Transcription-blocking DNA Lesions Research Articles

DNA damage response: The spliceosome cashes in at the ATM.

Transcription-blocking DNA lesions displace spliceosomes from chromatin and activate a non-canonical ataxia-telangiectasia mutated signalling pathway that modulates splicing.

The core spliceosome as target and effector of non-canonical ATM signalling.

In response to DNA damage tissue homoeostasis is ensured by protein networks promoting DNA repair, cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. DNA damage response signaling pathways coordinate these processes, partly by propagating gene expression-modulating signals. DNA damage influences not only abundance of mRNAs, but also their coding information through alternative splicing. Here we show that transcription-blocking DNA lesions promote chromatin displacement of late-stage spliceosomes and initiate a positive feedback loop centered on the signaling kinase ATM. We propose that initial spliceosome displacement and subsequent R-loop formation is triggered by pausing of RNA polymerase at DNA lesions. In turn, R-loops activate ATM which signals to further impede spliceosome organization and augment UV-triggered alternative splicing at genome-wide level. Our findings define the R-loop-dependent ATM activation by transcription-blocking lesions as an important event in the DNA damage response of non-replicating cells and highlight a key role for spliceosome displacement in this process.

Cockayne Syndrome: Varied Requirement of Transcription-Coupled Nucleotide Excision Repair for the Removal of Three Structurally Different Adducts from Transcribed DNA

Hereditary defects in the transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER) pathway of damaged DNA cause severe neurodegenerative disease Cockayne syndrome (CS), however the origin and chemical nature of the underlying DNA damage had remained unknown. To find out, to which degree the structural properties of DNA lesions determine the extent of transcription arrest in human CS cells, we performed quantitative host cell reactivation analyses of expression vectors containing various synthetic adducts. We found that a single 3-(deoxyguanosin-N 2-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene adduct (dG(N 2)-AAF) constitutes an unsurmountable obstacle to transcription in both CS-A and CS-B cells and is removed exclusively by the CSA- and CSB-dependent pathway. In contrast, contribution of the CS proteins to the removal of two other transcription-blocking DNA lesions – N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene (dG(C8)-AAF) and cyclobutane thymine-thymine (TT) dimer – is only minor (TT dimer) or none (dG(C8)-AAF). The unique properties of dG(N 2)-AAF identify this adduct as a prototype for a new class of DNA lesions that escape the alternative global genome repair and could be critical for the CS pathogenesis.

BACH2: A marker of DNA damage and ageing

DNA damage and ageing share expression changes involving alterations in many aspects of metabolism, suppression of growth and upregulation of defence and genome maintenance systems. "Omics" technologies have permitted large-scale parallel measurements covering global cellular constituents and aided the identification of specific response pathways that change during ageing and after DNA damage. We have set out to identify genes with highly conserved response patterns through meta-analysis of mRNA expression datasets collected during natural ageing and accelerated ageing caused by a Transcription-Coupled Nucleotide Excision Repair (TC-NER) defect in a diverse set of organs and tissues in mice, and from in vitro UV-induced DNA damage in a variety of murine cells. The identified set of genes that show similar expression patterns in response to organ ageing (accelerated and normal), and endogenously and exogenously induced DNA damage, consists of genes involved in anti-oxidant systems and includes the transcription factor Bach2 as one of the most consistent markers. BACH2 was originally identified as a partner of the small Maf proteins and antagonist of the NRF2 anti-oxidant defence pathway and has been implicated in B-cell differentiation and immune system homeostasis. Although BACH2 has never before been associated with UV-induced damage or ageing, it shows a strong downregulation in both conditions. We have characterized the dynamics of Bach2 expression in response to DNA damage and show that it is a highly sensitive responder to transcription-blocking DNA lesions. Gene expression profiling using Affymetrix microarray analysis after siRNA-mediated silencing of Bach2 identified cell cycle and transcription regulation as the most significantly altered processes consistent with a function as transcription factor affecting proliferation.

Arresting transcription and sentencing the cell: The consequences of blocked transcription

Bulky DNA adducts induced by agents like ultraviolet light, cisplatin and oxidative metabolism pose a block to elongation by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). The arrested RNAPII can initiate the repair of transcription-blocking DNA lesions by transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER) to permit efficient recovery of mRNA synthesis while widespread sustained transcription blocks lead to apoptosis. Therefore, RNAPII serves as a processive DNA damage sensor that identifies transcription-blocking DNA lesions. Cockayne syndrome (CS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a complex phenotype that includes clinical photosensitivity, progressive neurological degeneration and premature-aging. CS is associated with defects in TC-NER and the recovery of mRNA synthesis, making CS cells exquisitely sensitive to a variety of DNA damaging agents. These defects in the coupling of repair and transcription appear to underlie some of the complex clinical features of CS. Recent insight into the consequences of blocked transcription and their relationship to CS will be discussed.

RNA interference against transcription elongation factor SII does not support its role in transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair

RNA polymerase II is unable to bypass bulky DNA lesions induced by agents like ultraviolet light (UV light) and cisplatin that are located in the template strand of active genes. Arrested polymerases form a stable ternary complex at the site of DNA damage that is thought to pose an impediment to the repair of these lesions. Transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER) preferentially repairs these DNA lesions through an incompletely defined mechanism. Based on elegant in vitro experiments, it was hypothesized that the transcription elongation factor IIS (TFIIS) may be required to couple transcription to repair by catalyzing the reverse translocation of the arrested polymerase, allowing access of repair proteins to the site of DNA damage. However the role of TFIIS in this repair process has not been tested in vivo. Here, silencing TFIIS using an RNA interference strategy did not affect the ability of cells to recover nascent RNA synthesis following UV exposure or the ability of cells to repair a UV-damaged reporter gene while a similar strategy to decrease the expression Cockayne syndrome group B protein (CSB) resulted in the expected repair defect. Furthermore, RNA interference against TFIIS did not increase the sensitivity of cells to UV light or cisplatin while decreased expression of CSB did. Taken together, these results indicate that TFIIS is not limiting for the repair of transcription-blocking DNA lesions and thus the present work does not support a role for TFIIS in TC-NER.

Ataxia telangiectasia mutated activation by transcription‐ and topoisomerase I‐induced DNA double‐strand breaks

Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), the deficiency of which causes a severe neurodegenerative disease, is a crucial mediator for the DNA damage response (DDR). As neurons have high rates of transcription that require topoisomerase I (TOP1), we investigated whether TOP1 cleavage complexes (TOP1cc)-which are potent transcription-blocking lesions-also produce transcription-dependent DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) with ATM activation. We show the induction of DSBs and DDR activation in post-mitotic primary neurons and lymphocytes treated with camptothecin, with the induction of nuclear DDR foci containing activated ATM, gamma-H2AX (phosphorylated histone H2AX), activated CHK2 (checkpoint kinase 2), MDC1 (mediator of DNA damage checkpoint 1) and 53BP1 (p53 binding protein 1). The DSB-ATM-DDR pathway was suppressed by inhibiting transcription and gamma-H2AX signals were reduced by RNase H1 transfection, which removes transcription-mediated R-loops. Thus, we propose that Top1cc produce transcription arrests with R-loop formation and generate DSBs that activate ATM in post-mitotic cells.

Rpb1 Sumoylation in Response to UV Radiation or Transcriptional Impairment in Yeast

Covalent modifications of proteins by ubiquitin and the Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier (SUMO) have been revealed to be involved in a plethora of cellular processes, including transcription, DNA repair and DNA damage responses. It has been well known that in response to DNA damage that blocks transcription elongation, Rpb1, the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (Pol II), is ubiquitylated and subsequently degraded in mammalian and yeast cells. However, it is still an enigma regarding how Pol II responds to damaged DNA and conveys signal(s) for DNA damage-related cellular processes. We found that Rpb1 is also sumoylated in yeast cells upon UV radiation or impairment of transcription elongation, and this modification is independent of DNA damage checkpoint activation. Ubc9, an E2 SUMO conjugase, and Siz1, an E3 SUMO ligase, play important roles in Rpb1 sumoylation. K1487, which is located in the acidic linker region between the C-terminal domain and the globular domain of Rpb1, is the major sumoylation site. Rpb1 sumoylation is not affected by its ubiquitylation, and vice versa, indicating that the two processes do not crosstalk. Abolishment of Rpb1 sumoylation at K1487 does not affect transcription elongation or transcription coupled repair (TCR) of UV-induced DNA damage. However, deficiency in TCR enhances UV-induced Rpb1 sumoylation, presumably due to the persistence of transcription-blocking DNA lesions in the transcribed strand of a gene. Remarkably, abolishment of Rpb1 sumoylation at K1487 causes enhanced and prolonged UV-induced phosphorylation of Rad53, especially in TCR-deficient cells, suggesting that the sumoylation plays a role in restraining the DNA damage checkpoint response caused by transcription-blocking lesions. Our results demonstrate a novel covalent modification of Rpb1 in response to UV induced DNA damage or transcriptional impairment, and unravel an important link between the modification and the DNA damage checkpoint response.

Persistent transcription-blocking DNA lesions trigger somatic growth attenuation associated with longevity

Accumulation of stochastic DNA damage throughout organisms’ lifespan is thought to contribute to aging. Conversely, aging appears phenotypically reproducible and regulated through genetic pathways such as the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and growth hormone (GH) receptors, which are central mediators of the somatic growth axis. Here, we report that persistent DNA damage in primary cells elicits similar changes in global gene expression as those occurring in various organs of naturally aged animals. Importantly, we show that, as in aging animals, IGF-1 receptor and GH receptor expression is attenuated resulting in cellular IGF-1 resistance. This cell-autonomous attenuation is specifically induced by persistent lesions leading to RNA polymerase II stalling, in proliferating, quiescent and terminally differentiated cells, is exacerbated and prolonged in cells from progeroid mice and confers resistance to oxidative stress. Our findings suggest that DNA damage accumulation in transcribed genes in most if not all tissues, contributes to the aging-associated shift from growth to somatic maintenance that triggers stress resistance and is thought to promote longevity.

Reactive oxygen species generated by thiopurine/UVA cause irreparable transcription-blocking DNA lesions

Long-term treatment with the anticancer and immunosuppressant thiopurines, azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine, is associated with acute skin sensitivity to ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation and a high risk of skin cancer. 6-thioguanine (6-TG) that accumulates in the DNA of thiopurine-treated patients interacts with UVA to generate reactive oxygen species. These cause lethal and mutagenic DNA damage. Here we show that the UVA/DNA 6-TG interaction rapidly, and essentially irreversibly, inhibits transcription in cultured human cells and provokes polyubiquitylation of the major subunit of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). In vitro, 6-TG photoproducts, including the previously characterized guanine-6-sulfonate, in the transcribed DNA strand, are potent blocks to RNAPII transcription whereas 6-TG is only slightly inhibitory. In vivo, guanine-6-sulfonate is removed poorly from DNA and persists to a similar extent in the DNA of nucleotide excision repair-proficient and defective cells. Furthermore, transcription coupled repair-deficient Cockayne syndrome cells are not hypersensitive to UVA/6-TG, indicating that potentially lethal photoproducts are not selectively excised from transcribed DNA. Since persistent transcription-blocking DNA lesions are associated with acute skin responses to sunlight and the development of skin cancer, our findings have implications for skin cancer in patients undergoing thiopurine therapy.

DNA damage stabilizes interaction of CSB with the transcription elongation machinery.

The Cockayne syndrome B (CSB) protein is essential for transcription-coupled DNA repair (TCR), which is dependent on RNA polymerase II elongation. TCR is required to quickly remove the cytotoxic transcription-blocking DNA lesions. Functional GFP-tagged CSB, expressed at physiological levels, was homogeneously dispersed throughout the nucleoplasm in addition to bright nuclear foci and nucleolar accumulation. Photobleaching studies showed that GFP-CSB, as part of a high molecular weight complex, transiently interacts with the transcription machinery. Upon (DNA damage-induced) transcription arrest CSB binding these interactions are prolonged, most likely reflecting actual engagement of CSB in TCR. These findings are consistent with a model in which CSB monitors progression of transcription by regularly probing elongation complexes and becomes more tightly associated to these complexes when TCR is active.