scholarly journals Uniform Widespread Nuclear Phosphorylation of Histone H2AX Is an Indicator of Lethal DNA Replication Stress

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Moeglin ◽  
Dominique Desplancq ◽  
Sascha Conic ◽  
Mustapha Oulad-Abdelghani ◽  
Audrey Stoessel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Drug Efficacy ◽  
Replication Stress ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Histone H2ax ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Dna Replication Stress ◽  
Stressed Cells

Phosphorylated histone H2AX (γ-H2AX), a central player in the DNA damage response (DDR), serves as a biomarker of DNA double-strand break repair. Although DNA damage is generally visualized by the formation of γ-H2AX foci in injured nuclei, it is unclear whether the widespread uniform nuclear γ-H2AX (called pan-nuclear) pattern occurring upon intense replication stress (RS) is linked to DDR. Using a novel monoclonal antibody that binds exclusively to the phosphorylated C-terminus of H2AX, we demonstrate that H2AX phosphorylation is systematically pan-nuclear in cancer cells stressed with RS-inducing drugs just before they die. The pan-nuclear γ-H2AX pattern is abolished by inhibition of the DNA-PK kinase. Cell death induction of cancer cells treated with increasing combinations of replication and kinase (ATR and Chk1) inhibitory drugs was proportional to the appearance of pan-nuclear γ-H2AX pattern. Delivery of labeled anti-γ-H2AX Fabs in stressed cells demonstrated at a single cell level that pan-nuclear γ-H2AX formation precedes irreversible cell death. Moreover, we show that H2AX is not required for RS-induced cell death in HeLa cells. Thus, the nuclear-wide formation of γ-H2AX is an incident of RS-induced cell death and, thus, the pan nuclear H2AX pattern should be regarded as an indicator of lethal RS-inducing drug efficacy.

scholarly journals A Novel Nanobody Precisely Visualizes Phosphorylated Histone H2AX in Living Cancer Cells under Drug-Induced Replication Stress

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3317
Author(s):  
Eric Moeglin ◽  
Dominique Desplancq ◽  
Audrey Stoessel ◽  
Christian Massute ◽  
Jeremy Ranniger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Chromatin Modification ◽  
Replication Stress ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Single Step ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Drug Induced ◽  
Histone H2ax ◽  
C Terminus

Histone H2AX phosphorylated at serine 139 (γ-H2AX) is a hallmark of DNA damage, signaling the presence of DNA double-strand breaks and global replication stress in mammalian cells. While γ-H2AX can be visualized with antibodies in fixed cells, its detection in living cells was so far not possible. Here, we used immune libraries and phage display to isolate nanobodies that specifically bind to γ-H2AX. We solved the crystal structure of the most soluble nanobody in complex with the phosphopeptide corresponding to the C-terminus of γ-H2AX and show the atomic constituents behind its specificity. We engineered a bivalent version of this nanobody and show that bivalency is essential to quantitatively visualize γ-H2AX in fixed drug-treated cells. After labelling with a chemical fluorophore, we were able to detect γ-H2AX in a single-step assay with the same sensitivity as with validated antibodies. Moreover, we produced fluorescent nanobody-dTomato fusion proteins and applied a transduction strategy to visualize with precision γ-H2AX foci present in intact living cells following drug treatment. Together, this novel tool allows performing fast screenings of genotoxic drugs and enables to study the dynamics of this particular chromatin modification in individual cancer cells under a variety of conditions.

scholarly journals Nuclear deformation causes DNA damage by increasing replication stress

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pragya Shah ◽  
Chad M. Hobson ◽  
Svea Cheng ◽  
Marshall Colville ◽  
Matthew Paszek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cancer Metastasis ◽  
Replication Stress ◽  
Mechanical Deformation ◽  
Nuclear Deformation ◽  
Dna Replication Stress ◽  
Fork Stalling

SummaryCancer metastasis, i.e., the spreading of tumor cells from the primary tumor to distant organs, is responsible for the vast majority of cancer deaths. In the process, cancer cells migrate through narrow interstitial spaces substantially smaller in cross-section than the cell. During such confined migration, cancer cells experience extensive nuclear deformation, nuclear envelope rupture, and DNA damage. The molecular mechanisms responsible for the confined migration-induced DNA damage remain incompletely understood. While in some cell lines, DNA damage is closely associated with nuclear envelope rupture, we show that in others, mechanical deformation of the nucleus is sufficient to cause DNA damage, even in the absence of nuclear envelope rupture. This deformation-induced DNA damage, unlike nuclear envelope rupture-induced DNA damage, occurs primarily in S/G2 phase of the cell cycle and is associated with replication forks. Nuclear deformation, resulting from either confined migration or external cell compression, increases replication stress, possibly by increasing replication fork stalling, providing a molecular mechanism for the deformation-induced DNA damage. Thus, we have uncovered a new mechanism for mechanically induced DNA damage, linking mechanical deformation of the nucleus to DNA replication stress. This mechanically induced DNA damage could not only increase genomic instability in metastasizing cancer cells, but could also cause DNA damage in non-migrating cells and tissues that experience mechanical compression during development, thereby contributing to tumorigenesis and DNA damage response activation.

scholarly journals MTA2 sensitizes gastric cancer cells to PARP inhibition by induction of DNA replication stress

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 101167
Author(s):  
Jinwen Shi ◽  
Xiaofeng Zhang ◽  
Jin'e Li ◽  
Wenwen Huang ◽  
Yini Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Dna Replication ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Replication Stress ◽  
Parp Inhibition ◽  
Gastric Cancer Cells ◽  
Dna Replication Stress

scholarly journals A radiosensitizer, gallotannin-rich extract from Bouea macrophylla seeds, inhibits radiation-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiraporn Kantapan ◽  
Siwaphon Paksee ◽  
Aphidet Duangya ◽  
Padchanee Sangthong ◽  
Sittiruk Roytrakul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Dna Damage ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Breast Cancer Cells ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Breast Cancer Cell Lines ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Mammosphere Formation ◽  
Radiation Induced

Abstract Background Radioresistance can pose a significant obstacle to the effective treatment of breast cancers. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical step in the acquisition of stem cell traits and radioresistance. Here, we investigated whether Maprang seed extract (MPSE), a gallotannin-rich extract of seed from Bouea macrophylla Griffith, could inhibit the radiation-induced EMT process and enhance the radiosensitivity of breast cancer cells. Methods Breast cancer cells were pre-treated with MPSE before irradiation (IR), the radiosensitizing activity of MPSE was assessed using the colony formation assay. Radiation-induced EMT and stemness phenotype were identified using breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) marker (CD24−/low/CD44+) and mammosphere formation assay. Cell motility was determined via the wound healing assay and transwell migration. Radiation-induced cell death was assessed via the apoptosis assay and SA-β-galactosidase staining for cellular senescence. CSCs- and EMT-related genes were confirmed by real-time PCR (qPCR) and Western blotting. Results Pre-treated with MPSE before irradiation could reduce the clonogenic activity and enhance radiosensitivity of breast cancer cell lines with sensitization enhancement ratios (SERs) of 2.33 and 1.35 for MCF7 and MDA-MB231cells, respectively. Pretreatment of breast cancer cells followed by IR resulted in an increased level of DNA damage maker (γ-H2A histone family member) and enhanced radiation-induced cell death. Irradiation induced EMT process, which displayed a significant EMT phenotype with a down-regulated epithelial marker E-cadherin and up-regulated mesenchymal marker vimentin in comparison with untreated breast cancer cells. Notably, we observed that pretreatment with MPSE attenuated the radiation-induced EMT process and decrease some stemness-like properties characterized by mammosphere formation and the CSC marker. Furthermore, pretreatment with MPSE attenuated the radiation-induced activation of the pro-survival pathway by decrease the expression of phosphorylation of ERK and AKT and sensitized breast cancer cells to radiation. Conclusion MPSE enhanced the radiosensitivity of breast cancer cells by enhancing IR-induced DNA damage and cell death, and attenuating the IR-induced EMT process and stemness phenotype via targeting survival pathways PI3K/AKT and MAPK in irradiated breast cancer cells. Our findings describe a novel strategy for increasing the efficacy of radiotherapy for breast cancer patients using a safer and low-cost natural product, MPSE.

scholarly journals DDX11 loss causes replication stress and pharmacologically exploitable DNA repair defects

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (17) ◽  
pp. e2024258118
Author(s):  
Nanda Kumar Jegadesan ◽  
Dana Branzei
Keyword(s):  
Dna Repair ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Drug Hypersensitivity ◽  
Replication Stress ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Parp Inhibitors ◽  
Dna Helicase ◽  
Brca1 And Brca2 ◽  
Focus Formation ◽  
Chemotherapy Drug

DDX11 encodes an iron–sulfur cluster DNA helicase required for development, mutated, and overexpressed in cancers. Here, we show that loss of DDX11 causes replication stress and sensitizes cancer cells to DNA damaging agents, including poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors and platinum drugs. We find that DDX11 helicase activity prevents chemotherapy drug hypersensitivity and accumulation of DNA damage. Mechanistically, DDX11 acts downstream of 53BP1 to mediate homology-directed repair and RAD51 focus formation in manners nonredundant with BRCA1 and BRCA2. As a result, DDX11 down-regulation aggravates the chemotherapeutic sensitivity of BRCA1/2-mutated cancers and resensitizes chemotherapy drug–resistant BRCA1/2-mutated cancer cells that regained homologous recombination proficiency. The results further indicate that DDX11 facilitates recombination repair by assisting double strand break resection and the loading of both RPA and RAD51 on single-stranded DNA substrates. We propose DDX11 as a potential target in cancers by creating pharmacologically exploitable DNA repair vulnerabilities.

scholarly journals DNA double-strand break repair: a theoretical framework and its application

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (114) ◽  
pp. 20150679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip J. Murray ◽  
Bart Cornelissen ◽  
Katherine A. Vallis ◽  
S. Jon Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Auger Electron ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dsb Repair ◽  
Histone H2ax ◽  
Dna Double Strand Break ◽  
A Cell

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are formed as a result of genotoxic insults, such as exogenous ionizing radiation, and are among the most serious types of DNA damage. One of the earliest molecular responses following DSB formation is the phosphorylation of the histone H2AX, giving rise to γ H2AX. Many copies of γ H2AX are generated at DSBs and can be detected in vitro as foci using well-established immuno-histochemical methods. It has previously been shown that anti- γ H2AX antibodies, modified by the addition of the cell-penetrating peptide TAT and a fluorescent or radionuclide label, can be used to visualize and quantify DSBs in vivo . Moreover, when labelled with a high amount of the short-range, Auger electron-emitting radioisotope, 111 In, the amount of DNA damage within a cell can be increased, leading to cell death. In this report, we develop a mathematical model that describes how molecular processes at individual sites of DNA damage give rise to quantifiable foci. Equations that describe stochastic mean behaviours at individual DSB sites are derived and parametrized using population-scale, time-series measurements from two different cancer cell lines. The model is used to examine two case studies in which the introduction of an antibody (anti- γ H2AX-TAT) that targets a key component in the DSB repair pathway influences system behaviour. We investigate: (i) how the interaction between anti- γ H2AX-TAT and γ H2AX effects the kinetics of H2AX phosphorylation and DSB repair and (ii) model behaviour when the anti- γ H2AX antibody is labelled with Auger electron-emitting 111 In and can thus instigate additional DNA damage. This work supports the conclusion that DSB kinetics are largely unaffected by the introduction of the anti- γ H2AX antibody, a result that has been validated experimentally, and hence the hypothesis that the use of anti- γ H2AX antibody to quantify DSBs does not violate the image tracer principle. Moreover, it provides a novel model of DNA damage accumulation in the presence of Auger electron-emitting 111 In that is supported qualitatively by the available experimental data.

scholarly journals Protective Mechanisms Against DNA Replication Stress in the Nervous System

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 730
Author(s):  
Clara Forrer Charlier ◽  
Rodrigo A. P. Martins
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Dna Replication ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Replication Stress ◽  
Nervous System Development ◽  
Stress Generation ◽  
Genome Replication ◽  
Cns Development ◽  
Dna Replication Stress

The precise replication of DNA and the successful segregation of chromosomes are essential for the faithful transmission of genetic information during the cell cycle. Alterations in the dynamics of genome replication, also referred to as DNA replication stress, may lead to DNA damage and, consequently, mutations and chromosomal rearrangements. Extensive research has revealed that DNA replication stress drives genome instability during tumorigenesis. Over decades, genetic studies of inherited syndromes have established a connection between the mutations in genes required for proper DNA repair/DNA damage responses and neurological diseases. It is becoming clear that both the prevention and the responses to replication stress are particularly important for nervous system development and function. The accurate regulation of cell proliferation is key for the expansion of progenitor pools during central nervous system (CNS) development, adult neurogenesis, and regeneration. Moreover, DNA replication stress in glial cells regulates CNS tumorigenesis and plays a role in neurodegenerative diseases such as ataxia telangiectasia (A-T). Here, we review how replication stress generation and replication stress response (RSR) contribute to the CNS development, homeostasis, and disease. Both cell-autonomous mechanisms, as well as the evidence of RSR-mediated alterations of the cellular microenvironment in the nervous system, were discussed.

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