scholarly journals Chromosomal double-strand breaks induce gene conversion at high frequency in mammalian cells.

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 6386-6393 ◽  
Author(s):  
D G Taghian ◽  
J A Nickoloff
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Gene Conversion ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Chinese Hamster ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Chromosomal Dna ◽  
Exogenous Dna ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Conversion Tract

Double-strand breaks (DSBs) stimulate chromosomal and extrachromosomal recombination and gene targeting. Transcription also stimulates spontaneous recombination by an unknown mechanism. We used Saccharomyces cerevisiae I-SceI to stimulate recombination between neo direct repeats in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell chromosomal DNA. One neo allele was controlled by the dexamethasone-inducible mouse mammary tumor virus promoter and inactivated by an insertion containing an I-SceI site at which DSBs were introduced in vivo. The other neo allele lacked a promoter but carried 12 phenotypically silent single-base mutations that create restriction sites (restriction fragment length polymorphisms). This system allowed us to generate detailed conversion tract spectra for recipient alleles transcribed at high or low levels. Transient in vivo expression of I-SceI increased homologous recombination 2,000- to 10,000-fold, yielding recombinants at frequencies as high as 1%. Strikingly, 97% of these products arose by gene conversion. Most products had short, bidirectional conversion tracts, and in all cases, donor neo alleles (i.e., those not suffering a DSB) remained unchanged, indicating that conversion was fully nonreciprocal. DSBs in exogenous DNA are usually repaired by end joining requiring little or no homology or by nonconservative homologous recombination (single-strand annealing). In contrast, we show that chromosomal DSBs are efficiently repaired via conservative homologous recombination, principally gene conversion without associated crossing over. For DSB-induced events, similar recombination frequencies and conversion tract spectra were found under conditions of low and high transcription. Thus, transcription does not further stimulate DSB-induced recombination, nor does it appear to affect the mechanism(s) by which DSBs induce gene conversion.

scholarly journals Repair of Double-Strand Breaks by Homologous Recombination in Mismatch Repair-Defective Mammalian Cells

2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 2671-2682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Elliott ◽  
Maria Jasin
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Gene Conversion ◽  
Mismatch Repair ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Es Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Mutant Cells

ABSTRACT Chromosomal double-strand breaks (DSBs) stimulate homologous recombination by several orders of magnitude in mammalian cells, including murine embryonic stem (ES) cells, but the efficiency of recombination decreases as the heterology between the repair substrates increases (B. Elliott, C. Richardson, J. Winderbaum, J. A. Nickoloff, and M. Jasin, Mol. Cell. Biol. 18:93–101, 1998). We have now examined homologous recombination in mismatch repair (MMR)-defective ES cells to investigate both the frequency of recombination and the outcome of events. Using cells with a targeted mutation in the msh2 gene, we found that the barrier to recombination between diverged substrates is relaxed for both gene targeting and intrachromosomal recombination. Thus, substrates with 1.5% divergence are 10-fold more likely to undergo DSB-promoted recombination in Msh2 −/− cells than in wild-type cells. Although mutant cells can repair DSBs efficiently, examination of gene conversion tracts in recombinants demonstrates that they cannot efficiently correct mismatched heteroduplex DNA (hDNA) that is formed adjacent to the DSB. As a result, >20-fold more of the recombinants derived from mutant cells have uncorrected tracts compared with recombinants from wild-type cells. The results indicate that gene conversion repair of DSBs in mammalian cells frequently involves mismatch correction of hDNA rather than double-strand gap formation. In cells with MMR defects, therefore, aberrant recombinational repair may be an additional mechanism that contributes to genomic instability and possibly tumorigenesis.

Effect of double-strand breaks on homologous recombination in mammalian cells and extracts

1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 3331-3336
Author(s):  
K Y Song ◽  
L Chekuri ◽  
S Rauth ◽  
S Ehrlich ◽  
R Kucherlapati
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Recombination Frequency ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
In Vitro System ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Cell Extracts ◽  
Nuclear Extracts

We examined the effect of double-strand breaks on homologous recombination between two plasmids in human cells and in nuclear extracts prepared from human and rodent cells. Two pSV2neo plasmids containing nonreverting, nonoverlapping deletions were cotransfected into cells or incubated with cell extracts. Generation of intact neo genes was monitored by the ability of the DNA to confer G418r to cells or Neor to bacteria. We show that double-strand breaks at the sites of the deletions enhanced recombination frequency, whereas breaks outside the neo gene had no effect. Examination of the plasmids obtained from experiments involving the cell extracts revealed that gene conversion events play an important role in the generation of plasmids containing intact neo genes. Studies with plasmids carrying multiple polymorphic genetic markers revealed that markers located within 1,000 base pairs could be readily coconverted. The frequency of coconversion decreased with increasing distance between the markers. The plasmids we constructed along with the in vitro system should permit a detailed analysis of homologous recombinational events mediated by mammalian enzymes.

Double-strand-break-induced homologous recombination in mammalian cells

2001 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Johnson ◽  
M. Jasin
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Sister Chromatid ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Crossing Over ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dsb Repair ◽  
Strand Breaks

In mammalian cells, the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) occurs by both homologous and non-homologous mechanisms. Indirect evidence, including that from gene targeting and random integration experiments, had suggested that non-homologous mechanisms were significantly more frequent than homologous ones. However, more recent experiments indicate that homologous recombination is also a prominent DSB repair pathway. These experiments show that mammalian cells use homologous sequences located at multiple positions throughout the genome to repair a DSB. However, template preference appears to be biased, with the sister chromatid being preferred by 2–3 orders of magnitude over a homologous or heterologous chromosome. The outcome of homologous recombination in mammalian cells is predominantly gene conversion that is not associated with crossing-over. The preference for the sister chromatid and the bias against crossing-over seen in mitotic mammalian cells may have developed in order to reduce the potential for genome alterations that could occur when other homologous repair templates are utilized. In attempts to understand further the mechanism of homologous recombination, the proteins that promote this process are beginning to be identified. To date, four mammalian proteins have been demonstrated conclusively to be involved in DSB repair by homologous recombination: Rad54, XRCC2, XRCC3 and BRCAI. This paper summarizes results from a number of recent studies.

scholarly journals Long Palindromic Sequences Induce Double-Strand Breaks during Meiosis in Yeast

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 3449-3458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farooq Nasar ◽  
Craig Jankowski ◽  
Dilip K. Nag
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Genomic Instability ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Gene Products ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Hairpin Formation ◽  
Palindromic Sequences ◽  
Normal Meiosis ◽  
Eukaryotic Genomes

ABSTRACT Inverted-repeated or palindromic sequences have been found to occur in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. Such repeated sequences are usually short and present at several functionally important regions in the genome. However, long palindromic sequences are rare and are a major source of genomic instability. The palindrome-mediated genomic instability is believed to be due to cruciform or hairpin formation and subsequent cleavage of this structure by structure-specific nucleases. Here we present both genetic and physical evidence that long palindromic sequences (>50 bp) generate double-strand breaks (DSBs) at a high frequency during meiosis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The palindrome-mediated DSB formation depends on the primary sequence of the inverted repeat and the location and length of the repeated units. The DSB formation at the palindrome requires all of the gene products that are known to be responsible for DSB formation at the normal meiosis-specific sites. Since DSBs are initiators of nearly all meiotic recombination events, most of the palindrome-induced breaks appear to be repaired by homologous recombination. Our results suggest that short palindromic sequences are highly stable in vivo. In contrast, long palindromic sequences make the genome unstable by inducing DSBs and such sequences are usually removed from the genome by homologous recombination events.

scholarly journals Homologous recombination preferentially repairs heat-induced DNA double-strand breaks in mammalian cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 336-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihisa Takahashi ◽  
Eiichiro Mori ◽  
Yosuke Nakagawa ◽  
Atsuhisa Kajihara ◽  
Tadaaki Kirita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks

scholarly journals Requirement for End-Joining and Checkpoint Functions, but NotRAD52-Mediated Recombination, after EcoRI Endonuclease Cleavage of Saccharomyces cerevisiaeDNA

1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1891-1902 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Kevin Lewis ◽  
Jakob M. Kirchner ◽  
Michael A. Resnick
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Chromosomal Dna ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Damaging Agents ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
Type Strains

ABSTRACT RAD52 and RAD9 are required for the repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) induced by physical and chemical DNA-damaging agents in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Analysis of EcoRI endonuclease expression in vivo revealed that, in contrast to DSBs containing damaged or modified termini, chromosomal DSBs retaining complementary ends could be repaired inrad52 mutants and in G1-phase Rad+cells. Continuous EcoRI-induced scission of chromosomal DNA blocked the growth of rad52 mutants, with most cells arrested in G2 phase. Surprisingly,rad52 mutants were not more sensitive toEcoRI-induced cell killing than wild-type strains. In contrast, endonuclease expression was lethal in cells deficient in Ku-mediated end joining. Checkpoint-defective rad9 mutants did not arrest cell cycling and lost viability rapidly whenEcoRI was expressed. Synthesis of the endonuclease produced extensive breakage of nuclear DNA and stimulated interchromosomal recombination. These results and those of additional experiments indicate that cohesive ended DSBs in chromosomal DNA can be accurately repaired by RAD52-mediated recombination and by recombination-independent complementary end joining in yeast cells.

scholarly journals Super-resolution mapping of cellular double-strand break resection complexes during homologous recombination

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (11) ◽  
pp. e2021963118
Author(s):  
Donna R. Whelan ◽  
Eli Rothenberg
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Super Resolution ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Homology Search ◽  
Major Pathway ◽  
Strand Breaks

Homologous recombination (HR) is a major pathway for repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The initial step that drives the HR process is resection of DNA at the DSB, during which a multitude of nucleases, mediators, and signaling proteins accumulates at the damage foci in a manner that remains elusive. Using single-molecule localization super-resolution (SR) imaging assays, we specifically visualize the spatiotemporal behavior of key mediator and nuclease proteins as they resect DNA at single-ended double-strand breaks (seDSBs) formed at collapsed replication forks. By characterizing these associations, we reveal the in vivo dynamics of resection complexes involved in generating the long single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) overhang prior to homology search. We show that 53BP1, a protein known to antagonize HR, is recruited to seDSB foci during early resection but is spatially separated from repair activities. Contemporaneously, CtBP-interacting protein (CtIP) and MRN (MRE11-RAD51-NBS1) associate with seDSBs, interacting with each other and BRCA1. The HR nucleases EXO1 and DNA2 are also recruited and colocalize with each other and with the repair helicase Bloom syndrome protein (BLM), demonstrating multiple simultaneous resection events. Quantification of replication protein A (RPA) accumulation and ssDNA generation shows that resection is completed 2 to 4 h after break induction. However, both BRCA1 and BLM persist later into HR, demonstrating potential roles in homology search and repair resolution. Furthermore, we show that initial recruitment of BRCA1 and removal of Ku are largely independent of MRE11 exonuclease activity but dependent on MRE11 endonuclease activity. Combined, our observations provide a detailed description of resection during HR repair.

scholarly journals Repair of site-specific double-strand breaks in a mammalian chromosome by homologous and illegitimate recombination.

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 267-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
R G Sargent ◽  
M A Brenneman ◽  
J H Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Repair Process ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Illegitimate Recombination ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Strand Breaks

In mammalian cells, chromosomal double-strand breaks are efficiently repaired, yet little is known about the relative contributions of homologous recombination and illegitimate recombination in the repair process. In this study, we used a loss-of-function assay to assess the repair of double-strand breaks by homologous and illegitimate recombination. We have used a hamster cell line engineered by gene targeting to contain a tandem duplication of the native adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) gene with an I-SceI recognition site in the otherwise wild-type APRT+ copy of the gene. Site-specific double-strand breaks were induced by intracellular expression of I-SceI, a rare-cutting endonuclease from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. I-SceI cleavage stimulated homologous recombination about 100-fold; however, illegitimate recombination was stimulated more than 1,000-fold. These results suggest that illegitimate recombination is an important competing pathway with homologous recombination for chromosomal double-strand break repair in mammalian cells.

scholarly journals Introduction of double-strand breaks into the genome of mouse cells by expression of a rare-cutting endonuclease.

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 8096-8106 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Rouet ◽  
F Smih ◽  
M Jasin
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Expression System ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Chromosomal Dna ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Homologous Fragment ◽  
Mammalian Genomes ◽  
Mouse Cells ◽  
Chromosomal Sequences

To maintain genomic integrity, double-strand breaks (DSBs) in chromosomal DNA must be repaired. In mammalian systems, the analysis of the repair of chromosomal DSBs has been limited by the inability to introduce well-defined DSBs in genomic DNA. In this study, we created specific DSBs in mouse chromosomes for the first time, using an expression system for a rare-cutting endonuclease, I-SceI. A genetic assay has been devised to monitor the repair of DSBs, whereby cleavage sites for I-SceI have been integrated into the mouse genome in two tandem neomycin phosphotransferase genes. We find that cleavage of the I-SceI sites is very efficient, with at least 12% of stably transfected cells having at least one cleavage event and, of these, more than 70% have undergone cleavage at both I-SceI sites. Cleavage of both sites in a fraction of clones deletes 3.8 kb of intervening chromosomal sequences. We find that the DSBs are repaired by both homologous and nonhomologous mechanisms. Nonhomologous repair events frequently result in small deletions after rejoining of the two DNA ends. Some of these appear to occur by simple blunt-ended ligation, whereas several others may occur through annealing of short regions of terminal homology. The DSBs are apparently recombinogenic, stimulating gene targeting of a homologous fragment by more than 2 orders of magnitude. Whereas gene-targeted clones are nearly undetectable without endonuclease expression, they represent approximately 10% of cells transfected with the I-SceI expression vector. Gene targeted clones are of two major types, those that occur by two-sided homologous recombination with the homologous fragment and those that occur by one-sided homologous recombination. Our results are expected to impact a number of areas in the study of mammalian genome dynamics, including the analysis of the repair of DSBs and homologous recombination and, potentially, molecular genetic analyses of mammalian genomes.

scholarly journals Coordinated nuclease activities counteract Ku at single-ended DNA double-strand breaks

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Chanut ◽  
Sébastien Britton ◽  
Julia Coates ◽  
Stephen P. Jackson ◽  
Patrick Calsou
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Exonuclease Activity ◽  
Endonuclease Activity ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Additional Mechanism ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Rad51 Focus ◽  
Dna Resection

Abstract Repair of single-ended DNA double-strand breaks (seDSBs) by homologous recombination (HR) requires the generation of a 3′ single-strand DNA overhang by exonuclease activities in a process called DNA resection. However, it is anticipated that the highly abundant DNA end-binding protein Ku sequesters seDSBs and shields them from exonuclease activities. Despite pioneering works in yeast, it is unclear how mammalian cells counteract Ku at seDSBs to allow HR to proceed. Here we show that in human cells, ATM-dependent phosphorylation of CtIP and the epistatic and coordinated actions of MRE11 and CtIP nuclease activities are required to limit the stable loading of Ku on seDSBs. We also provide evidence for a hitherto unsuspected additional mechanism that contributes to prevent Ku accumulation at seDSBs, acting downstream of MRE11 endonuclease activity and in parallel with MRE11 exonuclease activity. Finally, we show that Ku persistence at seDSBs compromises Rad51 focus assembly but not DNA resection.

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