NFBD1/MDC1 stabilizes oncogenic MDM2 to contribute to cell fate determination in response to DNA damage

In response to DNA damage, NFBD1/MDC1 induces the accumulation of DNA repair machinery such as MRN complex at the sites of damaged DNA to form nuclear foci. In this study, we found that NFBD1 directly interacts with MDM2 and increases its stability. During adriamycin (ADR)-mediated apoptosis, expression levels of NFBD1 reduced in association with the down-regulation of MDM2. Enforced expression of NFBD1 resulted in a significant stabilization of MDM2. Consistent with these observations, siRNA-mediated knockdown of the endogenous NFBD1 decreased the amounts of the endogenous MDM2. Immunoprecipitation and in vitro pull-down assays demonstrated that NFBD1 interacts with MDM2 through its COOH-terminal BRCT domains. In accordance with our recent results, enforced expression of NFBD1 rendered cells resistant to DNA damage. Similar results were also obtained in cells expressing exogenous MDM2. Taken together, our present findings suggest that NFBD1-mediated stabilization contributes to cell survival in response to DNA damage.     

MDC1 regulates DNA-PK autophosphorylation in response to DNA damage

DNA damage initiates signaling events through kinase cascades that result in cell cycle checkpoint control and DNA repair. However, it is not yet clear how the signaling pathways relay to DNA damage repair. Using the repeat region of checkpoint protein MDC1 (mediator of DNA damage checkpoint protein 1), we identified DNA-PKcs/Ku as MDC1-associated proteins. Here, we show that MDC1 directly interacts with the Ku/DNA-PKcs complex. Down-regulation of MDC1 resulted in defective phospho-DNA-PKcs foci formation and DNA-PKcs autophosphorylation, suggesting that MDC1 regulates autophosphorylation of DNA-PKcs following DNA damage. Furthermore, DNA-PK-dependent DNA damage repair is defective in cells depleted of MDC1. Taken together, these results suggest that the MDC1 repeat region is involved in protein-protein interaction with DNA-PKcs/Ku, and MDC1 regulates DNA damage repair by influencing DNA-PK autophosphorylation. Therefore, MDC1 acts not only as a mediator of DNA damage checkpoint but also as a mediator of DNA damage repair.     

MDC1/NFBD1: a key regulator of the DNA damage response in higher eukaryotes

The protein MDC1/NFBD1 contains a forkhead-associated (FHA) domain and two BRCA1 carboxyl-terminal (BRCT) domains. It interacts with several proteins involved in DNA damage repair and checkpoint signalling, and is phosphorylated in response to DNA damage and during mitosis. Upon treatment of cultured human cells with DNA damaging agents, MDC1/NFBD1 translocates to sites of DNA lesions, where it collaborates with other proteins and with phosphorylated histone H2AX to mediate the accumulation of checkpoint and repair factors into nuclear foci. Down-regulation of MDC1/NFBD1 expression levels by small interfering RNA (siRNA) renders cells hyper-sensitive to DNA damaging agents and leads to defects in cell cycle checkpoint activation and apoptosis. Thus, MDC1/NFBD1 appears to be a key regulator of the DNA damage response in mammalian cells.     

Distinct versus overlapping functions of MDC1 and 53BP1 in DNA damage response and tumorigenesis

The importance of the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway in development, genomic stability, and tumor suppression is well recognized. Although 53BP1 and MDC1 have been recently identified as critical upstream mediators in the cellular response to DNA double-strand breaks, their relative hierarchy in the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) signaling cascade remains controversial. To investigate the divergent and potentially overlapping functions of MDC1 and 53BP1 in the ATM response pathway, we generated mice deficient for both genes. Unexpectedly, the loss of both MDC1 and 53BP1 neither significantly increases the severity of defects in DDR nor increases tumor incidence compared with the loss of MDC1 alone. We additionally show that MDC1 regulates 53BP1 foci formation and phosphorylation in response to DNA damage. These results suggest that MDC1 functions as an upstream regulator of 53BP1 in the DDR pathway and in tumor suppression.     

Cellular response to DNA damage. Link between p53 and DNA-PK

Cells which lack DNA-activated protein kinase (DNA-PK) are very susceptible to ionizing radiation and display an inability to repair double strand DNA breaks. DNA-PK is a member of a protein kinase family that includes ATR and ATM which have strong homology in their carboxy-terminal kinase domain with PL-3 kinase. ATM has been proposed to act upstream of p53 in cellular response to ionizing radiation. DNA-PK may similarly interact with p53 in cellular growth control and in mediation of the response to ionizing radiation.     

CK2 phosphorylation-dependent interaction between aprataxin and MDC1 in the DNA damage response

Aprataxin, defective in the neurodegenerative disorder ataxia oculomotor apraxia type 1, resolves abortive DNA ligation intermediates during DNA repair. Here, we demonstrate that aprataxin localizes at sites of DNA damage induced by high LET radiation and binds to mediator of DNA-damage checkpoint protein 1 (MDC1/NFBD1) through a phosphorylation-dependent interaction. This interaction is mediated via the aprataxin FHA domain and multiple casein kinase 2 di-phosphorylated S-D-T-D motifs in MDC1. X-ray structural and mutagenic analysis of aprataxin FHA domain, combined with modelling of the pSDpTD peptide interaction suggest an unusual FHA binding mechanism mediated by a cluster of basic residues at and around the canonical pT-docking site. Mutation of aprataxin FHA Arg29 prevented its interaction with MDC1 and recruitment to sites of DNA damage. These results indicate that aprataxin is involved not only in single strand break repair but also in the processing of a subset of double strand breaks presumably through its interaction with MDC1.     

Kruppel-like factor 4 mediates p53-dependent G1/S cell cycle arrest in response to DNA damage

The tumor suppressor p53 is required for the maintenance of genomic integrity following DNA damage. One mechanism by which p53 functions is to induce a block in the transition between the G(1) and S phase of the cell cycle. Previous studies indicate that the Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) gene is activated following DNA damage and that such activation depends on p53. In addition, enforced expression of KLF4 causes G(1)/S arrest. The present study examines the requirement of KLF4 in mediating the p53-dependent cell cycle arrest process in response to DNA damage. We show that the G(1) population of a colon cancer cell line, HCT116, that is null for the p53 alleles (-/-) was abolished following gamma irradiation compared with cells with wild-type p53 (+/+). Conditional expression of KLF4 in irradiated HCT116 p53-/- cells restored the G(1) cell population to a level similar to that seen in irradiated HCT116 p53+/+ cells. Conversely, treatment of HCT116 p53+/+ cells with small interfering RNA (siRNA) specific for KLF4 significantly reduced the number of cells in the G(1) phase following gamma irradiation compared with the untreated control or those treated with a nonspecific siRNA. In each case the increase or decrease in KLF4 level because of conditional induction or siRNA inhibition, respectively, was accompanied by an increase or decrease in the level of p21(WAF1/CIP1). Results of our study indicate that KLF4 is an essential mediator of p53 in controlling G(1)/S progression of the cell cycle following DNA damage.     

Dynamic assembly and sustained retention of 53BP1 at the sites of DNA damage are controlled by Mdc1/NFBD1

53BP1 is a key component of the genome surveillance network activated by DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). Despite its known accumulation at the DSB sites, the spatiotemporal aspects of 53BP1 interaction with DSBs and the role of other DSB regulators in this process remain unclear. Here, we used real-time microscopy to study the DSB-induced redistribution of 53BP1 in living cells. We show that within minutes after DNA damage, 53BP1 becomes progressively, yet transiently, immobilized around the DSB-flanking chromatin. Quantitative imaging of single cells revealed that the assembly of 53BP1 at DSBs significantly lagged behind Mdc1/NFBD1, another DSB-interacting checkpoint mediator. Furthermore, short interfering RNA-mediated ablation of Mdc1/NFBD1 drastically impaired 53BP1 redistribution to DSBs and triggered premature dissociation of 53BP1 from these regions. Collectively, these in vivo measurements identify Mdc1/NFBD1 as a key upstream determinant of 53BP1's interaction with DSBs from its dynamic assembly at the DSB sites through sustained retention within the DSB-flanking chromatin up to the recovery from the checkpoint.     

Palmdelphin,a novel target of p53 with Ser46 phosphorylation,controls cell death in response to DNA damage

The tumor suppressor gene p53 regulates apoptosis in response to DNA damage. Promoter selectivity of p53 depends on mainly its phosphorylation. Particularly, the phosphorylation at serine-46 of p53 is indispensable in promoting pro-apoptotic genes that are, however, poorly determined. In the current study, we identified palmdelphin as a pro-apoptotic gene induced by p53 in a phosphorylated serine-46-specific manner. Upregulation of palmdelphin was observed in wild-type p53-transfected cells, but not in serine-46-mutated cells. Expression of palmdelphin was induced by p53 in response to DNA damage. In turn, palmdelphin induced apoptosis. Intriguingly, downregulation of palmdelphin resulted in necroptosis-like cell death via ATP depletion. Upon DNA damage, palmdelphin dominantly accumulated in the nucleus to induce apoptosis. These findings define palmdelphin as a target of serine-46-phosphorylated p53 that controls cell death in response to DNA damage.     

The DNA damage response mediator MDC1 directly interacts with the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome

MDC1 (NFBD1), a mediator of the cellular response to DNA damage, plays an important role in checkpoint activation and DNA repair. Here we identified a cross-talk between the DNA damage response and cell cycle regulation. We discovered that MDC1 binds the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), an E3 ubiquitin ligase that controls the cell cycle. The interaction is direct and is mediated by the tandem BRCA1 C-terminal domains of MDC1 and the C terminus of the Cdc27 (APC3) subunit of the APC/C. It requires the phosphorylation of Cdc27 and is enhanced after induction of DNA damage. We show that the tandem BRCA1 C-terminal domains of MDC1, known to directly bind the phosphorylated form of histone H2AX (gamma-H2AX), also bind the APC/C by the same mechanism, as phosphopeptides that correspond to the C termini of gamma-H2AX and Cdc27 competed with each other for the binding to MDC1. Our results reveal a link between the cellular response to DNA damage and cell cycle regulation, suggesting that MDC1, known to have a role in checkpoint regulation, executes part of this role by binding the APC/C.     

NFBD1/MDC1, 53BP1 and BRCA1 have both redundant and unique roles in the ATM pathway

NFBD1/MDC1, 53BP1, and BRCA1 are DNA damage checkpoint proteins with twin BRCT domains. In order to determine if they have redundant roles in responses to ionizing radiation, we used siRNA and shRNA to deplete NFBD1, 53BP1, and BRCA1 in single, double, and triple combinations. These analyses were performed in early passage human foreskin fibroblasts so that checkpoint responses could be assessed in a normal genetic background. We report that NFBD1, 53BP1, and BRCA1 have both unique and redundant functions in radiation-induced phosphorylation and localization events in the ATM-Chk2 pathway. 53BP1, but not NFBD1 and BRCA1, mediates ionizing radiation-induced ATM S1981 autophosphorylation. In contrast, all three mediators collaborate to promote IR-induced Chk2 T68 phosphorylation. NFBD1 and 53BP1, but not BRCA1, work together to mediate pATMS1981, pChk2T68, and NBS1 ionizing radiation induced foci (IRIF). However, the relative importance of NFBD1 and 53BP1 in IRIF formation differ. We also determined the interdependence among mediators in IRIF recruitment. We extend previous findings in cancer cells and mouse cells that NFBD1 is upstream of 53BP1 and BRCA1 to primary human cells. Furthermore, NFBD1 promotes BRCA1 IRIF through both 53BP1-dependent and 53BP1-independent mechanisms.     

NFBD1, like 53BP1, is an early and redundant transducer mediating Chk2 phosphorylation in response to DNA damage

Signaling pathways in response to DNA double strand breaks involve molecular cascades consisting of sensors, transducers, and effector proteins that activate cell cycle checkpoints and recruit repair machinery proteins. NFBD1 (a nuclear factor with BRCT domains protein 1) contains FHA (forkhead-associated), BRCT (breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 carboxyl terminus) domains, and internal repeats and is an early participant in nuclear foci in response to IR. To elucidate its role in the response pathways, small interfering RNA (siRNA) directed against NFDB1 in human cells demonstrated that its absence is associated with increased radio-sensitivity and delayed G(2)/M transition, but not G(1) to S. NFBD1 associates with nuclear foci within minutes following IR, a property similar to histone H2AX, 53BP1, and Chk2, which are all early participants in the DNA damage signaling cascade. Temporal studies show that H2AX is required for the foci positive for NFBD1, but NFBD1 is not needed for 53BP1- and H2AX-positive foci. NFBD1, together with 53BP1, plays a partially redundant role in regulating phosphorylation of the downstream effector protein, Chk2, since abrogation of both diminishes phosphorylated Chk2 in IR-induced foci. These results place NFBD1 parallel to 53BP1 in regulating Chk2 and downstream of H2AX in the recruitment of repair and signaling proteins to sites of DNA damage.