Repetitive DNA is packaged into heterochromatin to maintain its integrity. We use CRISPR/Cas9 to induce DSBs in different mammalian heterochromatin structures. We demonstrate that in pericentric ...heterochromatin, DSBs are positionally stable in G1 and recruit NHEJ factors. In S/G2, DSBs are resected and relocate to the periphery of heterochromatin, where they are retained by RAD51. This is independent of chromatin relaxation but requires end resection and RAD51 exclusion from the core. DSBs that fail to relocate are engaged by NHEJ or SSA proteins. We propose that the spatial disconnection between end resection and RAD51 binding prevents the activation of mutagenic pathways and illegitimate recombination. Interestingly, in centromeric heterochromatin, DSBs recruit both NHEJ and HR proteins throughout the cell cycle. Our results highlight striking differences in the recruitment of DNA repair factors between pericentric and centromeric heterochromatin and suggest a model in which the commitment to specific DNA repair pathways regulates DSB position.
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•DSBs at pericentric heterochromatin in G1 are positionally stable and recruit Ku80•DSBs in S/G2 relocate to the periphery of heterochromatin to be bound by RAD51•DSB relocation requires end resection and RAD51 exclusion from the core•DSB repair at centromeric and pericentric heterochromatin is strikingly different
Tsouroula et al. show that DSBs arising at pericentric heterochromatin in G1 can activate NHEJ at the core. In S/G2, DSBs activate NHEJ, SSA, or HR, with the latter being preferential and spatially restricted to the periphery of heterochromatin. Centromeric DSBs are peripheral and activate NHEJ and HR, independently of the cell cycle.
Centromeric integrity is key for proper chromosome segregation during cell division
. Centromeres have unique chromatin features that are essential for centromere maintenance
. Although they are ...intrinsically fragile and represent hotspots for chromosomal rearrangements
, little is known about how centromere integrity in response to DNA damage is preserved. DNA repair by homologous recombination requires the presence of the sister chromatid and is suppressed in the G1 phase of the cell cycle
. Here we demonstrate that DNA breaks that occur at centromeres in G1 recruit the homologous recombination machinery, despite the absence of a sister chromatid. Mechanistically, we show that the centromere-specific histone H3 variant CENP-A and its chaperone HJURP, together with dimethylation of lysine 4 in histone 3 (H3K4me2), enable a succession of events leading to the licensing of homologous recombination in G1. H3K4me2 promotes DNA-end resection by allowing DNA damage-induced centromeric transcription and increased formation of DNA-RNA hybrids. CENP-A and HJURP interact with the deubiquitinase USP11, enabling formation of the RAD51-BRCA1-BRCA2 complex
and rendering the centromeres accessible to RAD51 recruitment and homologous recombination in G1. Finally, we show that inhibition of homologous recombination in G1 leads to centromeric instability and chromosomal translocations. Our results support a model in which licensing of homologous recombination at centromeric breaks occurs throughout the cell cycle to prevent the activation of mutagenic DNA repair pathways and preserve centromeric integrity.
DNA lesions are sensed by a network of proteins that trigger the DNA damage response (DDR), a signaling cascade that acts to delay cell cycle progression and initiate DNA repair. The Mediator of DNA ...damage Checkpoint protein 1 (MDC1) is essential for spreading of the DDR signaling on chromatin surrounding Double Strand Breaks (DSBs) by acting as a scaffold for PI3K kinases and for ubiquitin ligases. MDC1 also plays a role both in Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ) and Homologous Recombination (HR) repair pathways. Here we identify two novel binding partners of MDC1, the poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerases (PARPs) TNKS1 and 2. We find that TNKSs are recruited to DNA lesions by MDC1 and regulate DNA end resection and BRCA1A complex stabilization at lesions leading to efficient DSB repair by HR and proper checkpoint activation.
Faithful DNA repair is essential to avoid chromosomal rearrangements and promote genome integrity. Nuclear organization has emerged as a key parameter in the formation of chromosomal translocations, ...yet little is known as to whether DNA repair can efficiently occur throughout the nucleus and whether it is affected by the location of the lesion. Here, we induce DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) at different nuclear compartments and follow their fate. We demonstrate that DSBs induced at the nuclear membrane (but not at nuclear pores or nuclear interior) fail to rapidly activate the DNA damage response (DDR) and repair by homologous recombination (HR). Real-time and superresolution imaging reveal that DNA DSBs within lamina-associated domains do not migrate to more permissive environments for HR, like the nuclear pores or the nuclear interior, but instead are repaired in situ by alternative end-joining. Our results are consistent with a model in which nuclear position dictates the choice of DNA repair pathway, thus revealing a new level of regulation in DSB repair controlled by spatial organization of DNA within the nucleus.
DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) at RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcribed genes lead to inhibition of transcription. The DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) complex plays a pivotal role in ...transcription inhibition at DSBs by stimulating proteasome-dependent eviction of RNAPII at these lesions. How DNA-PK triggers RNAPII eviction to inhibit transcription at DSBs remains unclear. Here we show that the HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase WWP2 associates with components of the DNA-PK and RNAPII complexes and is recruited to DSBs at RNAPII transcribed genes. In response to DSBs, WWP2 targets the RNAPII subunit RPB1 for K48-linked ubiquitylation, thereby driving DNA-PK- and proteasome-dependent eviction of RNAPII. The lack of WWP2 or expression of nonubiquitylatable RPB1 abrogates the binding of nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) factors, including DNA-PK and XRCC4/DNA ligase IV, and impairs DSB repair. These findings suggest that WWP2 operates in a DNA-PK-dependent shutoff circuitry for RNAPII clearance that promotes DSB repair by protecting the NHEJ machinery from collision with the transcription machinery.
p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) regulates both the DNA damage response and p53 signaling. Although 53BP1’s function is well established in DNA double-strand break repair, how its role in p53 signaling ...is modulated remains poorly understood. Here, we identify the scaffolding protein AHNAK as a G1 phase-enriched interactor of 53BP1. We demonstrate that AHNAK binds to the 53BP1 oligomerization domain and controls its multimerization potential. Loss of AHNAK results in hyper-accumulation of 53BP1 on chromatin and enhanced phase separation, culminating in an elevated p53 response, compromising cell survival in cancer cells but leading to senescence in non-transformed cells. Cancer transcriptome analyses indicate that AHNAK-53BP1 cooperation contributes to the suppression of p53 target gene networks in tumors and that loss of AHNAK sensitizes cells to combinatorial cancer treatments. These findings highlight AHNAK as a rheostat of 53BP1 function, which surveys cell proliferation by preventing an excessive p53 response.
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•AHNAK is a G1-enriched interactor of 53BP1•AHNAK controls 53BP1-mediated G1-S phase transition upon DNA damage•AHNAK restrains 53BP1 oligomerization and phase separation•AHNAK balances between apoptosis and senescence in cancer and non-transformed cells
Ghodke et al. identify the large scaffolding protein AHNAK as a G1-enriched interactor of 53BP1 that ensures optimal partitioning of 53BP1 into phase-separated condensates and limits excessive interaction with p53, which would otherwise lead to apoptosis in cancer cells and senescence in non-transformed cells.
DNA lesions are sensed by a network of proteins that trigger the DNA damage response (DDR), a signaling cascade that acts to delay cell cycle progression and initiate DNA repair. The Mediator of DNA ...damage Checkpoint protein 1 (MDC1) is essential for spreading of the DDR signaling on chromatin surrounding Double Strand Breaks (DSBs) by acting as a scaffold for PI3K kinases and for ubiquitin ligases. MDC1 also plays a role both in Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ) and Homologous Recombination (HR) repair pathways. Here we identify two novel binding partners of MDC1, the poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerases (PARPs) TNKS1 and 2. We find that TNKSs are recruited to DNA lesions by MDC1 and regulate DNA end resection and BRCA1A complex stabilization at lesions leading to efficient DSB repair by HR and proper checkpoint activation.
A reactivity study, aided by NMR spectroscopy, allowed a mechanistic rationale to be postulated for the palladium-catalyzed regioselective coupling of arylboronic acid (and arylstannane where ...feasible) at the position next to the sulfur atom in functionalized dibromothiophenes and dibromothiazoles. The analysis of the NMR spectra (using 19F from the boronic acid CF3 group and 31P from the phosphine of the catalyst as probes) of the entire reaction starting from the dibromoheterocycles allowed the qualitative proposal that the transmetalation is the rate-limiting step for both sequential substitution processes. The extremely facile oxidative addition at the C-Br bond next to the sulfur atom of the heterocycle instead determines the positional selectivity. An additional Stille reaction then replaced the second halogen, providing the trisubstituted heterocyclic scaffolds of PPAR ligands, which displayed PPARbeta/delta agonist activity, as revealed by reporter assays in living cells.
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