The complex matter of DNA double-strand break detection

Double-strand breaks in genome-sized DNA caused by megahertz ultrasound

Double-strand breaks (DSBs) of giant DNA molecules after exposure to 1.0 MHz pulsed-wave ultrasound were quantitatively evaluated by single-molecule observation of giant DNA (T4 GT7 DNA; 166 kbp) through fluorescence microscopy. Aqueous solutions of DNA were exposed to ultrasonic waves with different sound pressures, repetition periods (1, 2, 5 ms), and pulse durations (5, 10, 50 μs). Below a threshold value of sound pressure, almost no double-strand breaks were generated, and above the threshold, the degree of damage increased in an accelerated manner as the pressure increased. DNA damage was much more severe for exposure to ultrasound with a shorter pulse duration. In addition, a longer pulse repetition period caused worse damage in DNA molecules. The effect of microbubbles on the damage induced by exposure to ultrasound had also been studied. While a result showed that a very small amount of microbubbles increased DSBs of DNA, this effect of microbubbles only weakly depended on their concentrations.

Deubiquitylating enzymes and DNA damage response pathways

Covalent post-translational modification of proteins by ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like factors has emerged as a general mechanism to regulate myriad intra-cellular processes. The addition and removal of ubiquitin or ubiquitin-like proteins from factors has recently been demonstrated as a key mechanism to modulate DNA damage response (DDR) pathways. It is thus, timely to evaluate the potential for ubiquitin pathway enzymes as DDR drug targets for therapeutic intervention. The synthetic lethal approach provides exciting opportunities for the development of targeted therapies to treat cancer: most tumours have lost critical DDR pathways, and thus rely more heavily on the remaining pathways, while normal tissues are still equipped with all DDR pathways. Here, we review key deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) involved in DDR pathways, and describe how targeting DUBs may lead to selective therapies to treat cancer patients.

Acetylation of lysine 382 and phosphorylation of serine 392 in p53 modulate the interaction between p53 and MDC1 in vitro

Occurrence of DNA damage in a cell activates the DNA damage response, a survival mechanism that ensures genomics stability. Two key members of the DNA damage response are the tumor suppressor p53, which is the most frequently mutated gene in cancers, and MDC1, which is a central adaptor that recruits many proteins to sites of DNA damage. Here we characterize the in vitro interaction between p53 and MDC1 and demonstrate that p53 and MDC1 directly interact. The p53-MDC1 interaction is mediated by the tandem BRCT domain of MDC1 and the C-terminal domain of p53. We further show that both acetylation of lysine 382 and phosphorylation of serine 392 in p53 enhance the interaction between p53 and MDC1. Additionally, we demonstrate that the p53-MDC1 interaction is augmented upon the induction of DNA damage in human cells. Our data suggests a new role for acetylation of lysine 382 and phosphorylation of serine 392 in p53 in the cellular stress response and offers the first evidence for an interaction involving MDC1 that is modulated by acetylation.

MU2 and HP1a regulate the recognition of double strand breaks in Drosophila melanogaster

Chromatin structure regulates the dynamics of the recognition and repair of DNA double strand breaks; open chromatin enhances the recruitment of DNA damage response factors, while compact chromatin is refractory to the assembly of radiation-induced repair foci. MU2, an orthologue of human MDC1, a scaffold for ionizing radiation-induced repair foci, is a widely distributed chromosomal protein in Drosophila melanogaster that moves to DNA repair foci after irradiation. Here we show using yeast 2 hybrid screens and co-immunoprecipitation that MU2 binds the chromoshadow domain of the heterochromatin protein HP1 in untreated cells. We asked what role HP1 plays in the formation of repair foci and cell cycle control in response to DNA damage. After irradiation repair foci form in heterochromatin but are shunted to the edge of heterochromatic regions an HP1-dependent manner, suggesting compartmentalized repair. Hydroxyurea-induced repair foci that form at collapsed replication forks, however, remain in the heterochromatic compartment. HP1a depletion in irradiated imaginal disc cells increases apoptosis and disrupts G2/M arrest. Further, cells irradiated in mitosis produced more and brighter repair foci than to cells irradiated during interphase. Thus, the interplay between MU2 and HP1a is dynamic and may be different in euchromatin and heterochromatin during DNA break recognition and repair.

Understanding DNA damage response and DNA repair pathways: applications to more targeted cancer therapeutics

Radiation therapy and many of the commonly used cancer chemotherapeutic drugs target DNA for cytotoxicity. Indeed, the subsequent DNA damage response (DDR) to these cancer treatments in both malignant and normal cells/tissues determines the therapeutic index (TI) of the treatment. The DDR is a complex set of cell processes involving multiple DNA repair, cell cycle regulation, and cell death/survival pathways (or networks) with both damage specificity and coordination of the DDR to different types of DNA damage. Over the last decade, significant progress has been made in elucidating these complex cellular and molecular networks involved in the DDR in human tumor and normal tissues. Based on what has been learned about these processes using experimental in vitro and in vivo models, DDR and DNA pathways are now potential targets for cancer therapy. This article presents an overview of our current understanding of the DDR, including the key DNA repair pathways involved in determining the cytotoxicity to several classes of chemotherapy drugs (CT) as well as ionizing radiation (IR). Since many different types of human cancers can arise from genetic or epigenetic changes in the DDR and DNA repair pathways, this article also covers recent developments in cancer therapeutics that attempt to target these specific tumor-related DDR/DNA repair defects as monotherapy or, more commonly, when combined with conventional cancer treatments.

Nuclear caspase-3 and caspase-7 activation, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage are early events in camptothecin-induced apoptosis

Chemotherapy-induced apoptosis by DNA-damaging drugs is thought to be generally dependent on the release of cytochrome c and the subsequent activation of caspase-9 and -3. However, the molecular mechanism of how damaged DNA triggers the apoptotic process is not clear. To better understand the mechanisms underlying this process, we examined drug-induced apoptosis in cultured H-460 cells. Using cell fractionation, western blotting, and immunofluorescence assays, we show that the activation of nuclear caspases-7 and -3, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage, are early events in camptothecin-induced apoptosis. Moreover, we demonstrate that these events precede the release of cytochrome c and apoptotic inducing factor, and the activation of caspases 2, 8, 9 and 12. Together our results suggest that drugs acting at the DNA level can initiate apoptosis via nuclear caspase activation.

The fission yeast DNA structure checkpoint protein Rad26ATRIP/LCD1/UVSD accumulates in the cytoplasm following microtubule destabilization

BACKGROUND

DNA structure checkpoints are conserved eukaryotic signal transduction pathways that help preserve genomic integrity. Upon detecting checkpoint signals such as stalled replication forks or double-stranded DNA breaks, these pathways coordinate appropriate stress responses. Members of the PI-3 kinase related kinase (PIKK) family are essential elements of DNA structure checkpoints. In fission yeast, the Rad3 PIKK and its regulatory subunit Rad26 coordinate the detection of checkpoint signals with pathway outputs.

RESULTS

We found that untreated rad26Delta cells were defective for two microtubule-dependent processes: chromosome segregation and morphogenesis. Interestingly, cytoplasmic accumulation of Rad26-GFP occurred following treatment with microtubule destabilizing drugs, but not during treatment with the genotoxic agent Phleomycin. Cytoplasmic accumulation of Rad26-GFP depended on Rad24, a 14-3-3 protein also required for DNA structure checkpoints and morphogenesis. Results of over expression and epistasis experiments confirm that Rad26 and Rad24 define a response to microtubule destabilizing conditions.

CONCLUSION

Two DNA structure checkpoint proteins with roles in morphogenesis define a response to microtubule destabilizing conditions.

Chk2 molecular interaction map and rationale for Chk2 inhibitors

To organize the rapidly accumulating information on bioregulatory networks related to the histone gamma-H2AX-ATM-Chk2-p53-Mdm2 pathways in concise and unambiguous diagrams, we used the molecular interaction map notation (http://discover.nci.nih.gov/min). Molecular interaction maps are particularly useful for networks that include protein-protein binding and posttranslational modifications (e.g., phosphorylation). Both are important for nearly all of the proteins involved in DNA double-strand break signaling. Visualizing the regulatory circuits underlying cellular signaling may help identify key regulatory reactions and defects that can serve as targets for anticancer drugs.

Defective Mre11-dependent activation of Chk2 by ataxia telangiectasia mutated in colorectal carcinoma cells in response to replication-dependent DNA double strand breaks

The Mre11.Rad50.Nbs1 (MRN) complex binds DNA double strand breaks to repair DNA and activate checkpoints. We report MRN deficiency in three of seven colon carcinoma cell lines of the NCI Anticancer Drug Screen. To study the involvement of MRN in replication-mediated DNA double strand breaks, we examined checkpoint responses to camptothecin, which induces replication-mediated DNA double strand breaks after replication forks collide with topoisomerase I cleavage complexes. MRN-deficient cells were deficient for Chk2 activation, whereas Chk1 activation was independent of MRN. Chk2 activation was ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)-dependent and associated with phosphorylation of Mre11 and Nbs1. Mre11 complementation in MRN-deficient HCT116 cells restored Chk2 activation as well as Rad50 and Nbs1 levels. Conversely, Mre11 down-regulation by small interference RNA (siRNA) in HT29 cells inhibited Chk2 activation and down-regulated Nbs1 and Rad50. Proteasome inhibition also restored Rad50 and Nbs1 levels in HCT116 cells suggesting that Mre11 stabilizes Rad50 and Nbs1. Chk2 activation was also defective in three of four MRN-proficient colorectal cell lines because of low Chk2 levels. Thus, six of seven colon carcinoma cell lines from the NCI Anticancer Drug Screen are functionally Chk2-deficient in response to replication-mediated DNA double strand breaks. We propose that Mre11 stabilizes Nbs1 and Rad50 and that MRN activates Chk2 downstream from ATM in response to replication-mediated DNA double strand breaks. Chk2 deficiency in HCT116 is associated with defective S-phase checkpoint, prolonged G2 arrest, and hypersensitivity to camptothecin. The high frequency of MRN and Chk2 deficiencies may contribute to genomic instability and therapeutic response to camptothecins in colorectal cancers.

Artemis Phosphorylated by DNA-dependent Protein Kinase Associates Preferentially with Discrete Regions of Chromatin

Artemis is a nuclear phosphoprotein required for genomic integrity whose phosphorylation is increased subsequent to DNA damage. Artemis phosphorylation by the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) and the association of Artemis with DNA-PK catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) have been proposed to be crucial for the variable, diversity, joining (V(D)J) reaction, genomic stability and cell survival in response to double-stranded DNA breaks. The exact nature of the effectors of Artemis phosphorylation is presently being debated. Here, we have delimited the interface on Artemis required for its association with DNA-PKcs and present the characterization of six DNA-PK phosphorylation sites on Artemis whose phosphorylation shows dependence on its association with DNA-PKcs and is induced by double-stranded DNA damage. Surprisingly, DNA-PKcs Artemis association appeared to be dispensable in a V(D)J recombination assay with stably integrated DNA substrates. Phosphorylation at two of the sites on Artemis, S516 and S645, was verified in vivo using phosphospecific antibodies. Basal Artemis S516 and S645 phosphorylation in vivo showed a significant dependence on DNA-PKcs association. However, regardless of its association with DNA-PKcs, phosphorylation of Artemis at both S516 and S645 was stimulated in response to the double-stranded DNA-damaging agent bleomycin, albeit to a lesser extent. This suggests that additional factors contribute to promote DNA damage-induced Artemis phosphorylation. Intriguingly, pS516/pS645 Artemis was concentrated in chromatin-associated nuclear foci in naïve cells. These foci were maintained upon DNA damage but failed to overlap with the damage-induced gammaH2AX. These results provide the expectation of a specific role for DNA-PK-phosphorylated Artemis in both naïve and damaged cells.

Radiobiology of Breast Cancer

Advances in molecular and cellular biology are transforming our understanding of breast cancer and promise the same for radiotherapy over the next few years. At the clinical level, the molecular basis of fractionation dependency and other tumour and normal tissue responses are likely to become clearer. More importantly, they will become useful in the clinic, where molecular characterisation of the patient and tumour will start to determine therapeutic options. Although many of the fundamental processes are only amenable to study in laboratory systems, the power of array-based technologies makes it possibly to address highly relevant questions in the clinic, using functional imaging and/or tissue biopsies. To help clinical oncologists exploit these opportunities in translational research, some aspects of the molecular and cellular basis of radiotherapy are described below in their relation to breast cancer.

Protective effect of vitamin C against double-strand breaks in reconstituted chromatin visualized by single-molecule observation

Direct attack to genomic DNA by reactive oxygen species causes various types of lesions, including base modifications and strand breaks. The most significant lesion is considered to be an unrepaired double-strand break that can lead to fatal cell damage. We directly observed double-strand breaks of DNA in reconstituted chromatin stained by a fluorescent cyanine dye, YOYO (quinolinium, 1,1'-[1,3- propanediylbis[(dimethyliminio)-3,1- propanediyl]]bis[4-[(3-methyl-2(3H)-benzoxazolylidene)methyl]]-, tetraiodide), in solution, where YOYO is known to have the ability to photo-cleave DNAs by generating reactive oxygen species. Reconstituted chromatin was assembled from large circular DNA (106 kbp) with core histone proteins. We also investigated the effect of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) on preventing photo-induced double-strand breaks in a quantitative manner. We found that DNA is protected against double-strand breaks by the addition of ascorbic acid, and this protective effect is dose dependent. The effective kinetic constant of the breakage reaction in the presence of 5 mM ascorbic acid is 20 times lower than that in the absence of ascorbic acid. This protective effect of ascorbic acid in reconstituted chromatin is discussed in relation to the highly compacted polynucleosomal structure. The results highlight the fact that single-molecule observation is a useful tool for studying double-strand breaks in giant DNA and chromatin.

Non-reciprocal chromosomal bridge-induced translocation (BIT) by targeted DNA integration in yeast

Several experimental in vivo systems exist that generate reciprocal translocations between engineered chromosomal loci of yeast or Drosophila, but not without previous genome modifications. Here we report the successful induction of chromosome translocations in unmodified yeast cells via targeted DNA integration of the KAN(R) selectable marker flanked by sequences homologous to two chromosomal loci randomly chosen on the genome. Using this bridge-induced translocation system, 2% of the integrants showed targeted translocations between chromosomes V-VIII and VIII-XV in two wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. All the translocation events studied were found to be non-reciprocal and the fate of their chromosomal fragments that were not included in the translocated chromosome was followed. The recovery of discrete-sized fragments suggested multiple pathway repair of their free DNA ends. We propose that centromere-distal chromosome fragments may be processed by a break-induced replication mechanism ensuing in partial trisomy. The experimental feasibility of inducing chromosomal translocations between any two desired genetic loci in a eukaryotic model system will be instrumental in elucidating the molecular mechanism underlying genome rearrangements generated by DNA integration and the gross chromosomal rearrangements characteristic of many types of cancer.

53BP1 exchanges slowly at the sites of DNA damage and appears to require RNA for its association with chromatin

53BP1 protein is re-localized to the sites of DNA damage after ionizing radiation (IR) and is involved in DNA-damage-checkpoint signal transduction. We examined the dynamics of GFP-53BP1 in living cells. The protein starts to accumulate at the sites of DNA damage 2-3 minutes after damage induction. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments showed that GFP-53BP1 is highly mobile in non-irradiated cells. Upon binding to the IR-induced nuclear foci, the mobility of 53BP1 reduces greatly. The minimum (M) domain of 53BP1 essential for targeting to IR induced foci consists of residues 1220-1703. GFP-M protein forms foci in mouse embryonic fibroblast cells lacking functional endogenous 53BP1. The M domain contains a tandem repeat of Tudor motifs and an arginine- and glycine-rich domain (RG stretch), which are often found in proteins involved in RNA metabolism, the former being essential for targeting. RNase A treatment dissociates 53BP1 from IR-induced foci. In HeLa cells, dissociation of the M domain without the RG stretch by RNase A treatment can be restored by re-addition of nuclear RNA in the early stages of post-irradiation. 53BP1 immunoprecipitates contain some RNA molecules. Our results suggest a possible involvement of RNA in the binding of 53BP1 to chromatin damaged by IR.

Melanoma Cells Express Elevated Levels of Phosphorylated Histone H2AX Foci

When human cells sustain a DNA double-strand break (dsb), histone H2AX in chromatin surrounding the DNA break is phosphorylated, marking repair foci. The number of phosphorylated histone H2AX (gammaH2AX) foci approximates the number of dsb present in the cell's nuclear DNA. We observed 0.4 gammaH2AX foci per nucleus in primary human melanocytes. In contrast, in four melanoma cell lines, we detected 7-17 gammaH2AX foci per nucleus, a 17-42 times increase in the basal level of gammaH2AX foci in melanoma cells relative to melanocytes (MC). Thus, untreated melanoma cells express significantly greater numbers of gammaH2AX foci than do untreated MC. Detection and rejoining of ionizing radiation-induced DNA dsb proceeded as rapidly in melanoma cells as in MC. Melanoma cells, however, reduced the number of radiation-induced gammaH2AX foci down only to pre-irradiation levels. Co-localization of the majority of gammaH2AX foci with ataxia telangiectasia mutated, BRCA1, 53BP1, and Nbs1 foci in untreated melanoma cells indicated that the additional foci in melanoma cells were associated with a DNA change that the cells interpret as DNA dsb. Co-localization of gammaH2AX foci with the telomere replication factor 1 protein in untreated melanoma cells indicates that the additional foci in untreated melanoma cells are associated with dysfunctional telomeres that induce a DNA damage stress response.

CELL SURVIVAL IN THE HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT OF THE RENAL MEDULLA

The countercurrent system in the medulla of the mammalian kidney provides the basis for the production of urine of widely varying osmolalities, but necessarily entails extreme conditions for medullary cells, i.e., high concentrations of solutes (mainly NaCl and urea) in antidiuresis, massive changes in extracellular solute concentrations during the transitions from antidiuresis to diuresis and vice versa, and low oxygen tension. The strategies used by medullary cells to survive in this hostile milieu include accumulation of organic osmolytes and heat shock proteins, the extensive use of the glycolysis for energy production, and a well-orchestrated network of signaling pathways coordinating medullary circulation and tubular work.

MOLECULAR AND EVOLUTIONARY BASIS OF THE CELLULAR STRESS RESPONSE

The cellular stress response is a universal mechanism of extraordinary physiological/pathophysiological significance. It represents a defense reaction of cells to damage that environmental forces inflict on macromolecules. Many aspects of the cellular stress response are not stressor specific because cells monitor stress based on macromolecular damage without regard to the type of stress that causes such damage. Cellular mechanisms activated by DNA damage and protein damage are interconnected and share common elements. Other cellular responses directed at re-establishing homeostasis are stressor specific and often activated in parallel to the cellular stress response. All organisms have stress proteins, and universally conserved stress proteins can be regarded as the minimal stress proteome. Functional analysis of the minimal stress proteome yields information about key aspects of the cellular stress response, including physiological mechanisms of sensing membrane lipid, protein, and DNA damage; redox sensing and regulation; cell cycle control; macromolecular stabilization/repair; and control of energy metabolism. In addition, cells can quantify stress and activate a death program (apoptosis) when tolerance limits are exceeded.

The Chk2 protein kinase

Checkpoint kinase 2 (Chk2) is a multifunctional enzyme whose functions are central to the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by DNA damage. Insight into Chk2 has derived from multiple approaches. Biochemical studies have addressed Chk2 structure, domain organization and regulation by phosphorylation. Extensive work has been done to identify factors that recognize and respond to DNA damage in order to activate Chk2. In turn a number of substrates and targets of Chk2 have been identified that play roles in the checkpoint response. The roles and regulation of Chk2 have been elucidated by studies in model genetic systems extending from worms and flies to mice and humans. The relationship of Chk2 to human cancer studies is developing rapidly with increasing evidence that Chk2 plays a role in tumor suppression.

Deficiency in 3'-phosphoglycolate processing in human cells with a hereditary mutation in tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase (TDP1)

Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase (TDP1) is a DNA repair enzyme that removes peptide fragments linked through tyrosine to the 3′ end of DNA, and can also remove 3′-phosphoglycolates (PGs) formed by free radical-mediated DNA cleavage. To assess whether TDP1 is primarily responsible for PG removal during in vitro end joining of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), whole-cell extracts were prepared from lymphoblastoid cells derived either from spinocerebellar ataxia with axonal neuropathy (SCAN1) patients, who have an inactivating mutation in the active site of TDP1, or from closely matched normal controls. Whereas extracts from normal cells catalyzed conversion of 3′-PG termini, both on single-strand oligomers and on 3′ overhangs of DSBs, to 3′-phosphate termini, extracts of SCAN1 cells did not process either substrate. Addition of recombinant TDP1 to SCAN1 extracts restored 3′-PG removal, allowing subsequent gap filling on the aligned DSB ends. Two of three SCAN1 lines examined were slightly more radiosensitive than normal cells, but only for fractionated radiation in plateau phase. The results suggest that the TDP1 mutation in SCAN1 abolishes the 3′-PG processing activity of the enzyme, and that there are no other enzymes in cell extracts capable of processing protruding 3′-PG termini. However, the lack of severe radiosensitivity suggests that there must be alternative, TDP1-independent pathways for repair of 3′-PG DSBs.

DNA damage response pathway uses histone modification to assemble a double-strand break-specific cohesin domain

The postreplicative repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) is thought to require sister chromatid cohesion, provided by the cohesin complex along the chromosome arms. A further specialized role for cohesin in DSB repair is suggested by its de novo recruitment to regions of DNA damage in mammals. Here, we show in budding yeast that a single DSB induces the formation of a approximately 100 kb cohesin domain around the lesion. Our analyses suggest that the primary DNA damage checkpoint kinases Mec1p and Tel1p phosphorylate histone H2AX to generate a large domain, which is permissive for cohesin binding. Cohesin binding to the phospho-H2AX domain is enabled by Mre11p, a component of a critical repair complex, and Scc2p, a component of the cohesin loading machinery that is necessary for sister chromatid cohesion. We also provide evidence that the DSB-induced cohesin domain functions in postreplicative repair.

S-phase checkpoint genes safeguard high-fidelity sister chromatid cohesion

Cohesion establishment and maintenance are carried out by proteins that modify the activity of Cohesin, an essential complex that holds sister chromatids together. Constituents of the replication fork, such as the DNA polymerase alpha-binding protein Ctf4, contribute to cohesion in ways that are poorly understood. To identify additional cohesion components, we analyzed a ctf4Delta synthetic lethal screen performed on microarrays. We focused on a subset of ctf4Delta-interacting genes with genetic instability of their own. Our analyses revealed that 17 previously studied genes are also necessary for the maintenance of robust association of sisters in metaphase. Among these were subunits of the MRX complex, which forms a molecular structure similar to Cohesin. Further investigation indicated that the MRX complex did not contribute to metaphase cohesion independent of Cohesin, although an additional role may be contributed by XRS2. In general, results from the screen indicated a sister chromatid cohesion role for a specific subset of genes that function in DNA replication and repair. This subset is particularly enriched for genes that support the S-phase checkpoint. We suggest that these genes promote and protect a chromatin environment conducive to robust cohesion.

Requirement of the MRN complex for ATM activation by DNA damage

The ATM protein kinase is a primary activator of the cellular response to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). In response to DSBs, ATM is activated and phosphorylates key players in various branches of the DNA damage response network. ATM deficiency causes the genetic disorder ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), characterized by cerebellar degeneration, immunodeficiency, radiation sensitivity, chromosomal instability and cancer predisposition. The MRN complex, whose core contains the Mre11, Rad50 and Nbs1 proteins, is involved in the initial processing of DSBs. Hypomorphic mutations in the NBS1 and MRE11 genes lead to two other genomic instability disorders: the Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) and A-T like disease (A-TLD), respectively. The order in which ATM and MRN act in the early phase of the DSB response is unclear. Here we show that functional MRN is required for ATM activation, and consequently for timely activation of ATM-mediated pathways. Collectively, these and previous results assign to components of the MRN complex roles upstream and downstream of ATM in the DNA damage response pathway and explain the clinical resemblance between A-T and A-TLD.

NFBD1/MDC1 regulates ionizing radiation‐induced focus formation by DNA checkpoint signaling and repair factors

NFBD1/MDC1 (mediator of DNA damage checkpoint 1) is a nuclear factor with an amino-terminal FHA (forkhead-associated) domain and a tandem repeat of BRCT (breast cancer susceptibility gene-1 carboxyl terminus) domains. We have previously shown that NFBD1 is an early participant in DNA damage signaling pathways and that ionizing radiation-induced nuclear foci (IRIF) of NFBD1 colocalize with several DNA checkpoint signaling and repair factors. We report here that NFBD1 physically associates with ATM, p53, components of the MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex, and gamma-H2AX. An overexpressed FHA domain-containing fragment of NFBD1 binds to endogenous NFBD1 and components of the MRN complex, but not to gamma-H2AX. This fragment interferes with IRIF formation by endogenous NFBD1, MRE11, or NBS1. A BRCT domain-containing fragment of NFBD1 binds to gamma-H2AX and 53BP1, but not to components of the MRN complex, and abolishes IRIF formation by NFBD1, MRE11, NBS1, 53BP1, CHK2 phospho-T68, gamma-H2AX, and possible ATM/ATR substrates recognized by anti-phospho-SQ/TQ antibody. These results suggest that NFBD1 is an ATM/ATR-dependent organizer that recruits DNA checkpoint signaling and repair proteins to the sites of DNA damage.

Role of human Pso4 in mammalian DNA repair and association with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT; EC 2.7.7.31) adds nucleotides to DNA ends generated during V(D)J recombination that are subsequently processed by proteins involved in general double-strand break (DSB) repair pathways. We report an association between TdT and a 55-kDa protein in lymphoid cells. This protein, identified as hPso4, is a homolog of the protein encoded by the PS04/PRP19 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that has pleiotropic functions in DNA recombination and error-prone repair. Purified hPso4 binds double-stranded DNA in a sequence-nonspecific manner but does not bind single-stranded DNA. hPso4 protein is induced 15- to 30-fold in cells by gamma radiation and chemical mutagens but not by UV treatment. Loss of hPso4 expression induced by siRNA results in accumulation of DSBs, apoptosis, and decreased cell survival after DNA damage. We conclude that hPso4 plays a major and previously undefined role in mammalian DNA DSB repair.