bims-numges 2020-09-20 papers

bims-numges

Biomed News

on Nucleotide metabolism and genome stability

Issue of 2020‒09‒20
thirty-five papers selected by
Sean Rudd
Karolinska Institutet

Mre11 exonuclease activity removes the chain-terminating nucleoside analog gemcitabine from the nascent strand during DNA replication.
MRNIP is a replication fork protection factor.
TIP60 K430 SUMOylation attenuates its interaction with DNA-PKcs in S-phase cells: Facilitating homologous recombination and emerging target for cancer therapy.
Nucleotide Excision Repair, XPA-1, and the Translesion Synthesis Complex, POLZ-1 and REV-1, Are Critical for Interstrand Cross-Link Repair in Caenorhabditis elegans Germ Cells.
Yeast DNA polymerase η possesses two PIP-like motifs that bind PCNA and Rad6-Rad18 with different specificities.
RNA in DNA repair.
ATP and ADP enhance DNA damage repair in γ-irradiated BEAS-2B human bronchial epithelial cells through activation of P2X7 and P2Y12 receptors.
The DNA replication fork suppresses CMG unloading from chromatin before termination.
Synthetic lethality by targeting the RUVBL1/2-TTT complex in mTORC1-hyperactive cancer cells.
Replisome bypass of transcription complexes and R-loops.
Ultrasensitive deletion detection links mitochondrial DNA replication, disease, and aging.
SPT6-driven error-free DNA repair safeguards genomic stability of glioblastoma cancer stem-like cells.
RAD51: Beyond the break.
The CRISPR-Cas9 crATIC HeLa transcriptome: Characterization of a novel cellular model of ATIC deficiency and ZMP accumulation.
Structure, Folding and Stability of Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases.
Bridging of DNA breaks activates PARP2-HPF1 to modify chromatin.
A DNA Repair-Based Model of Cell Survival with Important Clinical Consequences.
Histone H4 LRS mutations can attenuate UV mutagenesis without affecting PCNA ubiquitination or sumoylation.
RAD52 aptamer regulates DNA damage repair and STAT3 in BRCA1/BRCA2‑deficient human acute myeloid leukemia.
Combined EGFR1 and PARP1 Inhibition Enhances the Effect of Radiation in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Models.
Ser784 phosphorylation: a clinically relevant enhancer of VCP function in the DNA damage response.
The Structure and Function of DNA G-Quadruplexes.
Formation and Recognition of UV-Induced DNA Damage within Genome Complexity.
Evaluating the Genotoxic and Cytotoxic Effects of Thymidine Analogs, 5-Ethynyl-2'-Deoxyuridine and 5-Bromo-2'-Deoxyurdine to Mammalian Cells.
PCNA promotes context-specific sister chromatid cohesion establishment separate from that of chromatin condensation.
C-Terminal Extensions of Ku70 and Ku80 Differentially Influence DNA End Binding Properties.
Kinetochore protein MAD1 participates in the DNA damage response through ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase-mediated phosphorylation and enhanced interaction with KU80.
Maintenance Therapy for ATM-Deficient Pancreatic Cancer by Multiple DNA Damage Response Interferences after Platinum-Based Chemotherapy.
A DNA repair player, ring-finger protein 43, relieves etoposide-induced topoisomerase II poisoning.
Cellular Mechanisms Accounting for the Refractoriness of Colorectal Carcinoma to Pharmacological Treatment.
Targeted Inhibition of Purine Metabolism Is Effective in Suppressing Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression.
The Association of FLT3-ITD Gene Mutation with Bone Marrow Blast Cell Count, CD34, Cyclin D1, Bcl-xL and hENT1 Expression in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients.
Single-molecule imaging reveals control of parental histone recycling by free histones during DNA replication.
Effect of Molecular Crowding on DNA Polymerase Reactions along Unnatural DNA Templates.
Identification of antiviral compounds against equid herpesvirus-1 using real-time cell assay screening: efficacy of decitabine and valganciclovir alone or in combination.

Sci Adv. 2020 May;pii: eaaz4126. [Epub ahead of print]6(22):

Mre11 exonuclease activity removes the chain-terminating nucleoside analog gemcitabine from the nascent strand during DNA replication.

L Boeckemeier, R Kraehenbuehl, A Keszthelyi, M U Gasasira, E G Vernon, R Beardmore, C B Vågbø, D Chaplin, S Gollins, H E Krokan, S A E Lambert, B Paizs, E Hartsuiker.

The Mre11 nuclease is involved in early responses to DNA damage, often mediated by its role in DNA end processing. MRE11 mutations and aberrant expression are associated with carcinogenesis and cancer treatment outcomes. While, in recent years, progress has been made in understanding the role of Mre11 nuclease activities in DNA double-strand break repair, their role during replication has remained elusive. The nucleoside analog gemcitabine, widely used in cancer therapy, acts as a replication chain terminator; for a cell to survive treatment, gemcitabine needs to be removed from replicating DNA. Activities responsible for this removal have, so far, not been identified. We show that Mre11 3' to 5' exonuclease activity removes gemcitabine from nascent DNA during replication. This contributes to replication progression and gemcitabine resistance. We thus uncovered a replication-supporting role for Mre11 exonuclease activity, which is distinct from its previously reported detrimental role in uncontrolled resection in recombination-deficient cells.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz4126
Sci Adv. 2020 Jul;pii: eaba5974. [Epub ahead of print]6(28):

MRNIP is a replication fork protection factor.

L G Bennett, A M Wilkie, E Antonopoulou, I Ceppi, A Sanchez, E G Vernon, A Gamble, K N Myers, S J Collis, P Cejka, C J Staples.

The remodeling of stalled replication forks to form four-way DNA junctions is an important component of the replication stress response. Nascent DNA at the regressed arms of these reversed forks is protected by RAD51 and the tumor suppressors BRCA1/2, and when this function is compromised, stalled forks undergo pathological MRE11-dependent degradation, leading to chromosomal instability. However, the mechanisms regulating MRE11 functions at reversed forks are currently unclear. Here, we identify the MRE11-binding protein MRNIP as a novel fork protection factor that directly binds to MRE11 and specifically represses its exonuclease activity. The loss of MRNIP results in impaired replication fork progression, MRE11 exonuclease-dependent degradation of reversed forks, persistence of underreplicated genomic regions, chemosensitivity, and chromosome instability. Our findings identify MRNIP as a novel regulator of MRE11 at reversed forks and provide evidence that regulation of specific MRE11 nuclease activities ensures protection of nascent DNA and thereby genome integrity.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba5974
Sci Adv. 2020 Jul;pii: eaba7822. [Epub ahead of print]6(28):

TIP60 K430 SUMOylation attenuates its interaction with DNA-PKcs in S-phase cells: Facilitating homologous recombination and emerging target for cancer therapy.

Shan-Shan Gao, Hua Guan, Shuang Yan, Sai Hu, Man Song, Zong-Pei Guo, Da-Fei Xie, Yike Liu, Xiaodan Liu, Shimeng Zhang, Ping-Kun Zhou.

Nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR) are major repair pathways of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The pathway choice of HR and NHEJ is tightly regulated in cellular response to DNA damage. Here, we demonstrate that the interaction of TIP60 with DNA-PKcs is attenuated specifically in S phase, which facilitates HR pathway activation. SUMO2 modification of TIP60 K430 mediated by PISA4 E3 ligase blocks its interaction with DNA-PKcs, whereas TIP60 K430R mutation recovers its interaction with DNA-PKcs, which results in abnormally increased phosphorylation of DNA-PKcs S2056 in S phase and marked inhibition of HR efficiency, but barely affects NHEJ activity. TIP60 K430R mutant cancer cells are more sensitive to radiation and PARP inhibitors in cancer cell killing and tumor growth inhibition. Collectively, coordinated regulation of TIP60 and DNA-PKcs facilitates HR pathway choice in S-phase cells. TIP60 K430R mutant is a potential target of radiation and PARPi cancer therapy.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba7822
Biochemistry. 2020 Sep 18.

Nucleotide Excision Repair, XPA-1, and the Translesion Synthesis Complex, POLZ-1 and REV-1, Are Critical for Interstrand Cross-Link Repair in Caenorhabditis elegans Germ Cells.

Sinae Oh, Woori Bae, Mohammad A Alfhili, Myon Hee Lee.

Interstrand cross-links (ICLs) are adducts of covalently linked nucleotides in opposing DNA strands that obstruct replication and prime cells for malignant transformation or premature cell death. ICLs may be caused by alkylating agents or ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. These toxic lesions are removed by diverse repair mechanisms such as the Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway, nucleotide excision repair (NER), translesion synthesis (TLS), and homologous recombination (HR). In mammals, the xeroderma pigmentosum group F (XP-F) protein participates in both the FA pathway and NER, while DNA polymerase ζ (POLZ-1) and REV-1 mediate TLS. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the genetic determinants of these pathways in ICL repair and damage tolerance in germ cells. In this study, we examined the sensitivity of Caenorhabditis elegans germ cells to ICLs generated by trimethylpsoralen/ultraviolet A (TMP/UV-A) combination, and embryonic mortality was employed as a surrogate for DNA damage in germ cells. Our results show that XPA-1, POLZ-1, and REV-1 were more critical than FA pathway mediators in preserving genomic stability in C. elegans germ cells. Notably, mutant worms lacking both XPA-1 and POLZ-1 (or REV-1) were more sensitive to ICLs compared to either single mutant alone. Moreover, knockdown of XPA-1 and REV-1 leads to the retarded disappearance of RPA-1 and RAD-51 foci upon ICL damage. Since DNA repair mechanisms are broadly conserved, our findings may have ramifications for prospective therapeutic interventions in humans.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00719
DNA Repair (Amst). 2020 Sep 06. pii: S1568-7864(20)30217-2. [Epub ahead of print]95 102968

Yeast DNA polymerase η possesses two PIP-like motifs that bind PCNA and Rad6-Rad18 with different specificities.

Brittany M Ripley, Devin T Reusch, M Todd Washington.

  In translesion synthesis (TLS), specialized DNA polymerases, such as polymerase (pol) η and Rev1, are recruited to stalled replication forks. These polymerases form a multi-protein complex with PCNA, Rad6-Rad18, and other specialized polymerases. Pol η interacts with PCNA and Rev1 via a PCNA-interacting protein (PIP) motif in its C-terminal unstructured region. Here we report the discovery of a second PIP-like motif in the C-terminal region of pol η, which we have designated as PIP2. We have designated the original PIP motif as PIP1. We show that the pol η PIP1 and PIP2 motifs bind PCNA with different affinities and kinetics. PIP1 binds with higher affinity than does PIP2, and PIP1 dissociates more slowly than does PIP2. In addition, we show that the interaction between pol η and Rad6-Rad18 is also mediated by the pol η PIP1 and PIP2 motifs. Again, we show that the affinity and kinetics by which these motifs bind Rad6-Rad18 is different. These findings are significant, because the multiple PIP-like motifs on pol η likely play quite different roles within the multi-protein complex formed at stalled replication forks. PIP1 likely plays a critical role in the recruiting pol η to this multi-protein complex. PIP2, by contrast, likely plays a critical role in maintaining the architecture and the dynamics of this multi-protein complex needed to maximize the efficiency and accuracy of TLS.

Keywords:  DNA repair; DNA replication; Mutagenesis; PCNA; Translesion synthesis

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dnarep.2020.102968
DNA Repair (Amst). 2020 Jul 17. pii: S1568-7864(20)30176-2. [Epub ahead of print]95 102927

RNA in DNA repair.

Cathrine Broberg Vågbø, Geir Slupphaug.

  Our genome is constantly subject to damage from exogenous and endogenous sources, and cells respond to such damage by initiating a DNA damage response (DDR). Failure to induce an adequate DDR can result in increased mutation load, chromosomal aberrations and a variety of human diseases, including cancer. A rapidly growing body of evidence suggests that a large number of RNA binding proteins are involved in the DDR, and several canonical DNA repair factors have moonlighting functions in RNA metabolism. RNA polymerases and RNA itself have been implicated at various stages of the DDR, including damage sensing, recruitment of DNA repair factors and tethering of broken DNA ends. RNA may even serve as a template for DNA repair under certain conditions. Given the vast number of non-coding RNAs in cells, we have barely started to decipher their potential involvement in genomic maintenance and future research on the interrelationship between RNA and DNA repair may open entirely new treatment options for human disease.

Keywords:  DDR; DNA repair; LLPS; RNA; RNA:DNA hybrids

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dnarep.2020.102927
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2020 Sep 14. pii: S0041-008X(20)30366-5. [Epub ahead of print] 115240

ATP and ADP enhance DNA damage repair in γ-irradiated BEAS-2B human bronchial epithelial cells through activation of P2X7 and P2Y12 receptors.

Kazuki Kitabatake, Toshiyuki Kaji, Mitsutoshi Tsukimoto.

  Agents that promote DNA repair may be useful as radioprotectants to minimize side effects such as radiation pneumonia caused by damage to normal cells during radiation therapy to treat lung cancer. We have reported that extracellular nucleotides and nucleosides are involved in the P2 or P1 receptor-mediated DNA damage response (DDR) after γ-irradiation. Here, we investigated the effects of ATP, UTP, GTP, ITP and their metabolites on the γH2AX/53BP1 focus formation in nuclei (a measure of γ-irradiation-induced DDR) and the survival of γ-irradiated immortalized human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells. Fluorescence immunostaining showed that ATP and ADP increase DDR and DNA repair, and exhibit radioprotective effects as evaluated by colony formation assay. These effects of ATP or ADP were blocked by inhibitors of P2X7 or P2Y12 receptor, respectively, and by ERK1/2 inhibitor. ATP and ADP enhanced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 by suppressing MKP-1 and MKP-3 expression after γ-irradiation. These results indicate that ATP and ADP exhibit radioprotective effects by phosphorylation of ERK1/2 via activation of P2X7 and P2Y12 receptors, respectively, to promote γ-irradiation-induced DDR and DNA repair. ATP and ADP appear to be candidates for radioprotectants to reduce damage to non-cancerous cells during lung cancer radiotherapy by promoting DDR and DNA repair.

Keywords:  DNA Damage; Lung Cell; Nucleotide; P2 Receptor; Radiation; Radioprotectants

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.taap.2020.115240
Genes Dev. 2020 Sep 17.

The DNA replication fork suppresses CMG unloading from chromatin before termination.

Emily Low, Gheorghe Chistol, Manal S Zaher, Olga V Kochenova, Johannes C Walter.

  When converging replication forks meet during replication termination, the CMG (Cdc45-MCM2-7-GINS) helicase is polyubiquitylated by CRL2Lrr1 and unloaded from chromatin by the p97 ATPase. Here, we investigate the signal that triggers CMG unloading in Xenopus egg extracts using single-molecule and ensemble approaches. We show that converging CMGs pass each other and keep translocating at the same speed as before convergence, whereafter they are rapidly and independently unloaded. When CMG unloading is blocked, diverging CMGs do not support DNA synthesis, indicating that after bypass CMGs encounter the nascent lagging strands of the converging fork and then translocate along double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). However, translocation on dsDNA is not required for CMG's removal from chromatin because in the absence of nascent strand synthesis, converging CMGs are still unloaded. Moreover, recombinant CMG added to nuclear extract undergoes ubiquitylation and disassembly in the absence of any DNA, and DNA digestion triggers CMG ubiquitylation at stalled replication forks. Our findings suggest that DNA suppresses CMG ubiquitylation during elongation and that this suppression is relieved when CMGs converge, leading to CMG unloading.

Keywords:  CMG; CRL2Lrr1; DNA replication; replication termination; single-molecule imaging; ubiquitylation

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1101/gad.339739.120
Sci Adv. 2020 Jul;pii: eaay9131. [Epub ahead of print]6(31):

Synthetic lethality by targeting the RUVBL1/2-TTT complex in mTORC1-hyperactive cancer cells.

Seung Ho Shin, Ji Su Lee, Jia-Min Zhang, Sungbin Choi, Zarko V Boskovic, Ran Zhao, Mengqiu Song, Rui Wang, Jie Tian, Mee-Hyun Lee, Jae Hwan Kim, Minju Jeong, Jung Hyun Lee, Michael Petukhov, Sam W Lee, Sang Gyun Kim, Lee Zou, Sanguine Byun.

Despite considerable efforts, mTOR inhibitors have produced limited success in the clinic. To define the vulnerabilities of mTORC1-addicted cancer cells and to find previously unknown therapeutic targets, we investigated the mechanism of piperlongumine, a small molecule identified in a chemical library screen to specifically target cancer cells with a hyperactive mTORC1 phenotype. Sensitivity to piperlongumine was dependent on its ability to suppress RUVBL1/2-TTT, a complex involved in chromatin remodeling and DNA repair. Cancer cells with high mTORC1 activity are subjected to higher levels of DNA damage stress via c-Myc and displayed an increased dependency on RUVBL1/2 for survival and counteracting genotoxic stress. Examination of clinical cancer tissues also demonstrated that high mTORC1 activity was accompanied by high RUVBL2 expression. Our findings reveal a previously unknown role for RUVBL1/2 in cell survival, where it acts as a functional chaperone to mitigate stress levels induced in the mTORC1-Myc-DNA damage axis.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aay9131
Nucleic Acids Res. 2020 Sep 14. pii: gkaa741. [Epub ahead of print]

Replisome bypass of transcription complexes and R-loops.

Jan-Gert Brüning, Kenneth J Marians.

The vast majority of the genome is transcribed by RNA polymerases. G+C-rich regions of the chromosomes and negative superhelicity can promote the invasion of the DNA by RNA to form R-loops, which have been shown to block DNA replication and promote genome instability. However, it is unclear whether the R-loops themselves are sufficient to cause this instability or if additional factors are required. We have investigated replisome collisions with transcription complexes and R-loops using a reconstituted bacterial DNA replication system. RNA polymerase transcription complexes co-directionally oriented with the replication fork were transient blockages, whereas those oriented head-on were severe, stable blockages. On the other hand, replisomes easily bypassed R-loops on either template strand. Replication encounters with R-loops on the leading-strand template (co-directional) resulted in gaps in the nascent leading strand, whereas lagging-strand template R-loops (head-on) had little impact on replication fork progression. We conclude that whereas R-loops alone can act as transient replication blocks, most genome-destabilizing replication fork stalling likely occurs because of proteins bound to the R-loops.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkaa741
Genome Biol. 2020 Sep 17. 21(1): 248

Ultrasensitive deletion detection links mitochondrial DNA replication, disease, and aging.

Scott A Lujan, Matthew J Longley, Margaret H Humble, Christopher A Lavender, Adam Burkholder, Emma L Blakely, Charlotte L Alston, Grainne S Gorman, Doug M Turnbull, Robert McFarland, Robert W Taylor, Thomas A Kunkel, William C Copeland.

BACKGROUND: Acquired human mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) deletions are symptoms and drivers of focal mitochondrial respiratory deficiency, a pathological hallmark of aging and late-onset mitochondrial disease.RESULTS: To decipher connections between these processes, we create LostArc, an ultrasensitive method for quantifying deletions in circular mtDNA molecules. LostArc reveals 35 million deletions (~ 470,000 unique spans) in skeletal muscle from 22 individuals with and 19 individuals without pathogenic variants in POLG. This nuclear gene encodes the catalytic subunit of replicative mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ. Ablation, the deleted mtDNA fraction, suffices to explain skeletal muscle phenotypes of aging and POLG-derived disease. Unsupervised bioinformatic analyses reveal distinct age- and disease-correlated deletion patterns.
CONCLUSIONS: These patterns implicate replication by DNA polymerase γ as the deletion driver and suggest little purifying selection against mtDNA deletions by mitophagy in postmitotic muscle fibers. Observed deletion patterns are best modeled as mtDNA deletions initiated by replication fork stalling during strand displacement mtDNA synthesis.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-020-02138-5
Nat Commun. 2020 Sep 18. 11(1): 4709

SPT6-driven error-free DNA repair safeguards genomic stability of glioblastoma cancer stem-like cells.

Elisabeth Anne Adanma Obara, Diana Aguilar-Morante, Rikke Darling Rasmussen, Alex Frias, Kristoffer Vitting-Serup, Yi Chieh Lim, Kirstine Juul Elbæk, Henriette Pedersen, Lina Vardouli, Kamilla Ellermann Jensen, Jane Skjoth-Rasmussen, Jannick Brennum, Lucie Tuckova, Robert Strauss, Christoffel Dinant, Jiri Bartek, Petra Hamerlik.

Glioblastoma cancer-stem like cells (GSCs) display marked resistance to ionizing radiation (IR), a standard of care for glioblastoma patients. Mechanisms underpinning radio-resistance of GSCs remain largely unknown. Chromatin state and the accessibility of DNA lesions to DNA repair machineries are crucial for the maintenance of genomic stability. Understanding the functional impact of chromatin remodeling on DNA repair in GSCs may lay the foundation for advancing the efficacy of radio-sensitizing therapies. Here, we present the results of a high-content siRNA microscopy screen, revealing the transcriptional elongation factor SPT6 to be critical for the genomic stability and self-renewal of GSCs. Mechanistically, SPT6 transcriptionally up-regulates BRCA1 and thereby drives an error-free DNA repair in GSCs. SPT6 loss impairs the self-renewal, genomic stability and tumor initiating capacity of GSCs. Collectively, our results provide mechanistic insights into how SPT6 regulates DNA repair and identify SPT6 as a putative therapeutic target in glioblastoma.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18549-8
Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2020 Sep 13. pii: S1084-9521(20)30101-4. [Epub ahead of print]

RAD51: Beyond the break.

Isabel E Wassing, Fumiko Esashi.

  As the primary catalyst of homologous recombination (HR) in vertebrates, RAD51 has been extensively studied in the context of repair of double-stranded DNA breaks (DSBs). With recent advances in the understanding of RAD51 function extending beyond DSBs, the importance of RAD51 throughout DNA metabolism has become increasingly clear. Here we review the suggested roles of RAD51 beyond HR, specifically focusing on their interplay with DNA replication and the maintenance of genomic stability, in which RAD51 function emerges as a double-edged sword.

Keywords:  Double-stranded DNA breaks; Fork protection; Homologous recombination; RAD51; Replicative stress

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.08.010
Mol Genet Metab Rep. 2020 Dec;25 100642

The CRISPR-Cas9 crATIC HeLa transcriptome: Characterization of a novel cellular model of ATIC deficiency and ZMP accumulation.

Randall C Mazzarino, Veronika Baresova, Marie Zikánová, Nathan Duval, Terry G Wilkinson, David Patterson, Guido N Vacano.

  In de novo purine biosynthesis (DNPS), 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase (EC 2.1.2.3)/inosine monophosphate cyclohydrolase (EC 3.5.4.10) (ATIC) catalyzes the last two reactions of the pathway: conversion of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide [aka Z-nucleotide monophosphate (ZMP)] to 5-formamido-4-imidazolecarboxamide ribonucleotide (FAICAR) then to inosine monophosphate (IMP). Mutations in ATIC cause an untreatable and devastating inborn error of metabolism in humans. ZMP is an adenosine monophosphate (AMP) mimetic and a known activator of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Recently, a HeLa cell line null mutant for ATIC was constructed via CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis. This mutant, crATIC, accumulates ZMP during purine starvation. Given that the mutant can accumulate ZMP in the absence of treatment with exogenous compounds, crATIC is likely an important cellular model of DNPS inactivation and ZMP accumulation. In the current study, we characterize the crATIC transcriptome versus the HeLa transcriptome in purine-supplemented and purine-depleted growth conditions. We report and discuss transcriptome changes with particular relevance to Alzheimer's disease and in genes relevant to lipid and fatty acid synthesis, neurodevelopment, embryogenesis, cell cycle maintenance and progression, extracellular matrix, immune function, TGFβ and other cellular processes.

Keywords:  5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside, (AICAr); 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase/inosine monophosphate cyclohydrolase, (ATIC); 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide, (ZMP); 5-formamido-4-imidazolecarboxamide ribonucleotide, (FAICAR); AICA-ribosiduria; AMP-activated protein kinase, (AMPK); Alzheimer's disease; Development; Purine synthesis; RNA-seq; Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 1 and 2, (TSC1 and TSC2); adenine phosphoribosyltransferase, (APRT); adenosine monophosphate, (AMP); adenosine triphosphate, (ATP); adenylosuccinate lyase, (ADSL); arachidonic acid, (AA); cyclooxygenase, (COX); cytochrome, P450 (CYP); cytosolic phospholipase A2, (cPLA2); de novo purine synthesis, (DNPS); differentially expressed gene, (DEG); false discovery rate, (FDR); fatty acid amide hydrolase, (FAAH); fetal calf macroserum, (FCM); fetal calf serum, (FCS); fragments per kilobase of exon per million reads mapped, (FPKM); gene ontology, (GO); guanosine monophosphate, (GMP); inosine monophosphate, (IMP); interferon, (INF); lipoxygenase, (LOX); mammalian Target of Rapamycin, (mTOR); minus adenine crATIC to minus adenine WT comparison, (MM); phospholipase, (PLA); phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate, (PRPP); phosphoribosylaminoimidazole carboxylase/phosphoribosylaminoimidazole succinocarboxamide synthetase, (PAICS); plus adenine crATIC to plus adenine WT comparison, (PP); xanthine monophosphate, (XMP)

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymgmr.2020.100642
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Sep 16. pii: E6779. [Epub ahead of print]21(18):

Structure, Folding and Stability of Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases.

Florian Georgescauld, Yuyu Song, Alain Dautant.

  Nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPK) are oligomeric proteins involved in the synthesis of nucleoside triphosphates. Their tridimensional structure has been solved by X-ray crystallography and shows that individual subunits present a conserved ferredoxin fold of about 140 residues in prokaryotes, archaea, eukaryotes and viruses. Monomers are functionally independent from each other inside NDPK complexes and the nucleoside kinase catalytic mechanism involves transient phosphorylation of the conserved catalytic histidine. To be active, monomers must assemble into conserved head to tail dimers, which further assemble into hexamers or tetramers. The interfaces between these oligomeric states are very different but, surprisingly, the assembly structure barely affects the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme. While it has been shown that assembly into hexamers induces full formation of the catalytic site and stabilizes the complex, it is unclear why assembly into tetramers is required for function. Several additional activities have been revealed for NDPK, especially in metastasis spreading, cytoskeleton dynamics, DNA binding and membrane remodeling. However, we still lack the high resolution structural data of NDPK in complex with different partners, which is necessary for deciphering the mechanism of these diverse functions. In this review we discuss advances in the structure, folding and stability of NDPKs.

Keywords:  histidine kinase; nucleoside diphosphate kinase structure; oligomeric state; protein folding; protein stability; quaternary structure

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21186779
Nature. 2020 Sep 16.

Bridging of DNA breaks activates PARP2-HPF1 to modify chromatin.

Silvija Bilokapic, Marcin J Suskiewicz, Ivan Ahel, Mario Halic.

Breaks in DNA strands recruit the protein PARP1 and its paralogue PARP2 to modify histones and other substrates through the addition of mono- and poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR)1-5. In the DNA damage responses, this post-translational modification occurs predominantly on serine residues6-8 and requires HPF1, an accessory factor that switches the amino acid specificity of PARP1 and PARP2 from aspartate or glutamate to serine9,10. Poly(ADP) ribosylation (PARylation) is important for subsequent chromatin decompaction and provides an anchor for the recruitment of downstream signalling and repair factors to the sites of DNA breaks2,11. Here, to understand the molecular mechanism by which PARP enzymes recognize DNA breaks within chromatin, we determined the cryo-electron-microscopic structure of human PARP2-HPF1 bound to a nucleosome. This showed that PARP2-HPF1 bridges two nucleosomes, with the broken DNA aligned in a position suitable for ligation, revealing the initial step in the repair of double-strand DNA breaks. The bridging induces structural changes in PARP2 that signal the recognition of a DNA break to the catalytic domain, which licenses HPF1 binding and PARP2 activation. Our data suggest that active PARP2 cycles through different conformational states to exchange NAD+ and substrate, which may enable PARP enzymes to act processively while bound to chromatin. The processes of PARP activation and the PARP catalytic cycle we describe can explain mechanisms of resistance to PARP inhibitors and will aid the development of better inhibitors as cancer treatments12-16.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2725-7
Radiat Res. 2020 Sep 16. 194(3): 202-235

A DNA Repair-Based Model of Cell Survival with Important Clinical Consequences.

Anders Brahme.

This work provides a description of a new interaction, cross-section-based model for radiation-induced cellular inactivation, sublethal damage, DNA repair and cell survival, with the ability to more accurately elucidate different radiation-response phenomena. The principal goal of this work is to describe the damage-induction cross sections, as well as repair and survival, as Poisson processes with two main types of damage: mild damage that can be rapidly handled by the most basic repair processes; and more complex damage requiring longer repair times and the high-fidelity homologous recombination (HR) repair process to ensure accuracy and safety in the survival. This work is unique in its use of Poisson statistics to quantify the main repairable cell compartments that are exposed to simple and more complex sublethal hits, the cross section of which determines what is homologically and non-homologically repairable. The new method is applied to central radiation damage and survival data, such as in vitro cellular repair and survival with key DNA repair genes knocked out, low-dose hypersensitivity (LDHS), change in survival over the cell cycle, and variation with linear energy transfer (LET) for densely ionizing ions, all results supporting our basic assumptions. Among the results, it was shown that less than 1% of the simple DSBs are lethal at approximately 2 Gy and below for sparsely ionizing radiations, but their δ-electron track ends of between 1.5 and 0.5 keV can deliver 0.5 MGy to a few hundred nm3 volumes, mainly due to multiple scatter detours and multiple secondary electrons. They can cause dual double-strand breaks (DSBs) on the periphery of nucleosomes that are the most common multiply damaged sites, with an average of 1-2 δ-electron track ends per cell nucleus at 2 Gy. LDHS is most likely due to the normal lack of fast, efficient repair of sublethal damage below approximately 0.5 Gy, and requires largely intact key DNA repair genes to achieve significant repair recovery at higher doses. The new repair model describes this phenomenon quite accurately. Cells with key non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) genes knocked-out, lose LDHS but provoke HR repair, and cells with HR genes knocked out may lose some LDHS, but provoke NHEJ repair. The DNA duplication during the S phase results in a direct doubling as well of the total and sublethal hit cross sections. For the lowest LET carbon ions, NHEJ is reduced to where it is almost eliminated at maximum relative biological effectiveness (RBE), while HR is induced more than by X rays, due to complex damage and misrepair of DSBs produced by numerous δ electrons. The use of a lower LET such as electrons or photons during the final week of radiation treatment may potentially maximize complication-free cure. Optimally-designed weekly fractionation schedules are proposed to maximize the DNA repair potential in normal tissues. Additionally, the optimal therapeutic ion species, LET, apoptosis and permanent growth arrest/senescence window is identified with helium, lithium and boron ions and LETs at approximately 15-55 eV/nm, to maximize these quantities in the tumor and minimize them in the normal tissues, resulting in a very high probability of complication-free cure.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1667/RADE-20-00052.1
DNA Repair (Amst). 2020 Sep 03. pii: S1568-7864(20)30208-1. [Epub ahead of print]95 102959

Histone H4 LRS mutations can attenuate UV mutagenesis without affecting PCNA ubiquitination or sumoylation.

Kathiresan Selvam, Sheikh Arafatur Rahman, Derek Forrester, Adam Bao, Michael Lieu, Shisheng Li.

  UV is a significant environmental agent that damages DNA. Translesion synthesis (TLS) is a DNA damage tolerance pathway that utilizes specialized DNA polymerases to replicate through the damaged DNA, often leading to mutagenesis. In eukaryotic cells, genomic DNA is organized into chromatin that is composed of nucleosomes. To date, if and/or how TLS is regulated by a specific nucleosome feature has been undocumented. We found that mutations of multiple histone H4 residues mostly or entirely embedded in the nucleosomal LRS (loss of ribosomal DNA-silencing) domain attenuate UV mutagenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The attenuation is not caused by an alteration of ubiquitination or sumoylation of PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen), the modifications well-known to regulate TLS. Also, the attenuation is not caused by decreased chromatin accessibility, or by alterations of methylation of histone H3 K79, which is at the center of the LRS surface. The attenuation may result from compromised TLS by both DNA polymerases ζ and η, in which Rad6 and Rad5 are but Rad18 is not implicated. We propose that a feature of the LRS is recognized or accessed by the TLS machineries either during/after a nucleosome is disassembled in front of a lesion-stalled replication fork, or during/before a nucleosome is reassembled behind a lesion-stalled replication fork.

Keywords:  UV mutagenesis; histone H4; nucleosome; postreplication repair; translesion synthesis

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dnarep.2020.102959
Oncol Rep. 2020 Aug 10.

RAD52 aptamer regulates DNA damage repair and STAT3 in BRCA1/BRCA2‑deficient human acute myeloid leukemia.

Yichuan Xu, Yansi Lin, Yuxuan Luo, Yanling Yang, Bing Long, Zhigang Fang, Lingling Liu, Jingwen Zhang, Xiangzhong Zhang.

RAD52 (Radiation sensitive 52) is a key factor in DNA damage repair (DDR) bypass, which participates in single‑strand annealing (SSA) after DNA damage end excision, while breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein (BRCA1)/breast cancer type 2 susceptibility protein (BRCA2) play critical roles in homologous recombination (HR) repair. The present study aimed to determine whether RAD52‑induced regulation of repair bypass occurs in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells and to explore the underlying mechanism. Herein, we applied an RAD52 aptamer to AML cells with downregulated BRCA1/2. RAD52 aptamer inhibited AML cell proliferation detected by cell counting, promoted cell apoptosis obtained by flow cytometry, and suppressed DNA damage repair behavior measured by comet assay and flow cytometry, after drug intervention during low expression of BRCA1/2. During this process, DDR‑related cell cycle checkpoint proteins were activated, and the cells were continuously arrested in the S/G2 phase, which affected the cell damage repair process. Concurrently, the expression levels of apoptosis‑related proteins were also altered. Furthermore, the expression of STAT3 and p‑STAT3 was downregulated by the RAD52 aptamer, suggesting that RAD52 affects the STAT3 signaling pathway. In summary, we present a possible role for RAD52 in DDR of BRCA1/2‑deficient AML cells that involves the STAT3 signaling pathway.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2020.7723
Radiat Res. 2020 Sep 16.

Combined EGFR1 and PARP1 Inhibition Enhances the Effect of Radiation in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Models.

Barbara A Frederick, Rohit Gupta, Amandla Atilano-Roque, Tin Tin Su, David Raben.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a challenging cancer with little change in five-year overall survival rate of 50-60% over the last two decades. Radiation with or without platinum-based drugs remains the standard of care despite limited benefit and high toxicity. HNSCCs often overexpress epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and inhibition of EGFR signaling enhances radiation sensitivity by interfering with repair of radiation-induced DNA breaks. Poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) also participates in DNA damage repair, but its inhibition provides benefit in cancers that lack DNA repair by homologous recombination (HR) such as BRCA-mutant breast cancer. HNSCCs in contrast are typically BRCA wild-type and proficient in HR repair, making it challenging to apply anti-PARP1 therapy in this model. A recently published study showed that a combination of EGFR and PARP1 inhibition induced more DNA damage and greater growth control than each single agent in HNSCC cells. This led us to hypothesize that a combination of EGFR and PARP1 inhibition would enhance the efficacy of radiation to a greater extent than each single agent, providing a rationale for paradigm-shifting combinatorial approaches to improve the standard of care in HNSCC. Here, we report a proof-of-concept study using Detroit562 HNSCC cells, which are proficient for DNA repair by both HR and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) mechanisms. We tested the effect of adding cetuximab and/or olaparib (inhibitors of EGFR and PARP1, respectively) to radiation and compared it to that of cisplatin and radiation combination, which is the standard of care. Our results demonstrate that the combination of cetuximab and olaparib with radiation was superior to the combination of any single drug with radiation in terms of induction of unrepaired DNA damage, induction of senescence, apoptosis and clonogenic death, and tumor growth control in mouse xenografts. Combined with our recently published phase I safety data on cetuximab/olaparib/radiation triple combination, the data reported here demonstrate a potential for combining biologically-based therapies that might optimize radiosensitization in HNSCC.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1667/RR15480.1
Mol Cell Oncol. 2020 ;7(5): 1796179

Ser784 phosphorylation: a clinically relevant enhancer of VCP function in the DNA damage response.

Jieya Shao.

  Valosin-containing protein (VCP) is essential for proteostasis during many cellular processes. However, it remains uncertain how its diverse functions are selectively regulated. We recently showed that DNA damage-induced Ser784 phosphorylation specifically increases VCP function for the DNA damage response and significantly influences the survival of chemotherapy-treated breast cancer patients.

Keywords:  DNA damage response; Proteostasis; chemotherapy; phosphorylation; prognostic biomarker

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/23723556.2020.1796179
Trends Chem. 2020 Feb;2(2): 123-136

The Structure and Function of DNA G-Quadruplexes.

Jochen Spiegel, Santosh Adhikari, Shankar Balasubramanian.

  Guanine-rich DNA sequences can fold into four-stranded, noncanonical secondary structures called G-quadruplexes (G4s). G4s were initially considered a structural curiosity, but recent evidence suggests their involvement in key genome functions such as transcription, replication, genome stability, and epigenetic regulation, together with numerous connections to cancer biology. Collectively, these advances have stimulated research probing G4 mechanisms and consequent opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Here, we provide a perspective on the structure and function of G4s with an emphasis on key molecules and methodological advances that enable the study of G4 structures in human cells. We also critically examine recent mechanistic insights into G4 biology and protein interaction partners and highlight opportunities for drug discovery.

Keywords:  DNA; G-quadruplex; G4; drug discovery; nucleic acids; secondary structure

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trechm.2019.07.002
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Sep 12. pii: E6689. [Epub ahead of print]21(18):

Formation and Recognition of UV-Induced DNA Damage within Genome Complexity.

Philippe Johann To Berens, Jean Molinier.

  Ultraviolet (UV) light is a natural genotoxic agent leading to the formation of photolesions endangering the genomic integrity and thereby the survival of living organisms. To prevent the mutagenetic effect of UV, several specific DNA repair mechanisms are mobilized to accurately maintain genome integrity at photodamaged sites within the complexity of genome structures. However, a fundamental gap remains to be filled in the identification and characterization of factors at the nexus of UV-induced DNA damage, DNA repair, and epigenetics. This review brings together the impact of the epigenomic context on the susceptibility of genomic regions to form photodamage and focuses on the mechanisms of photolesions recognition through the different DNA repair pathways.

Keywords:  chromatin; global genome repair; nucleotide excision repair; photodamage recognition; photolesions; photolyase; transcription coupled repair; ultraviolet

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21186689
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Sep 10. pii: E6631. [Epub ahead of print]21(18):

Evaluating the Genotoxic and Cytotoxic Effects of Thymidine Analogs, 5-Ethynyl-2'-Deoxyuridine and 5-Bromo-2'-Deoxyurdine to Mammalian Cells.

Jeremy S Haskins, Cathy Su, Junko Maeda, Kade D Walsh, Alexis H Haskins, Allison J Allum, Coral E Froning, Takamitsu A Kato.

  BrdU (bromodeoxyuridine) and EdU (ethynyldeoxyuridine) have been largely utilized as the means of monitoring DNA replication and cellular division. Although BrdU induces gene and chromosomal mutations and induces sensitization to photons, EdU's effects have not been extensively studied yet. Therefore, we investigated EdU's potential cytotoxic and mutagenic effects and its related underlying mechanisms when administered to Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) wild type and DNA repair-deficient cells. EdU treatment displayed a higher cytotoxicity and genotoxicity than BrdU treatment. Cells with defective homologous recombination repair displayed a greater growth delay and severe inhibition of clonogenicity with EdU compared to wild type and other DNA repair-deficient cells. Inductions of sister chromatid exchange and hypoxanthine phosphorybosyl transferase (HPRT) mutation were observed in EdU-incorporated cells as well. Interestingly, on the other hand, EdU did not induce sensitization to photons to the same degree as BrdU. Our results demonstrate that elevated concentrations (similar to manufacturers suggested concentration; >5-10 μM) of EdU treatment were toxic to the cell cultures, particularly in cells with a defect in homologous recombination repair. Therefore, EdU should be administered with additional precautions.

Keywords:  BrdU; DNA repair; EdU; radiosensitizer

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21186631
Cell Cycle. 2020 Sep 14. 1-15

PCNA promotes context-specific sister chromatid cohesion establishment separate from that of chromatin condensation.

Caitlin M Zuilkoski, Robert V Skibbens.

  Cellular genomes undergo various structural changes that include cis tethering (the tethering together of two loci within a single DNA molecule), which promotes chromosome condensation and transcriptional activation, and trans tethering (the tethering together of two DNA molecules), which promotes sister chromatid cohesion and DNA repair. The protein complex termed cohesin promotes both cis and trans forms of DNA tethering, but the extent to which these cohesin functions occur in temporally or spatially defined contexts remains largely unknown. Prior studies indicate that DNA polymerase sliding clamp PCNA recruits cohesin acetyltransferase Eco1, suggesting that sister chromatid cohesion is established in the context of the DNA replication fork. In support of this model, elevated levels of PCNA rescue the temperature growth and cohesion defects exhibited by eco1 mutant cells. Here, we test whether Eco1-dependent chromatin condensation is also promoted in the context of this DNA replication fork component. Our results reveal that overexpressed PCNA does not promote DNA condensation in eco1 mutant cells, even though Smc3 acetylation levels are increased. We further provide evidence that replication fork-associated E3 ligase impacts on Eco1 are more complex that previously described. In combination, the data suggests that Eco1 acetylates Smc3 and thus promotes sister chromatid cohesion in context of the DNA replication fork, whereas a distinct cohesin population participates in chromatin condensation outside the context of the DNA replication fork.

Keywords:  Cohesin; cohesion; condensation; dna replication fork; eco1/Ctf7/Esco2; elg1; pcna

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/15384101.2020.1804221
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Sep 14. pii: E6725. [Epub ahead of print]21(18):

C-Terminal Extensions of Ku70 and Ku80 Differentially Influence DNA End Binding Properties.

Takabumi Inagawa, Thomas Wennink, Joyce H G Lebbink, Guido Keijzers, Bogdan I Florea, Nicole S Verkaik, Dik C van Gent.

  The Ku70/80 heterodimer binds to DNA ends and attracts other proteins involved in the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway of DNA double-strand break repair. We developed a novel assay to measure DNA binding and release kinetics using differences in Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) of the ECFP-Ku70/EYFP-Ku80 heterodimer in soluble and DNA end bound states. We confirmed that the relative binding efficiencies of various DNA substrates (blunt, 3 nucleotide 5' extension, and DNA hairpin) measured in the FRET assay reflected affinities obtained from direct measurements using surface plasmon resonance. The FRET assay was subsequently used to investigate Ku70/80 behavior in the context of a DNA-dependent kinase (DNA-PK) holocomplex. As expected, this complex was much more stable than Ku70/80 alone, and its stability was influenced by DNA-PK phosphorylation status. Interestingly, the Ku80 C-terminal extension contributed to DNA-PK complex stability but was not absolutely required for its formation. The Ku70 C-terminal SAP domain, on the other hand, was required for the stable association of Ku70/80 to DNA ends, but this effect was abrogated in DNA-PK holocomplexes. We conclude that FRET measurements can be used to determine Ku70/80 binding kinetics. The ability to do this in complex mixtures makes this assay particularly useful to study larger NHEJ protein complexes on DNA ends.

Keywords:  DNA binding; DNA repair; DNA-PK; non-homologous end-joining; surface plasmon resonance (SPR)

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21186725
Cancer Biol Med. 2020 Aug 15. 17(3): 640-651

Kinetochore protein MAD1 participates in the DNA damage response through ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase-mediated phosphorylation and enhanced interaction with KU80.

Mingming Xiao, Xuesong Li, Yang Su, Zhuang Liu, Yamei Han, Shuai Wang, Qinghua Zeng, Hong Liu, Jianwei Hao, Bo Xu.

  Objective: Mitotic arrest-deficient protein 1 (MAD1) is a kinetochore protein essential for the mitotic spindle checkpoint. Proteomic studies have indicated that MAD1 is a component of the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway. However, whether and how MAD1 might be directly involved in the DDR is largely unknown. Methods: We ectopically expressed the wild type, or a phosphorylation-site--mutated form of MAD1 in MAD1 knockdown cells to look for complementation effects. We used the comet assay, colony formation assay, immunofluorescence staining, and flow cytometry to assess the DDR, radiosensitivity, and the G2/M checkpoint. We employed co-immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry to identify MAD1 interacting proteins. Data were analyzed using the unpaired Student's t-test. Results: We showed that MAD1 was required for an optimal DDR, as knocking down MAD1 resulted in impaired DNA repair and hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation (IR). We found that IR-induced serine 214 phosphorylation was ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase-dependent. Mutation of serine 214 to alanine failed to rescue the phenotypes of MAD1 knockdown cells in response to IR. Using mass spectrometry, we identified a protein complex mediated by MAD1 serine 214 phosphorylation in response to IR. Among them, we showed that KU80 was a key protein that displayed enhanced interaction with MAD1 after DNA damage. Finally, we showed that MAD1 interaction with KU80 required serine 214 phosphorylation, and it was essential for activation of DNA protein kinases catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs). Conclusions: MAD1 serine 214 phosphorylation mediated by ATM kinase in response to IR was required for the interaction with KU80 and activation of DNA-PKCs.

Keywords:  DNA damage response; DNA-PKcs; KU80 protein; ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase (ATM); mitotic arrest-deficient protein 1 (MAD1)

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2020.0044
Cells. 2020 Sep 16. pii: E2110. [Epub ahead of print]9(9):

Maintenance Therapy for ATM-Deficient Pancreatic Cancer by Multiple DNA Damage Response Interferences after Platinum-Based Chemotherapy.

Elodie Roger, Johann Gout, Frank Arnold, Alica K Beutel, Martin Müller, Alireza Abaei, Thomas F E Barth, Volker Rasche, Thomas Seufferlein, Lukas Perkhofer, Alexander Kleger.

  Personalized medicine in treating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is still in its infancy, albeit PDAC-related deaths are projected to rise over the next decade. Only recently, maintenance therapy with the PARP inhibitor olaparib showed improved progression-free survival in germline BRCA1/2-mutated PDAC patients after platinum-based induction for the first time. Transferability of such a concept to other DNA damage response (DDR) genes remains unclear. Here, we conducted a placebo-controlled, three-armed preclinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of multi-DDR interference (mDDRi) as maintenance therapy vs. continuous FOLFIRINOX treatment, implemented with orthotopically transplanted ATM-deficient PDAC cell lines. Kaplan-Meier analysis, cross-sectional imaging, histology, and in vitro analysis served as analytical readouts. Median overall survival was significantly longer in the mDDRi maintenance arm compared to the maintained FOLFIRINOX treatment. This survival benefit was mirrored in the highest DNA-damage load, accompanied by superior disease control and reduced metastatic burden. In vitro analysis suggests FOLFIRINOX-driven selection of invasive subclones, erased by subsequent mDDRi treatment. Collectively, this preclinical trial substantiates mDDRi in a maintenance setting as a novel therapeutic option and extends the concept to non-germline BRCA1/2-mutant PDAC.

Keywords:  ATM; DNA damage repair; PARP; chromosomal instability; maintenance therapy; pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; platinum; targeted therapy

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9092110
Genes Cells. 2020 Sep 16.

A DNA repair player, ring-finger protein 43, relieves etoposide-induced topoisomerase II poisoning.

Tassanee Lerksuthirat, Rakkreat Wikiniyadhanee, Wasana Stitchantrakul, Sermsiri Chitphuk, Nauljun Stansook, Nut Pipatpanyanugoon, Siwanon Jirawatnotai, Donniphat Dejsuphong.

  Ring-finger protein 43 (RNF43) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase which is well-known for its role in negative regulation of the Wnt-signaling pathway. However, the function in DNA double-strand break repairs has not been investigated. In this study, we used a lymphoblast cell line, DT40, and mouse embryonic fibroblast as cellular models to study DNA double-strand break (DSB) repairs. For this purpose, we created RNF43 knockout, RNF43-/- DT40 cell line to investigate DSB repairs. We found that deletion of RNF43 does not interfere with cell proliferation. However, after exposure to various types of DNA damaging agents, RNF43-/- cells become more sensitive to topoisomerase II inhibitors, etoposide, and ICRF193, than wild type cells. Our results also showed that depletion of RNF43 results in apoptosis upon etoposide-mediated DNA damage. The delay in resolution of γH2AX and 53BP1 foci formation after etoposide treatment, as well as epistasis analysis with DNAPKcs suggested that RNF43 might participates in DNA repair of etoposide-induced DSB via non-homologous end joining. Disturbed γH2AX foci formation in MEFs following pulse etoposide treatment supported the notion that RNF43 also functions DNA repair in mammalian cells. These findings propose two possible functions of RNF43, either participating in NHEJ or removing the blockage of 5' topo-II adducts from DSB ends.

Keywords:  DNA damage and repair; DNA double-strand break; DT40; RNF43; Topoisomerase II; etoposide

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/gtc.12808
Cancers (Basel). 2020 Sep 11. pii: E2605. [Epub ahead of print]12(9):

Cellular Mechanisms Accounting for the Refractoriness of Colorectal Carcinoma to Pharmacological Treatment.

Jose J G Marin, Rocio I R Macias, Maria J Monte, Elisa Herraez, Ana Peleteiro-Vigil, Beatriz Sanchez de Blas, Paula Sanchon-Sanchez, Alvaro G Temprano, Ricardo A Espinosa-Escudero, Elisa Lozano, Oscar Briz, Marta R Romero.

  The unsatisfactory response of colorectal cancer (CRC) to pharmacological treatment contributes to the substantial global health burden caused by this disease. Over the last few decades, CRC has become the cause of more than 800,000 deaths per year. The reason is a combination of two factors: (i) the late cancer detection, which is being partially solved by the implementation of mass screening of adults over age 50, permitting earlier diagnosis and treatment; (ii) the inadequate response of advanced unresectable tumors (i.e., stages III and IV) to pharmacological therapy. The latter is due to the existence of complex mechanisms of chemoresistance (MOCs) that interact and synergize with each other, rendering CRC cells strongly refractory to the available pharmacological regimens based on conventional chemotherapy, such as pyrimidine analogs (5-fluorouracil, capecitabine, trifluridine, and tipiracil), oxaliplatin, and irinotecan, as well as drugs targeted toward tyrosine kinase receptors (regorafenib, aflibercept, bevacizumab, cetuximab, panitumumab, and ramucirumab), and, more recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors (nivolumab, ipilimumab, and pembrolizumab). In the present review, we have inventoried the genes involved in the lack of CRC response to pharmacological treatment, classifying them into seven groups (from MOC-1 to MOC-7) according to functional criteria to identify cancer cell weaknesses. This classification will be useful to pave the way for developing sensitizing tools consisting of (i) new agents to be co-administered with the active drug; (ii) pharmacological approaches, such as drug encapsulation (e.g., into labeled liposomes or exosomes); (iii) gene therapy interventions aimed at restoring the impaired function of some proteins (e.g., uptake transporters and tumor suppressors) or abolishing that of others (such as export pumps and oncogenes).

Keywords:  DNA repair; apoptosis; cancer stem cell; colon cancer; drug transport; epithelial–mesenchymal transition; genetic variants; metabolism; multidrug resistance; tumor environment

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12092605
Hepatol Commun. 2020 Sep;4(9): 1362-1381

Targeted Inhibition of Purine Metabolism Is Effective in Suppressing Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression.

Yong Chun Chong, Tan Boon Toh, Zhiling Chan, Quy Xiao Xuan Lin, Dexter Kai Hao Thng, Lissa Hooi, Zhaobing Ding, Timothy Shuen, Han Chong Toh, Yock Young Dan, Glenn Kunnath Bonney, Lei Zhou, Pierce Chow, Yulan Wang, Touati Benoukraf, Edward Kai-Hua Chow, Weiping Han.

Tumor-specific metabolic rewiring, acquired to confer a proliferative and survival advantage over nontransformed cells, represents a renewed focus in cancer therapy development. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a malignancy that has hitherto been resistant to compounds targeting oncogenic signaling pathways, represents a candidate cancer to investigate the efficacy of selectively antagonizing such adaptive metabolic reprogramming. To this end, we sought to characterize metabolic changes in HCC necessary for tumorigenesis. We analyzed gene expression profiles in three independent large-scale patient cohorts who had HCC. We identified a commonly deregulated purine metabolic signature in tumors with the extent of purine biosynthetic enzyme up-regulation correlated with tumor grade and a predictor of clinical outcome. The functional significance of enhanced purine metabolism as a hallmark in human HCC was then validated using a combination of HCC cell lines, patient-derived xenograft (PDX) organoids, and mouse models. Targeted ablation of purine biosynthesis by knockdown of the rate-limiting enzyme inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) or using the drug mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) reduced HCC proliferation in vitro and decreased the tumor burden in vivo. In comparing the sensitivities of PDX tumor organoids to MMF therapy, we found that HCC tumors defined by high levels of IMPDH and guanosine nucleosides were most susceptible to treatment. Mechanistically, a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) axis coordinated purine biosynthetic enzyme expression, deregulation of which altered the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinase/RAS signaling. Simultaneously abolishing PI3K signaling and IMPDH activity with clinically approved inhibitors resulted in greatest efficacy in reducing tumor growth in a PDX mouse model. Conclusion: Enhanced purine metabolic activity regulated by PI3K pathway-dependent activation of E2F1 promotes HCC carcinogenesis, suggesting the potential for targeting purine metabolic reprogramming as a precision therapeutic strategy for patients with HCC.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hep4.1559
Iran J Pathol. 2020 ;15(4): 306-312

The Association of FLT3-ITD Gene Mutation with Bone Marrow Blast Cell Count, CD34, Cyclin D1, Bcl-xL and hENT1 Expression in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients.

Paulus Budiono Notopuro, Jusak Nugraha, Budi Utomo, Harianto Notopuro.

  Background & Objective: FLT3-ITD has been recently used as a molecular prognostic marker for risk classification in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) therapy. In this study we aimed to investigate the association of FLT3-ITD gene mutation with bone marrow blast cell count, CD34 expression as malignant cell burden, cyclin D1 and Bcl-xL expressions as indexes of cell proliferation and anti-apoptosis and human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1) expression as cytarabine transporter during AML treatment.Methods: We investigated FLT3-ITD mutations, bone marrow blast cell count, CD34, cyclin D1, Bcl-xL and hENT1 expression in bone marrow aspirates from 22 de novo AML patients in a cross sectional study.
Results: FLT3-ITD mutations were observed in 5 out of 22 de novo AML patients (22.7%). Patient with FLT3-ITD mutations had higher blast cell counts (79.5% vs 56.1%, P=0.004). In patients with FLT3-ITD mutations, CD34 and cyclin D1 expressions were higher (MFI 328.80 vs 25.78, P=0.003 and MFI 74.51 vs 57.15 P=0.005) than the patients without mutations. hENT1 expression in AML with FLT3-ITD mutation was lower (MFI 29.64 versus 56.32, P=0.0000) than in mutation-free AML. There was no significant difference in Bcl-xL expression between patients with and without mutations (P=0.61).
Conclusion: A significant association was found between FLT3-ITD gene mutations in AML patients with bone marrow blast cell count, CD34, cyclin D1 and hENT1 expressions, however no association was obtained with Bcl-xL expression. These findings support the role of such mutation in pathogenesis of AMLand its contribution in rearrangement of standard therapy with cytarabine in management of AML.

Keywords:  AML; Bcl-xL; Blast cell count; CD34; Cyclin D1; FLT3-ITD; hENT1

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.30699/ijp.2020.122579.2328
Sci Adv. 2020 Sep;pii: eabc0330. [Epub ahead of print]6(38):

Single-molecule imaging reveals control of parental histone recycling by free histones during DNA replication.

D T Gruszka, S Xie, H Kimura, H Yardimci.

During replication, nucleosomes are disrupted ahead of the replication fork, followed by their reassembly on daughter strands from the pool of recycled parental and new histones. However, because no previous studies have managed to capture the moment that replication forks encounter nucleosomes, the mechanism of recycling has remained unclear. Here, through real-time single-molecule visualization of replication fork progression in Xenopus egg extracts, we determine explicitly the outcome of fork collisions with nucleosomes. Most of the parental histones are evicted from the DNA, with histone recycling, nucleosome sliding, and replication fork stalling also occurring but at lower frequencies. Critically, we find that local histone recycling becomes dominant upon depletion of endogenous histones from extracts, revealing that free histone concentration is a key modulator of parental histone dynamics at the replication fork. The mechanistic details revealed by these studies have major implications for our understanding of epigenetic inheritance.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abc0330
Molecules. 2020 Sep 10. pii: E4120. [Epub ahead of print]25(18):

Effect of Molecular Crowding on DNA Polymerase Reactions along Unnatural DNA Templates.

Shuntaro Takahashi, Piet Herdwijn, Naoki Sugimoto.

  Unnatural nucleic acids are promising materials to expand genetic information beyond the natural bases. During replication, substrate nucleotide incorporation should be strictly controlled for optimal base pairing with template strand bases. Base-pairing interactions occur via hydrogen bonding and base stacking, which could be perturbed by the chemical environment. Although unnatural nucleobases and sugar moieties have undergone extensive structural improvement for intended polymerization, the chemical environmental effect on the reaction is less understood. In this study, we investigated how molecular crowding could affect native DNA polymerization along various templates comprising unnatural nucleobases and sugars. Under non-crowding conditions, the preferred incorporation efficiency of pyrimidine deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs) by the Klenow fragment (KF) was generally high with low fidelity, whereas that of purine dNTPs was the opposite. However, under crowding conditions, the efficiency remained almost unchanged with varying preferences in each case. These results suggest that hydrogen bonding and base-stacking interactions could be perturbed by crowding conditions in the bulk solution and polymerase active center during transient base pairing before polymerization. This study highlights that unintended dNTP incorporation against unnatural nucleosides could be differentiated in cases of intracellular reactions.

Keywords:  DNA polymerase; base pairing; base stacking; hydrogen bonding; molecular crowding; unnatural nucleic acids

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25184120
Antiviral Res. 2020 Sep 11. pii: S0166-3542(20)30345-4. [Epub ahead of print] 104931

Identification of antiviral compounds against equid herpesvirus-1 using real-time cell assay screening: efficacy of decitabine and valganciclovir alone or in combination.

Côme Thieulent, Erika Hue, Gabrielle Sutton, Christine Fortier, Patrick Dallemagne, Stephan Zientara, Hélène Munier-Lehmann, Aymeric Hans, Romain Paillot, Pierre-Olivier Vidalain, Stéphane Pronost.

  Equid herpesvirus-1 infections cause respiratory, neurological and reproductive syndromes. Despite preventive treatments with vaccines, resurgence of EHV-1 infection still constitutes a major threat to equine industry. However, no antiviral compound is available to treat infected horses. In this study, 2,891 compounds were screened against EHV-1 using impedance measurement. 22 compounds have been found to be effective in vitro against EHV-1. Valganciclovir, ganciclovir, decitabine, aphidicolin, idoxuridine and pritelivir (BAY 57-1293) are the most effective compounds identified, and their antiviral potency was further assessed on E. Derm, RK13 and EEK cells and against 3 different field strains of EHV-1 (ORF30 2254A/G/C). We also provide evidences of synergistic interactions between valganciclovir and decitabine in our in vitro antiviral assay as determined by MacSynergy II, isobologramm and Chou-Talalay methods. Finally, we showed that deoxycytidine reverts the antiviral effect of decitabine, thus supporting some competition at the level of nucleoside phosphorylation by deoxycytidine kinase and/or DNA synthesis. Deoxycitidine analogues, like decitabine, is a family of compounds identified for the first time with promising antiviral efficacy against herpesviruses.

Keywords:  Antiviral; Chemical library screening; Equid herpesvirus-1; Real-time cell assay; decitabine; ganciclovir; synergism

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104931