Visualization of inositol phosphate-dependent mobility of Ku: depletion of the DNA-PK cofactor InsP6 inhibits Ku mobility

Repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in mammalian cells by nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) is initiated by the DNA–PK protein complex. Recent studies have shown inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP₆) is a potent cofactor for DNA–PK activity in NHEJ. Specifically, InsP₆ binds to the Ku component of DNA–PK, where it induces a conformational change and a corresponding increase in DNA end-joining activity. However, the effect of InsP₆ on the dynamics of Ku, such as its mobility in the nucleus, is unknown. Importantly, these dynamics reflect the character of Ku’s interactions with other molecules. To address this question, the diffusion of Ku was measured by fluorescence photobleaching experiments using cells expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled Ku. InsP₆ was depleted by treating cells with calmodulin inhibitors, which included the compounds W7 and chlorpromazine. These treatments caused a 50% reduction in the mobile fraction of Ku–GFP, and this could be reversed by replenishing cells with InsP₆. By expressing deletion mutants of Ku–GFP, it was determined that its W7-sensitive region occurred at the N-terminus of the dimerization domain of Ku70. These results therefore show that InsP₆ enhances Ku mobility through a discrete region of Ku70, and modulation of InsP₆ levels in cells represents a potential avenue for regulating NHEJ by affecting the dynamics of Ku and hence its interaction with other nuclear proteins.