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Human RAP1 inhibits non-homologous end joining at telomeres.

ABSTRACT: Telomeres, the nucleoprotein structures at the ends of linear chromosomes, promote genome stability by distinguishing chromosome termini from DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Cells possess two principal pathways for DSB repair: homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). Several studies have implicated TRF2 in the protection of telomeres from NHEJ, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we show that TRF2 inhibits NHEJ, in part, by recruiting human RAP1 to telomeres. Heterologous targeting of hRAP1 to telomeric DNA was sufficient to bypass the need for TRF2 in protecting telomeric DNA from NHEJ in vitro. On expanding these studies in cells, we find that recruitment of hRAP1 to telomeres prevents chromosome fusions caused by the loss of TRF2/hRAP1 from chromosome ends despite activation of a DNA damage response. These results provide the first evidence that hRAP1 inhibits NHEJ at mammalian telomeres and identify hRAP1 as a mediator of genome stability.

SUBMITTER: Sarthy J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2776107 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Human RAP1 inhibits non-homologous end joining at telomeres.

Sarthy Jay J Bae Nancy S NS Scrafford Jonathan J Baumann Peter P

The EMBO journal 20090917 21

Telomeres, the nucleoprotein structures at the ends of linear chromosomes, promote genome stability by distinguishing chromosome termini from DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Cells possess two principal pathways for DSB repair: homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). Several studies have implicated TRF2 in the protection of telomeres from NHEJ, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we show that TRF2 inhibits NHEJ, in part, by recruiting human RAP1 ...[more]

PMID: 19763083

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Project description:The proposal aims to characterise the pathways of DSB repair and recombination in Arabidopsis with the main focus of this research being the NHEJ pathway of illegitimate recombination. We will build on our expertise and resources in the field of DSB repair in plants, using the Arabidopsis NHEJ mutant atku80 which is an excellent model system for the study of DSB repair in higher eukaryotes (West et al., 2002 Plant J. 31, 517-28). Comparison of the transcriptome in NHEJ mutant and wild type plants under different experimental conditions will identify novel candidate genes involved in DNA DSB repair or damage signalling pathways.We will conduct 4 separate experiments on Arabidopsis seedlings grown on 0.5 MS media: the first will be a control consisting of Wassilewskija (WS-2) plants grown under standard conditions. In the second experiment WS plants will be exposed to the chemotherapeutic agent bleomycin (1 microgram per ml). This agent has been shown to cause both single and double strand breaks in the genome of Arabidopsis seedlings (Menke et al., 2001 Mut. Res. 493, 87-93). This agent is used in preference to gamma irradiation, which causes high levels of oxidative damage to cellular components. These experiments will characterise for the first time the transcriptional responses of Arabidopsis cells to the specific induction of DNA strand breaks. The transcript profile will also be determined in untreated atku80 mutants. This experiment will identify the components of novel and previously characterised DNA repair pathways up regulated in the mutant background. Finally, transcript analysis of bleomycin treated atku80 mutants and comparison with untreated mutant plants and both untreated and treated WS plants will identify novel putative DSB repair genes up regulated in response to genotoxic stress in the absence of a Ku80 mediated DSB repair pathway.The results of these studies will provide new and important information which will be instrumental in identifying novel genes and pathways involved in DNA repair and genome stability in plants and help elucidate the fundamental differences that exist between animal and plant DSB repair processes. Experiment Overall Design: Number of plants pooled:20

Dataset Information

Human RAP1 inhibits non-homologous end joining at telomeres.

Publications

Human RAP1 inhibits non-homologous end joining at telomeres.

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