BRCA2 localization to the midbody by filamin A regulates cep55 signaling and completion of cytokinesis

The homologous recombination factors BRCA2 and PALB2 interplay with mismatch repair pathways to maintain centromere stability and cell viability

Centromeres are crucial for chromosome segregation but are vulnerable to breakage and recombination due to their repetitive DNA. The mechanisms protecting centromeres from these instabilities remain incompletely understood. This study investigates the role of the homologous recombination (HR) mediators BRCA2 and PALB2 in centromere stability. We find that BRCA2, but not PALB2, is essential for maintaining a human artificial chromosome. In native chromosomes, BRCA2 ensures CENP-A occupancy and prevents DNA fragility at centromeres. Conversely, PALB2 does not affect CENP-A, whereas its depletion increases centromeric DNA breaks in non-cancerous cells only. Interestingly, depleting the mismatch repair (MMR) factor MLH1 masks centromere fragility caused by BRCA2 or PALB2 loss, suggesting that MLH1 contributes to DNA instability when BRCA2 or PALB2 is absent. However, cells deficient in both BRCA2/PALB2 and MLH1 have reduced survival. These results highlight a critical balance between HR and MMR factors in preserving centromere integrity and cell viability.

Functional evaluation of BRCA1/2 variants of unknown significance with homologous recombination assay and integrative in silico prediction model

Numerous variants of unknown significance (VUSs) exist in hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. Although multiple methods have been developed to assess the significance of BRCA1/2 variants, functional discrepancies among these approaches remain. Therefore, a comprehensive functional evaluation system for these variants should be established. We performed conventional homologous recombination (HR) assays for 50 BRCA1 and 108 BRCA2 VUSs and complementarily predicted VUSs using a statistical logistic regression prediction model that integrated six in silico functional prediction tools. BRCA1/2 VUSs were classified according to the results of the integrative in vitro and in silico analyses. Using HR assays, we identified 10 BRCA1 and 4 BRCA2 VUSs as low-functional pathogenic variants. For in silico prediction, the statistical prediction model showed high accuracy for both BRCA1 and BRCA2 compared with each in silico prediction tool individually and predicted nine BRCA1 and seven BRCA2 variants to be pathogenic. Integrative functional evaluation in this study and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association for Molecular Pathology (ACMG/AMP) guidelines strongly suggested that seven BRCA1 variants (p.Glu272Gly, p.Lys1095Glu, p.Val1653Leu, p.Thr1681Pro, p.Phe1761Val, p.Thr1773Ile, and p.Gly1803Ser) and four BRCA2 variants (p.Trp31Gly, p.Ser2616Phe, p.Tyr2660Cys, and p.Leu2792Arg) were pathogenic. This study demonstrates that integrative evaluation using conventional HR assays and optimized in silico prediction comprehensively classified the significance of BRCA VUSs for future clinical applications.

CEP55 as a promising biomarker and therapeutic target on gallbladder cancer

Introduction

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a highly malignant biliary tumor with a poor prognosis. As existing therapies for advanced metastatic GBC are rarely effective, there is an urgent need to identify more effective targets for treatment.

Methods

Hub genes of GBC were identified by bioinformatics analysis and their expression in GBC was analyzed by tissue validation. The biological role of CEP55 in GBC cell and the underlying mechanism of the anticancer effect of CEP55 knockdown were evaluated via CCK8, colony formation assay, EDU staining, flow cytometry, western blot, immunofluorescence, and an alkaline comet assay.

Results

We screened out five hub genes of GBC, namely PLK1, CEP55, FANCI, NEK2 and PTTG1. CEP55 is not only overexpressed in the GBC but also correlated with advanced TNM stage, differentiation grade and poorer survival. After CEP55 knockdown, the proliferation of GBC cells was inhibited with cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase and DNA damage. There was a marked increase in the apoptosis of GBC cells in the siCEP55 group. Besides, in vivo, CEP55 inhibition attenuated the growth and promoted apoptosis of GBC cells. Mechanically, the tumor suppressor effect of CEP55 knockdown is associated with dysregulation of the AKT and ERK signaling networks.

Discussion

These data not only demonstrate that CEP55 is identified as a potential independent predictor crucial to the diagnosis and prognosis of gallbladder cancer but also reveal the possibility for CEP55 to be used as a promising target in the treatment of GBC.

Inhibitors of Rho kinases (ROCK) induce multiple mitotic defects and synthetic lethality in BRCA2-deficient cells

The trapping of Poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) on DNA caused by PARP inhibitors (PARPi) triggers acute DNA replication stress and synthetic lethality (SL) in BRCA2-deficient cells. Hence, DNA damage is accepted as a prerequisite for SL in BRCA2-deficient cells. In contrast, here we show that inhibiting ROCK in BRCA2-deficient cells triggers SL independently from acute replication stress. Such SL is preceded by polyploidy and binucleation resulting from cytokinesis failure. Such initial mitosis abnormalities are followed by other M phase defects, including anaphase bridges and abnormal mitotic figures associated with multipolar spindles, supernumerary centrosomes and multinucleation. SL was also triggered by inhibiting Citron Rho-interacting kinase, another enzyme that, similarly to ROCK, regulates cytokinesis. Together, these observations demonstrate that cytokinesis failure triggers mitotic abnormalities and SL in BRCA2-deficient cells. Furthermore, the prevention of mitotic entry by depletion of Early mitotic inhibitor 1 (EMI1) augmented the survival of BRCA2-deficient cells treated with ROCK inhibitors, thus reinforcing the association between M phase and cell death in BRCA2-deficient cells. This novel SL differs from the one triggered by PARPi and uncovers mitosis as an Achilles heel of BRCA2-deficient cells.

Dipeptidyl peptidase 9 triggers BRCA2 degradation and promotes DNA damage repair

N-terminal sequences are important sites for post-translational modifications that alter protein localization, activity, and stability. Dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9) is a serine aminopeptidase with the rare ability to cleave off N-terminal dipeptides with imino acid proline in the second position. Here, we identify the tumor-suppressor BRCA2 as a DPP9 substrate and show this interaction to be induced by DNA damage. We present crystallographic structures documenting intracrystalline enzymatic activity of DPP9, with the N-terminal Met1-Pro2 of a BRCA21-40 peptide captured in its active site. Intriguingly, DPP9-depleted cells are hypersensitive to genotoxic agents and are impaired in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks by homologous recombination. Mechanistically, DPP9 targets BRCA2 for degradation and promotes the formation of RAD51 foci, the downstream function of BRCA2. N-terminal truncation mutants of BRCA2 that mimic a DPP9 product phenocopy reduced BRCA2 stability and rescue RAD51 foci formation in DPP9-deficient cells. Taken together, we present DPP9 as a regulator of BRCA2 stability and propose that by fine-tuning the cellular concentrations of BRCA2, DPP9 alters the BRCA2 interactome, providing a possible explanation for DPP9's role in cancer.

Yeast as a Model to Unravel New BRCA2 Functions in Cell Metabolism

Mutations in BRCA2 gene increase the risk for breast cancer and for other cancer types, including pancreatic and prostate cancer. Since its first identification as an oncosupressor in 1995, the best-characterized function of BRCA2 is in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by homologous recombination. BRCA2 directly interacts with both RAD51 and single-stranded DNA, mediating loading of RAD51 recombinase to sites of single-stranded DNA. In the absence of an efficient homologous recombination pathway, DSBs accumulate resulting in genome instability, thus supporting tumorigenesis. Yet the precise mechanism by which BRCA2 exerts its tumor suppressor function remains unclear. BRCA2 has also been involved in other biological functions including protection of telomere integrity and stalled replication forks, cell cycle progression, transcriptional control and mitophagy. Recently, we and others have reported a role of BRCA2 in modulating cell death programs through a molecular mechanism conserved in yeast and mammals. Here we hypothesize that BRCA2 is a multifunctional protein which exerts specific functions depending on cell stress response pathway. Based on a differential RNA sequencing analysis carried out on yeast cells either growing or undergoing a regulated cell death process, either in the absence or in the presence of BRCA2, we suggest that BRCA2 causes central carbon metabolism reprogramming in response to death stimuli and encourage further investigation on the role of metabolic reprogramming in BRCA2 oncosuppressive function.

Mitotic and DNA Damage Response Proteins: Maintaining the Genome Stability and Working for the Common Good

Cellular function is highly dependent on genomic stability, which is mainly ensured by two cellular mechanisms: the DNA damage response (DDR) and the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint (SAC). The former provides the repair of damaged DNA, and the latter ensures correct chromosome segregation. This review focuses on recently emerging data indicating that the SAC and the DDR proteins function together throughout the cell cycle, suggesting crosstalk between both checkpoints to maintain genome stability.

Alternative Functions of Cell Cycle-Related and DNA Repair Proteins in Post-mitotic Neurons

Proper regulation of neuronal morphological changes is essential for neuronal migration, maturation, synapse formation, and high-order function. Many cytoplasmic proteins involved in the regulation of neuronal microtubules and the actin cytoskeleton have been identified. In addition, some nuclear proteins have alternative functions in neurons. While cell cycle-related proteins basically control the progression of the cell cycle in the nucleus, some of them have an extra-cell cycle-regulatory function (EXCERF), such as regulating cytoskeletal organization, after exit from the cell cycle. Our expression analyses showed that not only cell cycle regulators, including cyclin A1, cyclin D2, Cdk4/6, p21cip1, p27kip1, Ink4 family, and RAD21, but also DNA repair proteins, including BRCA2, p53, ATM, ATR, RAD17, MRE11, RAD9, and Hus1, were expressed after neurogenesis, suggesting that these proteins have alternative functions in post-mitotic neurons. In this perspective paper, we discuss the alternative functions of the nuclear proteins in neuronal development, focusing on possible cytoplasmic roles.

Guardians of the Genome: BRCA2 and Its Partners

The tumor suppressor BRCA2 functions as a central caretaker of genome stability, and individuals who carry BRCA2 mutations are predisposed to breast, ovarian, and other cancers. Recent research advanced our mechanistic understanding of BRCA2 and its various interaction partners in DNA repair, DNA replication support, and DNA double-strand break repair pathway choice. In this review, we discuss the biochemical and structural properties of BRCA2 and examine how these fundamental properties contribute to DNA repair and replication fork stabilization in living cells. We highlight selected BRCA2 binding partners and discuss their role in BRCA2-mediated homologous recombination and fork protection. Improved mechanistic understanding of how BRCA2 functions in genome stability maintenance can enable experimental evidence-based evaluation of pathogenic BRCA2 mutations and BRCA2 pseudo-revertants to support targeted therapy.

BRCA2 deficiency reveals that oxidative stress impairs RNaseH1 function to cripple mitochondrial DNA maintenance

Oxidative stress is a ubiquitous cellular challenge implicated in aging, neurodegeneration, and cancer. By studying pathogenic mutations in the tumor suppressor BRCA2, we identify a general mechanism by which oxidative stress restricts mitochondrial (mt)DNA replication. BRCA2 inactivation induces R-loop accumulation in the mtDNA regulatory region and diminishes mtDNA replication initiation. In BRCA2-deficient cells, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) are elevated, and ROS scavengers suppress the mtDNA defects. Conversely, wild-type cells exposed to oxidative stress by pharmacologic or genetic manipulation phenocopy these defects. Mechanistically, we find that 8-oxoguanine accumulation in mtDNA caused by oxidative stress suffices to impair recruitment of the mitochondrial enzyme RNaseH1 to sites of R-loop accrual, restricting mtDNA replication initiation. Thus, oxidative stress impairs RNaseH1 function to cripple mtDNA maintenance. Our findings highlight a molecular mechanism that links oxidative stress to mitochondrial dysfunction and is elicited by the inactivation of genes implicated in neurodegeneration and cancer.

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BRCA2-deficient cells accumulate mtDNA R-loops due to oxidative stress

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This stress creates 8-oxoguanine lesions impairing RNaseH1 recruitment to mtDNA

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RNaseH1 impairment triggers R-loop formation and restricts mtDNA replication

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Other sources of oxidative stress also cripple mtDNA maintenance via this mechanism

Missense Variants of Uncertain Significance: A Powerful Genetic Tool for Function Discovery with Clinical Implications

Simple Summary

Variants of uncertain significance in the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2 represent 50–80% of the results from genetic testing. These mutations may lead to the dysfunction of the gene, thus conferring breast cancer predisposition; however, because they are rare and their impact on the function is not easy to predict, their classification into benign or pathogenic variants remains a challenge. By focusing on three specific rare missense variants identified in breast cancer patients, in this review, we discuss how the functional evaluation of this type of variants can be used to reveal novel activities of BRCA2. Based on these findings, we suggest additional functional tests that might be required for accurate variant classification and how their characterization may be leveraged to find novel clinical strategies for patients bearing these mutations.

Abstract

The breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2 encodes a multifunctional protein required for the accurate repair of DNA double-strand breaks and replicative DNA lesions. In addition, BRCA2 exhibits emerging important roles in mitosis. As a result, mutations in BRCA2 may affect chromosomal integrity in multiple ways. However, many of the BRCA2 mutations found in breast cancer patients and their families are single amino acid substitutions, sometimes unique, and their relevance in cancer risk remains difficult to assess. In this review, we focus on three recent reports that investigated variants of uncertain significance (VUS) located in the N-terminal region of BRCA2. In this framework, we make the case for how the functional evaluation of VUS can be a powerful genetic tool not only for revealing novel aspects of BRCA2 function but also for re-evaluating cancer risk. We argue that other functions beyond homologous recombination deficiency or “BRCAness” may influence cancer risk. We hope our discussion will help the reader appreciate the potential of these functional studies in the prevention and diagnostics of inherited breast and ovarian cancer. Moreover, these novel aspects in BRCA2 function might help find new therapeutic strategies.

Intrinsic Disorder and Phosphorylation in BRCA2 Facilitate Tight Regulation of Multiple Conserved Binding Events

The maintenance of genome integrity in the cell is an essential process for the accurate transmission of the genetic material. BRCA2 participates in this process at several levels, including DNA repair by homologous recombination, protection of stalled replication forks, and cell division. These activities are regulated and coordinated via cell-cycle dependent modifications. Pathogenic variants in BRCA2 cause genome instability and are associated with breast and/or ovarian cancers. BRCA2 is a very large protein of 3418 amino acids. Most well-characterized variants causing a strong predisposition to cancer are mutated in the C-terminal 700 residues DNA binding domain of BRCA2. The rest of the BRCA2 protein is predicted to be disordered. Interactions involving intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) remain difficult to identify both using bioinformatics tools and performing experimental assays. However, the lack of well-structured binding sites provides unique functional opportunities for BRCA2 to bind to a large set of partners in a tightly regulated manner. We here summarize the predictive and experimental arguments that support the presence of disorder in BRCA2. We describe how BRCA2 IDRs mediate self-assembly and binding to partners during DNA double-strand break repair, mitosis, and meiosis. We highlight how phosphorylation by DNA repair and cell-cycle kinases regulate these interactions. We finally discuss the impact of cancer-associated variants on the function of BRCA2 IDRs and more generally on genome stability and cancer risk.

Cancer-causing BRCA2 missense mutations disrupt an intracellular protein assembly mechanism to disable genome maintenance

Cancer-causing missense mutations in the 3418 amino acid BRCA2 breast and ovarian cancer suppressor protein frequently affect a short (∼340 residue) segment in its carboxyl-terminal domain (DBD). Here, we identify a shared molecular mechanism underlying their pathogenicity. Pathogenic BRCA2 missense mutations cluster in the DBD’s helical domain (HD) and OB1-fold motifs, which engage the partner protein DSS1. Pathogenic - but not benign – DBD mutations weaken or abolish DSS1-BRCA2 assembly, provoking mutant BRCA2 oligomers that are excluded from the cell nucleus, and disable DNA repair by homologous DNA recombination (HDR). DSS1 inhibits the intracellular oligomerization of wildtype, but not mutant, forms of BRCA2. Remarkably, DSS1 expression corrects defective HDR in cells bearing pathogenic BRCA2 missense mutants with weakened, but not absent, DSS1 binding. Our findings identify a DSS1-mediated intracellular protein assembly mechanism that is disrupted by cancer-causing BRCA2 missense mutations, and suggest an approach for its therapeutic correction.

Imprecise Medicine: BRCA2 Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUS), the Challenges and Benefits to Integrate a Functional Assay Workflow with Clinical Decision Rules

Pathological mutations in homology-directed repair (HDR) genes impact both future cancer risk and therapeutic options for patients. HDR is a high-fidelity DNA repair pathway for resolving DNA double-strand breaks throughout the genome. BRCA2 is an essential protein that mediates the loading of RAD51 onto resected DNA breaks, a key step in HDR. Germline mutations in BRCA2 are associated with an increased risk for breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancer. Clinical findings of germline or somatic BRCA2 mutations in tumors suggest treatment with platinum agents or PARP inhibitors. However, when genetic analysis reveals a variant of uncertain significance (VUS) in the BRCA2 gene, precision medicine-based decisions become complex. VUS are genetic changes with unknown pathological impact. Current statistics indicate that between 10–20% of BRCA sequencing results are VUS, and of these, more than 50% are missense mutations. Functional assays to determine the pathological outcome of VUS are urgently needed to provide clinical guidance regarding cancer risk and treatment options. In this review, we provide a brief overview of BRCA2 functions in HDR, describe how BRCA2 VUS are currently assessed in the clinic, and how genetic and biochemical functional assays could be integrated into the clinical decision process. We suggest a multi-step workflow composed of robust and accurate functional assays to correctly evaluate the potential pathogenic or benign nature of BRCA2 VUS. Success in this precision medicine endeavor will offer actionable information to patients and their physicians.

CEP55 Positively Affects Tumorigenesis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Is Correlated with Poor Prognosis

Centrosomal protein 55 (CEP55) is a centrosome- and midbody-associated protein that is overexpressed in several cancers. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of CEP55-mediated progression and metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is not clear. In the current study, we detected CEP55 mRNA by qRT-PCR while protein expression was detected by western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC). In addition, we knocked down CEP55 and investigated the ability of CEP55 to affect colony formation and migration. Here, we report that CEP55 mRNA and protein expression was significantly increased in ESCC. IHC staining showed that CEP55 expression correlated with TNM stage (p=0.046) and lymph node metastases (p=0.024). According to overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), patients whose tumors expressed a higher level of CEP55 had a poorer prognosis than those with low expression level of CEP55. A multivariate analysis revealed that CEP55 expression was an independent prognostic indicator for patients with ESCC. Knockdown of CEP55 decreased the colony formation ability and migration of ESCC cells and also reduced the phosphorylation of Src, FAK, and ERK. Therefore, our study implied that CEP55 may be a valuable biomarker and a potential target in the treatment of patients with ESCC.

The phospho-dependent role of BRCA2 on the maintenance of chromosome integrity

Chromosomal instability is a hallmark of cancer. The tumor suppressor protein BRCA2 performs an important role in the maintenance of genome integrity particularly in interphase; as a mediator of homologous recombination DNA repair pathway, it participates in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks, inter-strand crosslinks and replicative DNA lesions. BRCA2 also protects stalled replication forks from aberrant degradation. Defects in these functions lead to structural chromosomal aberrations. BRCA2 is a large protein containing highly disordered regions that are heavily phosphorylated particularly in mitosis. The functions of these modifications are getting elucidated and reveal emerging activities in chromosome alignment, chromosome segregation and abscission during cell division. Defects in these activities result in numerical chromosomal aberrations. In addition to BRCA2, other factors of the DNA damage response (DDR) participate in mitosis in close association with cell cycle kinases and phosphatases suggesting that the maintenance of genome integrity functions of these factors extends beyond DNA repair. Here we will discuss the regulation of BRCA2 functions through phosphorylation by cell cycle kinases particularly in mitosis, and illustrate with some examples how BRCA2 and other DDR proteins partially rewire their interactions, essentially via phosphorylation, to fulfill mitotic specific functions that ensure chromosome stability.

Construction of a novel prognostic-predicting model correlated to ovarian cancer

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most lethal gynecological cancers worldwide. The pathogenesis of the disease and outcomes prediction of OC patients remain largely unclear. The present study aimed to explore the key genes and biological pathways in ovarian carcinoma development, as well as construct a prognostic model to predict patients’ overall survival (OS).

Results: We identified 164 up-regulated and 80 down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with OC. Gene Ontology (GO) term enrichment showed DEGs mainly correlated with spindle microtubes. For Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, cell cycle was mostly enriched for the DEGs. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network yielded 238 nodes and 1284 edges. Top three modules and ten hub genes were further filtered and analyzed. Three candidiate drugs targeting for therapy were also selected. Thirteen OS-related genes were selected and an eight-mRNA model was present to stratify patients into high- and low-risk groups with significantly different survival.

Conclusions: The identified DEGs and biological pathways may provide new perspective on the pathogenesis and treatments of OC. The identified eight-mRNA signature has significant clinical implication for outcome prediction and tailored therapy guidance for OC patients.

Identification of Immune-Related Therapeutically Relevant Biomarkers in Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Stem Cells by Transcriptome-Wide Analysis: A Clinical Prospective Study

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent a subset of tumor cells that are responsible for recurrence and metastasis of tumors. These cells are resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Immunotherapeutic strategies that target CSCs specifically have provided initial results; however, the mechanism of action of these strategies is unclear. The data were requested from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression, followed with the survival analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis to detect survival and stemness related genes. Patients were divided into three groups based on their immune status by applying single sample GSEA (ssGSEA) with proven dependability by ESTIMATE analysis. The filtered key genes were analyzed using oncomine, GEPIA, HPA, qRT-PCR, and functional analysis. Patients in a group with a higher stemness and a lower immune infiltration showed a worse overall survival probability, stemness and immune infiltration characteristics of breast cancer progressed in a non-linear fashion. Thirteen key genes related to stemness and immunity were identified and the functional analysis indicated their crucial roles in cell proliferation and immune escape strategies. The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression of PIMREG and MTFR2 differed in different stages of patients. Our study revealed a promising potential for CSC-target immunotherapy in the early stage of cancer and a probable value for PIMREG and MTFR2 as biomarkers and targets for immunotherapy.

Canonical and Noncanonical Roles of Fanconi Anemia Proteins: Implications in Cancer Predisposition

Simple Summary

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a genetic disorder that is characterized by bone marrow failure (BMF), developmental abnormalities, and predisposition to cancer. In this review, we present an overview of both canonical (regulation of interstrand cross-links repair, ICLs) and noncanonical roles of FA proteins. We divide noncanonical alternative functions in two types: nuclear (outside ICLs such as FA action in replication stress or DSB repair) and cytosolic (such as in mitochondrial quality control or selective autophagy). We further discuss the involvement of FA genes in the predisposition to develop different types of cancers and we examine current DNA damage response-targeted therapies. Finally, we promote an insightful perspective regarding the clinical implication of the cytosolic noncanonical roles of FA proteins in cancer predisposition, suggesting that these alternative roles could be of critical importance for disease progression.

Abstract

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by the variable presence of congenital somatic abnormalities, bone marrow failure (BMF), and a predisposition to develop cancer. Monoallelic germline mutations in at least five genes involved in the FA pathway are associated with the development of sporadic hematological and solid malignancies. The key function of the FA pathway is to orchestrate proteins involved in the repair of interstrand cross-links (ICLs), to prevent genomic instability and replication stress. Recently, many studies have highlighted the importance of FA genes in noncanonical pathways, such as mitochondria homeostasis, inflammation, and virophagy, which act, in some cases, independently of DNA repair processes. Thus, primary defects in DNA repair mechanisms of FA patients are typically exacerbated by an impairment of other cytoprotective pathways that contribute to the multifaceted clinical phenotype of this disease. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis of FA, with a focus on the cytosolic noncanonical roles of FA genes, discussing how they may contribute to cancer development, thus suggesting opportunities to envisage novel therapeutic approaches.

Consolidated BRCA1/2 Variant Interpretation by MH BRCA Correlates with Predicted PARP Inhibitor Efficacy Association by MH Guide

BRCA1/2 variants are prognostic biomarkers for hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome and predictive biomarkers for PARP inhibition. In this study, we benchmarked the classification of BRCA1/2 variants from patients with HBOC-related cancer using MH BRCA, a novel computational technology that combines the ACMG guidelines with expert-curated variant annotations. Evaluation of BRCA1/2 variants (n = 1040) taken from four HBOC studies showed strong concordance within the pathogenic (98.1%) subset. Comparison of MH BRCA’s ACMG classification to ClinVar submitter content from ENIGMA, the international consortium of investigators on the clinical significance of BRCA1/2 variants, the ARUP laboratories, a clinical testing lab of the University of UTAH, and the German Cancer Consortium showed 99.98% concordance (4975 out of 4976 variants) in the pathogenic subset. In our patient cohort, refinement of patients with variants of unknown significance reduced the uncertainty of cancer-predisposing syndromes by 64.7% and identified three cases with potential family risk to HBOC due to a likely pathogenic variant BRCA1 p.V1653L (NM_007294.3:c.4957G > T; rs80357261). To assess whether classification results predict PARP inhibitor efficacy, contextualization with functional impact information on DNA repair activity were performed, using MH Guide. We found a strong correlation between treatment efficacy association and MH BRCA classifications. Importantly, low efficacy to PARP inhibition was predicted in 3.95% of pathogenic variants from four examined HBOC studies and our patient cohort, indicating the clinical relevance of the consolidated variant interpretation.

Centrosomal protein 55: A new paradigm in tumorigenesis

Centrosomal Protein 55 (Cep55), also known as c10orf3 and FLJ10540, was initially discovered as a major player in abscission, the final stage of cytokinesis. Subsequent studies have described its role in regulating the PI3K/AKT pathway, increasing cancer cell stemness, and promoting tumor formation. Clinically, Cep55 has been found to be overexpressed in many cancer types. Cep55 overexpression has been notably associated with tumor stage, tumor aggressiveness, poor prognosis, and metastasis. The present review discusses the role of Cep55 as a crucial biomarker and model in tumorigenesis.

Upregulation of CEP55 Predicts Dismal Prognosis in Patients with Liver Cancer

Purpose

This study was performed to investigate the association of CEP55 expression with liver cancer and explore potential underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods. Data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was used to investigate CEP55 expression, its prognostic value, the potential mechanisms of its upregulation, CEP55-related pathways, and its biological functions in liver cancer. Data from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) was used to validate survival analysis. The correlation between CEP55 and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in liver cancer was determined by using Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER).

Results

CEP55 was significantly overexpressed in the liver tumor sample compared to the adjacent normal liver sample. High CEP55 expression was significantly associated with histological grade, advanced stages, histological type, high T classification, and survival status. High CEP55 expression was significantly related to dismal prognosis compared with low CEP55 expression, which was validated by the GSE54236 dataset and ICGC database. Meanwhile, CEP55 was identified as the risk factor to independently predict overall survival (OS) for patients with liver cancer upon multivariate analysis. Enrichment analysis indicated that cell cycle, DNA replication, pathways in cancer, mTOR signaling pathway, and VEGF signaling pathway were significantly enriched in the high CEP55 expression group. In addition, the CEP55 expression was significantly related to the infiltration level of B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). CEP55 methylation level was negatively correlated to its mRNA expression. And patients with CEP55 hypermethylation and low expression can achieve a better prognosis than those with CEP55 hypomethylation and high expression.

Conclusion

CEP55 may serve as a candidate treatment target for it is a determinant of prognosis and immune infiltration in liver cancer patients. DNA hypomethylation might contribute to the overexpression of CEP55 in liver cancer.

1H, 13C and 15N backbone resonance assignment of the human BRCA2 N-terminal region

The Breast Cancer susceptibility protein 2 (BRCA2) is involved in mechanisms that maintain genome stability, including DNA repair, replication and cell division. These functions are ensured by the folded C-terminal DNA binding domain of BRCA2 but also by its large regions predicted to be disordered. Several studies have shown that disordered regions of BRCA2 are subjected to phosphorylation, thus regulating BRCA2 interactions through the cell cycle. The N-terminal region of BRCA2 contains two highly conserved clusters of phosphorylation sites between amino acids 75 and 210. Upon phosphorylation by CDK, the cluster 1 is known to become a docking site for the kinase PLK1. The cluster 2 is phosphorylated by PLK1 at least at two positions. Both of these phosphorylation clusters are important for mitosis progression, in particular for chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. In order to identify the phosphorylated residues and to characterize the phosphorylation sites preferences and their functional consequences within BRCA2 N-terminus, we have produced and analyzed the BRCA2 fragment from amino acid 48 to amino acid 284 (BRCA2_48-284). Here, we report the assignment of ¹H, ¹⁵N, ¹³CO, ¹³Cα and ¹³Cβ NMR chemical shifts of this region. Analysis of these chemical shifts confirmed that BRCA2_48-284 shows no stable fold: it is intrinsically disordered, with only short, transient α-helices.

DNA damage response proteins regulating mitotic cell division: double agents preserving genome stability

The DNA damage response recognizes DNA lesions and coordinates a cell cycle arrest with the repair of the damaged DNA, or removal of the affected cells to prevent the passage of genetic alterations to the next generation. The mitotic cell division, on the other hand, is a series of processes that aims to accurately segregate the genomic material from the maternal to the two daughter cells. Despite their great importance in safeguarding genomic integrity, the DNA damage response and the mitotic cell division were long viewed as unrelated processes, mainly because animal cells that are irradiated during mitosis continue cell division without repairing the broken chromosomes. However, recent studies have demonstrated that DNA damage proteins play an important role in mitotic cell division. This is performed through regulation of the onset of mitosis, mitotic spindle formation, correction of misattached kinetochore-microtubules, spindle checkpoint signaling, or completion of cytokinesis (abscission), in the absence of DNA damage. In this review, we summarize the roles of DNA damage proteins in unperturbed mitosis, analyze the molecular mechanisms involved, and discuss the potential implications of these findings in cancer therapy.

The Impact of Stroma Admixture on Molecular Subtypes and Prognostic Gene Signatures in Serous Ovarian Cancer

BACKGROUND

Recent efforts to improve outcomes for high-grade serous ovarian cancer, a leading cause of cancer death in women, have focused on identifying molecular subtypes and prognostic gene signatures, but existing subtypes have poor cross-study robustness. We tested the contribution of cell admixture in published ovarian cancer molecular subtypes and prognostic gene signatures.

METHODS

Gene signatures of tumor and stroma were developed using paired microdissected tissue from two independent studies. Stromal genes were investigated in two molecular subtype classifications and 61 published gene signatures. Prognostic performance of gene signatures of stromal admixture was evaluated in 2,527 ovarian tumors (16 studies). Computational simulations of increasing stromal cell proportion were performed by mixing gene-expression profiles of paired microdissected ovarian tumor and stroma.

RESULTS

Recently described ovarian cancer molecular subtypes are strongly associated with the cell admixture. Tumors were classified as different molecular subtypes in simulations where the percentage of stromal cells increased. Stromal gene expression in bulk tumors was associated with overall survival (hazard ratio, 1.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.23), and in one data set, increased stroma was associated with anatomic sampling location. Five published prognostic gene signatures were no longer prognostic in a multivariate model that adjusted for stromal content.

CONCLUSIONS

Cell admixture affects the interpretation and reproduction of ovarian cancer molecular subtypes and gene signatures derived from bulk tissue. Elucidating the role of stroma in the tumor microenvironment and in prognosis is important.

IMPACT

Single-cell analyses may be required to refine the molecular subtypes of high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in a sample of breast and ovarian cancer families from the Colombian pacific

Introduction:

Breast cancer is the most common neoplasia of women from all over the world especially women from Colombia. 5%­10% of all cases are caused by hereditary factors, 25% of those cases have mutations in the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to identify the mutations associated with the risk of familial breast and/or ovarian cancer in a population of Colombian pacific.

Methods:

58 high-risk breast and/or ovarian cancer families and 20 controls were screened for germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2, by Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP) and sequencing.

Results:

Four families (6.9%) were found to carry BRCA1 mutations and eight families (13.8%) had mutations in BRCA2. In BRCA1, we found three Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUS), of which we concluded, using in silico tools, that c.81­12C>G and c.3119G>A (p.Ser1040Asn) are probably deleterious, and c.3083G>A (p.Arg1028His) is probably neutral. In BRCA2, we found three variants of uncertain significance: two were previously described and one novel mutation. Using in silico analysis, we concluded that c.865A>G (p.Asn289Asp) and c.6427T>C (p.Ser2143Pro) are probably deleterious and c.125A>G (p.Tyr42Cys) is probably neutral. Only one of them has previously been reported in Colombia. We also identified 13 polymorphisms (4 in BRCA1 and 9 in BRCA2), two of them are associated with a moderate increase in breast cancer risk (BRCA2 c.1114A>C and c.8755­66T>C).

Conclusion:

According to our results, the Colombian pacific population presents diverse mutational spectrum for BRCA genes that differs from the findings in other regions in the country.

Emerging Roles of the TRIM E3 Ubiquitin Ligases MID1 and MID2 in Cytokinesis

Ubiquitination is a post-translational modification that consists of ubiquitin attachment to target proteins through sequential steps catalysed by activating (E1), conjugating (E2), and ligase (E3) enzymes. Protein ubiquitination is crucial for the regulation of many cellular processes not only by promoting proteasomal degradation of substrates but also re-localisation of cellular factors and modulation of protein activity. Great importance in orchestrating ubiquitination relies on E3 ligases as these proteins recognise the substrate that needs to be modified at the right time and place. Here we focus on two members of the TRIpartite Motif (TRIM) family of RING E3 ligases, MID1, and MID2. We discuss the recent findings on these developmental disease-related proteins analysing the link between their activity on essential factors and the regulation of cytokinesis highlighting the possible consequence of alteration of this process in pathological conditions.

Noncoding RNA Ginir functions as an oncogene by associating with centrosomal proteins

Long noncoding RNAs constitute a major fraction of the eukaryotic transcriptome, and together with proteins, they intricately fine-tune various growth regulatory signals to control cellular homeostasis. Here, we describe the functional characterisation of a novel pair of long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) comprised of complementary, fully overlapping sense and antisense transcripts Genomic Instability Inducing RNA (Ginir) and antisense RNA of Ginir (Giniras), respectively, from mouse cells. This transcript pair is expressed in a spatiotemporal manner during embryonic development. The individual levels of the sense and antisense transcripts are finely balanced during embryonic growth and in adult tissues. Functional studies of the individual transcripts performed using overexpression and knock-down strategies in mouse cells has led to the discovery that Ginir RNA is a regulator of cellular proliferation and can act as an oncogene having a preeminent role in malignant transformation. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that the oncogenic function of Ginir is mediated by its interaction with centrosomal protein 112 (Cep112). Additionally, we establish here a specific interaction between Cep112 with breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein (Brca1), another centrosome-associated protein. Next, we prove that the mutual interaction between Cep112 with Brca1 is significant for mitotic regulation and maintenance of genomic stability. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the Cep112 protein interaction with Brca1 protein is impaired when an elevated level of Ginir RNA is present in the cells, resulting in severe deregulation and abnormality in mitosis, leading to malignant transformation. Inhibiting the Ginir RNA function in transformed cells attenuates transformation and restores genomic stability. Together, these findings unravel, to our knowledge, a hitherto-unknown mechanism of oncogenesis mediated by a long noncoding RNA and establishes a unique role of Cep112–Brca1 interaction being modulated by Ginir RNA in maintaining mitotic fidelity.

The growth of multicellular organisms is tightly regulated by cellular homeostasis mediated by cell division. This is achieved with the help of various proteins acting in a highly coordinated manner via intricately woven intercellular signalling pathways, which regulate cell division. Here, we identify a long noncoding RNA pair, which we named Genomic Instability Inducing RNA (Ginir)/antisense RNA of Ginir (Giniras), and explore its function in cellular homeostasis. We show that this RNA pair is expressed in a spatiotemporally regulated manner during development and is enriched in the brain. We find that Ginir acts as a dominant oncogene when Ginir transcript levels are overexpressed in mouse fibroblasts and that centrosomal protein 112 (Cep112) is its interacting protein partner. We also report that Cep112 interacts with breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein (Brca1), a protein well known for its role in genome surveillance. Our data reveal that interactions between these two proteins are perturbed in the presence of excessive levels of Ginir RNA, which results in aberrant mitosis and drives the cells towards neoplastic transformation.

CEP55 is a determinant of cell fate during perturbed mitosis in breast cancer

The centrosomal protein, CEP55, is a key regulator of cytokinesis, and its overexpression is linked to genomic instability, a hallmark of cancer. However, the mechanism by which it mediates genomic instability remains elusive. Here, we showed that CEP55 overexpression/knockdown impacts survival of aneuploid cells. Loss of CEP55 sensitizes breast cancer cells to anti-mitotic agents through premature CDK1/cyclin B activation and CDK1 caspase-dependent mitotic cell death. Further, we showed that CEP55 is a downstream effector of the MEK1/2-MYC axis. Blocking MEK1/2-PLK1 signaling therefore reduced outgrowth of basal-like syngeneic and human breast tumors in in vivo models. In conclusion, high CEP55 levels dictate cell fate during perturbed mitosis. Forced mitotic cell death by blocking MEK1/2-PLK1 represents a potential therapeutic strategy for MYC-CEP55-dependent basal-like, triple-negative breast cancers.

Prognostic significance of Cep55 in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Objective:

Currently, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most fatal cancers of all head and neck malignancies. Despite advancements in therapy, the mortality and morbidity remain high. Hence, it is essential to identify useful prognostic markers for high-risk individuals with OSCC to decide on treatment protocols. Centrosomal protein 55 ( Cep55), a regulator of the cell cycle, has been considered to play a role in carcinogenesis. Although there are numerous studies on its role in various other epithelial cancers such as breast, ovarian and lung cancers, its significance in the behaviour of OSCC is yet to be studied. The present study aimed to study Cep55 expression in OSCC and correlate with the tumour characteristics and patient survival.

Materials and Methods:

Forty pathologically diagnosed cases of OSCC were included in the study: 20 each of early and advanced OSCC cases. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded archival samples were used. The sections were immunohistochemically stained with Cep55 antibody. The expression levels of Cep55 were correlated with clinical parameters and disease outcome.

Results:

A higher expression of Cep55 was observed in advanced stage compared to early stage of OSCC. The Cep55 expression showed no significant relation with respect to clinical staging, pathological grading and site, except for tongue. Cep55 overexpression is significantly associated with poor survival.

Conclusion:

The present study suggests that Cep55 could play an important role in determining the biological behaviour and survival of OSCC patients independent of tumour staging and pathological grading. Thus, assessment of Cep55 expression could navigate the surgeons to plan an appropriate treatment.

Homologous Recombination and Replication Fork Protection: BRCA2 and More!

BRCA2 is a breast and ovarian tumor suppressor that guards against genome instability, a hallmark of cancer. Significant progress has been made in improving our understanding of BRCA2 function from biochemical, cellular, and mouse studies. The knowledge gained has been actively exploited to develop therapeutic strategies, including PARP inhibition, which has shown promising clinical outcomes. Recently, tremendous excitement has been generated by the findings of the roles of BRCA2 and other proteins in suppressing replication stress through homologous recombination and in the protection of stalled replication forks. Processes such as mitotic DNA synthesis and fork reversal have taken center stage in these studies. Here, we discuss our recent findings in the context of these advances.

Homology-Directed Repair and the Role of BRCA1, BRCA2, and Related Proteins in Genome Integrity and Cancer

Germ-line and somatic mutations in genes that promote homology-directed repair (HDR), especially BRCA1 and BRCA2, are frequently observed in several cancers, in particular, breast and ovary but also prostate and other cancers. HDR is critical for the error-free repair of DNA double-strand breaks and other lesions, and HDR factors also protect stalled replication forks. As a result, loss of BRCA1 or BRCA2 poses significant risks to genome integrity, leading not only to cancer predisposition but also to sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents, affecting therapeutic approaches. Here we review recent advances in our understanding of BRCA1 and BRCA2, including how they genetically interact with other repair factors, how they protect stalled replication forks, how they affect the response to aldehydes, and how loss of their functions links to mutation signatures. Importantly, given the recent advances with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) for the treatment of HDR-deficient tumors, we discuss mechanisms by which BRCA-deficient tumors acquire resistance to PARPi and other agents.

Fanconi anaemia and cancer: an intricate relationship

Fanconi anaemia (FA) is a genetic disorder that is characterized by bone marrow failure (BMF), developmental abnormalities and predisposition to cancer. Together with other proteins involved in DNA repair processes and cell division, the FA proteins maintain genome homeostasis, and germline mutation of any one of the genes that encode FA proteins causes FA. Monoallelic inactivation of some FA genes, such as FA complementation group D1 (FANCD1; also known as the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2), leads to adult-onset cancer predisposition but does not cause FA, and somatic mutations in FA genes occur in cancers in the general population. Carcinogenesis resulting from a dysregulated FA pathway is multifaceted, as FA proteins monitor multiple complementary genome-surveillance checkpoints throughout interphase, where monoubiquitylation of the FANCD2-FANCI heterodimer by the FA core complex promotes recruitment of DNA repair effectors to chromatin lesions to resolve DNA damage and mitosis. In this Review, we discuss how the FA pathway safeguards genome integrity throughout the cell cycle and show how studies of FA have revealed opportunities to develop rational therapeutics for this genetic disease and for malignancies that acquire somatic mutations within the FA pathway.

A Soft Microenvironment Protects from Failure of Midbody Abscission and Multinucleation Downstream of the EMT-Promoting Transcription Factor Snail

Multinucleation is found in more than one third of tumors and is linked to increased tolerance for mutation, resistance to chemotherapy, and invasive potential. The integrity of the genome depends on proper execution of the cell cycle, which can be altered through mechanotransduction pathways as the tumor microenvironment stiffens during tumorigenesis. Here, we show that signaling downstream of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP3) or TGFβ, known inducers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), also promotes multinucleation in stiff microenvironments through Snail-dependent expression of the filament-forming protein septin-6, resulting in midbody persistence, abscission failure, and multinucleation. Consistently, we observed elevated expression of Snail and septin-6 as well as multinucleation in a human patient sample of metaplastic carcinoma of the breast, a rare classification characterized by deposition of collagen fibers and active EMT. In contrast, a soft microenvironment protected mammary epithelial cells from becoming multinucleated by preventing Snail-induced upregulation of septin-6. Our data suggest that tissue stiffening during tumorigenesis synergizes with oncogenic signaling to promote genomic abnormalities that drive cancer progression.Significance: These findings reveal tissue stiffening during tumorigenesis synergizes with oncogenic signaling to promote genomic abnormalities that drive cancer progression. Cancer Res; 78(9); 2277-89. ©2018 AACR.

Assessment of the Clinical Relevance of BRCA2 Missense Variants by Functional and Computational Approaches

Many variants of uncertain significance (VUS) have been identified in BRCA2 through clinical genetic testing. VUS pose a significant clinical challenge because the contribution of these variants to cancer risk has not been determined. We conducted a comprehensive assessment of VUS in the BRCA2 C-terminal DNA binding domain (DBD) by using a validated functional assay of BRCA2 homologous recombination (HR) DNA-repair activity and defined a classifier of variant pathogenicity. Among 139 variants evaluated, 54 had ?99% probability of pathogenicity, and 73 had ?95% probability of neutrality. Functional assay results were compared with predictions of variant pathogenicity from the Align-GVGD protein-sequence-based prediction algorithm, which has been used for variant classification. Relative to the HR assay, Align-GVGD significantly (p < 0.05) over-predicted pathogenic variants. We subsequently combined functional and Align-GVGD prediction results in a Bayesian hierarchical model (VarCall) to estimate the overall probability of pathogenicity for each VUS. In addition, to predict the effects of all other BRCA2 DBD variants and to prioritize variants for functional studies, we used the endoPhenotype-Optimized Sequence Ensemble (ePOSE) algorithm to train classifiers for BRCA2 variants by using data from the HR functional assay. Together, the results show that systematic functional assays in combination with in silico predictors of pathogenicity provide robust tools for clinical annotation of BRCA2 VUS.

A comprehensive analysis of BRCA2 gene: focus on mechanistic aspects of its functions, spectrum of deleterious mutations, and therapeutic strategies targeting BRCA2-deficient tumors

BRCA2is the main susceptibility gene known to be involved in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. It plays an important role in maintaining the genome stability by homologous recombination through DNA double-strand breaks repairing, by interacting with various other proteins including RAD51, DSS1, RPA, MRE11, PALB2, and p53. BRCA2-deficient cells show the abnormalities of chromosome number. BRCA2 is also found to be involved in centrosome duplication specifically in the metaphase to anaphase transition. Inactivation or depletion of BRCA2 leads to centrosome amplification that results in unequal separation of chromosomes. BRCA2 localizes with central spindle and midbody during telophase and cytokinesis. Inactivation or depletion of BRCA2 leads to multinucleation of cell. Around 2000 mutations have been reported in BRCA2 gene. BRCA2-deficient tumors are being taking into consideration for targeted cancer therapy by using different inhibitors like poly ADP-ribose polymerase and thymidylate synthase. The present review focusses on the role of BRCA2 in various critical cellular processes based on the mechanistic approaches. Mutations reported in the BRCA2 gene in various ethnic groups till date have also been compiled with an insight into the functional aspects of these alterations. The therapeutic strategies for targeting BRCA2-deficient tumors have also been targeted.

BRCA2 suppresses replication stress-induced mitotic and G1 abnormalities through homologous recombination

Mutations in the tumor suppressor BRCA2 predominantly predispose to breast cancer. Paradoxically, while loss of BRCA2 promotes tumor formation, it also causes cell lethality, although how lethality is triggered is unclear. Here, we generate BRCA2 conditional non-transformed human mammary epithelial cell lines using CRISPR-Cas9. Cells are inviable upon BRCA2 loss, which leads to replication stress associated with under replication, causing mitotic abnormalities, 53BP1 nuclear body formation in the ensuing G1 phase, and G1 arrest. Unexpected from other systems, the role of BRCA2 in homologous recombination, but not in stalled replication fork protection, is primarily associated with supporting human mammary epithelial cell viability, and, moreover, preventing replication stress, a hallmark of pre-cancerous lesions. Thus, we uncover a DNA under replication-53BP1 nuclear body formation-G1 arrest axis as an unanticipated outcome of homologous recombination deficiency, which triggers cell lethality and, we propose, serves as a barrier that must be overcome for tumor formation.

BRCA2 mutations promote tumour formation while also paradoxically causing cell lethality. Here the authors generate conditional BRCA2 loss in a non-transformed human mammary cell line and see increased replication stress due to under-replication of DNA.

Aurora A kinase regulates non-homologous end-joining and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase function in ovarian carcinoma cells

Ovarian cancer is usually diagnosed at late stages when cancer has spread beyond the ovary and patients ultimately succumb to the development of drug-resistant disease. There is an urgent and unmet need to develop therapeutic strategies that effectively treat ovarian cancer and this requires a better understanding of signaling pathways important for ovarian cancer progression. Aurora A kinase (AURKA) plays an important role in ovarian cancer progression by mediating mitosis and chromosomal instability. In the current study, we investigated the role of AURKA in regulating the DNA damage response and DNA repair in ovarian carcinoma cells. We discovered that AURKA modulated the expression and activity of PARP, a crucial mediator of DNA repair that is a target of therapeutic interest for the treatment of ovarian and other cancers. Further, specific inhibition of AURKA activity with the small molecule inhibitor, alisertib, stimulated the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) repair pathway by elevating DNA-PKcs activity, a catalytic subunit required for double-strand break (DSB) repair, as well as decreased the expression of PARP and BRCA1/2, which are required for high-fidelity homologous recombination-based DNA repair. Further, AURKA inhibition stimulates error-prone NHEJ repair of DNA double-strand breaks with incompatible ends. Consistent with in vitro findings, alisertib treatment increased phosphorylated DNA-PKcs(pDNA-PKcsT2609) and decreased PARP levels in vivo. Collectively, these results reveal new non-mitotic functions for AURKA in the regulation of DNA repair, which may inform of new therapeutic targets and strategies for treating ovarian cancer.

The Role of Replication-Associated Repair Factors on R-Loops

The nascent RNA can reinvade the DNA double helix to form a structure termed the R-loop, where a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is accompanied by a DNA-RNA hybrid. Unresolved R-loops can impede transcription and replication processes and lead to genomic instability by a mechanism still not fully understood. In this sense, a connection between R-loops and certain chromatin markers has been reported that might play a key role in R-loop homeostasis and genome instability. To counteract the potential harmful effect of R-loops, different conserved messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) biogenesis and nuclear export factors prevent R-loop formation, while ubiquitously-expressed specific ribonucleases and DNA-RNA helicases resolve DNA-RNA hybrids. However, the molecular events associated with R-loop sensing and processing are not yet known. Given that R-loops hinder replication progression, it is plausible that some DNA replication-associated factors contribute to dissolve R-loops or prevent R-loop mediated genome instability. In support of this, R-loops accumulate in cells depleted of the BRCA1, BRCA2 or the Fanconi anemia (FA) DNA repair factors, indicating that they play an active role in R-loop dissolution. In light of these results, we review our current view of the role of replication-associated DNA repair pathways in preventing the harmful consequences of R-loops.

Cancer/Testis Antigens: "Smart" Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Prognosis of Prostate and Other Cancers

A clinical dilemma in the management of prostate cancer (PCa) is to distinguish men with aggressive disease who need definitive treatment from men who may not require immediate intervention. Accurate prediction of disease behavior is critical because radical treatment is associated with high morbidity. Here, we highlight the cancer/testis antigens (CTAs) as potential PCa biomarkers. The CTAs are a group of proteins that are typically restricted to the testis in the normal adult but are aberrantly expressed in several types of cancers. Interestingly, >90% of CTAs are predicted to belong to the realm of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), which do not have unique structures and exist as highly dynamic conformational ensembles, but are known to play important roles in several biological processes. Using prostate-associated gene 4 (PAGE4) as an example of a disordered CTA, we highlight how IDP conformational dynamics may regulate phenotypic heterogeneity in PCa cells, and how it may be exploited both as a potential biomarker as well as a promising therapeutic target in PCa. We also discuss how in addition to intrinsic disorder and post-translational modifications, structural and functional variability induced in the CTAs by alternate splicing represents an important feature that might have different roles in different cancers. Although it is clear that significant additional work needs to be done in the outlined direction, this novel concept emphasizing (multi)functionality as an important trait in selecting a biomarker underscoring the theranostic potential of CTAs that is latent in their structure (or, more appropriately, the lack thereof), and casts them as next generation or “smart” biomarker candidates.

BRCA2 functions: from DNA repair to replication fork stabilization

Maintaining genomic integrity is essential to preserve normal cellular physiology and to prevent the emergence of several human pathologies including cancer. The breast cancer susceptibility gene 2 (BRCA2, also known as the Fanconi anemia (FA) complementation group D1 (FANCD1)) is a potent tumor suppressor that has been extensively studied in DNA double-stranded break (DSB) repair by homologous recombination (HR). However, BRCA2 participates in numerous other processes central to maintaining genome stability, including DNA replication, telomere homeostasis and cell cycle progression. Consequently, inherited mutations in BRCA2 are associated with an increased risk of breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancers. Furthermore, bi-allelic mutations in BRCA2 are linked to FA, a rare chromosome instability syndrome characterized by aplastic anemia in children as well as susceptibility to leukemia and cancer. Here, we discuss the recent developments underlying the functions of BRCA2 in the maintenance of genomic integrity. The current model places BRCA2 as a central regulator of genome stability by repairing DSBs and limiting replication stress. These findings have direct implications for the development of novel anticancer therapeutic approaches.

Molding BRCA2 function through its interacting partners

The role of the tumor suppressor BRCA2 has been shaped over 2 decades thanks to the discovery of its protein and nucleic acid partners, biochemical and structural studies of the protein, and the functional evaluation of germline variants identified in breast cancer patients. Yet, the pathogenic and functional effect of many germline mutations in BRCA2 remains undetermined, and the heterogeneity of BRCA2-associated tumors challenges the identification of causative variants that drive tumorigenesis. In this review, we propose an overview of the established and emerging interacting partners and functional pathways attributed to BRCA2, and we speculate on how variants altering these functions may contribute to cancer susceptibility.

BRCA2 minor transcript lacking exons 4-7 supports viability in mice and may account for survival of humans with a pathogenic biallelic mutation

The breast cancer gene, BRCA2, is essential for viability, yet patients with Fanconi anemia-D1 subtype are born alive with biallelic mutations in this gene. The hypomorphic nature of the mutations is believed to support viability, but this is not always apparent. One such mutation is IVS7+2T>G, which causes premature protein truncation due to skipping of exon 7. We previously identified a transcript lacking exons 4-7, which restores the open-reading frame, encodes a DNA repair proficient protein and is expressed in IVS7+2T>G carriers. However, because the exons 4-7 encoded region contains several residues required for normal cell-cycle regulation and cytokinesis, this transcript's ability to support viability can be argued. To address this, we generated a Brca2 knock-in mouse model lacking exons 4-7 and demonstrated that these exons are dispensable for viability as well as tumor-free survival. This study provides the first in vivo evidence of the functional significance of a minor transcript of BRCA2 that can play a major role in the survival of humans who are homozygous for a clearly pathogenic mutation. Our results highlight the importance of assessing protein function restoration by premature truncating codon bypass by alternative splicing when evaluating the functional significance of variants such as nonsense and frame-shift mutations that are assumed to be clearly pathogenic. Our findings will impact not only the assessment of variants that map to this region, but also influence counseling paradigms and treatment options for such mutation carriers.

An adventitious interaction of filamin A with RhoGDI2(Tyr153Glu)

Filamin A (FLNA) is an actin filament crosslinking protein with multiple intracellular binding partners. Mechanical force exposes cryptic FLNA binding sites for some of these ligands. To identify new force-dependent binding interactions, we used a fusion construct composed of two FLNA domains, one of which was previously identified as containing a force-dependent binding site as a bait in a yeast two-hybrid system and identified the Rho dissociation inhibitor 2 (RhoGDI2) as a potential interacting partner. A RhoGDI2 truncate with 81 N-terminal amino acid residues and a phosphomimetic mutant, RhoGDI(Tyr153Glu) interacted with the FLNA construct. However, neither wild-type or full-length RhoGDI2 phosphorylated at Y153 interacted with FLNA. Our interpretation of these contradictions is that truncation and/or mutation of RhoGDI2 perturbs its conformation to expose a site that adventitiously binds FLNA and is not a bona-fide interaction. Therefore, previous studies reporting that a RhoGDI(Y153E) mutant suppresses the metastasis of human bladder cancer cells must be reinvestigated in light of artificial interaction of this point mutant with FLNA.

FANCA safeguards interphase and mitosis during hematopoiesis in vivo

The Fanconi anemia (FA/BRCA) signaling network controls multiple genome-housekeeping checkpoints, from interphase DNA repair to mitosis. The in vivo role of abnormal cell division in FA remains unknown. Here, we quantified the origins of genomic instability in FA patients and mice in vivo and ex vivo. We found that both mitotic errors and interphase DNA damage significantly contribute to genomic instability during FA-deficient hematopoiesis and in nonhematopoietic human and murine FA primary cells. Super-resolution microscopy coupled with functional assays revealed that FANCA shuttles to the pericentriolar material to regulate spindle assembly at mitotic entry. Loss of FA signaling rendered cells hypersensitive to spindle chemotherapeutics and allowed escape from the chemotherapy-induced spindle assembly checkpoint. In support of these findings, direct comparison of DNA crosslinking and anti-mitotic chemotherapeutics in primary FANCA-/- cells revealed genomic instability originating through divergent cell cycle checkpoint aberrations. Our data indicate that FA/BRCA signaling functions as an in vivo gatekeeper of genomic integrity throughout interphase and mitosis, which may have implications for future targeted therapies in FA and FA-deficient cancers.

Genome annotation by shotgun inactivation of a native gene in hemizygous cells: application to BRCA2 with implication of hypomorphic variants

The greatest interpretive challenge of modern medicine may be to functionally annotate the vast variation of human genomes. Demonstrating a proposed approach, we created a library of BRCA2 exon 27 shotgun-mutant plasmids including solitary and multiplex mutations to generate human knockin clones using homologous recombination. This 55-mutation, 13-clone syngeneic variance library (SyVaL) comprised severely affected clones having early-stop nonsense mutations, functionally hypomorphic clones having multiple missense mutations emphasizing the potential to identify and assess hypomorphic mutations in novel proteomic and epidemiologic studies, and neutral clones having multiple missense mutations. Efficient coverage of nonessential amino acids was provided by mutation multiplexing. Severe mutations were distinguished from hypomorphic or neutral changes by chemosensitivity assays (hypersensitivity to mitomycin C and acetaldehyde), by analysis of RAD51 focus formation, and by mitotic multipolarity. A multiplex unbiased approach of generating all-human SyVaLs in medically important genes, with random mutations in native genes, would provide databases of variants that could be functionally annotated without concerns arising from exogenous cDNA constructs or interspecies interactions, as a basis for subsequent proteomic domain mapping or clinical calibration if desired. Such gene-irrelevant approaches could be scaled up for multiple genes of clinical interest, providing distributable cellular libraries linked to public-shared functional databases.