DNA双链断裂修复途径的选择与调控

DNA双链断裂(double strand break, DSB)是一种导致基因组不稳定性的高毒性损伤,可引起染色质畸变诱发癌症.真核生物中演化出多条保守的DSB损伤修复途径,其中最重要的修复途径是典型的非同源末端连接(classical non-homologous end joining, cNHEJ)和同源重组(homologous recombination, HR),这两种修复途径解决了细胞中大多数的DSBs.对于不同类型的DSBs,细胞可以审时度势地选择最优的修复途径,以最低的基因组突变风险进行修复.依赖于不断发展的细胞成像技术和分子生物学方法,精细的DSB修复途径选择机制正逐渐展露出来,其调控机制十分复杂而且精密.本文主要阐述了断裂末端结构、DNA末端切除程度、细胞周期、染色质环境、组蛋白修饰和RNA代谢等因素对DSB修复途径的影响,展现了DSB修复途径选择的多样性和灵活性.     

BRCA1与DSB修复路径取向

乳腺癌易感基因1(BRCA1)是一个肿瘤抑制基因.BRCA1参与DNA末端切除、细胞周期调控以及染色体修饰等来维护基因组的稳定性.有研究表明,它能够促进正确的DNA双链断裂(DSBs)修复,如同源重组修复(HDR)和经典的非同源末端连接(C-NHEJ);而抑制错误性的DSB修复,如单链退火修复(SSA)和非经典的末端连接(A-EJ);其机制是通过与某些DNA修复相关蛋白质的相互作用来引导DSB修复.目前,BRCA1在DSB修复通路中的作用机制尚未完全明确,仍有待进一步的研究.本文主要阐述BRCA1在DSB各修复通路中是如何发挥其引导作用的.     

表观遗传调控：基于染色质环境的DNA双链断裂修复

DNA双链断裂（DNA double-strand breaks, DSBs）是威胁基因组完整性和细胞存活的最有害的DNA损伤类型。同源重组（homologous recombination,HR）和非同源末端连接（non-homologous end joining,NHEJ）是修复DNA双链断裂的两种主要途径。DSB修复涉及到损伤部位修复蛋白的募集和染色质结构的改变。在DNA双链断裂诱导下,染色质结构的动态变化在时间和空间上受到严格调控,进而对DNA双链断裂修复过程进行精细调节。特定的染色质修饰形成利于修复的染色质状态,有助于DNA双链断裂修复机器的招募、修复途径的选择和DNA损伤检查点的活化;其中修复途径的选择对于基因组稳定性至关重要。修复不当或失败可导致基因组不稳定性,甚至促进肿瘤的发生。本文综述了染色质结构和染色质修饰的动态变化在DSB修复中的重要作用。此外,文章还总结了在癌症治疗中靶向关键染色质调控因子在基因组稳定性维持、肿瘤发生发展以及潜在临床应用价值等方面的进展。     

Ku基因在微生物中的研究进展

ku基因介导的非同源末端连接(NHEJ)途径是DNA双链断裂(DSBs)的一种修复机制,它不依赖于同源重组,且通过与之竞争而削弱同源重组。由于ku基因在生物进化过程中的高度保守性,其功能在很多微生物中已经得到研究,尤其在丝状真菌中,将ku基因敲除,在NHEJ途径缺陷的背景下,同源重组发挥主要作用,基因敲除的频率大为提高,从而方便了对基因功能的研究。     

动物基因组定点整合转基因技术研究进展

传统转基因技术,如显微注射、转座子、慢病毒转染等将目的基因插入基因组内的整合方式是随机的,这些随机整合对后期转基因动物品系组建和育种带来诸多不利,因此有研究人员提出了定点整合转基因技术。目前该技术的定点整合效率非常低,主要取决于两个方面：一是靶位点产生DNA双链断裂(double-strand break, DSB)的效率;二是断裂后的靶位点与携带同源臂及外源基因的供体质粒发生同源重组的效率,其中同源重组修复(homologous recombination repair, HDR)是基因组定点整合最为依赖的修复机制。靶位点产生DSB后,机体的DNA修复既可能发生HDR,也可能发生非同源末端连接(nonhomologous end joining, NHEJ),并且两者之间存在竞争关系,因此激活HDR或抑制NEHJ都可提高定点整合转基因的效率。本文结合影响定点整合的因素,对提高定点整合效率最新探索方面进行了综述。     

自噬与DNA损伤修复及其对肿瘤的影响

DNA损伤与肿瘤的发生发展密切相关。当DNA损伤发生时,会触发一系列的损伤应答反应以帮助细胞生存,其中即包括对自噬的诱导。ATM、P53和PARP1等多种参与DNA损伤修复的效应因子通过影响AMPK、mTOR以及一些凋亡蛋白等启动自噬。而作为一种降解途径,自噬则可通过调节DNA修复相关蛋白的水平直接影响同源重组修复、非同源末端连接修复和核苷酸切除修复等促进DNA修复,以及通过维持细胞内稳态间接促进DNA修复,从而在正常细胞的恶性转化和肿瘤耐药等发生机制中扮演重要角色。此外,DNA修复失败时,自噬也可作为一种肿瘤细胞的程序性死亡方式。因此研究自噬通过调节DNA损伤修复而对肿瘤的影响对于理解肿瘤发生的机制和提供治疗思路都有重要意义。     

DNA双链断裂修复过程中的重要蛋白53BP

DNA双链断裂(double-strand breaks,DSBs)修复对于保证基因组完整性以及维持细胞的平衡稳定性起着关键作用。p53结合蛋白1(p53-binding protein 1,53BP1)是针对产生的双链断裂损伤做出反应的重要调控因子。目前,研究人员对于53BP1被招募到受损的染色质上的过程,以及53BP1在DSBs修复过程中阻止同源重组(homologous recombination,HR)的同时推动非同源末端连接(non-homologous end-joining,NHEJ)的过程,已经有了新的认识。并且,近期的研究结果启发科学家们提出了一种新的模型,即53BP1的招募需要直接识别DSBs特异性的组蛋白密码,而53BP1发挥作用时的通路选择则与BRCA1蛋白的拮抗作用有关。结合近年来有关53BP1的研究进展,主要综述了53BP1的结构与功能特点,其作为调控因子在DSBs修复过程中发挥的作用,以及53BP1达到有效聚集的方式。     

RNA干扰猪NHEJ通路修复因子对HR效率的影响

非同源末端连接(nonhomologous end joining, NHEJ)是动物基因组DNA双链断裂(double-strand break, DSB)修复的优选途径,通过与同源重组(homologous recombination, HR)竞争DSB靶点,进而抑制HR的效率。为提高HR效率,本研究针对猪NHEJ通路修复关键因子PNKP、LIG4和NHEJ1的编码序列,设计并合成相应的靶向小干扰RNA (small interfering RNA, siRNA),组成若干对RNAi (RNA interference)系统,将RNAi系统与报告质粒SSA-GFP reporter、HDR -GFP system和ssODN-GFP system共转染至猪胎儿成纤维细胞(porcine fetal fibroblasts, PFFs),检测敲低上述NHEJ关键修复因子后对HR的影响。RNAi结果显示,针对PNKP、LIG4和NHEJ1设计的siRNA均可显著敲低PNKP、LIG4和NHEJ1基因的表达(P<0.05)。选择干扰效果最好的siRNA与报告载体共转染PFFs,结果表明干扰PNKP基因表达后可显著提高单链退火(single strand annealing, SSA)修复效率、双链或单链DNA介导的同源重组定向修复(homology-directed repair, HDR)效率分别为55.7%、37.4%和73.1% (P<0.05),而干扰LIG4和NHEJ1分别提高双链和单链介导的HDR效率为37.5% 和 76.9% (P<0.05)。     

DNA双链断裂的非同源末端连接修复

细胞内普遍存在的DNA双链断裂(DSB)可通过同源重组(HR)或非同源末端连接(NHEJ)修复。由于HR仅在存在相同染色体作为模板的时候进行,因此,NHEJ通常为主要的修复方式。在NHEJ中,DSB末端首先由Ku识别,接着由核酸酶、聚合酶在Ku与DNA-PKcs协助下加工,并由连接酶IVXRCC4-XLF连接。NHEJ底物类型多样,末端的修复常包含反复加工的过程,导致修复产物通常无法复原损伤前的序列。虽然无法确保准确修复DNA,NHEJ仍对维持基因组的稳定性具有重要的意义。对NHEJ的研究有助于理解癌症的发生机制并将促进癌症的治疗。     

耐辐射球菌DNA双链断裂修复机制研究新进展

耐辐射球菌对于电离辐射等DNA损伤剂具有极强的抗性,能够将同一个基因组中同时产生的高达100个以上的DNA双链断裂在数十小时内高效而精准地进行修复,是研究DNA双链断裂修复机制的重要模式生物。同源重组、非同源末端连接和单链退火途径作为3个主要的修复途径参与了耐辐射球菌基因组DNA双链断裂的修复过程。此外,一系列新发现的重要蛋白质,如Ppr I、Ddr B等对于耐辐射球菌基因组的修复过程同样至关重要。根据本实验室和国内外在这一研究领域近年来的报道,以不同的修复途径为线索,综述该菌DNA双链断裂修复机制的最新研究成果。     

Ectopic expression of RNF168 and 53BP1 increases mutagenic but not physiological non-homologous end joining

DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) formed during S phase are preferentially repaired by homologous recombination (HR), whereas G₁ DSBs, such as those occurring during immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR), are repaired by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). The DNA damage response proteins 53BP1 and BRCA1 regulate the balance between NHEJ and HR. 53BP1 promotes CSR in part by mediating synapsis of distal DNA ends, and in addition, inhibits 5’ end resection. BRCA1 antagonizes 53BP1 dependent DNA end-blocking activity during S phase, which would otherwise promote mutagenic NHEJ and genome instability. Recently, it was shown that supra-physiological levels of the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF168 results in the hyper-accumulation of 53BP1/BRCA1 which accelerates DSB repair. Here, we ask whether increased expression of RNF168 or 53BP1 impacts physiological versus mutagenic NHEJ. We find that the anti-resection activities of 53BP1 are rate-limiting for mutagenic NHEJ but not for physiological CSR. As heterogeneity in the expression of RNF168 and 53BP1 is found in human tumors, our results suggest that deregulation of the RNF168/53BP1 pathway could alter the chemosensitivity of BRCA1 deficient tumors.     

Rapid assessment of two major repair activities against DNA double-strand breaks in vertebrate cells

A linearized plasmid DNA, in which tandem repeats of 400bp flank the breakpoints, was transfected into vertebrate cells, and breakpoint junctions of plasmid DNA circularized in the cells were analyzed to assess the repair activities against DNA double-strand break (DSB) by non-homologous end joining and homology-directed repair (i.e., homologous recombinational repair and single-strand annealing). The circularization by non-homologous end joining repair of the breakpoints depended on the expression of DNA-PKcs, while that by homology-directed repair through the repeats depended on the length of the repeats, indicating that these two DSB repair activities can be rapidly assessed by this assay. Predominance in circularization by either non-homologous end joining or homology-directed repair differed among cells examined, and circularization was exclusively undertaken by homology-directed repair in DT40 cells known to show a high homologous recombination rate against gene-targeting vectors. Thus, this assay will be helpful in studies on mechanisms and inter-cellular variations of DSB repair.     

KAP1 Deacetylation by SIRT1 Promotes Non-Homologous End-Joining Repair

Homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining are two major DNA double-strand-break repair pathways. While HR-mediated repair requires a homologous sequence as the guiding template to restore the damage site precisely, NHEJ-mediated repair ligates the DNA lesion directly and increases the risk of losing nucleotides. Therefore, how a cell regulates the balance between HR and NHEJ has become an important issue for maintaining genomic integrity over time. Here we report that SIRT1-dependent KAP1 deacetylation positively regulates NHEJ. We show that up-regulation of KAP1 attenuates HR efficiency while promoting NHEJ repair. Moreover, SIRT1-mediated KAP1 deacetylation further enhances the effect of NHEJ by stabilizing its interaction with 53BP1, which leads to increased 53BP1 focus formation in response to DNA damage. Taken together, our study suggests a SIRT1-KAP1 regulatory mechanism for HR-NHEJ repair pathway choice.     

DYRK1A regulates the recruitment of 53BP1 to the sites of DNA damage in part through interaction with RNF169

Human Dual-specificity tyrosine (Y) Regulated Kinase 1A (DYRK1A) is encoded by a dosage dependent gene whereby either trisomy or haploinsufficiency result in developmental abnormalities. However, the function and regulation of this important protein kinase are not fully understood. Here, we report proteomic analysis of DYRK1A in human cells that revealed a novel role of DYRK1A in DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) repair, mediated in part by its interaction with the ubiquitin-binding protein RNF169 that accumulates at the DSB sites and promotes homologous recombination repair (HRR) by displacing 53BP1, a key mediator of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). We found that overexpression of active, but not the kinase inactive DYRK1A in U-2 OS cells inhibits accumulation of 53BP1 at the DSB sites in the RNF169-dependent manner. DYRK1A phosphorylates RNF169 at two sites that influence its ability to displace 53BP1 from the DSBs. Although DYRK1A is not required for the recruitment of RNF169 to the DSB sites and 53BP1 displacement, inhibition of DYRK1A or mutation of the DYRK1A phosphorylation sites in RNF169 decreases its ability to block accumulation of 53BP1 at the DSB sites. Interestingly, CRISPR-Cas9 knockout of DYRK1A in human and mouse cells also diminished the 53BP1 DSB recruitment in a manner that did not require RNF169, suggesting that dosage of DYRK1A can influence the DNA repair processes through both RNF169-dependent and independent mechanisms. Human U-2 OS cells devoid of DYRK1A display an increased HRR efficiency and resistance to DNA damage, therefore our findings implicate DYRK1A in the DNA repair processes.     

RIF1: A novel regulatory factor for DNA replication and DNA damage response signaling

DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) are highly toxic to the cells and accumulation of DSBs results in several detrimental effects in various cellular processes which can lead to neurological, immunological and developmental disorders. Failure of the repair of DSBs spurs mutagenesis and is a driver of tumorigenesis, thus underscoring the importance of the accurate repair of DSBs. Two major canonical DSB repair pathways are the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR) pathways. 53BP1 and BRCA1 are the key mediator proteins which coordinate with other components of the DNA repair machinery in the NHEJ and HR pathways respectively, and their exclusive recruitment to DNA breaks/ends potentially decides the choice of repair by either NHEJ or HR. Recently, Rap1 interacting factor 1 has been identified as an important component of the DNA repair pathway which acts downstream of the ATM/53BP1 to inhibit the 5′–3′ end resection of broken DNA ends, in-turn facilitating NHEJ repair and inhibiting homology directed repair. Rif1 is conserved from yeast to humans but its function has evolved from telomere length regulation in yeast to the maintenance of genome integrity in mammalian cells. Recently its role in the maintenance of genomic integrity has been expanded to include the regulation of chromatin structure, replication timing and intra-S phase checkpoint. We present a summary of these important findings highlighting the various aspects of Rif1 functions and discuss the key implications for genomic integrity.     

Factors determining DNA double-strand break repair pathway choice in G2 phase

DNA non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR) function to repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in G2 phase with HR preferentially repairing heterochromatin-associated DSBs (HC-DSBs). Here, we examine the regulation of repair pathway usage at two-ended DSBs in G2. We identify the speed of DSB repair as a major component influencing repair pathway usage showing that DNA damage and chromatin complexity are factors influencing DSB repair rate and pathway choice. Loss of NHEJ proteins also slows DSB repair allowing increased resection. However, expression of an autophosphorylation-defective DNA-PKcs mutant, which binds DSBs but precludes the completion of NHEJ, dramatically reduces DSB end resection at all DSBs. In contrast, loss of HR does not impair repair by NHEJ although CtIP-dependent end resection precludes NHEJ usage. We propose that NHEJ initially attempts to repair DSBs and, if rapid rejoining does not ensue, then resection occurs promoting repair by HR. Finally, we identify novel roles for ATM in regulating DSB end resection; an indirect role in promoting KAP-1-dependent chromatin relaxation and a direct role in phosphorylating and activating CtIP.     

Human RNF169 is a negative regulator of the ubiquitin-dependent response to DNA double-strand breaks

Nonproteolytic ubiquitylation of chromatin surrounding deoxyribonucleic acid double-strand breaks (DSBs), mediated by the RNF8/RNF168 ubiquitin ligases, plays a key role in recruiting repair factors, including 53BP1 and BRCA1, to reestablish genome integrity. In this paper, we show that human RNF169, an uncharacterized E3 ubiquitin ligase paralogous to RNF168, accumulated in DSB repair foci through recognition of RNF168-catalyzed ubiquitylation products by its motif interacting with ubiquitin domain. Unexpectedly, RNF169 was dispensable for chromatin ubiquitylation and ubiquitin-dependent accumulation of repair factors at DSB sites. Instead, RNF169 functionally competed with 53BP1 and RAP80-BRCA1 for association with RNF168-modified chromatin independent of its catalytic activity, limiting the magnitude of their recruitment to DSB sites. By delaying accumulation of 53BP1 and RAP80 at damaged chromatin, RNF169 stimulated homologous recombination and restrained nonhomologous end joining, affecting cell survival after DSB infliction. Our results show that RNF169 functions in a noncanonical fashion to harness RNF168-mediated protein recruitment to DSB-containing chromatin, thereby contributing to regulation of DSB repair pathway utilization.     

Marker-free quantification of repair pathway utilization at Cas9-induced double-strand breaks

Genome integrity and genome engineering require efficient repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), homologous recombination (HR), or alternative end-joining pathways. Here we describe two complementary methods for marker-free quantification of DSB repair pathway utilization at Cas9-targeted chromosomal DSBs in mammalian cells. The first assay features the analysis of amplicon next-generation sequencing data using ScarMapper, an iterative break-associated alignment algorithm to classify individual repair products based on deletion size, microhomology usage, and insertions. The second assay uses repair pathway-specific droplet digital PCR assays (‘PathSig-dPCR’) for absolute quantification of signature DSB repair outcomes. We show that ScarMapper and PathSig-dPCR enable comprehensive assessment of repair pathway utilization in different cell models, after a variety of experimental perturbations. We use these assays to measure the differential impact of DNA end resection on NHEJ, HR and polymerase theta-mediated end joining (TMEJ) repair. These approaches are adaptable to any cellular model system and genomic locus where Cas9-mediated targeting is feasible. Thus, ScarMapper and PathSig-dPCR allow for systematic fate mapping of a targeted DSB with facile and accurate quantification of DSB repair pathway choice at endogenous chromosomal loci.