scholarly journals The HMCES DNA-protein cross-link functions as a constitutive DNA repair intermediate

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R Semlow ◽  
Victoria A MacKrell ◽  
Johannes Walter

The HMCES protein forms a covalent DNA-protein cross-link (DPC) with abasic (AP) sites in ssDNA, and the resulting HMCES-DPC is thought to suppress double-strand break formation in S phase. However, the dynamics of HMCES cross-linking and whether any DNA repair pathways normally include an HMCES-DPC intermediate remain unknown. Here, we show that an HMCES-DPC forms efficiently on the AP site generated during replication-coupled DNA interstrand cross-link (ICL) repair. We use this system to show that HMCES cross-links form on DNA after the replicative CMG helicase has passed over the AP site, and that HMCES is subsequently removed by the SPRTN protease. The HMCES-DPC suppresses DSB formation, slows translesion synthesis (TLS) past the AP site, and introduces a bias for insertion of deoxyguanosine opposite the AP site. These data show that HMCES-DPCs can form as constitutive intermediates in replication-coupled repair, and they suggest a general model of how HMCES protects AP sites during DNA replication.

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Rothfuss ◽  
Markus Grompe

ABSTRACT The detailed mechanisms of DNA interstrand cross-link (ICL) repair and the involvement of the Fanconi anemia (FA)/BRCA pathway in this process are not known. Present models suggest that recognition and repair of ICL in human cells occur primarily during the S phase. Here we provide evidence for a refined model in which ICLs are recognized and are rapidly incised by ERCC1/XPF independent of DNA replication. However, the incised ICLs are then processed further and DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) form exclusively in the S phase. FA cells are fully proficient in the sensing and incision of ICL as well as in the subsequent formation of DSB, suggesting a role of the FA/BRCA pathway downstream in ICL repair. In fact, activation of FANCD2 occurs slowly after ICL treatment and correlates with the appearance of DSB in the S phase. In contrast, activation is rapid after ionizing radiation, indicating that the FA/BRCA pathway is specifically activated upon DSB formation. Furthermore, the formation of FANCD2 foci is restricted to a subpopulation of cells, which can be labeled by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. We therefore conclude that the FA/BRCA pathway, while being dispensable for the early events in ICL repair, is activated in S-phase cells after DSB have formed.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Calvin D. Lewis

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] DNA is a macromolecular complex, composed of the nucleotides adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine interconnected by a phosphate backbone, that contains the genetic code for living organisms and viruses. Spontaneous and enzymatic hydrolysis of the glycosidic bonds that hold the coding nucleobases to the 2-deoxyribose-phosphate backbone of DNA results in the production of abasic (Ap) sites. These lesions are abundant in cellular DNA, and cellular Ap-containing DNA is damaging and may lead to cellular destruction if left unrepaired. Thus, efficient cellular DNA repair mechanisms that repair Ap sites have evolved in DNA containing organisms. The studies in this report examine the interaction between small molecules or naturally occurring DNA residues with Ap sites in duplex DNA. Experiments provide evidence that hydralazine binds to and forms a stable DNA lesion in single- and double-stranded DNA. Also, the hydralazine-DNA lesion is found to be a poor substrate for mammalian base excision repair enzymes such as Ap endonuclease and 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase. In addition, these studies provide preliminary evidence that hydralazine may potentiate the cytotoxicity of temozolomide in U87 cells. The investigation of the formation of cross-links between canonical DNA residues deoxyadenosine (dA) and deoxyguanosine (dG) with Ap sites is also explored. These experiments suggest that sequence effects contribute majorly to the cross-link yield in both dA- and dG-Ap site cross-links, especially when comparing central versus terminal cross-link locations. Here, this manuscript provides novel studies involving the interaction between DNA analog 6-thioguanine and opposing DNA bases in duplex oligonucleotide DNA.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Maryam Imani Nejad

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Abasic (Ap) sites are a common form of DNA lesion that occur endogenously 50,000-200,000 per cell per day in mammals. The alkylation of the guanine and adenine residues by the alkylating agents such as nitrogen mustards also induces the formation of Ap sites in genomic DNA. Our group recently showed that Ap sites can forge DNA-DNA interstrand cross-links in some sequences via reaction of the Ap aldehyde residue with the exocyclic amino groups of nucleobases, such as adenine and guanine, on the opposing strand of the DNA duplex. The earlier work in the group revealed that formation of these covalent bridges between two DNA strands is highly sequence- dependent. Although interstrand cross-links are one of the most deleterious types of cellular DNA damage, the availability of synthetic DNA duplexes containing chemically well-defined, site-specific interstrand cross-links has been proven to be a valuable tool in biological chemistry and medicine. We prepared and characterized a new Ap-derived interstrand cross-link. In another project, we use these remarkable cross-linking reactions for the covalent capture of disease-relevant single nucleotide polymorphism by using a protein nanopore technology. The complex mechanisms underlying cross-link repair in cells and limited availability of stable and defined cross-link are two major reasons why repair pathways of these lesions are not yet well understood. By preparing a variety of Ap-derived cross-links, we studied the role of a base excision repair DNA glycosylase, NEIL3 in unhooking the lesions.


Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1680
Author(s):  
Tassanee Lerksuthirat ◽  
Rakkreat Wikiniyadhanee ◽  
Sermsiri Chitphuk ◽  
Wasana Stitchantrakul ◽  
Somponnat Sampattavanich ◽  
...  

Recent developments in chemotherapy focus on target-specific mechanisms, which occur only in cancer cells and minimize the effects on normal cells. DNA damage and repair pathways are a promising target in the treatment of cancer. In order to identify novel compounds targeting DNA repair pathways, two key proteins, 53BP1 and RAD54L, were tagged with fluorescent proteins as indicators for two major double strand break (DSB) repair pathways: non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR). The engineered biosensor cells exhibited the same DNA repair properties as the wild type. The biosensor cells were further used to investigate the DNA repair activities of natural biological compounds. An extract from Phyllosticta sp., the endophyte isolated from the medicinal plant Garcinia cowa Roxb. ex Choisy, was tested. The results showed that the crude extract induced DSB, as demonstrated by the increase in the DNA DSB marker γH2AX. The damaged DNA appeared to be repaired through NHEJ, as the 53BP1 focus formation in the treated fraction was higher than in the control group. In conclusion, DNA repair-based biosensors are useful for the preliminary screening of crude extracts and biological compounds for the identification of potential targeted therapeutic drugs.


Author(s):  
Manideep C. Pachva ◽  
Alexei F. Kisselev ◽  
Bakhyt T. Matkarimov ◽  
Murat Saparbaev ◽  
Regina Groisman

The nucleosome is a stretch of DNA wrapped around a histone octamer. Electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds between histones and DNA are vital for the stable organization of nucleosome core particles, and for the folding of chromatin into more compact structures, which regulate gene expression via controlled access to DNA. As a drawback of tight association, under genotoxic stress, DNA can accidentally cross-link to histone in a covalent manner, generating a highly toxic DNA-histone cross-link (DHC). DHC is a bulky lesion that can impede DNA transcription, replication, and repair, often with lethal consequences. The chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin, as well as ionizing and ultraviolet irradiations and endogenously occurring reactive aldehydes, generate DHCs by forming either stable or transient covalent bonds between DNA and side-chain amino groups of histone lysine residues. The mechanisms of DHC repair start to unravel, and certain common principles of DNA-protein cross-link (DPC) repair mechanisms that participate in the removal of cross-linked histones from DNA have been described. In general, DPC is removed via a two-step repair mechanism. First, cross-linked proteins are degraded by specific DPC proteases or by the proteasome, relieving steric hindrance. Second, the remaining DNA-peptide cross-links are eliminated in various DNA repair pathways. Delineating the molecular mechanisms of DHC repair would help target specific DNA repair proteins for therapeutic intervention to combat tumor resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.


2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (13) ◽  
pp. 5776-5787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J. Niedernhofer ◽  
Hanny Odijk ◽  
Magda Budzowska ◽  
Ellen van Drunen ◽  
Alex Maas ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Interstrand cross-links (ICLs) are an extremely toxic class of DNA damage incurred during normal metabolism or cancer chemotherapy. ICLs covalently tether both strands of duplex DNA, preventing the strand unwinding that is essential for polymerase access. The mechanism of ICL repair in mammalian cells is poorly understood. However, genetic data implicate the Ercc1-Xpf endonuclease and proteins required for homologous recombination-mediated double-strand break (DSB) repair. To examine the role of Ercc1-Xpf in ICL repair, we monitored the phosphorylation of histone variant H2AX (γ-H2AX). The phosphoprotein accumulates at DSBs, forming foci that can be detected by immunostaining. Treatment of wild-type cells with mitomycin C (MMC) induced γ-H2AX foci and increased the amount of DSBs detected by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Surprisingly, γ-H2AX foci were also induced in Ercc1 −/− cells by MMC treatment. Thus, DSBs occur after cross-link damage via an Ercc1-independent mechanism. Instead, ICL-induced DSB formation required cell cycle progression into S phase, suggesting that DSBs are an intermediate of ICL repair that form during DNA replication. In Ercc1 −/− cells, MMC-induced γ-H2AX foci persisted at least 48 h longer than in wild-type cells, demonstrating that Ercc1 is required for the resolution of cross-link-induced DSBs. MMC triggered sister chromatid exchanges in wild-type cells but chromatid fusions in Ercc1 −/− and Xpf mutant cells, indicating that in their absence, repair of DSBs is prevented. Collectively, these data support a role for Ercc1-Xpf in processing ICL-induced DSBs so that these cytotoxic intermediates can be repaired by homologous recombination.


1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 6822-6830 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Bessho ◽  
D Mu ◽  
A Sancar

Most DNA repair mechanisms rely on the redundant information inherent to the duplex to remove damaged nucleotides and replace them with normal ones, using the complementary strand as a template. Interstrand cross-links pose a unique challenge to the DNA repair machinery because both strands are damaged. To study the repair of interstrand cross-links by mammalian cells, we tested the activities of cell extracts of wild-type or excision repair-defective rodent cell lines and of purified human excision nuclease on a duplex with a site-specific cross-link. We found that in contrast to monoadducts, which are removed by dual incisions bracketing the lesion, the cross-link causes dual incisions, both 5' to the cross-link in one of the two strands. The net result is the generation of a 22- to 28-nucleotide-long gap immediately 5' to the cross-link. This gap may act as a recombinogenic signal to initiate cross-link removal.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (24) ◽  
pp. 13296
Author(s):  
Mariarosaria De Falco ◽  
Mariarita De Felice

All organisms have evolved many DNA repair pathways to counteract the different types of DNA damages. The detection of DNA damage leads to distinct cellular responses that bring about cell cycle arrest and the induction of DNA repair mechanisms. In particular, DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are extremely toxic for cell survival, that is why cells use specific mechanisms of DNA repair in order to maintain genome stability. The choice among the repair pathways is mainly linked to the cell cycle phases. Indeed, if it occurs in an inappropriate cellular context, it may cause genome rearrangements, giving rise to many types of human diseases, from developmental disorders to cancer. Here, we analyze the most recent remarks about the main pathways of DSB repair with the focus on homologous recombination. A thorough knowledge in DNA repair mechanisms is pivotal for identifying the most accurate treatments in human diseases.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanzhi Wang ◽  
Kyeryoung Lee ◽  
Stephen Gray ◽  
Yongwei Zhang ◽  
Catherine Tang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTDNA damage response pathways rely extensively on nuclease activity to process DNA intermediates. Exonuclease 1 (EXO1) is a pleiotropic evolutionary conserved DNA exonuclease involved in various DNA repair pathways, replication, antibody diversification, and meiosis. But, whether EXO1 facilitates these DNA metabolic processes through its enzymatic or scaffolding functions remains unclear. Here we dissect the contribution of EXO1 enzymatic versus scaffolding activity by comparing Exo1DA/DA mice expressing a proven nuclease-dead mutant form of EXO1 to entirely EXO1-deficient Exo1−/− and EXO1 wild type Exo1+/+ mice. We show that Exo1DA/DA and Exo1−/− mice are compromised in canonical DNA repair processing, suggesting that the EXO1 enzymatic role is important for error-free DNA mismatch and double-strand break repair pathways. However, in non-canonical repair pathways, EXO1 appears to have a more nuanced function. Next-generation sequencing of heavy chain V region in B cells showed the mutation spectra of Exo1DA/DA mice to be intermediate between Exo1+/+ and Exo1−/− mice, suggesting that both catalytic and scaffolding roles of EXO1 are important for somatic hypermutation. Similarly, while overall class switch recombination in Exo1DA/DA and Exo1−/− mice was comparably defective, switch-switch junction analysis suggests that EXO1 might fulfill an additional scaffolding function downstream of class switching. In contrast to Exo1−/− mice that are infertile, meiosis progressed normally in Exo1DA/DA and Exo1+/+ cohorts, indicating that a structural but not the nuclease function of EXO1 is critical for meiosis. However, both Exo1DA/DA and Exo1−/− mice displayed similar mortality and cancer predisposition profiles. Taken together, these data demonstrate that EXO1 has both scaffolding and enzymatic functions in distinct DNA repair processes and suggest a more composite and intricate role for EXO1 in DNA metabolic processes and disease.


2007 ◽  
Vol 283 (3) ◽  
pp. 1275-1281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Fisher ◽  
Mika Bessho ◽  
Tadayoshi Bessho

The processing of stalled forks caused by DNA interstrand cross-links (ICLs) has been proposed to be an important step in initiating mammalian ICL repair. To investigate a role of the XPF-ERCC1 complex in this process, we designed a model substrate DNA with a single psoralen ICL at a three-way junction (Y-shaped DNA), which mimics a stalled fork structure. We found that the XPF-ERCC1 complex makes an incision 5′ to a psoralen lesion on Y-shaped DNA in a damage-dependent manner. Furthermore, the XPF-ERCC1 complex generates an ICL-specific incision on the 3′-side of an ICL. The ICL-specific 3′-incision, along with the 5′-incision, on the cross-linked Y-shaped DNA resulted in the separation of the two cross-linked strands (the unhooking of the ICL) and the induction of a double strand break near the cross-linked site. These results implicate the XPF-ERCC1 complex in initiating ICL repair by unhooking the ICL, which simultaneously induces a double strand break at a stalled fork.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document