scholarly journals DDX5 resolves R-loops at DNA double-strand breaks to promote DNA repair and avoid chromosomal deletions

NAR Cancer ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenbao Yu ◽  
Sofiane Y Mersaoui ◽  
Laure Guitton-Sert ◽  
Yan Coulombe ◽  
Jingwen Song ◽  
...  

Abstract R-loops are three-stranded structures consisting of a DNA/RNA hybrid and a displaced DNA strand. The regulatory factors required to process this fundamental genetic structure near double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) are not well understood. We previously reported that cellular depletion of the ATP-dependent DEAD box RNA helicase DDX5 increases R-loops genome-wide causing genomic instability. In this study, we define a pivotal role for DDX5 in clearing R-loops at or near DSBs enabling proper DNA repair to avoid aberrations such as chromosomal deletions. Remarkably, using the non-homologous end joining reporter gene (EJ5-GFP), we show that DDX5-deficient U2OS cells exhibited asymmetric end deletions on the side of the DSBs where there is overlap with a transcribed gene. Cross-linking and immunoprecipitation showed that DDX5 bound RNA transcripts near DSBs and required its helicase domain and the presence of DDX5 near DSBs was also shown by chromatin immunoprecipitation. DDX5 was excluded from DSBs in a transcription- and ATM activation-dependent manner. Using DNA/RNA immunoprecipitation, we show DDX5-deficient cells had increased R-loops near DSBs. Finally, DDX5 deficiency led to delayed exonuclease 1 and replication protein A recruitment to laser irradiation-induced DNA damage sites, resulting in homologous recombination repair defects. Our findings define a role for DDX5 in facilitating the clearance of RNA transcripts overlapping DSBs to ensure proper DNA repair.

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (12) ◽  
pp. 5505-5513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elda Cannavo ◽  
Giordano Reginato ◽  
Petr Cejka

To repair DNA double-strand breaks by homologous recombination, the 5′-terminated DNA strands must first be resected to produce 3′ overhangs. Mre11 fromSaccharomyces cerevisiaeis a 3′ → 5′ exonuclease that is responsible for 5′ end degradation in vivo. Using plasmid-length DNA substrates and purified recombinant proteins, we show that the combined exonuclease and endonuclease activities of recombinant MRX-Sae2 preferentially degrade the 5′-terminated DNA strand, which extends beyond the vicinity of the DNA end. Mechanistically, Rad50 restricts the Mre11 exonuclease in an ATP binding-dependent manner, preventing 3′ end degradation. Phosphorylated Sae2, along with stimulating the MRX endonuclease as shown previously, also overcomes this inhibition to promote the 3′ → 5′ exonuclease of MRX, which requires ATP hydrolysis by Rad50. Our results support a model in which MRX-Sae2 catalyzes 5′-DNA end degradation by stepwise endonucleolytic DNA incisions, followed by exonucleolytic 3′ → 5′ degradation of the individual DNA fragments. This model explains how both exonuclease and endonuclease activities of Mre11 functionally integrate within the MRX-Sae2 ensemble to resect 5′-terminated DNA.


Gerontology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 296-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Sun Ryu ◽  
Hyeon-Sook Koo

Werner syndrome protein (WRN) is unusual among RecQ family DNA helicases in having an additional exonuclease activity. WRN is involved in the repair of double-strand DNA breaks via the homologous recombination and nonhomologous end joining pathways, and also in the base excision repair pathway. In addition, the protein promotes the recovery of stalled replication forks. The helicase activity is thought to unwind DNA duplexes, thereby moving replication forks or Holliday junctions. The targets of the exonuclease could be the nascent DNA strands at a replication fork or the ends of double-strand DNA breaks. However, it is not clear which enzyme activities are essential for repairing different types of DNA damage. Model organisms such as mice, flies, and worms deficient in WRN homologs have been investigated to understand the physiological results of defects in WRN activity. Premature aging, the most remarkable characteristic of Werner syndrome, is also seen in the mutant mice and worms, and hypersensitivity to DNA damage has been observed in WRN mutants of all three model organisms, pointing to conservation of the functions of WRN. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the WRN homolog contains a helicase domain but no exonuclease domain, so that this animal is very useful for studying the in vivo functions of the helicase without interference from the activity of the exonuclease. Here, we review the current status of investigations of C. elegans WRN-1 and discuss its functional differences from the mammalian homologs.


Mutagenesis ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-118
Author(s):  
Bakhyt T Matkarimov ◽  
Dmitry O Zharkov ◽  
Murat K Saparbaev

Abstract Genotoxic stress generates single- and double-strand DNA breaks either through direct damage by reactive oxygen species or as intermediates of DNA repair. Failure to detect and repair DNA strand breaks leads to deleterious consequences such as chromosomal aberrations, genomic instability and cell death. DNA strand breaks disrupt the superhelical state of cellular DNA, which further disturbs the chromatin architecture and gene activity regulation. Proteins from the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) family, such as PARP1 and PARP2, use NAD+ as a substrate to catalyse the synthesis of polymeric chains consisting of ADP-ribose units covalently attached to an acceptor molecule. PARP1 and PARP2 are regarded as DNA damage sensors that, upon activation by strand breaks, poly(ADP-ribosyl)ate themselves and nuclear acceptor proteins. Noteworthy, the regularly branched structure of poly(ADP-ribose) polymer suggests that the mechanism of its synthesis may involve circular movement of PARP1 around the DNA helix, with a branching point in PAR corresponding to one complete 360° turn. We propose that PARP1 stays bound to a DNA strand break end, but rotates around the helix displaced by the growing poly(ADP-ribose) chain, and that this rotation could introduce positive supercoils into damaged chromosomal DNA. This topology modulation would enable nucleosome displacement and chromatin decondensation around the lesion site, facilitating the access of DNA repair proteins or transcription factors. PARP1-mediated DNA supercoiling can be transmitted over long distances, resulting in changes in the high-order chromatin structures. The available structures of PARP1 are consistent with the strand break-induced PAR synthesis as a driving force for PARP1 rotation around the DNA axis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1731) ◽  
pp. 20160284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surbhi Dhar ◽  
Ozge Gursoy-Yuzugullu ◽  
Ramya Parasuram ◽  
Brendan D. Price

The ability of cells to detect and repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) within the complex architecture of the genome requires co-ordination between the DNA repair machinery and chromatin remodelling complexes. This co-ordination is essential to process damaged chromatin and create open chromatin structures which are required for repair. Initially, there is a PARP-dependent recruitment of repressors, including HP1 and several H3K9 methyltransferases, and exchange of histone H2A.Z by the NuA4-Tip60 complex. This creates repressive chromatin at the DSB in which the tail of histone H4 is bound to the acidic patch on the nucleosome surface. These repressor complexes are then removed, allowing rapid acetylation of the H4 tail by Tip60. H4 acetylation blocks interaction between the H4 tail and the acidic patch on adjacent nucleosomes, decreasing inter-nucleosomal interactions and creating open chromatin. Further, the H4 tail is now free to recruit proteins such as 53BP1 to DSBs, a process modulated by H4 acetylation, and provides binding sites for bromodomain proteins, including ZMYND8 and BRD4, which are important for DSB repair. Here, we will discuss how the H4 tail functions as a dynamic hub that can be programmed through acetylation to alter chromatin packing and recruit repair proteins to the break site. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Chromatin modifiers and remodellers in DNA repair and signalling’.


mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anusha M. Gopalakrishnan ◽  
Nirbhay Kumar

ABSTRACT The bacterial RecA protein and its eukaryotic homologue Rad51 play a central role in the homologous DNA strand exchange reaction during recombination and DNA repair. Previously, our lab has shown that PfRad51, the Plasmodium falciparum homologue of Rad51, exhibited ATPase activity and promoted DNA strand exchange in vitro. In this study, we evaluated the catalytic functions of PfRad51 in the presence of putative interacting partners, especially P. falciparum homologues of Rad54 and replication protein A. PfRad54 accelerated PfRad51-mediated pairing between single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and its homologous linear double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in the presence of 0.5 mM CaCl2. We also present evidence that recombinant PfRPA1L protein serves the function of the bacterial homologue single-stranded binding protein (SSB) in initiating homologous pairing and strand exchange activity. More importantly, the function of PfRPA1L was negatively regulated in a dose-dependent manner by PfRPA1S, another RPA homologue in P. falciparum. Finally, we present in vivo evidence through comet assays for methyl methane sulfonate-induced DNA damage in malaria parasites and accompanying upregulation of PfRad51, PfRad54, PfRPA1L, and PfRPA1S at the level of transcript and protein needed to repair DNA damage. This study provides new insights into the role of putative Rad51-interacting proteins involved in homologous recombination and emphasizes the physiological role of DNA damage repair during the growth of parasites. IMPORTANCE Homologous recombination plays a major role in chromosomal rearrangement, and Rad51 protein, aided by several other proteins, plays a central role in DNA strand exchange reaction during recombination and DNA repair. This study reports on the characterization of the role of P. falciparum Rad51 in homologous strand exchange and DNA repair and evaluates the functional contribution of PfRad54 and PfRPA1 proteins. Data presented here provide mechanistic insights into DNA recombination and DNA damage repair mechanisms in this parasite. The importance of these research findings in future work will be to investigate if Rad51-dependent mechanisms are involved in chromosomal rearrangements during antigenic variation in P. falciparum. A prominent determinant of antigenic variation, the extraordinary ability of the parasite to rapidly change its surface molecules, is associated with var genes, and antigenic variation presents a major challenge to vaccine development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aron Ferenczi ◽  
Yen Peng Chew ◽  
Erika Kroll ◽  
Charlotte von Koppenfels ◽  
Andrew Hudson ◽  
...  

AbstractSingle-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides (ssODNs) are widely used as DNA repair templates in CRISPR/Cas precision genome editing. However, the underlying mechanisms of single-strand templated DNA repair (SSTR) are inadequately understood, constraining rational improvements to precision editing. Here we study SSTR at CRISPR/Cas12a-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the eukaryotic model green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We demonstrate that ssODNs physically incorporate into the genome during SSTR at Cas12a-induced DSBs. This process is genetically independent of the Rad51-dependent homologous recombination and Fanconi anemia pathways, is strongly antagonized by non-homologous end-joining, and is mediated almost entirely by the alternative end-joining enzyme polymerase θ. These findings suggest differences in SSTR between C. reinhardtii and animals. Our work illustrates the promising potentially of C. reinhardtii as a model organism for studying nuclear DNA repair.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathilde Meyenberg ◽  
Joana Ferreira da Silva ◽  
Joanna I. Loizou

The use of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 has moved from bench to bedside in less than 10years, realising the vision of correcting disease through genome editing. The accuracy and safety of this approach relies on the precise control of DNA damage and repair processes to achieve the desired editing outcomes. Strategies for modulating pathway choice for repairing CRISPR-mediated DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) have advanced the genome editing field. However, the promise of correcting genetic diseases with CRISPR-Cas9 based therapies is restrained by a lack of insight into controlling desired editing outcomes in cells of different tissue origin. Here, we review recent developments and urge for a greater understanding of tissue specific DNA repair processes of CRISPR-induced DNA breaks. We propose that integrated mapping of tissue specific DNA repair processes will fundamentally empower the implementation of precise and safe genome editing therapies for a larger variety of diseases.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e15582-e15582
Author(s):  
Dineo Khabele ◽  
Andrew J Wilson ◽  
Annie Y Liu ◽  
Joseph Roland ◽  
Sarah Fletcher ◽  
...  

e15582 Background: The nucleolar protein, nucleophosmin (NPM1) is implicated multiple cellular processes, including proliferation, duplication of centrosomes, ARF-HDM2-p53 signaling. NPM1 is associated with sites of double strand DNA breaks, with persistence of its expression indicative of impaired DNA repair. Data from the TCGA data have emphasized that genomic instability through impaired DNA repair processes is a characteristic feature of many ovarian cancers. Our aim was to determine the expression of NPM1 in ovarian cancers and to determine the relationship between NPM1 expression and clinical outcomes including overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and chemotherapy response. Methods: Tissue microarrays were created from 209 patients treated for ovarian cancer at a single institution from 1994-2004. Expression levels of NPM1 were examined by immunohistochemical staining. Slides were scored using the an automated image capture and analysis system. Positive nuclear staining was used to stratify tumors into high (>50%) and low (<50%) groups, and the results were related to overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) via Kaplan-Meier analysis. The relationship between ki67, a proliferation marker and pH2AX, a mark of double strand DNA breaks was measured with Spearman rank correlation coefficient analyses. Results: The majority of tumors, 140/209 (69%) were of serous histology, advanced stage 146/209 (70%) and high grade 158/209 (76%). There was >50% NPM1 expression in 83/209 (40%) and <50% in 126/209 (60%) of the cases. Expression of NPM1 was higher in high grade tumors, and its expression alone was a significant predictor of PFS (p=0.022) but not OS (p=0.053). When adjusting for other predictors, NPM1 expression was predictive of PFS (p=0.047), but not OS (p=0.054). No relationship between NPM1 expression and response to platinum chemotherapy was observed. However, NPM1 expression correlated with Ki67 (r=0.43, p<0.0001) and pH2AX (r=0.22, p=0.0014). Conclusions: NPM1 expression is a mark of poor prognosis in ovarian cancer. Whether these observations reflect increased proliferation and/or genomic instability in ovarian cancer cells will be the focus of future investigation.


Author(s):  
Erin Cohen ◽  
Stefanie Pena ◽  
Christine Mei ◽  
Olena Bracho ◽  
Brian Marples ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives Vestibular schwannomas (VS) are intracranial tumors, which are caused by NF2 gene mutations that lead to loss of merlin protein. A treatment for VS is stereotactic radiosurgery, a form of radiation. To better understand the radiobiology of VS and radiation toxicity to adjacent structures, our main objectives were (1) investigate effects of single fraction (SF) radiation on viability, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis in normal Schwann cells (SCs) and merlin-deficient Schwann cells (MD-SCs) in vitro, and (2) analyze expression of double strand DNA breaks (γ-H2AX) and DNA repair protein Rad51 following irradiation. Study Design This is a basic science study. Setting This study is conducted in a research laboratory. Participants Patients did not participate in this study. Main Outcome Measures In irradiated normal SCs and MD-SCs (0–18 Gy), we measured (1) viability, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis using cell-based assays, and (2) percentage of cells with γ-H2AX and Rad51 on immunofluorescence. Results A high percentage of irradiated MD-SCs expressed γ-H2AX, which may explain the dose-dependent losses in viability in rodent and human cell lines. In comparison, the viabilities of normal SCs were only compromised at higher doses of radiation (>12 Gy, human SCs), which may be related to less Rad51 repair. There were no further reductions in viability in human MD-SCs beyond 9 Gy, suggesting that <9 Gy may be insufficient to initiate maximal tumor control. Conclusion The MD-SCs are more susceptible to radiation than normal SCs, in part through differential expression of γ-H2AX and Rad51. Understanding the radiobiology of MD-SCs and normal SCs is important for optimizing radiation protocols to maximize tumor control while limiting radiation toxicity in VS patients.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document