scholarly journals The homologous recombination complex of the Rad51 paralogs Rad55-Rad57 avoids translesion DNA polymerase recruitment and counterbalances mutagenesis induced by UV radiation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent G Maloisel ◽  
Emilie Ma ◽  
Eric Coic
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Uv Radiation ◽  
Dna Lesions ◽  
Template Switching ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Damage Tolerance ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Rad51 Paralogs ◽  
Replicative Polymerases ◽  
Stalled Replication Forks

Bypass of DNA lesions that block replicative polymerases during DNA replication relies on several DNA damage tolerance pathways. The error-prone translesion synthesis (TLS) pathway involves specialized DNA polymerases that incorporate nucleotides in front of base lesions. The template switching and the homologous recombination (HR) pathways are mostly error-free because the bypass is performed by using typically the sister chromatid as a template. This is promoted by the Rad51 recombinase that forms nucleoprotein filaments on single-strand DNA (ssDNA). The balance between error-prone and error-free pathways controls the level of mutagenesis. In yeast, the Rad55-Rad57 complex of Rad51 paralogs is required for Rad51 filament formation and stability, notably by counteracting the Srs2 antirecombinase. Several reports showed that Rad55-Rad57 promotes HR at stalled replication forks more than at DNA double-strand breaks (DSB), suggesting that this complex is more efficient at ssDNA gaps and thus, could control the recruitment of TLS polymerases. To address this point, we studied the interplay between Rad55-Rad57 and the TLS polymerases Polζ and Polη following UV radiation. We confirmed that Rad55-Rad57 protects Rad51 filaments from Srs2 dismantling activity but we found that it is also essential for the promotion of UV-induced HR independently of Srs2. In addition, we observed that cell UV sensitivity, but not DSB sensitivity, is synergistically increased when Rad55 and Polζ deletions are combined. Moreover, we found that mutagenesis and HR frequency were increased in rad55∆ mutants and in TLS-deficient cells, respectively. Finally, UV-induced HR was partially restored in Rad55-deficient cells with mutated Polζ or Polη. Overall, our data suggest that the HR and TLS pathways compete for the same ssDNA substrates and that the Rad55-Rad57 complex of Rad51 paralogs prevents the recruitment of TLS polymerases and counterbalances mutagenesis.

scholarly journals PrimPol-dependent single-stranded gap formation mediates homologous recombination at bulky DNA adducts

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Liza Piberger ◽  
Akhil Bowry ◽  
Richard D. W. Kelly ◽  
Alexandra K. Walker ◽  
Daniel González-Acosta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Dna Adducts ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Genetic Recombination ◽  
Gap Formation ◽  
Dna Damage Tolerance ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Bulky Dna Adducts ◽  
Fork Stalling ◽  
Stalled Replication Forks

AbstractStalled replication forks can be restarted and repaired by RAD51-mediated homologous recombination (HR), but HR can also perform post-replicative repair after bypass of the obstacle. Bulky DNA adducts are important replication-blocking lesions, but it is unknown whether they activate HR at stalled forks or behind ongoing forks. Using mainly BPDE-DNA adducts as model lesions, we show that HR induced by bulky adducts in mammalian cells predominantly occurs at post-replicative gaps formed by the DNA/RNA primase PrimPol. RAD51 recruitment under these conditions does not result from fork stalling, but rather occurs at gaps formed by PrimPol re-priming and resection by MRE11 and EXO1. In contrast, RAD51 loading at double-strand breaks does not require PrimPol. At bulky adducts, PrimPol promotes sister chromatid exchange and genetic recombination. Our data support that HR at bulky adducts in mammalian cells involves post-replicative gap repair and define a role for PrimPol in HR-mediated DNA damage tolerance.

scholarly journals PCNA Ubiquitylation: Instructive or Permissive to DNA Damage Tolerance Pathways?

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1543
Author(s):  
Jun Che ◽  
Xin Hong ◽  
Hai Rao
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Dna Replication ◽  
Damage Tolerance ◽  
Translesion Synthesis ◽  
Dna Lesions ◽  
Template Switching ◽  
Dna Damage Tolerance ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Dna Lesion ◽  
Replicative Polymerases

DNA lesions escaping from repair often block the DNA replicative polymerases required for DNA replication and are handled during the S/G2 phases by the DNA damage tolerance (DDT) mechanisms, which include the error-prone translesion synthesis (TLS) and the error-free template switching (TS) pathways. Where the mono-ubiquitylation of PCNA K164 is critical for TLS, the poly-ubiquitylation of the same residue is obligatory for TS. However, it is not known how cells divide the labor between TLS and TS. Due to the fact that the type of DNA lesion significantly influences the TLS and TS choice, we propose that, instead of altering the ratio between the mono- and poly-Ub forms of PCNA, the competition between TLS and TS would automatically determine the selection between the two pathways. Future studies, especially the single integrated lesion “i-Damage” system, would elucidate detailed mechanisms governing the choices of specific DDT pathways.

scholarly journals The Safe Path at the Fork: Ensuring Replication-Associated DNA Double-Strand Breaks are Repaired by Homologous Recombination

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jac A. Nickoloff ◽  
Neelam Sharma ◽  
Lynn Taylor ◽  
Sage J. Allen ◽  
Robert Hromas
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Genome Stability ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Dna Lesions ◽  
Template Switching ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Delay Cell ◽  
Non Homologous End Joining ◽  
Maintain Genome Stability

Cells must replicate and segregate their DNA to daughter cells accurately to maintain genome stability and prevent cancer. DNA replication is usually fast and accurate, with intrinsic (proofreading) and extrinsic (mismatch repair) error-correction systems. However, replication forks slow or stop when they encounter DNA lesions, natural pause sites, and difficult-to-replicate sequences, or when cells are treated with DNA polymerase inhibitors or hydroxyurea, which depletes nucleotide pools. These challenges are termed replication stress, to which cells respond by activating DNA damage response signaling pathways that delay cell cycle progression, stimulate repair and replication fork restart, or induce apoptosis. Stressed forks are managed by rescue from adjacent forks, repriming, translesion synthesis, template switching, and fork reversal which produces a single-ended double-strand break (seDSB). Stressed forks also collapse to seDSBs when they encounter single-strand nicks or are cleaved by structure-specific nucleases. Reversed and cleaved forks can be restarted by homologous recombination (HR), but seDSBs pose risks of mis-rejoining by non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) to other DSBs, causing genome rearrangements. HR requires resection of broken ends to create 3’ single-stranded DNA for RAD51 recombinase loading, and resected ends are refractory to repair by NHEJ. This Mini Review highlights mechanisms that help maintain genome stability by promoting resection of seDSBs and accurate fork restart by HR.

scholarly journals DNA-RNA hybrids at DSBs interfere with repair by homologous recombination

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Ortega ◽  
Jose Antonio Mérida-Cerro ◽  
Ana G Rondón ◽  
Belén Gómez-González ◽  
Andrés Aguilera
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Dna Lesions ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Recombinational Repair ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Endonucleolytic Cleavage ◽  
Chromosomal Recombination

DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) are the most harmful DNA lesions and their repair is crucial for cell viability and genome integrity. The readout of DSB repair may depend on whether DSBs occur at transcribed versus non-transcribed regions. Some studies have postulated that DNA-RNA hybrids form at DSBs to promote recombinational repair, but others have challenged this notion. To directly assess whether hybrids formed at DSBs promote or interfere with recombinational repair we have used plasmid and chromosomal-based systems for the analysis of DSB-induced recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that, as expected, DNA-RNA hybrid formation is stimulated at DSBs. In addition, mutations that promote DNA-RNA hybrid accumulation, such as hpr1∆ and rnh1∆ rnh201∆, cause high levels of plasmid loss when DNA breaks are induced at sites that are transcribed. Importantly, we show that high levels or unresolved DNA-RNA hybrids at the breaks interfere with their repair by homologous recombination. This interference is observed for both plasmid and chromosomal recombination and is independent of whether the DSB is generated by endonucleolytic cleavage or by DNA replication. These data support a model in which DNA-RNA hybrids form fortuitously at DNA breaks during transcription, and need to be removed to allow recombinational repair, rather than playing a positive role.

scholarly journals A role for RNA and DNA:RNA hybrids in the modulation of DNA repair by homologous recombination

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppina D’Alessandro ◽  
Marek Adamowicz ◽  
Donna Whelan ◽  
Sean Michael Howard ◽  
Corey Winston Jones-Weinert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Dna Lesions ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna End Resection ◽  
Brca1 Brca2 ◽  
Rnase H2 ◽  
End Resection ◽  
Dna Ends

AbstractDNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are toxic DNA lesions which, if not properly repaired, may lead to genomic instability, cell death and senescence. Damage-induced long non-coding RNAs (dilncRNAs) are transcribed from broken DNA ends and contribute to DNA damage response (DDR) signaling. Here we show that dilncRNAs play a role in DSB repair by homologous recombination (HR) by contributing to the recruitment of the HR proteins BRCA1, BRCA2, and RAD51, without affecting DNA-end resection. In S/G2-phase cells, dilncRNAs pair to the resected DNA ends and form DNA:RNA hybrids, which are recognized by BRCA1 and promote its recruitment to DSBs. We also show that RNase H2 is in a complex with the HR proteins BRCA1, PALB2, BRCA2, and RAD51, and that it localizes to DSBs in the S/G2 cell-cycle phase. BRCA2 controls DNA:RNA hybrid levels at DSBs by mediating RNase H2 recruitment and, therefore, hybrids degradation. These results demonstrate that regulated DNA:RNA hybrid levels at DSBs contribute to HR-mediated repair.

scholarly journals Distinct roles of BRCA2 in replication fork protection in response to hydroxyurea and DNA interstrand crosslinks

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly A. Rickman ◽  
Ray Noonan ◽  
Francis P. Lach ◽  
Sunandini Sridhar ◽  
Anderson T. Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fanconi Anemia ◽  
Essential Gene ◽  
Dna Lesions ◽  
Replication Forks ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Interstrand Crosslinks ◽  
Pathogenic Variants ◽  
Dna Interstrand Crosslinks ◽  
Stalled Replication Forks

SummaryDNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) are a form of DNA damage that requires the interplay of a number of repair proteins including those of the Fanconi anemia (FA) and the homologous recombination (HR) pathways. Pathogenic variants in the essential gene BRCA2/FANCD1, when monoallelic, predispose to breast and ovarian cancer, and when biallelic, results in a severe subtype of Fanconi anemia. BRCA2 function in the FA pathway is attributed to its role as a mediator of the RAD51 recombinase in HR repair of the programmed DNA double strand breaks (DSB). BRCA2 and RAD51 functions are also required to protect stalled replication forks from nucleolytic degradation during response to hydroxyurea (HU). While RAD51 has been shown to be necessary in the early steps of ICL repair to prevent aberrant nuclease resection, the role of BRCA2 in this process has not been described. Here, based on the analysis of BRCA2 DNA binding domain (DBD) mutants discovered in FA patients presenting with atypical FA-like phenotypes, we establish that BRCA2 is necessary for protection of DNA at an ICL. Cells carrying DBD BRCA2 mutations are sensitive to ICL inducing agents but resistant to HU treatment consistent with relatively high HR repair in these cells. BRCA2 function at an ICL protects against DNA2-WRN nuclease-helicase complex and not the MRE11 nuclease implicated in the resection of HU-stalled replication forks. Our results also indicate that unlike the processing at HU-stalled forks, function of the SNF2 translocases (SMARCAL1, ZRANB3, or HLTF), implicated in fork reversal, are not an integral component of the ICL repair, pointing to a different mechanism of fork protection at different DNA lesions.

scholarly journals Focused Ion Microbeam Irradiation Induces Clustering of DNA Double-Strand Breaks in Heterochromatin Visualized by Nanoscale-Resolution Electron Microscopy

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7638
Author(s):  
Yvonne Lorat ◽  
Judith Reindl ◽  
Anna Isermann ◽  
Christian Rübe ◽  
Anna A. Friedl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Dna Damage ◽  
Spatial Clustering ◽  
Dna Lesions ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Stimulated Emission ◽  
Nuclear Chromatin ◽  
Carbon Ions ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks

Background: Charged-particle radiotherapy is an emerging treatment modality for radioresistant tumors. The enhanced effectiveness of high-energy particles (such as heavy ions) has been related to the spatial clustering of DNA lesions due to highly localized energy deposition. Here, DNA damage patterns induced by single and multiple carbon ions were analyzed in the nuclear chromatin environment by different high-resolution microscopy approaches. Material and Methods: Using the heavy-ion microbeam SNAKE, fibroblast monolayers were irradiated with defined numbers of carbon ions (1/10/100 ions per pulse, ipp) focused to micrometer-sized stripes or spots. Radiation-induced lesions were visualized as DNA damage foci (γH2AX, 53BP1) by conventional fluorescence and stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy. At micro- and nanoscale level, DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) were visualized within their chromatin context by labeling the Ku heterodimer. Single and clustered pKu70-labeled DSBs were quantified in euchromatic and heterochromatic regions at 0.1 h, 5 h and 24 h post-IR by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: Increasing numbers of carbon ions per beam spot enhanced spatial clustering of DNA lesions and increased damage complexity with two or more DSBs in close proximity. This effect was detectable in euchromatin, but was much more pronounced in heterochromatin. Analyzing the dynamics of damage processing, our findings indicate that euchromatic DSBs were processed efficiently and repaired in a timely manner. In heterochromatin, by contrast, the number of clustered DSBs continuously increased further over the first hours following IR exposure, indicating the challenging task for the cell to process highly clustered DSBs appropriately. Conclusion: Increasing numbers of carbon ions applied to sub-nuclear chromatin regions enhanced the spatial clustering of DSBs and increased damage complexity, this being more pronounced in heterochromatic regions. Inefficient processing of clustered DSBs may explain the enhanced therapeutic efficacy of particle-based radiotherapy in cancer treatment.

scholarly journals A stapled peptide mimetic of the CtIP tetramerization motif interferes with double-strand break repair and replication fork protection

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. eabc6381
Author(s):  
Anika Kuster ◽  
Nour L. Mozaffari ◽  
Oliver J. Wilkinson ◽  
Jessica L. Wojtaszek ◽  
Christina Zurfluh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Strand Break ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Stapled Peptide ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Peptide Mimetic ◽  
Dna Damaging Agents ◽  
Stalled Replication Forks

Cancer cells display high levels of DNA damage and replication stress, vulnerabilities that could be exploited by drugs targeting DNA repair proteins. Human CtIP promotes homology-mediated repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and protects stalled replication forks from nucleolytic degradation, thus representing an attractive candidate for targeted cancer therapy. Here, we establish a peptide mimetic of the CtIP tetramerization motif that inhibits CtIP activity. The hydrocarbon-stapled peptide encompassing amino acid residues 18 to 28 of CtIP (SP18–28) stably binds to CtIP tetramers in vitro and facilitates their aggregation into higher-order structures. Efficient intracellular uptake of SP18–28 abrogates CtIP localization to damaged chromatin, impairs DSB repair, and triggers extensive fork degradation. Moreover, prolonged SP18–28 treatment causes hypersensitivity to DNA-damaging agents and selectively reduces the viability of BRCA1-mutated cancer cell lines. Together, our data provide a basis for the future development of CtIP-targeting compounds with the potential to treat patients with cancer.

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