155 - Loss of PRDX1 increases RAD51 Cys319 oxidation and decreases homologous recombination

Abstract

Peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1) is an oxidative stress protein sensor, which can coordinate cell signaling of its binding partners. Loss of Prdx1 function in mice has been shown to enhance susceptibility to various cancers, including breast cancer. Homologous recombination (HR) is a critical process that enables template directed DNA repair to maintain genomic stability. RAD51 is a critical component of HR, which facilitates strand-exchange to repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSB). The role of PRDX1 in DNA damage and RAD51 directed repair was investigated. Irradiation (IR) of MEFs proficient or deficient of PRDX1 with doses up to 10 Gy found Prdx1-/- MEFs were more sensitive to IR and exhibited reduced homologous recombination in DR-GFP reporter assays. Prdx1-/- MEFs also displayed enhanced DNA damage as measured by nuclear ɣH2AX phosphorylation and reduced RAD51 foci formation following IR. As PRDX1 has been previously identified to bind proteins under heightened oxidative insult, immunoprecipitation assays were conducted, which found PRDX1 directly bound RAD51 with increasing IR. Oxidation of cysteine residues to the sulfenic acid form was specifically probed with DAZ2 and loss of PRDX1 enhanced sulfenylation of RAD51. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed C319 of RAD51 as a primary target of oxidation. Cells harboring overexpression of mutant RAD51 C319 revealed suppression of HR, IR-induced RAD51 foci formation, RAD51 enhanced malignancy in an anchorage-independent growth soft agar colony formation and proliferation. MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells deficient of PRDX1 had decreased IR-induced RAD51 foci formation and were more sensitive to doxorubicin. In conclusion, PRDX1 binds RAD51 during heighted oxidative conditions and protects the functionally important RAD51 residue C319 from oxidation.