A Novel Replication Arrest Pathway in Response to DNA Damage

DNA damage has been shown to regulate DNA replication both by inhibition of origin utilization, and by slowing of replication progression. We have recently reported another mechanism by which DNA damage affects replication, in which the presence of damaged DNA inhibits, in trans, the initiation of chromosomal replication. This inhibition occurs by blocking the association of the processivity clamp PCNA with undamaged chromatin. This inhibitory activity is not due to sequestration of replication factors by the damaged DNA, rather, it acts through generation of a diffusible inhibitor of PCNA loading. The activation of this pathway is independent of canonical checkpoint signaling, and, in fact, results in activation of the checkpoint. This novel pathway may therefore represent an amplification step to stop cell cycle progression in response to lower levels of DNA damage.     

Human Papillomavirus E7 Induces Rereplication in Response to DNA Damage

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is necessary but not sufficient for cervical carcinogenesis. Genomic instability caused by HPV allows cells to acquire additional mutations required for malignant transformation. Genomic instability in the form of polyploidy has been demonstrated to play an important role in cervical carcinogenesis. We have recently found that HPV-16 E7 oncogene induces polyploidy in response to DNA damage; however, the mechanism is not known. Here we present evidence demonstrating that HPV-16 E7-expressing cells have an intact G₂ checkpoint. Upon DNA damage, HPV-16 E7-expressing cells arrest at the G₂ checkpoint and then undergo rereplication, a process of successive rounds of host DNA replication without entering mitosis. Interestingly, the DNA replication initiation factor Cdt1, whose uncontrolled expression induces rereplication in human cancer cells, is upregulated in E7-expressing cells. Moreover, downregulation of Cdt1 impairs the ability of E7 to induce rereplication. These results demonstrate an important role for Cdt1 in HPV E7-induced rereplication and shed light on mechanisms by which HPV induces genomic instability.     

Mitotic UV Irradiation Induces a DNA Replication-Licensing Defect that Potentiates G1 Arrest Response

Cdt1 begins to accumulate in M phase and has a key role in establishing replication licensing at the end of mitosis or in early G1 phase. Treatments that damage the DNA of cells, such as UV irradiation, induce Cdt1 degradation through PCNA-dependent CRL4-Cdt2 ubiquitin ligase. How Cdt1 degradation is linked to cell cycle progression, however, remains unclear. In G1 phase, when licensing is established, UV irradiation leads to Cdt1 degradation, but has little effect on the licensing state. In M phase, however, UV irradiation does not induce Cdt1 degradation. When mitotic UV-irradiated cells were released into G1 phase, Cdt1 was degraded before licensing was established. Thus, these cells exhibited both defective licensing and G1 cell cycle arrest. The frequency of G1 arrest increased in cells expressing extra copies of Cdt2, and thus in cells in which Cdt1 degradation was enhanced, whereas the frequency of G1 arrest was reduced in cell expressing an extra copy of Cdt1. The G1 arrest response of cells irradiated in mitosis was important for cell survival by preventing the induction of apoptosis. Based on these observations, we propose that mammalian cells have a DNA replication-licensing checkpoint response to DNA damage induced during mitosis.     

Replication-Dependent DNA Damage Response Triggered by Roscovitine Induces an Uncoupling of DNA Replication Proteins

The cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor roscovitine is under evaluation in clinical trials for its antiproliferative properties. Roscovitine arrests cell cycle progression in G1 and in G2 phase by inhibiting CDK2 and CDK1, and possibly CDK7 and CDK9. However, the effects of CDK2 inhibition in S-phase cells have been not fully investigated. Here, we show that a short-term treatment with roscovitine is sufficient to inhibit DNA synthesis, and to activate a DNA damage checkpoint response, as indicated by phosphorylation of p53-Ser15, replication protein A, and histone H2AX. Analysis of DNA replication proteins loaded onto DNA during S phase showed that the amount of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a cofactor of DNA replication enzymes, was significantly reduced by roscovitine. In contrast, chromatin-bound levels of DNA polymerase δ, DNA ligase I and CDK2, were stabilized. Checkpoint inhibition with caffeine could rescue PCNA disassembly only partially, pointing to additional effects due to CDK2 inhibition and the presence of replication stress. These results suggest that in S-phase cells, roscovitine induces checkpoint-dependent and -independent effects, leading to stabilization of replication forks and an uncoupling between PCNA and PCNA-interacting proteins.     

胆固醇致人血管内皮细胞DNA损伤

本文研究胆固醇是否通过氧化应激机制损伤人内皮细胞DNA.实验用125 mg/L, 25 mg/L, 50 mg/L胆固醇作用于人内皮细胞12 h,用免疫荧光法观察到不同浓度的胆固醇均可诱导细胞内γH2AX形成焦点,随着胆固醇浓度的增加,γH2AX焦点的荧光强度也逐渐增强.利用Western印迹及流式细胞术检测到细胞内γH2AX的量和ROS水平也随胆固醇浓度增大而增加.彗星电泳实验检测到细胞内拖尾DNA量随胆固醇浓度逐渐增加,DNA损伤加重.用抗氧化剂10 mmol/L N 乙酰半胱氨酸(NAC)预作用细胞1 h后,再用50 mg/L胆固醇作用细胞12 h,细胞内γH2AX焦点的荧光强度明显减弱,γH2AX量减少,ROS的水平下降.结果表明,胆固醇可诱导人脐静脉内皮细胞中ROS升高,导致DNA损伤.     

Phytometabolite Dehydroleucodine Induces Cell Cycle Arrest,Apoptosis, and DNA Damage in Human Astrocytoma Cells through p73/p53 Regulation

Accumulating evidence supports the idea that secondary metabolites obtained from medicinal plants (phytometabolites) may be important contributors in the development of new chemotherapeutic agents to reduce the occurrence or recurrence of cancer. Our study focused on Dehydroleucodine (DhL), a sesquiterpene found in the provinces of Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe. In this study, we showed that DhL displayed cytostatic and cytotoxic activities on the human cerebral astrocytoma D384 cell line. With lactone isolated from Gynoxys verrucosa Wedd, a medicinal plant from Ecuador, we found that DhL induced cell death in D384 cells by triggering cell cycle arrest and inducing apoptosis and DNA damage. We further found that the cell death resulted in the increased expression of CDKN1A and BAX proteins. A marked induction of the levels of total TP73 and phosphorylated TP53, TP73, and γ-H2AX proteins was observed in D384 cells exposed to DhL, but no increase in total TP53 levels was detected. Overall these studies demonstrated the marked effect of DhL on the diminished survival of human astrocytoma cells through the induced expression of TP73 and phosphorylation of TP73 and TP53, suggesting their key roles in the tumor cell response to DhL treatment.     

Adeno-Associated Virus Replication Induces a DNA Damage Response Coordinated by DNA-Dependent Protein Kinase

The parvovirus adeno-associated virus (AAV) contains a small single-stranded DNA genome with inverted terminal repeats that form hairpin structures. In order to propagate, AAV relies on the cellular replication machinery together with functions supplied by coinfecting helper viruses such as adenovirus (Ad). Here, we examined the host cell response to AAV replication in the context of Ad or Ad helper proteins. We show that AAV and Ad coinfection activates a DNA damage response (DDR) that is distinct from that seen during Ad or AAV infection alone. The DDR was also triggered when AAV replicated in the presence of minimal Ad helper proteins. We detected autophosphorylation of the kinases ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) and signaling to downstream targets SMC1, Chk1, Chk2, H2AX, and XRCC4 and multiple sites on RPA32. The Mre11 complex was not required for activation of the DDR to AAV infection. Additionally, we found that DNA-PKcs was the primary mediator of damage signaling in response to AAV replication. Immunofluorescence revealed that some activated damage proteins were found in a pan-nuclear pattern (phosphorylated ATM, SMC1, and H2AX), while others such as DNA-PK components (DNA-PKcs, Ku70, and Ku86) and RPA32 accumulated at AAV replication centers. Although expression of the large viral Rep proteins contributed to some damage signaling, we observed that the full response required replication of the AAV genome. Our results demonstrate that AAV replication in the presence of Ad helper functions elicits a unique damage response controlled by DNA-PK.Replication of viral genomes produces a large amount of extrachromosomal DNA that may be recognized by the cellular DNA damage machinery. This is often accompanied by activation of DNA damage response (DDR) signaling pathways and recruitment of cellular repair proteins to sites of viral replication. Viruses therefore provide good model systems to study the recognition and response to DNA damage (reviewed in reference 48). The Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 (MRN) complex functions as a sensor of chromosomal DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and is involved in activation of damage signaling (reviewed in reference 41). The MRN complex also localizes to DNA DSBs and is found at viral replication compartments during infection with a number of DNA viruses (6, 40, 47, 70, 75, 77, 87, 93). The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-like kinases (PIKKs) ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), ATM and Rad3-related kinase (ATR), and the catalytic subunit of the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs) are involved in the signal transduction cascades activated by DNA damage (reviewed in references 43, 51, and 71). These kinases respond to distinct types of damage and regulate DSB repair during different phases of the cell cycle (5), either through nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) or homologous recombination pathways (reviewed in references 63, 81, and 86). The DNA-PK holoenzyme is composed of DNA-PKcs and two regulatory subunits, the Ku70 and Ku86 heterodimer. DNA-PK functions with XRCC4/DNA ligase IV to repair breaks during NHEJ, and works with Artemis to process DNA hairpin structures during VDJ recombination and during a subset of DNA DSB events (46, 50, 86). While the kinase activity of DNA-PKcs leads to phosphorylation of a large number of substrates in vitro as well as autophosphorylation of specific residues (reviewed in references 16 and 85), it is currently unclear how DNA-PKcs contributes to signaling in cells upon different types of damage.The adeno-associated virus (AAV) genome consists of a molecule of single-stranded DNA with inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) at both ends that form double-hairpin structures due to their palindromic sequences (reviewed in reference 52). The ITRs are important for replication and packaging of the viral genome and for integration into the host genome. Four viral Rep proteins (Rep78, Rep68, Rep52, and Rep40) are also required for replication and packaging of the AAV genome into virions assembled from the Cap proteins. Although the Rep and Cap genes are replaced in recombinant AAV vectors (rAAV) that retain only the ITRs flanking the gene of interest, these vectors can be replicated by providing Rep in trans (reviewed in reference 7). Productive AAV infection requires helper functions supplied by adenovirus (Ad) or other viruses such as herpes simplex virus (HSV) (reviewed in reference 27), together with components of the host cell DNA replication machinery (54, 55, 58). In the presence of helper viruses or minimal helper proteins from Ad or HSV, AAV replicates in the nucleus at centers where the viral DNA and Rep proteins accumulate (35, 76, 84, 89). Cellular and viral proteins involved in AAV replication, including replication protein A (RPA), Ad DNA-binding protein (DBP), and HSV ICP8, localize with Rep proteins at these viral centers (29, 33, 76).A number of published reports suggest associations between AAV and the cellular DNA damage machinery. For example, transduction by rAAV vectors is increased by genotoxic agents and DNA damaging treatments (1, 62, 91) although the mechanisms involved remain unclear. Additionally, the ATM kinase negatively regulates rAAV transduction (64, 92), and we have shown that the MRN complex poses a barrier to both rAAV transduction and wild-type AAV replication (11, 67). UV-inactivated AAV particles also appear to activate a DDR involving ATM and ATR kinases that perturbs cell cycle progression (39, 60, 88). It has been suggested that this response is provoked by the AAV ITRs (60) and that UV-treated particles mimic stalled replication forks in infected cells (39). In addition to AAV genome components, the viral Rep proteins have been observed to exhibit cytotoxicity and induce S-phase arrest (3, 65).The role of cellular repair proteins in AAV genome processing has also been explored by examining the molecular fate of rAAV vectors, which are converted into circular and concatemeric forms that persist episomally (18, 19, 66). Proteins shown to regulate circularization in cell culture include ATM and the MRN complex (14, 64), while in vivo experiments using mouse models have implicated ATM and DNA-PK in this process (14, 20, 72). Additionally, DNA-PKcs and Artemis have recently been shown to cleave the ITR hairpins of rAAV vectors in vivo in a tissue-dependent manner (36). Despite these studies, it is not clear how damage response factors function together and how they impact AAV transduction and replication in human cells.In this study we examined the cellular response to AAV replication in the context of Ad infection or helper proteins. We show that coinfection with AAV and Ad activates a DDR that is distinct from that seen during infection with Ad alone. The ATM and DNA-PKcs damage kinases are activated and signal to downstream substrates, but the response does not require the MRN complex and is primarily mediated by DNA-PKcs. Although expression of the large Rep proteins induced some DDR events, full signaling appeared to require AAV replication and was accompanied by accumulation of DNA-PK at viral replication compartments. Our results demonstrate that AAV replication induces a unique DNA damage signal transduction response and provides a model system for studying DNA-PK.     

PNAS-4, an Early DNA Damage Response Gene,Induces S Phase Arrest and Apoptosis by Activating Checkpoint Kinases in Lung Cancer Cells

PNAS-4, a novel pro-apoptotic gene, was activated during the early response to DNA damage. Our previous study has shown that PNAS-4 induces S phase arrest and apoptosis when overexpressed in A549 lung cancer cells. However, the underlying action mechanism remains far from clear. In this work, we found that PNAS-4 expression in lung tumor tissues is significantly lower than that in adjacent lung tissues; its expression is significantly increased in A549 cells after exposure to cisplatin, methyl methane sulfonate, and mitomycin; and its overexpression induces S phase arrest and apoptosis in A549 (p53 WT), NCI-H460 (p53 WT), H526 (p53 mutation), and Calu-1 (p53^−/−) lung cancer cells, leading to proliferation inhibition irrespective of their p53 status. The S phase arrest is associated with up-regulation of p21^Waf1/Cip1 and inhibition of the Cdc25A-CDK2-cyclin E/A pathway. Up-regulation of p21^Waf1/Cip1 is p53-independent and correlates with activation of ERK. We further showed that the intra-S phase checkpoint, which occurs via DNA-dependent protein kinase-mediated activation of Chk1 and Chk2, is involved in the S phase arrest and apoptosis. Gene silencing of Chk1/2 rescues, whereas that of ATM or ATR does not affect, S phase arrest and apoptosis. Furthermore, human PNAS-4 induces DNA breaks in comet assays and γ-H2AX staining. Intriguingly, caspase-dependent cleavage of Chk1 has an additional role in enhancing apoptosis. Taken together, our findings suggest a novel mechanism by which elevated PNAS-4 first causes DNA-dependent protein kinase-mediated Chk1/2 activation and then results in inhibition of the Cdc25A-CDK2-cyclin E/A pathway, ultimately causing S phase arrest and apoptosis in lung cancer cells.     

Cell-Cycle Asynchrony Generates DNA Damage at Mitotic Entry in Polyploid Cells

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Overexpression of the Pituitary Tumor Transforming Gene Induces p53-dependent Senescence through Activating DNA Damage Response Pathway in Normal Human Fibroblasts

Pituitary tumor transforming gene (PTTG1, securin) is involved in cell-cycle control through inhibition of sister-chromatid separation. Elevated levels of PTTG1 were found to be associated with many different tumor types that might be involved in late stage tumor progression. However, the role of PTTG1 in early stage of tumorigenesis is unclear. Here we utilized the adenovirus expression system to deliver PTTG1 into normal human fibroblasts to evaluate the role of PTTG1 in tumorigenesis. Expressing PTTG1 in normal human fibroblasts inhibited cell proliferation. Several senescence-associated (SA) phenotypes including increased SA-β-galactosidase activities, decreased bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, and increased SA-heterochromatin foci formation were also observed in PTTG1-expressing cells, indicating that PTTG1 overexpression induced a senescent phenotype in normal cells. Significantly, the PTTG1-induced senescence is p53-dependent and telomerase-independent, which is distinctively different from that of replicative senescence. The mechanism of PTTG1-induced senescence was also analyzed. Consistent with its role in regulating sister-chromatid separation, overexpression of PTTG1 inhibited the activation of separase. Consequently, the numbers of cells with abnormal nuclei morphologies and chromosome separations were increased, which resulted in activation of the DNA damage response. Thus, we concluded that PTTG1 overexpression in normal human fibroblasts caused chromosome instability, which subsequently induced p53-dependent senescence through activation of DNA-damage response pathway.     

Hyperoxia Induces S-Phase Cell-Cycle Arrest and p21-Independent Cdk2 Inhibition in Human Carcinoma T47D-H3 Cells

Little is known about cell-cycle checkpoint activation by oxidative stress in mammalian cells. The effects of hyperoxia on cell-cycle progression were investigated in asynchronous human T47D-H3 cells, which contain mutated p53 and fail to arrest at G1/S in response to DNA damage. Hyperoxic exposure (95% O₂, 40–64 h) induced an S-phase arrest associated with acute inhibition of Cdk2 activity and DNA synthesis. In contrast, exit from G2/M was not inhibited in these cells. After 40 h of hyperoxia, these effects were partially reversible during recovery under normoxic conditions. The inhibition of Cdk2 activity was not due to degradation of Cdk2, cyclin E or A, nor impairment of Cdk2 complex formation with cyclin A or E and p21^Cip1. The loss of Cdk2 activity occurred in the absence of induction and recruitment of cdk inhibitor p21^Cip1 or p27^Kip1 in cyclin A/Cdk2 or cyclin E/Cdk2 complexes. In contrast, Cdk2 inhibition was associated with increased Cdk2-Tyr15 phosphorylation, increased E2F-1 recruitment, and decreased PCNA contents in Cdk2 complexes. The latter results indicate a p21^Cip1/p27^Kip1-independent mechanism of S-phase checkpoint activation in the hyperoxic T47D cell model investigated.     

DNA Damage Response in Nucleoli

Molecular Biology - Nucleoli, the largest subnuclear compartments, are formed around arrays of ribosomal gene repeats transcribed by RNA polymerase I. The primary function of nucleoli is ribosome...     

p16INK4A Participates in a G1 Arrest Checkpoint in Response to DNA Damage

Members of the INK4 protein family specifically inhibit cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (cdk4) and cdk6-mediated phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product (Rb). p16^INK4A, a prototypic INK4 protein, has been identified as a tumor suppressor in many human cancers. Inactivation of p16^INK4A in tumors expressing wild-type Rb is thought to be required in order for many malignant cell types to enter S phase efficiently or to escape senescence. Here, we demonstrate another mechanism of tumor suppression by implicating p16^INK4A in a G₁ arrest checkpoint in response to DNA damage. Calu-1 non-small cell lung cancer cells, which retain Rb and lack p53, do not arrest in G₁ following DNA damage. However, engineered expression of p16^INK4A at levels compatible with cell proliferation restores a G₁ arrest checkpoint in response to treatment with γ-irradiation, topoisomerase I and II inhibitors, and cisplatin. A similar checkpoint can be demonstrated in p53^−/− fibroblasts that express p16^INK4A. DNA damage-induced G₁ arrest, which requires the expression of pocket proteins such as Rb, can be abrogated by overexpression of cdk4, kinase-inactive cdk4 variants capable of sequestering p16^INK4A, or a cdk4 variant incapable of binding p16^INK4A. After exposure to DNA-damaging agents, there was no change either in overall levels of p16^INK4A or in amounts of p16^INK4A found in complex with cdks 4 and 6. Nonetheless, p16^INK4A expression is required for the reduction in cdk4- and cdk6-mediated Rb kinase activity observed in response to DNA damage. During tumor progression, loss of p16^INK4A expression may be necessary for cells with wild-type Rb to bypass this G₁ arrest checkpoint and attain a fully transformed phenotype.     

Human Herpesvirus-6 U14 Induces Cell-Cycle Arrest in G2/M Phase by Associating with a Cellular Protein,EDD

The human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) infection induces cell-cycle arrest. In this study, we found that the HHV-6-encoded U14 protein induced cell-cycle arrest at G2/M phase via an association with the cellular protein EDD, a mediator of DNA-damage signal transduction. In the early phase of HHV-6 infection, U14 colocalized with EDD dots in the nucleus, and similar colocalization was also observed in cells transfected with a U14 expression vector. When the carboxyl-terminal region of U14 was deleted, no association of U14 and EDD was observed, and the percentage of cells in G2/M decreased relative to that in cells expressing wild-type U14, indicating that the C-terminal region of U14 and the U14–EDD association are critical for the cell-cycle arrest induced by U14. These results indicate that U14 is a G2/M checkpoint regulator encoded by HHV-6.