Double-strand Break Repair Mechanisms Research Articles

Drosophila melanogaster как модель in vivo для оценки цитогенетических эффектов низкоинтенсивного ионизирующего излучения

The most important target of radiation damage is the cell nucleus. Structural and functional changes occurring in the nucleus under the influence of ionizing radiation affect the development of different biological effects at the cellular and organismal levels. In the present study, the Comet assay was used which makes it possible to assess the complex of DNA damage in different somatic cells of the body. The specificity of the cytogenetic effect of irradiation in low doses in Drosophila melanogaster has been established. The observed reactions depended not only on the irradiation dose and genotype but also on the type of DNA damage and tissue. In general, neuroblasts of individuals with low synthesis of cytoplasmic superoxide dismutase (sodn1/+) showed the highest sensitivity to irradiation in low doses. With an increase in the dose of ionizing radiation, the frequency of alkali-labile sites and DNA single-strand breaks in sodn1-genotype cells increased. The repair mutant genotypes, on the contrary, had radiosensitive traits exclusively at the level of DNA double-strand breaks. To a greater extent, an increase in the yield of radiation-induced DNA damage of this type was registered in cells of the imaginal disks of individuals with defect in the mechanisms of DNA double-strand break repair (okrA17-11/+), postreplicative repair, and meiotic recombination (mei-41D5/+). The genetically unstable strains used in the work have radiosensitive features which makes them convenient models for assessing the radioecological situation in the environment.

The role of declining ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) function in oocyte aging

Despite the advances in the understanding of reproductive physiology, the mechanisms underlying ovarian aging are still not deciphered. Recent research found an association between impaired ATM-mediated DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair mechanisms and oocyte aging. However, direct evidence connecting ATM-mediated pathway function decline and impaired oocyte quality is lacking. The objective of this study was to determine the role of ATM-mediated DNA DSB repair in the maintenance of oocyte quality in a mouse oocyte knockdown model. Gene interference, in vitro culture, parthenogenesis coupled with genotoxicity assay approaches, as well as molecular cytogenetic analyses based upon next-generation sequencing, were used to test the hypothesis that intact ATM function is critical in the maintenance of oocyte quality. We found that ATM knockdown impaired oocyte quality, resulting in poor embryo development. ATM knockdown significantly lowered or blocked the progression of meiosis in vitro, as well as retarding and reducing embryo cleavage after parthenogenesis. After ATM knockdown, all embryos were of poor quality, and none reached the blastocyst stage. ATM knockdown was also associated with an increased aneuploidy rate compared to controls. Finally, ATM knockdown increased the sensitivity of the oocytes to a genotoxic active metabolite of cyclophosphamide, with increased formation of DNA DSBs, reduced survival, and earlier apoptotic death compared to controls. These findings suggest a key role for ATM in maintaining oocyte quality and resistance to genotoxic stress, and that the previously observed age-induced decline in oocyte ATM function may be a prime factor contributing to oocyte aging.

Baseline DSB repair prediction of chronic rare Grade ≥ 3 toxicities induced by radiotherapy using classification algorithms.

Small fractions of patients suffer from radiotherapy late severe adverse events (AEs Grade ≥ 3), which are usually irreversible and badly affect their quality of life. A novel functional DNA repair assay characterizing several steps of double-strand break (DSB) repair mechanisms was used. DNA repair activities of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were monitored for 1 week using NEXT-SPOT assay in 177 breast and prostate cancer patients. Only seven patients had Grade ≥ 3 AEs, 6months after radiotherapy initiation. The machine learning method established the importance of variables among demographic, clinical and DNA repair data. The most relevant ones, all related to DNA repair, were employed to build a predictor. Predictors constructed with random forest and minimum bounding sphere predicted late Grade ≥ 3 AEs with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 77.17 and 86.22%, respectively. This multiplex functional approach strongly supports a dominant role for DSB repair in the development of chronic AEs. It also showed that affected patients share specific features related to functional aspects of DSB repair. This strategy may be suitable for routine clinical analysis and paves the way for modelling DSB repair associated with severe AEs induced by radiotherapy.

Abstract LB270: VRTX531, a potent and selective inhibitor of USP1 for treatment of BRAC1/2mut and HRD+ cancers

Abstract Tumors characterized by deficiencies in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair mechanisms, such as those harboring mutations in BRCA1/2, are commonly addressed through the administration of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) inhibitors or platinum-based chemotherapy. While these treatments offer clinical advantages, a significant number of patients eventually develop resistance, underscoring the necessity for innovative therapeutic strategies. USP1 belongs to the ubiquitin-specific processing (UBP) family of proteases, playing a pivotal role in modulating DNA damage response (DDR) pathways. VRTX531 is a novel potent, selective and allosteric inhibitor of USP1 with an IC50 of <50 nm in tested across a broad range of tumor lineages including MDAMB-436 and cell lines and UWB1.289. VRTX531, compound induces cell death through a pathway that is distinct from PARP inhibitors and compound demonstrates robust synergy when combined with first- or second-generation PARP inhibitors. Moreover, the compound exhibited profound activity alone and in combination with PARP inhibitor in BRCA1/2 mut and HRD+ tumors. VRTX531 exhibited exemplary pharmacokinetics and safety in preclinical studies and is expected to enter preclinical testing in H1, 2024. VRTX531 is being evaluated as a single agent and in combination with PARP1 inhibitor in patients with BRCA1/2 mut or HRD+ tumors that are naïve to PARP inhibitors and with prior PARP inhibitor history. Citation Format: Uday Kumar Surampudi, Prashant Kashinath Bhavar. VRTX531, a potent and selective inhibitor of USP1 for treatment of BRAC1/2mut and HRD+ cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(7_Suppl):Abstract nr LB270.

Preclinical evaluation of CRISPR-based therapies for Noonan syndrome caused by deep-intronic LZTR1 variants

Gene variants in LZTR1 are implicated to cause Noonan syndrome associated with a severe and early-onset hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Mechanistically, LZTR1 deficiency results in accumulation of RAS GTPases and, as a consequence, in RAS-MAPK signaling hyperactivity, thereby causing the Noonan syndrome-associated phenotype. Despite its epidemiological relevance, pharmacological as well as invasive therapies remain limited. Here, personalized CRISPR/Cas9 gene therapies might offer a novel alternative for a curative treatment in this patient cohort. In this study, by utilizing a patient-specific screening platform based on iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from two Noonan syndrome patients, we evaluated different clinically translatable therapeutic approaches using small Cas9 orthologs targeting a deep-intronic LZTR1 variant to cure the disease-associated molecular pathology. Despite high editing efficiencies in cardiomyocyte cultures transduced with lentivirus or all-in-one AAVs, we observed crucial differences in editing outcomes in proliferative iPSCs versus non-proliferative cardiomyocytes. While editing in iPSCs rescued the phenotype, the same editing approaches did not robustly restore LZTR1 function in cardiomyocytes, indicating critical differences in the activity of DNA double-strand break repair mechanisms between proliferative and non-proliferative cell types and highlighting the importance of cell type-specific screens for testing CRISPR/Cas9 gene therapies.

Abstract IA009: Scars of faulty DNA repair in cancer whole genomes

Abstract Cancer genomes provide a record of the genetic alterations acquired from DNA damage and DNA repair defects during normal cell development and carcinogenesis. Genome-wide somatic alteration patterns in BRCA1-deficient (BRCA1d) and BRCA2-deficient (BRCA2d) cancers are attributed to a deficiency in homologous recombination (HR), a major pathway for the repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in human cells. Some of these mutational patterns may reflect specific error-prone repair mechanisms of DSB repair that cells use in the absence of HR. Such mutational patterns can provide biomarkers of HR-deficiency and help identify clinically relevant therapeutic vulnerabilities. HRD is has been associated with specific DNA rearrangements and cytogenetic aberrations. Paradoxically, the types of DNA rearrangements specifically associated with HR-deficient (HRD) cancers only minimally impact chromosomal structure. Addressing this, we combined a genome graph analysis of short-read whole genome sequencing (WGS) profiles across thousands of tumors with deep linked-read (LR) WGS of 46 BRCA1- or BRCA2-mutant breast cancers to discover a distinct class of HR deficiency-enriched rearrangements called reciprocal pairs. LR WGS showed that reciprocal pairs with identical rearrangement orientations gave rise to one of two distinct chromosomal outcomes, distinguishable only with long molecule data. While one (cis) outcome corresponded to the copy and pasting of a small segment to a distant site, a second (trans) outcome was a quasi-balanced translocation or multi-megabase inversion with substantial (10kb) duplications at each junction. We propose an HR-independent replication restart repair mechanism to explain the full spectrum of reciprocal pair outcomes. LR WGS additionally identified single-strand annealing (SSA) as a BRCA2-deficiency specific repair pathway in human cancers. Integrating these features in a classifier improved discrimination between BRCA1- vs. BRCA2-deficient genomes. In conclusion, our data reveal classes of BRCA1- and BRCA2-deficiency specific rearrangements as a source of cytogenetic aberrations in HRD cells. Citation Format: Jeremy Setton, Simon Powell, Marcin Imielinski. Scars of faulty DNA repair in cancer whole genomes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: DNA Damage Repair: From Basic Science to Future Clinical Application; 2024 Jan 9-11; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(1 Suppl):Abstract nr IA009.

Heavy water inhibits DNA double-strand break repairs and disturbs cellular transcription, presumably via quantum-level mechanisms of kinetic isotope effects on hydrolytic enzyme reactions.

Heavy water, containing the heavy hydrogen isotope, is toxic to cells, although the underlying mechanism remains incompletely understood. In addition, certain enzymatic proton transfer reactions exhibit kinetic isotope effects attributed to hydrogen isotopes and their temperature dependencies, indicative of quantum tunneling phenomena. However, the correlation between the biological effects of heavy water and the kinetic isotope effects mediated by hydrogen isotopes remains elusive. In this study, we elucidated the kinetic isotope effects arising from hydrogen isotopes of water and their temperature dependencies in vitro, focusing on deacetylation, DNA cleavage, and protein cleavage, which are crucial enzymatic reactions mediated by hydrolysis. Intriguingly, the intracellular isotope effects of heavy water, related to the in vitro kinetic isotope effects, significantly impeded multiple DNA double-strand break repair mechanisms crucial for cell survival. Additionally, heavy water exposure enhanced histone acetylation and associated transcriptional activation in cells, consistent with the in vitro kinetic isotope effects observed in histone deacetylation reactions. Moreover, as observed for the in vitro kinetic isotope effects, the cytotoxic effect on cell proliferation induced by heavy water exhibited temperature-dependency. These findings reveal the substantial impact of heavy water-induced isotope effects on cellular functions governed by hydrolytic enzymatic reactions, potentially mediated by quantum-level mechanisms underlying kinetic isotope effects.

Recent Advances in CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Genome Editing in Leishmania Strains.

Genome manipulation of Leishmania species and the creation of modified strains are widely employed strategies for various purposes, including gene function studies, the development of live attenuated vaccines, and the engineering of host cells for protein production. Despite the introduction of novel manipulation approaches like CRISPR/Cas9 technology with significant advancements in recent years, the development of a reliable protocol for efficiently and precisely altering the genes of Leishmania strains remains a challenging endeavor. Following the successful adaptation of the CRISPR/Cas9 system for higher eukaryotic cells, several research groups have endeavored to apply this system to manipulate the genome of Leishmania. Despite the substantial differences between Leishmania and higher eukaryotes, the CRISPR/Cas9 system has been effectively tested and applied in Leishmania. CONCLUSION: This comprehensive review summarizes all the CRISPR/Cas9 systems that have been employed in Leishmania, providing details on their methods and the expression systems for Cas9 and gRNA. The review also explores the various applications of the CRISPR system in Leishmania, including the deletion of multicopy gene families, the development of the Leishmania vaccine, complete gene deletions, investigations into chromosomal translocations, protein tagging, gene replacement, large-scale gene knockout, genome editing through cytosine base replacement, and its innovative use in the detection of Leishmania. In addition, the review offers an up-to-date overview of all double-strand break repair mechanisms in Leishmania.

Human RAD52 stimulates the RAD51-mediated homology search

Homologous recombination (HR) is a DNA repair mechanism of double-strand breaks and blocked replication forks, involving a process of homology search leading to the formation of synaptic intermediates that are regulated to ensure genome integrity. RAD51 recombinase plays a central role in this mechanism, supported by its RAD52 and BRCA2 partners. If the mediator function of BRCA2 to load RAD51 on RPA-ssDNA is well established, the role of RAD52 in HR is still far from understood. We used transmission electron microscopy combined with biochemistry to characterize the sequential participation of RPA, RAD52, and BRCA2 in the assembly of the RAD51 filament and its activity. Although our results confirm that RAD52 lacks a mediator activity, RAD52 can tightly bind to RPA-coated ssDNA, inhibit the mediator activity of BRCA2, and form shorter RAD51-RAD52 mixed filaments that are more efficient in the formation of synaptic complexes and D-loops, resulting in more frequent multi-invasions as well. We confirm the in situ interaction between RAD51 and RAD52 after double-strand break induction in vivo. This study provides new molecular insights into the formation and regulation of presynaptic and synaptic intermediates by BRCA2 and RAD52 during human HR.

Distinct Pattern of ABL1 Genomic Breakpoints in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and BCR::ABL1-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Analysis of 884 Patients with Minor and Major BCR::ABL1 Fusion

The BCR::ABL1 fusion gene is a hallmark of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) but is also found in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). There are two main breakpoint clusters in BCR - “minor” (between exons 1-2, resulting in p190 fusion protein, prevalent in ALL and scarce in CML) and “Major” (between exons 13-15, resulting in p210 protein). On the ABL1 side, the breakpoints are mostly localized between exons 1-3. Due to large intronic areas where the breakpoints occur, only a few papers have been published focusing on the structure of BCR::ABL1 fusions. Moreover, with a single exception, these studies included only the Major- BCR::ABL1 patients. Here, we focused on the analysis of BCR::ABL1 breakpoints involving CML and ALL, children and adults, and Major and minor forms of fusion. To our knowledge, we present data on the largest cohort of patients with BCR::ABL1 fusion identified at the DNA level described to date. Genomic breakpoints were found in 884 patients with BCR::ABL1+ ALL (n=463) and CML (n=421) by multiplex long distance PCR/Sanger sequencing or by NGS Custom Target Enrichment. The RSS database, MEME software and RepeatMasker were used to search RSS, specific motifs known for mediation of DNA breaks (59 motifs) and interspersed and other types of repeats within particular DNA areas. The uniformity test performed on breakpoint distribution within the minor (n=356) and Major (n=528) BCR areas revealed a non-random pattern (p=2.34e-21 and p=2.56e-10, respectively) with breakpoints accumulated in the second halves of the intron 1 (minor BCR) and intron 13 (Major BCR). Within the ABL1 area, breakpoint sites were distributed more randomly (p=9.28e-03); however, the breakpoint distribution within the ABL1 differed significantly between patients with CML and ALL (p=7.43e-05; see Figure) with higher accumulation of breakpoints near the 5‘ end of the ABL1 intron 1 in CML and near the 3‘ end of the intron 1 in ALL. The difference was not driven by the type of fusion (minor vs. Major BCR) as it was still visible even if only Major BCR::ABL1+ patients were analysed (414 CML and 108 ALL; p=2.28e-03). Comparison between various groups of patients (females vs. males; adults vs. children; various age groups, minor vs. Major BCR fusion [in ALL patients]), did not reveal a significantly distinct breakpoint distribution in any BCR or ABL1 area. Analysis of genomic breakpoints showed that fusions are mostly formed in loci with short homologies (49%; 1-71bp, median=2bp), by blunt end junctions (36%) or by a junction with insertion of random nucleotides (13%; 1-42bp, median=3bp) strongly suggesting NHEJ mechanism of double-strand break repair in vast majority of cases. In 313 patients we compared BCR::ABL1 and the reciprocal ABL1::BCR fusion. Vast majority of the BCR::ABL1 and ABL1::BCR breakpoints (81% and 79% on BCR and ABL1 area, respectively) were located within ±100bp window, showing almost precise reciprocal translocation, with negligible losses/gains of DNA resulting from the fusion. Analysis of the association of breakpoints with DNA motifs and chromatin structure did not reveal any significant association with the localization of breakpoints. In conclusion, we show different breakpoint distribution in ABL1 between CML and BCR::ABL1+ ALL. The double-strand breaks are repaired by NHEJ; however, we have not found any DNA or epigenetic motif, which might be responsible for the breakpoints. Our data suggest that the differences in breakpoint distribution are due to different chromatin accessibility and/or different relative positions of the BCR and ABL1 genes throughout the cell development, reflecting the origin of CML in earlier stages of hematopoiesis compared to ALL. Supported by AZV (NU21-03-00128) and NICR No. LX22NPO5102.

Multi-scale characterisation of homologous recombination deficiency in breast cancer

BackgroundHomologous recombination is a robust, broadly error-free mechanism of double-strand break repair, and deficiencies lead to PARP inhibitor sensitivity. Patients displaying homologous recombination deficiency can be identified using ‘mutational signatures’. However, these patterns are difficult to reliably infer from exome sequencing. Additionally, as mutational signatures are a historical record of mutagenic processes, this limits their utility in describing the current status of a tumour.MethodsWe apply two methods for characterising homologous recombination deficiency in breast cancer to explore the features and heterogeneity associated with this phenotype. We develop a likelihood-based method which leverages small insertions and deletions for high-confidence classification of homologous recombination deficiency for exome-sequenced breast cancers. We then use multinomial elastic net regression modelling to develop a transcriptional signature of heterogeneous homologous recombination deficiency. This signature is then applied to single-cell RNA-sequenced breast cancer cohorts enabling analysis of homologous recombination deficiency heterogeneity and differential patterns of tumour microenvironment interactivity.ResultsWe demonstrate that the inclusion of indel events, even at low levels, improves homologous recombination deficiency classification. Whilst BRCA-positive homologous recombination deficient samples display strong similarities to those harbouring BRCA1/2 defects, they appear to deviate in microenvironmental features such as hypoxic signalling. We then present a 228-gene transcriptional signature which simultaneously characterises homologous recombination deficiency and BRCA1/2-defect status, and is associated with PARP inhibitor response. Finally, we show that this signature is applicable to single-cell transcriptomics data and predict that these cells present a distinct milieu of interactions with their microenvironment compared to their homologous recombination proficient counterparts, typified by a decreased cancer cell response to TNFα signalling.ConclusionsWe apply multi-scale approaches to characterise homologous recombination deficiency in breast cancer through the development of mutational and transcriptional signatures. We demonstrate how indels can improve homologous recombination deficiency classification in exome-sequenced breast cancers. Additionally, we demonstrate the heterogeneity of homologous recombination deficiency, especially in relation to BRCA1/2-defect status, and show that indications of this feature can be captured at a single-cell level, enabling further investigations into interactions between DNA repair deficient cells and their tumour microenvironment.

Double-strand DNA break repair: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets.

Double-strand break (DSB), a significant DNA damage brought on by ionizing radiation, acts as an initiating signal in tumor radiotherapy, causing cancer cells death. The two primary pathways for DNA DSB repair in mammalian cells are nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR), which cooperate and compete with one another to achieve effective repair. The DSB repair mechanism depends on numerous regulatory variables. DSB recognition and the recruitment of DNA repair components, for instance, depend on the MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex and the Ku70/80 heterodimer/DNA-PKcs (DNA-PK) complex, whose control is crucial in determining the DSB repair pathway choice and efficiency of HR and NHEJ. In-depth elucidation on the DSB repair pathway's molecular mechanisms has greatly facilitated for creation of repair proteins or pathways-specific inhibitors to advance precise cancer therapy and boost the effectiveness of cancer radiotherapy. The architectures, roles, molecular processes, and inhibitors of significant target proteins in the DSB repair pathways are reviewed in this article. The strategy and application in cancer therapy are also discussed based on the advancement of inhibitors targeted DSB damage response and repair proteins.

Abstract 5977: Evaluation of the potential combination regimens for q901, a clinical stage selective cdk7 inhibitor, as a DNA damage repair inhibitor

Abstract Background; Q901 is an extremely selective CDK7 inhibitor with potent single agent activity in the multiple in vivo tumor models including small cell lung cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, hormone receptor positive breast cancer, castrate-resistant prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. Q901 is currently in Phase 1/2 clinical trial for patients with selected advanced solid tumors (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05394103). In the preclinical models, Q901 treatment induces DNA damage response (DDR) impairment markers, particularly ones involved in the double-strand break repair mechanisms. This opens up broad range of possibilities for new combination regimen that could benefit from the accumulated DNA damages caused by Q901 treatment. Methods: Various combinations have been tested to evaluate potential clinical regimens in multiple solid tumor models. Two different BRCA wild-type ovarian cancer A2780 and OVCAR3 models, an estrogen receptor positive MCF7 breast cancer model, or a syngeneic RENCA mouse renal cancer model was tested with Q901 in combination with poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD), an estrogen receptor (ER) PROTAC degrader, or an anti-PD-1 antibody, respectively. Results: In the A2780 model, the PARPi alone group showed 15% TGI (tumor growth inhibition), but significant tumor regression (104% TGI) was observed in the Q901 and PARPi combination. In the OVCAR3 model, the Q901 and PARPi combination group showed 105% TGI, whereas the PARPi alone group showed 38% TGI. In the MCF7 model, SERD alone showed 64% TGI and Q901 combination with SERD showed 94% TGI. Remarkable tumor regression (111% TGI) was observed in the MCF7 model combining ER PROTAC and Q901, whereas ER PROTAC alone group showed 55% TGI. In the RENCA model, the anti-PD-1 antibody alone group showed 13.2% TGI and the combination of Q901 and anti-PD-1 antibody showed 66% TGI. In summary, these preclinical model studies demonstrated significant additive/synergistic effects of the Q901 combination on tumor growth inhibition. Conclusion: The non-clinical data demonstrate that Q901 not only has a potential as a single agent,but can also be used in combination with other therapeutic strategies to develop next-generation cancer therapeutics to potentially address unmet medical needs. Citation Format: Donghoon Yu, Yeejin Jeon, YoonJi Lee, Seung-Joo Lee, Jaeseung Kim, Hyerim Jung, Tae-Kyung Kim, Kiyean Nam. Evaluation of the potential combination regimens for q901, a clinical stage selective cdk7 inhibitor, as a DNA damage repair inhibitor [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 5977.

Abstract 167: Assessment of homologous recombination deficiency cancer signatures with patient-derived tumor organoid models

Abstract BRCA1/2 alterations are commonly used markers to characterize homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) in cancer. Deficiency in the DNA double-strand break repair mechanism can cause tumor vulnerability to platinum and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi) through synergistic lethal mechanisms. However, PARPi resistance is observed among some BRCA-mutant cancer patients. Conversely, some wild-type BRCA1/2 cancers are susceptible to these therapies. Hence, there is a need to better characterize HRD cancers and uncover additional treatment options. Patient-derived tumor organoids (PDTOs) are emerging ex vivo cancer models as they harbor the mutational landscape of the original tumor and are shown to accurately replicate drug responses observed in patients. In this project, we used a diverse set of pan-cancer PDTOs to model HRD responses to PARPi and other therapies. A total of n=230 pan-cancer PDTOs were generated and characterized by cytopathology, immunohistochemistry, and NGS platforms, confirming concordance with corresponding tumors. Fifty PDTOs from patients with and without BRCA1/2 mutations and from patients who received platinum or PARPi were selected for this project, including ovary, breast, pancreas, endometrium and gastrointestinal cancers. HRD of the original cancers was determined by their genomic composition and manual curation of single base substitution molecular signatures and structural variants - a novel classifier trained and validated in our pan-cancer whole-genome sequencing (WGS) cohort. Mutational status of genes in HR pathway was recorded only for PDTOs that have whole exome sequencing (WES). We developed an immunofluorescent staining to detect RAD51 foci and support the functional HR status and evaluated the treatment timeline with daily brightfield imaging to record the effect of PARPi. We performed high throughput drug screening (HTDS) on 11 PDTOs with FDA-approved drugs, including DNA synthesis inhibitors, CHEK1 inhibitors, PARPi, and ATM/ATR inhibitors. Four PDTOs (rectum, ovary, and prostate) with BRCA1/2 alterations and 3 wild-type BRCA1/2 (pancreas and ovary) responded to PARPis; while 4 wild-type BRCA1/2 (pancreas and ovary) did not respond. Only 5 PDTOs were sensitive to platinum therapies, but all 11 PDTOs responded to the CHEK1 and ATM/ATR inhibitors. Further HTDS experiments on the rest of the selected PDTOs, including combination therapies, are ongoing. In this project, our combinational approach includes well-characterized pan-cancer PDTOs, a functional assay to determine the effects of genetic variants, and an innovative HTDS pipeline to assess HRD status. These robust and clinically relevant assays will help uncover alternative therapeutic options for patients with HRD cancers. Citation Format: Hui-Hsuan Kuo, Madj Al Assaad, John Nguyen, Jenna Moyer, Hamza Gokozan, Sarah Ackermann, Jared Capuano, Jyothi Manohar, Michael Sigouros, Andrea Sboner, Juan Miguel Mosquera, Olivier Elemento, Maria Laura Martin. Assessment of homologous recombination deficiency cancer signatures with patient-derived tumor organoid models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 167.

Polλ promotes microhomology-mediated end-joining.

The double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway called microhomology-mediated end-joining (MMEJ) is thought to be dependent on DNA polymerase theta (Polθ) and occur independently of nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) factors. An unresolved question is whether MMEJ is facilitated by a single Polθ-mediated end-joining pathway or consists of additional undiscovered pathways. We find that human X-family Polλ, which functions in NHEJ, additionally exhibits robust MMEJ activity like Polθ. Polλ promotes MMEJ in mammalian cells independently of essential NHEJ factors LIG4/XRCC4 and Polθ, which reveals a distinct Polλ-dependent MMEJ mechanism. X-ray crystallography employing in situ photo-induced DSB formation captured Polλ in the act of stabilizing a microhomology-mediated DNA synapse with incoming nucleotide at 2.0 Å resolution and reveals how Polλ performs replication across a DNA synapse joined by minimal base-pairing. Last, we find that Polλ is semisynthetic lethal with BRCA1 and BRCA2. Together, these studies indicate Polλ MMEJ as a distinct DSB repair mechanism.

Microhomology-mediated endjoining repair mechanism enables rapid and effective indel generations in stem cells

Functional characterization of gene(s) using a transgene approach in a human cell line or in an animal model generally poses limitations due to persistent transgene overexpression. Conversely, the CRISPR/Cas9 geneediting technology enables precise variant(s) introduction in a gene, thus facilitating accurate characterization in human iPSC-derived target cell/tissue. Such editing is generally mediated by non-homologous end joining, the predominant and error-prone double-strand break repair mechanism which mostly results in gene knockout due to indel(s) generation. However, in most cases the best in silico predicted sgRNAs fail to generate indels especially in iPSCs, encouraging a revisit of DNA damage repair principles. Microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ) is another error-prone repair mechanism which relies on exposed microhomologous sequences flanking the broken ends to fix double-strand breaks. Therefore, sgRNAs targeting the exonic region encompassing di- or tri-nucleotide repeats along with non-repeat exonic region as control, in RIC3, a gene of our interest, were designed to generate effective indel(s) exploiting the MMEJ DSB repair mechanism. iPSCs were co-transfected with eCas9+EGFP and sgRNA+puromycin plasmids and positive clones enriched by transient puromycin selection. Multiple deletion lines adjacent to microhomologous (repeat) region and several lines heterozygous with only 1 bp insertion for the non-repeat region were obtained, and confirmed by Sanger sequencing. These findings suggest that (i) designing sgRNAs from different exonic regions with microrepeats and (ii) MMEJ combined with a rapid and less expensive method of using antibiotic screening of edited lines without cumbersome cell sorting may be effective strategies for indel(s) generation in stem cells.

Repair of Double-Stranded DNA Breaks Generated by CRISPR-Cas9 in Pseudomonas putida KT2440

Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is a metabolically versatile bacterium with considerable promise as a chassis strain for production and degradation of complex organic compounds. Unlike most bacteria, P. putida KT2440 encodes the Ku and LigD proteins involved in Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ). This pathway of repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA has an intrinsic mutagenic potential that could be exploited in combination with currently available genome editing tools that generate programmable DSBs. Here, we investigated the effect of removal or overproduction of NHEJ-associated P. putida KT2440 enzymes on mutations generated upon repair of Cas9-mediated DSBs with the double purpose of characterizing the NHEJ pathway and investigating how it functionally interacts with the current gold standard tool for gene editing. The results of our work shed light on non-templated mechanisms of DSB repair in P. putida KT2440, an information that will serve as foundation to expand the gene engineering toolbox for this important microorganism.

Repair of Double-Stranded DNA Breaks Generated by CRISPR–Cas9 in Pseudomonas putida KT2440

Abstract Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is a metabolically versatile bacterium with considerable promise as a chassis strain for production and degradation of complex organic compounds. Unlike most bacteria, P. putida KT2440 encodes the Ku and LigD proteins involved in Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ). This pathway of repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA has an intrinsic mutagenic potential that could be exploited in combination with currently available genome editing tools that generate programmable DSBs. Here, we investigated the effect of removal or overproduction of NHEJ-associated P. putida KT2440 enzymes on mutations generated upon repair of Cas9-mediated DSBs with the double purpose of characterizing the NHEJ pathway and investigating how it functionally interacts with the current gold standard tool for gene editing. The results of our work shed light on non-templated mechanisms of DSB repair in P. putida KT2440, an information that will serve as foundation to expand the gene engineering toolbox for this important microorganism.

Effect of overdispersion of lethal lesions on cell survival curves

The linear-quadratic (LQ) model is the most commonly used mechanism to predict radiobiological outcomes. It has been used extensively to describe dose-response in vitro and in vivo. There are, however, some questions about its applicability in terms of its capacity to represent some profound mechanistic behaviour. Specifically, empirical evidence suggests that the LQ model underestimates the survival of cells at low doses while overestimating cell death at higher doses. It is believed to be driven from the usual LQ model assumption that radiogenic lesions are Poisson distributed. In this context, we use a negative binomial (NB) distribution to study the effect of overdispersion on the shapes and the possibility of reducing dose-response curvature at higher doses. We develop an overdispersion model for cell survival using the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway double-strand break (DSB) repair mechanism to investigate the effects of the overdispersion on probabilities of repair of DSBs. The error distribution is customised to ensure that the refined overdispersion parameter depends on the mean of the distribution. The predicted cell survival responses for V79, AG and HSG cells exposed to protons, helium and carbon ions are compared with the experimental data in low and high dose regions at various linear energy transfer (LET) values. The results indicate straightening of dose-response and approaching a log-linear behaviour at higher doses. The model predictions with the measured data show that the NB modelled survival curves agree with the data following medium and high doses. Model predictions are not validated at very tiny and very high doses; the approach presented provides an analysis of mechanisms at the microscopic level. This may help improve the understanding of radiobiological responses of survival curves and resolve discrepancies between experimental and theoretical predictions of cell survival models.

Evaluation of conformational transitions of h-BRCA2 functional domain and unclassified variant Arg2502Cys using multimodal approach

Breast cancer type 2 susceptibility (BRCA2) protein plays an essential role in the repair mechanism of DNA double-strand breaks and interstrand cross-links by Homologous recombination. Germline mutations identified in the BRCA2 gene confer an increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Missense mutations are identified all over the gene, including the DNA binding region of BRCA2 that interacts with FANCD2. However, the majority of these missense mutations are classified as ‘Variants of Uncertain Significance’ due to a lack of structural, functional and clinical correlations. Therefore, multi-disciplinary in-silico, in-vitro and biophysical approaches have been explored to characterize an unclassified missense mutation, BRCA2 Arg2502Cys, identified from a case-control study. Circular-dichroism and Fluorescence spectroscopy show that the Arg2502Cys mutation in hBRCA2 (residues 2350–2545) decreases the α-helical/β-sheet propensity of the wild-type protein and perturb the tertiary structure conformation. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed alteration in the intramolecular H-bonds, overall compactness and stability of the hydrophobic core were observed in the mutant protein. Principle component analysis indicated that Arg2502Cys mutant exhibited comparatively large conformational transitions and periodic fluctuation. Therefore, to our conclusion, BRCA2 Arg2502Cys mutant perturbed the structural integrity and conformational dynamics of BRCA2.