of virion proteins with an antibody that recognizes Chk2. Virus replication was resistant to ionizing radiation, which causes double-strand breaks in DNA. We propose that human CMV DNA replication activates the checkpoint response to DNA double-strand breaks, and the virus responds by altering the localization of checkpoint proteins to the cytoplasm and thereby inhibiting the signaling pathway.

Capsid Proteins↗

TRF2 dysfunction elicits DNA damage responses associated with senescence in proliferating neural cells and differentiation of neurons.

Telomeres are specialized structures at the ends of chromosomes that consist of tandem repeats of the DNA sequence TTAGGG and several proteins that protect the DNA and regulate the plasticity of the telomeres. The telomere-associated protein TRF2 (telomeric repeat binding factor 2) is critical for the control of telomere structure and function; TRF2 dysfunction results in the exposure of the telomere ends and activation of ATM (ataxia telangiectasin mutated)-mediated DNA damage response. Recent findings suggest that telomere attrition can cause senescence or apoptosis of mitotic cells, but the function of telomeres in differentiated neurons is unknown. Here, we examined the impact of telomere dysfunction via TRF2 inhibition in neurons (primary embryonic hippocampal neurons) and mitotic neural cells (astrocytes and neuroblastoma cells). We demonstrate that telomere dysfunction induced by adenovirus-mediated expression of dominant-negative TRF2 (DN-TRF2) triggers a DNA damage response involving the formation of nuclear foci containing phosphorylated histone H2AX and activated ATM in each cell type. In mitotic neural cells DN-TRF2 induced activation of both p53 and p21 and senescence (as indicated by an up-regulation of beta-galactosidase). In contrast, in neurons DN-TRF2 increased p21, but neither p53 nor beta-galactosidase was induced. In addition, TRF2 inhibition enhanced the morphological, molecular and biophysical differentiation of hippocampal neurons. These findings demonstrate divergent molecular and physiological responses to telomere dysfunction in mitotic neural cells and neurons, indicate a role for TRF2 in regulating neuronal differentiation, and suggest a potential therapeutic application of inhibition of TRF2 function in the treatment of neural tumors.

Astrocytes↗

Activation of the p53 DNA damage response pathway after inhibition of DNA methyltransferase by 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine.

Transcriptional silencing of tumor suppressor genes by DNA methylation occurs in cancer cell lines and in human tumors. This has led to the pursuit of DNA methyltransferase inhibition as a drug target. 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine [5-aza-CdR (decitabine)], a potent inhibitor of DNA methyltransferase, is a drug currently in clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors and leukemia. The efficacy of 5-aza-CdR may be related to the induction of methylation-silenced tumor suppressor genes, genomic hypomethylation, and/or enzyme-DNA adduct formation. Here, we test the hypothesis that 5-aza-CdR treatment is perceived as DNA damage, as assessed by the activation of the tumor suppressor p53. We show that 1) colon tumor cell lines expressing wild-type p53 are more sensitive to 5-aza-CdR mediated growth arrest and cytotoxicity; 2) the response to 5-aza-CdR treatment includes the induction and activation of wild-type but not mutant p53 protein; and 3) the induction of the downstream p53 target gene p21 is partially p53-dependent. The induction of p53 protein after 5-aza-CdR treatment did not correlate with an increase in p53 transcripts, indicating that hypomethylation at the p53 promoter does not account for the p53 response. It is relevant that 5-aza-CdR has shown the greatest promise in clinical trials for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia, a malignancy in which functional p53 is often retained. Our data raise the hypothesis that p53 activation may contribute to the clinical efficacy and/or toxicity of 5-aza-CdR.

Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic↗

Histone deacetylase 4 interacts with 53BP1 to mediate the DNA damage response.

Anumber of proteins are recruited to nuclear foci upon exposure to double-strand DNA damage, including 53BP1 and Rad51, but the precise role of these DNA damage-induced foci remain unclear. Here we show in a variety of human cell lines that histone deacetylase (HDAC) 4 is recruited to foci with kinetics similar to, and colocalizes with, 53BP1 after exposure to agents causing double-stranded DNA breaks. HDAC4 foci gradually disappeared in repair-proficient cells but persisted in repair-deficient cell lines or cells irradiated with a lethal dose, suggesting that resolution of HDAC4 foci is linked to repair. Silencing of HDAC4 via RNA interference surprisingly also decreased levels of 53BP1 protein, abrogated the DNA damage-induced G2 delay, and radiosensitized HeLa cells. Our combined results suggest that HDAC4 is a critical component of the DNA damage response pathway that acts through 53BP1 and perhaps contributes in maintaining the G2 cell cycle checkpoint.

Carrier Proteins↗

Telomeric DNA damage response mediates neurotoxicity of Aβ42 oligomers in Alzheimer's disease.

Ageing is the major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disorder. DNA damage is a hallmark of ageing, particularly when occurring at telomeres, genomic regions vulnerable to oxidative damage and often challenging for the cell to repair. Here, we show that brains of 3xTg-AD mice, an established AD model characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced pathology, exhibit increased activation of DNA damage response (DDR) pathways at telomeres. Exposure of mouse primary hippocampal neurons to 42-residue Aβ (Aβ42) oligomers, a significant pathogenetic contributor to AD, triggers telomeric DDR by increasing the levels of reactive oxygen species caused by calcium imbalance. Antisense oligonucleotides targeting non-coding RNAs generated at damaged telomeres in vivo (in 3xTg-AD mice) and in vitro reduce neurotoxicity in iPSC-derived human cortical neurons and mouse primary neurons while inhibiting Aβ42-induced telomeric DDR, and restore transcriptional pathways altered by Aβ and found dysregulated in AD patients. These results unveil an unexpected role of telomeric DNA damage responses in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis, and suggest a novel target for the development of RNA-based therapies.

Alzheimer Disease↗

DNA-damage-responsive acetylation of pRb regulates binding to E2F-1.

The pRb (retinoblastoma protein) tumour suppressor protein has a crucial role in regulating the G1- to S-phase transition, and its phosphorylation by cyclin-dependent kinases is an established and important mechanism in controlling pRb activity. In addition, the targeted acetylation of lysine (K) residues 873/874 in the carboxy-terminal region of pRb located within a cyclin-dependent kinase-docking site hinders pRb phosphorylation and thereby retains pRb in an active state of growth suppression. Here, we report that the acetylation of pRb K873/874 occurs in response to DNA damage and that acetylation regulates the interaction between the C-terminal E2F-1-specific domain of pRb and E2F-1. These results define a new role for pRb acetylation in the DNA damage signalling pathway, and suggest that the interaction between pRb and E2F-1 is controlled by DNA-damage-dependent acetylation of pRb.

Acetylation↗

hCds1-mediated phosphorylation of BRCA1 regulates the DNA damage response.

Mutations in the BRCA1 (ref. 1) tumour suppressor gene are found in almost all of the families with inherited breast and ovarian cancers and about half of the families with only breast cancer. Although the biochemical function of BRCA1 is not well understood, it is important for DNA damage repair and cell-cycle checkpoint. BRCA1 exists in nuclear foci but is hyperphosphorylated and disperses after DNA damage. It is not known whether BRCA1 phosphorylation and dispersion and its function in DNA damage response are related. In yeast the DNA damage response and the replication-block checkpoint are mediated partly through the Cds1 kinase family. Here we report that the human Cds1 kinase (hCds1/Chk2) regulates BRCA1 function after DNA damage by phosphorylating serine 988 of BRCA1. We show that hCds1 and BRCA1 interact and co-localize within discrete nuclear foci but separate after gamma irradiation. Phosphorylation of BRCA1 at serine 988 is required for the release of BRCA1 from hCds1. This phosphorylation is also important for the ability of BRCA1 to restore survival after DNA damage in the BRCA1-mutated cell line HCC1937.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A DNA damage response pathway controlled by Tel1 and the Mre11 complex.

We define a DNA damage checkpoint pathway in S. cerevisiae governed by the ATM homolog Tel1 and the Mre11 complex. In mitotic cells, the Tel1-Mre11 complex pathway triggers Rad53 activation and its interaction with Rad9, whereas in meiosis it acts via Rad9 and the Rad53 paralog Mre4/Mek1. Activation of the Tel1-Mre11 complex pathway checkpoint functions appears to depend upon the Mre11 complex as a damage sensor and, at least in meiotic cells, to depend on unprocessed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The DSB repair functions of the Mre11 complex are enhanced by the pathway, suggesting that the complex both initiates and is regulated by the Tel1-dependent DSB signal. These findings demonstrate that the diverse functions of the Mre11 complex in the cellular DNA damage response are conserved in mammals and yeast.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗

POT1 protects telomeres from a transient DNA damage response and determines how human chromosomes end.

The hallmarks of telomere dysfunction in mammals are reduced telomeric 3' overhangs, telomere fusions, and cell cycle arrest due to a DNA damage response. Here, we report on the phenotypes of RNAi-mediated inhibition of POT1, the single-stranded telomeric DNA-binding protein. A 10-fold reduction in POT1 protein in tumor cells induced neither telomere fusions nor cell cycle arrest. However, the 3' overhang DNA was reduced and all telomeres elicited a transient DNA damage response in G1, indicating that extensive telomere damage can occur without cell cycle arrest or telomere fusions. RNAi to POT1 also revealed its role in generating the correct sequence at chromosome ends. The recessed 5' end of the telomere, which normally ends on the sequence ATC-5', was changed to a random position within the AATCCC repeat. Thus, POT1 determines the structure of the 3' and 5' ends of human chromosomes, and its inhibition generates a novel combination of telomere dysfunction phenotypes in which chromosome ends behave transiently as sites of DNA damage, yet remain protected from nonhomologous end-joining.

Alternative Splicing↗

PBK/TOPK promotes tumour cell proliferation through p38 MAPK activity and regulation of the DNA damage response.

The contribution of the insulin-like growth-factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) to tumour progression is well documented. To identify new mediators of IGF-IR function in cancer, we recently isolated genes differentially expressed in cells overexpressing the IGF-IR. Among these was the serine/threonine kinase PBK/TOPK (PDZ-binding kinase/T-LAK cell-originated protein kinase), previously associated with highly proliferative cells and tissues. Here, we show that PBK is expressed at high levels in tumour cell lines compared with non-transformed cells. IGF-I could induce PBK expression only in transformed cells, whereas epidermal growth factor could induce PBK in non-transformed MCF-10A breast epithelial cells. Suppression of PBK expression using small interfering RNA did not prevent progression through the cell cycle, but caused decreased proliferation over time in culture, and reduced clonogenic growth in soft agarose. PBK knockdown impaired p38 activation after long-term stimulation with different growth factors and reduced DU145 cells motility. Suppressed PBK expression also resulted in an impaired response to DNA damage that was evident by the decreased generation of gamma-H2AX, increased DNA damage and decreased cell survival. Taken together, the data indicate that PBK is necessary for appropriate activation and function of the p38 pathway by growth factors. Thus, enhanced expression of PBK may facilitate tumour growth by mediating p38 activation and by helping cells to overcome DNA damage.

Animals↗

The telomeric protein TRF2 binds the ATM kinase and can inhibit the ATM-dependent DNA damage response.

The telomeric protein TRF2 is required to prevent mammalian telomeres from activating DNA damage checkpoints. Here we show that overexpression of TRF2 affects the response of the ATM kinase to DNA damage. Overexpression of TRF2 abrogated the cell cycle arrest after ionizing radiation and diminished several other readouts of the DNA damage response, including phosphorylation of Nbs1, induction of p53, and upregulation of p53 targets. TRF2 inhibited autophosphorylation of ATM on S1981, an early step in the activation of this kinase. A region of ATM containing S1981 was found to directly interact with TRF2 in vitro, and ATM immunoprecipitates contained TRF2. We propose that TRF2 has the ability to inhibit ATM activation at telomeres. Because TRF2 is abundant at chromosome ends but not elsewhere in the nucleus, this mechanism of checkpoint control could specifically block a DNA damage response at telomeres without affecting the surveillance of chromosome internal damage.

Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins↗

The csnD/csnE signalosome genes are involved in the Aspergillus nidulans DNA damage response.

The signalosome (CSN) is a conserved multiprotein complex involved in regulation of eukaryotic development and is also required to activate ribonucleotide reductase for DNA synthesis. In Aspergillus nidulans, csnD/csnE are key regulators of sexual development. Here, we investigated whether the csnD/csnE genes are involved in the DNA damage response in this fungus. The growth of the csnD/csnE deletion mutants was reduced by subinhibitory concentrations of hydroxyurea, camptothecin, 4-nitroquinoline oxide, and methyl methanesulfonate. A. nidulans increases csnD/csnE mRNA levels when it is challenged by different DNA-damaging agents. There is no significant transcriptional induction of the csnE promoter fused with lacZ gene in the presence of DNA-damaging agents, suggesting that increased mRNA accumulation is due to increased mRNA stability. Septation was not inhibited in the csnD/csnE deletion mutants while DeltauvsB DeltacsnE presented an increase in septation upon DNA damage caused by methyl methanesulfonate, suggesting that uvsB(ATR) and csnE genetically interact during checkpoint-dependent inhibition of septum formation. The double DeltacsnD/DeltacsnE DeltanpkA mutants were more sensitive to DNA-damaging agents than were the respective single mutants. Our results suggest that csnD/csnE genes are involved in the DNA damage response and that NpkA and UvsB(ATR) genetically interact with the signalosome.

Aspergillus nidulans↗