Deficient repair of 8-hydroxyguanine in the BxPC-3 pancreatic cancer cell line

Alzheimer's disease-associated polymorphisms in human OGG1 alter catalytic activity and sensitize cells to DNA damage

Brain tissues from Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients show increased levels of oxidative DNA damage and 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) accumulation. In humans, the base excision repair protein 8-oxoguanine-DNA glycosylase (OGG1) is the major enzyme that recognizes and excises the mutagenic DNA base lesion 8-oxoG. Recently, two polymorphisms of OGG1, A53T and A288V, have been identified in brain tissues of AD patients, but little is known about how these polymorphisms may contribute to AD. We characterized the A53T and A288V polymorphic variants and detected a significant reduction in the catalytic activity for both proteins in vitro and in cells. Additionally, the A53T polymorphism has decreased substrate binding, whereas the A288V polymorphism has reduced AP lyase activity. Both variants have decreased binding to known OGG1 binding partners PARP-1 and XRCC1. We found that OGG1(-/-) cells expressing A53T and A288V OGG1 were significantly more sensitive to DNA damage and had significantly decreased survival. Our results provide both biochemical and cellular evidence that A53T and A288V polymorphic proteins have deficiencies in catalytic and protein-binding activities that could be related to the increase in oxidative damage to DNA found in AD brains.

Coordination of DNA repair by NEIL1 and PARP-1: a possible link to aging

Oxidative DNA damage accumulates with age and is repaired primarily via the base excision repair (BER) pathway. This process is initiated by DNA glycosylases, which remove damaged bases in a substrate-specific manner. The DNA glycosylases human 8-oxoguanine-DNA glycosylase (OGG1) and NEIL1, a mammalian homolog ofEscherichia coli endonuclease VIII, have overlapping yet distinct substrate specificity. Recently, we reported that OGG1 binds to the Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1), a DNA damage sensor protein that poly(ADP-ribosyl)ates nuclear proteins in response to DNA damage and other cellular signals. Here, we show that NEIL1 and PARP-1 bind both in vitro and in vivo. PARP-1 binds to the C-terminal-100 amino acids of NEIL1 and NEIL1 binds to the BRCT domain of PARP-1. NEIL1 stimulates the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation activity of PARP-1. Furthermore, NEIL-deficient fibroblasts have impaired poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of cellular proteins after DNA damage, which can be rescued by NEIL1 expression. Additionally, PARP-1 inhibits NEIL1 incision activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Consistent with the idea of impaired DNA repair during aging, we observed differential binding of PARP-1 to recombinant NEIL1 in older mice compared to younger mice. These data further support the idea that dynamic interplay between different base excision repair proteins is important for efficient BER.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) binds to 8-oxoguanine-DNA glycosylase (OGG1)

Human 8-oxoguanine-DNA glycosylase (OGG1) plays a major role in the base excision repair pathway by removing 8-oxoguanine base lesions generated by reactive oxygen species. Here we report a novel interaction between OGG1 and Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1), a DNA-damage sensor protein involved in DNA repair and many other cellular processes. We found that OGG1 binds directly to PARP-1 through the N-terminal region of OGG1, and this interaction is enhanced by oxidative stress. Furthermore, OGG1 binds to PARP-1 through its BRCA1 C-terminal (BRCT) domain. OGG1 stimulated the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation activity of PARP-1, whereas decreased poly(ADP-ribose) levels were observed in OGG1(-/-) cells compared with wild-type cells in response to DNA damage. Importantly, activated PARP-1 inhibits OGG1. Although the OGG1 polymorphic variant proteins R229Q and S326C bind to PARP-1, these proteins were defective in activating PARP-1. Furthermore, OGG1(-/-) cells were more sensitive to PARP inhibitors alone or in combination with a DNA-damaging agent. These findings indicate that OGG1 binding to PARP-1 plays a functional role in the repair of oxidative DNA damage.

Mitochondrial subversion in cancer

Mitochondria control essential cellular activities including generation of ATP via oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in the regulatory D-loop region and somatic mtDNA mutations are common in primary human cancers. The biological impact of a given mutation may vary, depending on the nature of the mutation and the proportion of mutant mtDNAs carried by the cell. Identification of mtDNA mutations in precancerous lesions supports their early contribution to cell transformation and cancer progression. Introduction of mtDNA mutations in transformed cells has been associated with increased ROS production and tumor growth. Studies reveal that increased and altered mtDNA plays a role in the development of cancer but further work is required to establish the functional significance of specific mitochondrial mutations in cancer and disease progression. This review offers some insight into the extent of mtDNA mutations, their functional consequences in tumorigenesis, mitochondrial therapeutics, and future clinical application.