Homologous Recombination In Human Cells Research Articles

Promotion of DNA end resection by BRCA1-BARD1 in homologous recombination.

The licensing step of DNA double-strand break repair by homologous recombination entails resection of DNA ends to generate a single-stranded DNA template for assembly of the repair machinery consisting of the RAD51 recombinase and ancillary factors1. DNA end resection is mechanistically intricate and reliant on the tumour suppressor complex BRCA1-BARD1 (ref. 2). Specifically, three distinct nuclease entities-the 5'-3' exonuclease EXO1 and heterodimeric complexes of the DNA endonuclease DNA2, with either the BLM or WRN helicase-act in synergy to execute the end resection process3. A major question concerns whether BRCA1-BARD1 directly regulates end resection. Here, using highly purified protein factors, we provide evidence that BRCA1-BARD1 physically interacts with EXO1, BLM and WRN. Importantly, with reconstituted biochemical systems and a single-molecule analytical tool, we show that BRCA1-BARD1 upregulates the activity of all three resection pathways. We also demonstrate that BRCA1 and BARD1 harbour stand-alone modules that contribute to the overall functionality of BRCA1-BARD1. Moreover, analysis of a BARD1 mutant impaired in DNA binding shows the importance of this BARD1 attribute in end resection, both in vitro and in cells. Thus, BRCA1-BARD1 enhances the efficiency of all three long-range DNA end resection pathways during homologous recombination in human cells.

Decorating chromatin for enhanced genome editing using CRISPR-Cas9

CRISPR-associated (Cas) enzymes have revolutionized biology by enabling RNA-guided genome editing. Homology-directed repair (HDR) in the presence of donor templates is currently the most versatile method to introduce precise edits following CRISPR-Cas-induced double-stranded DNA cuts, but HDR efficiency is generally low relative to end-joining pathways that lead to insertions and deletions (indels). We tested the hypothesis that HDR could be increased using a Cas9 construct fused to PRDM9, a chromatin remodeling factor that deposits histone methylations H3K36me3 and H3K4me3 to mediate homologous recombination in human cells. Our results show that the fusion protein contacts chromatin specifically at the Cas9 cut site in the genome to increase the observed HDR efficiency by threefold and HDR:indel ratio by fivefold compared with that induced by unmodified Cas9. HDR enhancement occurred in multiple cell lines with no increase in off-target genome editing. These findings underscore the importance of chromatin features for the balance between DNA repair mechanisms during CRISPR-Cas genome editing and provide a strategy to increase HDR efficiency.

New RAD51 Inhibitors to Target Homologous Recombination in Human Cells.

Targeting DNA repair proteins with small-molecule inhibitors became a proven anti-cancer strategy. Previously, we identified an inhibitor of a major protein of homologous recombination (HR) RAD51, named B02. B02 inhibited HR in human cells and sensitized them to chemotherapeutic drugs in vitro and in vivo. Here, using a medicinal chemistry approach, we aimed to improve the potency of B02. We identified the B02 analog, B02-isomer, which inhibits HR in human cells with significantly higher efficiency. We also show that B02-iso sensitizes triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells to the PARP inhibitor (PARPi) olaparib.

Herpes ICP8 protein stimulates homologous recombination in human cells.

Recombineering has transformed functional genomic analysis. Genome modification by recombineering using the phage lambda Red homologous recombination protein Beta in Escherichia coli has approached 100% efficiency. While highly efficient in E. coli, recombineering using the Red Synaptase/Exonuclease pair (SynExo) in other organisms declines in efficiency roughly correlating with phylogenetic distance from E. coli. SynExo recombinases are common to double-stranded DNA viruses infecting a variety of organisms, including humans. Human Herpes virus 1 (HHV1) encodes a SynExo comprised of ICP8 synaptase and UL12 exonuclease. In a previous study, the Herpes SynExo was reconstituted in vitro and shown to catalyze a model recombination reaction. Here we describe stimulation of gene targeting to edit a novel fluorescent protein gene in the human genome using ICP8 and compared its efficiency to that of a “humanized” version of Beta protein from phage λ. ICP8 significantly enhanced gene targeting rates in HEK 293T cells while Beta was not only unable to catalyze recombineering but inhibited gene targeting using endogenous recombination functions, despite both synaptases being well-expressed and localized to the nucleus. This proof of concept encourages developing species-specific SynExo recombinases for genome engineering.

The Histone Chaperones ASF1 and CAF-1 Promote MMS22L-TONSL-Mediated Rad51 Loading onto ssDNA during Homologous Recombination in Human Cells

The access-repair-restore model for the role ofchromatin in DNA repair infers that chromatin is a mere obstacle to DNA repair. However, herewe show that blocking chromatin assembly, via knockdown of the histone chaperones ASF1 or CAF-1 or amutation that prevents ASF1A binding to histones, hinders Rad51 loading onto ssDNA during homologous recombination. This is a consequence ofreduced recruitment of the Rad51 loader MMS22L-TONSL to ssDNA, resulting in persistent RPA foci, extensive DNA end resection, persistent activation of the ATR-Chk1 pathway, and cell cycle arrest. In agreement, histones occupy ssDNA during DNA repair in yeast.We also uncovered DNA-PKcs-dependent DNA damage-induced ASF1A phosphorylation, which enhances chromatin assembly, promoting MMS22L-TONSL recruitment and, hence, Rad51 loading. We propose that transient assembly of newly synthesized histones onto ssDNA serves to recruit MMS22L-TONSL to efficiently form the Rad51 nucleofilament for strand invasion, suggesting an active role of chromatin assembly in homologous recombination.

SYCP3 regulates strand invasion activities of RAD51 and DMC1.

The synaptonemal complex is a higher-ordered proteinaceous architecture formed between homologous chromosomes. SYCP3 is a major component of the lateral/axial elements in the synaptonemal complex and is essential for meiotic recombination. Previous genetic studies showed that SYCP3 functions in meiotic homologous recombination biased to interhomologous chromosomes, by regulating the strand invasion activities of the RAD51 and DMC1 recombinases. However, the mechanism by which SYCP3 regulates RAD51- and DMC1-mediated strand invasion remains elusive. In this study, we found that SYCP3 significantly suppresses the RAD51-mediated, but not the DMC1-mediated, strand invasion reaction by competing with HOP2-MND1, which is an activator for both RAD51 and DMC1. A SYCP3 mutant with defective RAD51 binding does not inhibit the RAD51-mediated homologous recombination in human cells. Therefore, SYCP3 may promote the DMC1-driven homologous recombination by attenuating the RAD51 activity during meiosis.

Homologous recombination in budding yeast expressing the human RAD52 gene reveals a Rad51-independent mechanism of conservative double-strand break repair.

RAD52 is a homologous recombination (HR) protein that is conserved from bacteriophage to humans. Simultaneously attenuating expression of both the RAD52 gene, and the HR and tumor suppressor gene, BRCA2, in human cells synergistically reduces HR – indicating that RAD52 and BRCA2 control independent mechanisms of HR. We have expressed the human RAD52 gene (HsRAD52) in budding yeast strains lacking the endogenous RAD52 gene and found that HsRAD52 supports repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) by a mechanism of HR that conserves genome structure. Importantly, this mechanism of HR is independent of RAD51, which encodes the central strand exchange protein in yeast required for conservative HR. In contrast, BRCA2 exerts its effect on HR in human cells together with HsRAD51, potentially explaining the synergistic effect of attenuating the expression of both HsRAD52 and BRCA2. This suggests that multiple mechanisms of conservative DSB repair may contribute to tumor suppression in human cells.

DNA Ligase IV and Artemis Act Cooperatively to Suppress Homologous Recombination in Human Cells: Implications for DNA Double-Strand Break Repair

Nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR) are two major pathways for repairing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs); however, their respective roles in human somatic cells remain to be elucidated. Here we show using a series of human gene-knockout cell lines that NHEJ repairs nearly all of the topoisomerase II- and low-dose radiation-induced DNA damage, while it negatively affects survival of cells harbouring replication-associated DSBs. Intriguingly, we find that loss of DNA ligase IV, a critical NHEJ ligase, and Artemis, an NHEJ factor with endonuclease activity, independently contribute to increased resistance to replication-associated DSBs. We also show that loss of Artemis alleviates hypersensitivity of DNA ligase IV-null cells to low-dose radiation- and topoisomerase II-induced DSBs. Finally, we demonstrate that Artemis-null human cells display increased gene-targeting efficiencies, particularly in the absence of DNA ligase IV. Collectively, these data suggest that DNA ligase IV and Artemis act cooperatively to promote NHEJ, thereby suppressing HR. Our results point to the possibility that HR can only operate on accidental DSBs when NHEJ is missing or abortive, and Artemis may be involved in pathway switching from incomplete NHEJ to HR.

Cut-and-Paste of DNA Using an Artificial Restriction DNA Cutter

DNA manipulations using a completely chemistry-based DNA cutter (ARCUT) have been reviewed. This cutter, recently developed by the authors, is composed of Ce(IV)/EDTA complex and two strands of pseudo-complementary peptide nucleic acid. The site-selective scission proceeds via hydrolysis of targeted phosphodiester linkages, so that the resultant scission fragments can be easily ligated with other fragments by using DNA ligase. Importantly, scission-site and site-specificity of the cutter are freely tuned in terms of the Watson–Crick rule. Thus, when one should like to manipulate DNA according to the need, he or she does not have to think about (1) whether appropriate “restriction enzyme sites” exist near the manipulation site and (2) whether the site-specificity of the restriction enzymes, if any, are sufficient to cut only the aimed position without chopping the DNA at non-targeted sites. Even the human genome can be manipulated, since ARCUT can cut the genome at only one predetermined site. Furthermore, the cutter is useful to promote homologous recombination in human cells, converting a site to desired sequence. The ARCUT-based DNA manipulation should be promising for versatile applications.

An artificial restriction DNA cutter for site-selective gene insertion in human cells

With the use of a chemistry-based artificial restriction DNA cutter (combination of Ce(IV)-EDTA and a pair of pcPNA), both an antibiotic-resistance gene and a fluorescent reporter protein gene were incorporated into the targeted site through homologous recombination in human cells.

RI-1: a chemical inhibitor of RAD51 that disrupts homologous recombination in human cells

Homologous recombination serves multiple roles in DNA repair that are essential for maintaining genomic stability. We here describe RI-1, a small molecule that inhibits the central recombination protein RAD51. RI-1 specifically reduces gene conversion in human cells while stimulating single strand annealing. RI-1 binds covalently to the surface of RAD51 protein at cysteine 319 that likely destabilizes an interface used by RAD51 monomers to oligomerize into filaments on DNA. Correspondingly, the molecule inhibits the formation of subnuclear RAD51 foci in cells following DNA damage, while leaving replication protein A focus formation unaffected. Finally, it potentiates the lethal effects of a DNA cross-linking drug in human cells. Given that this inhibitory activity is seen in multiple human tumor cell lines, RI-1 holds promise as an oncologic drug. Furthermore, RI-1 represents a unique tool to dissect the network of reaction pathways that contribute to DNA repair in cells.

Human DNA2/BLM and EXO1 participate in parallel longrange resection pathways for repair of DSB due to replication stress

Double stranded breaks (DSB) are lesions repaired by the homologous recombination (HR) pathway during S/G2 phase. MRN/CtIP nuclease activity initiates a short 5′ end resection followed by a longer resection to generate a recombinogenic 3′ ssDNA sufficient to activate a cell cycle checkpoint and ensure HR. It is postulated that the long‐range resection occurs via two pathways. One requires BLM helicase and the other utilizes EXO1. Here we show that DNA2 nuclease may function with BLM to effect the long‐range 5′ resection. Using camptothecin to induce DSBs, we have shown that DNA2 and EXO1 function in two parallel pathways. In the absence of both DNA2 and EXO1, DNA resection is markedly impaired in comparison to instances where DNA2 and EXO1 are depleted individually. S‐phase checkpoint is probably impaired due to diminished resection, RPA and Chk1 phosphorylation. Cells also exhibit reduced RPA2, RAD51 and ssDNA foci after S‐phase specific DNA damage. Moreover, DNA2 and EXO1 knockdown cells have increased DNA‐PK phosphorylation, suggesting that interference with HR may activate NHEJ. In clonogenic assays, DNA2 and EXO1 knockdown cells are sensitive to DNA damaging agents camptothecin and cisplatin. Overall, we demonstrate that DNA2/BLM is important for HR in human cells undergoing replication stress.

Inhibition of Homologous Recombination in Human Cells by Targeting RAD51 Recombinase

The homologous recombination (HR) pathway plays a crucial role in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and interstrand cross-links (ICLs). RAD51, a key protein of HR, possesses a unique activity: DNA strand exchange between homologous DNA sequences. Recently, using a high-throughput screening (HTS), we identified compound 1 (B02), which specifically inhibits the DNA strand exchange activity of human RAD51. Here, we analyzed the mechanism of inhibition and found that 1 disrupts RAD51 binding to DNA. We then examined the effect of 1 on HR and DNA repair in the cell. The results show that 1 inhibits HR and increases cell sensitivity to DNA damage. We propose to use 1 for analysis of cellular functions of RAD51. Because DSB- and ICL-inducing agents are commonly used in anticancer therapy, specific inhibitors of RAD51 may also help to increase killing of cancer cells.

Chemical and biological approaches to improve the efficiency of homologous recombination in human cells mediated by artificial restriction DNA cutter

A chemistry-based artificial restriction DNA cutter (ARCUT) was recently prepared from Ce(IV)/EDTA complex and a pair of pseudo-complementary peptide nucleic acids. This cutter has freely tunable scission-site and site specificity. In this article, homologous recombination (HR) in human cells was promoted by cutting a substrate DNA with ARCUT, and the efficiency of this bioprocess was optimized by various chemical and biological approaches. Of two kinds of terminal structure formed by ARCUT, 3′-overhang termini provided by 1.7-fold higher efficiency than 5′-overhang termini. A longer homology length (e.g. 698 bp) was about 2-fold more favorable than shorter one (e.g. 100 bp). When the cell cycle was synchronized to G2/M phase with nocodazole, the HR was promoted by about 2-fold. Repression of the NHEJ-relevant proteins Ku70 and Ku80 by siRNA increased the efficiency by 2- to 3-fold. It was indicated that appropriate combination of all these chemical and biological approaches should be very effective to promote ARCUT-mediated HR in human cells.

ChemInform Abstract: Artificial DNA Cutters for DNA Manipulation and Genome Engineering

AbstractReview: ca. 100 refs.

Targeting DNA With Fingers and TALENs.

Researchers have long recognized that the random introduction of new DNA into the genome could result in unpredictable genetic effects due to bilateral influences between transgenic and endogenous sequences. Hence, precise editing or replacement of mutant genes has been a major goal of gene therapy since its inception. That goal looked possible with the publication of studies demonstrating that targeted cleavage of chromosomal sequences and enhanced homologous recombination (HR) could be achieved using chimeric molecules composed of a nuclease domain and separate, designer DNA-recognition domains.1,2 Zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) are artificial endonucleases that consist of a FokI cleavage domain tethered to engineered Cys2His2 zinc-finger, DNA-binding polypeptides.3,4,5 ZFNs have gained considerable momentum and are widely considered the most mature nuclease technology in the gene therapy field.6 However, after 15 years in the spotlight, a new chimeric nuclease has emerged, Transcription Activator-Like (TAL) Effector Nucleases (TALENs).7,8,9,10 Here, we describe functional and design characteristics of ZFNs and TALENs and discuss their expanding role as tools for research and gene therapy.

Live imaging of induced and controlled DNA double-strand break formation reveals extremely low repair by homologous recombination in human cells

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), the most hazardous DNA lesions, may result in genomic instability, a hallmark of cancer cells. The main DSB repair pathways are non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR). In mammalian cells, NHEJ, which can lead to inaccurate repair, predominates. HR repair (HRR) is considered accurate and is restricted to S, G2 and M phases of the cell cycle. Despite its importance, many aspects regarding HRR remain unknown. Here, we developed a novel inducible on/off switch cell system that enables, for the first time, to induce a DSB in a rapid and reversible manner in human cells. By limiting the duration of DSB induction, we found that non-persistent endonuclease-induced DSBs are rarely repaired by HR, whereas persistent DSBs result in the published HRR frequencies (non-significant HR frequency versus frequency of ∼10%, respectively). We demonstrate that these DSBs are repaired by an accurate repair mechanism, which is distinguished from HRR (most likely, error-free NHEJ). Notably, our data reveal that HRR frequencies of endonuclease-induced DSBs in human cells are >10-fold lower than what was previously estimated by prevailing methods, which resulted in recurrent DSB formation. Our findings suggest a role for HRR mainly in repairing challenging DSBs, in contrast to uncomplicated lesions that are frequently repaired by NHEJ. Preventing HR from repairing DSBs in the complex and repetitive human genome probably has an essential role in maintaining genomic stability.

Effect of the overexpression of BRCA2 unclassified missense variants on spontaneous homologous recombination in human cells

Breast Cancer 2 gene (BRCA2) mutation carriers have a 45% chance of developing breast cancer and a 11% risk of developing ovarian cancer by the age of 70. While hundreds of BRCA2-truncating mutations have been associated with an increased cancer risk in carriers, the contribution of unclassified variants (UCVs) to cancer risk remains largely undefined. BRCA2-defective cells show a high degree of chromosome instability. Although a functional assay based on the BRCA2 capability to stimulate DSB-induced homologous recombination (HR) as a way to classify UCVs has been proposed, so far no data are available concerning the effect of BRCA2 UCVs on spontaneous HR. In this study, we proposed a novel functional HR-based assay that determines the effect of the transient overexpression of the BRCA2 variant on spontaneous HR. This assay will help one in the difficult task of classifying UCVs, and it will give more information on how BRCA2 may induce genome instability and on the basic mechanism of BRCA2-induced tumourigenesis. We chose 11 BRCA2 UCVs not previously described or classified in other articles, and distributed along the entire BRCA2-coding region. They are as follows: G173V, D191V, S286P, M927V, T1011R, L1019V, N1878K, S2006R, R2108C, G2353R and V3091I. Basically, because the expression of BRCA2wt and the neutral variants did not increase spontaneous HR, we classified the variants G173V, S286P, M927V, T1011R and L1019V as HR-negative and presumed that they were not pathogenic. The HR-positive variants, D191V, N1878K, S2006R, R2108C, G2353R, and V3091I, which increased HR as much as the cancer-associated variant G2748D, could probably be classified as pathogenic. We observed that all our variants in the C-terminus of the protein behaved differently from the wt, suggesting a role for this protein region in spontaneous HR.

Artificial Restriction DNA Cutters to Promote Homologous Recombination in Human Cells

Homologous recombination is almost the only way to modify the genome in a predetermined fashion, despite its quite low frequency in mammalian cells. It has been already reported that the frequency of this biological process can be notably increased by inducing a double strand break (DSB) at target site. This article presents completely chemistry-based artificial restriction DNA cutter (ARCUT) for the promotion of homologous recombination in human cells. This cutter is composed of Ce(IV)/EDTA complex (molecular scissors) and two strands of peptide nucleic acid (PNA), and contains no proteins. Its scission site in the genome is determined simply by Watson-Crick rule so that ARCUT for desired homologous recombination is easily and straightforwardly designed and synthesized. The site-specificity of the scission is high enough to cut human genome at one target site. The DSB induced by this cutter is satisfactorily recognized by the repair system in human cells and promotes the targeted homologous recombination.

The Over‐expression of the β2 Catalytic Subunit of the Proteasome Decreases Homologous Recombination and Impairs DNA Double‐Strand Break Repair in Human Cells

By a human cDNA library screening, we have previously identified two sequences coding two different catalytic subunits of the proteasome which increase homologous recombination (HR) when overexpressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we investigated the effect of proteasome on spontaneous HR and DNA repair in human cells. To determine if the proteasome has a role in the occurrence of spontaneous HR in human cells, we overexpressed the β2 subunit of the proteasome in HeLa cells and determined the effect on intrachromosomal HR. Results showed that the overexpression of β2 subunit decreased HR in human cells without altering the cell proteasome activity and the Rad51p level. Moreover, exposure to MG132 that inhibits the proteasome activity reduced HR in human cells. We also found that the expression of the β2 subunit increases the sensitivity to the camptothecin that induces DNA double-strand break (DSB). This suggests that the β2 subunit has an active role in HR and DSB repair but does not alter the intracellular level of the Rad51p.