Project description:The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been used extensively to study responses to DNA damage. In contrast, little is known about DNA repair in this organism. C. elegans is unusual in that it encodes few DNA glycosylases and the uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG) encoded by the ung-1 gene is the only known UDG. C. elegans could therefore become a valuable model organism for studies of the genetic interaction networks involving base excision repair (BER). As a first step towards characterization of BER in C. elegans, we show that the UNG-1 protein is an active uracil-DNA glycosylase. We demonstrate that an ung-1 mutant has reduced ability to repair uracil-containing DNA but that an alternative Ugi-inhibited activity is present in ung-1 nuclear extracts. Finally, we demonstrate that ung-1 mutants show altered levels of apoptotic cell corpses formed in response to DNA damaging agents. Increased apoptosis in the ung-1 mutant in response to ionizing radiation (IR) suggests that UNG-1 contributes to repair of IR-induced DNA base damage in vivo. Following treatment with paraquat however, the apoptotic corpse-formation was reduced. Gene expression profiling suggests that this phenotype is a consequence of compensatory transcriptomic shifts that modulate oxidative stress responses in the mutant and not an effect of reduced DNA damage signaling.
Project description:The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been used extensively to study responses to DNA damage. In contrast, little is known about DNA repair in this organism. C. elegans is unusual in that it encodes few DNA glycosylases and the uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG) encoded by the ung-1 gene is the only known UDG. C. elegans could therefore become a valuable model organism for studies of the genetic interaction networks involving base excision repair (BER). As a first step towards characterization of BER in C. elegans, we show that the UNG-1 protein is an active uracil-DNA glycosylase. We demonstrate that an ung-1 mutant has reduced ability to repair uracil-containing DNA but that an alternative Ugi-inhibited activity is present in ung-1 nuclear extracts. Finally, we demonstrate that ung-1 mutants show altered levels of apoptotic cell corpses formed in response to DNA damaging agents. Increased apoptosis in the ung-1 mutant in response to ionizing radiation (IR) suggests that UNG-1 contributes to repair of IR-induced DNA base damage in vivo. Following treatment with paraquat however, the apoptotic corpse-formation was reduced. Gene expression profiling suggests that this phenotype is a consequence of compensatory transcriptomic shifts that modulate oxidative stress responses in the mutant and not an effect of reduced DNA damage signaling. C. elegans RNAi mutants deficient in ung-1 and the corresponding wild-type N2, were subjected to Affymetrix whole C. elegans genome microarrays. Triplicates were run for each sample group.
Project description:DNA base lesions, such as incorporation of uracil into DNA or base mismatches, can be mutagenic and toxic to replicating cells. To discover factors in repair of genomic uracil, we performed a CRISPR knockout screen in the presence of floxuridine, a chemotherapeutic agent that incorporates uracil and fluoro-uracil into DNA. We identified known factors, such as uracil DNA N-glycosylase (UNG), but also unknown factors, such as the N6-adenosine methyltransferase, METTL3, as required to overcome floxuridine-driven cytotoxicity. Visualized with immunofluorescence, the product of METTL3 activity, N6-methyladenosine, formed nuclear foci in cells treated with floxuridine. The observed N6-methyladenosine was embedded in DNA, called 6mA, which was confirmed using mass spectrometry. METTL3 and 6mA were required for repair of lesions driven by additional base damaging agents, including raltitrexed, gemcitabine, and hydroxyurea. Our results establish a role for METTL3 and 6mA to promote genome stability in mammalian cells, specially in response to base damage.
Project description:To test the effects of uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG) loss on the formation of double strand breaks (DSBs) by the anti-cancer agent pemetrexed, we performed ChIP-seq for serine 139-phosphorylated H2AX (gammaH2AX), a marker of DSBs, in human cells wild-type or deficient for UNG in combination with pemetrexed treatment. UNG deficiency results in an increase in DSBs upon pemetrexed treatment, and we found that pemetrexed treatment induces DSBs at different genomic locations in UNG wild-type and knockout cells. Similar results were observed upon cisplatin treatment of UNG wild-type and knockout cells, and the genomic locations of DSBs were distinct between pemetrexed-treated and cisplatin-treated samples. Taken together, our results suggest differential mechanisms for DSB formation in UNG-competent and UNG-deficient cells.
Project description:To test the effects of uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG) loss on the formation of double strand breaks (DSBs) by the anti-cancer agent pemetrexed, we performed ChIP-seq for serine 139-phosphorylated H2AX (gammaH2AX), a marker of DSBs, in human cells wild-type or deficient for UNG in combination with pemetrexed treatment. UNG deficiency results in an increase in DSBs upon pemetrexed treatment, and we found that pemetrexed treatment induces DSBs at different genomic locations in UNG wild-type and knockout cells. Similar results were observed upon cisplatin treatment of UNG wild-type and knockout cells, and the genomic locations of DSBs were distinct between pemetrexed-treated and cisplatin-treated samples. Taken together, our results suggst differential mechanisms for DSB formation in UNG-competent and UNG-deficient cells. The genomic distribution of gammaH2AX in UNG WT and KO cells treated with pemetrexed or cisplatin was determined by ChIP-seq
Project description:We report a new immunoprecipitation-coupled sequencing (DIP-Seq) application termed U-DNA-Seq, where a tailored and catalytically inactive uracil-DNA glycosylase (UNG) was used as uracil-DNA sensor to immunoprecipitate uracil containing genomic DNA fragments. Genomic uracil was profiled in drug-treated (5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (5FdUR) or raltitrexed (RTX)) or non-treated (NT) HCT116 cells expressing the UNG inhibitor (UGI). The same experiments were also performed in the mismatch repair proficient version of the HCT116 cells (HCT116MMR), where chromosome 3 is reinserted to restore functional MMR (PMID: 8044777). Moreover, wild-type HCT116 or K562 cells were also measured. We found that regions of uracil enrichment in this assay were rather broad as compared to the sharp peaks typical in ChIP-seq. Therefore, we applied an approach alternative to the conventional peak calling. Namely, we calculated genome scaled coverage tracks and log2 ratio tracks of the enriched versus the input samples using deepTools package (bamCoverage and bigwigCompare tools, respectively) to provide a more appropriate description of uracil-enriched genomic regions. Interval (bed) files were also derived from these log2 ratio tracks to be able to screen large datasets for colocalizing features with them. For wider context of the study, see the related publication.
Project description:Secondary diversification of antibodies through somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR) is a critical component of the immune response. Activation-induced deaminase (AID) initiates both processes by deaminating cytosine residues in immunoglobulin genes. The resulting U:G mismatch can be processed by alternative pathways to give rise to a mutation (SHM) or a DNA double-strand break (CSR). Central to this processing is the activity of uracil-N-glycosylase (UNG), an enzyme normally involved in error-free base excision repair. We used next generation sequencing to analyze the contribution of UNG to the resolution of AID-induced lesions. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments showed that UNG activity can promote both error-prone and high fidelity repair of U:G lesions. Unexpectedly, the balance between these alternative outcomes was influenced by the sequence context of the deaminated cytosine, with individual hotspots exhibiting higher susceptibility to UNG-triggered error-free or error-prone resolution. These results reveal UNG as a new molecular layer that shapes the specificity of AID-induced mutations and may provide new insights into the role of AID in cancer development.
Project description:Secondary diversification of antibodies through somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR) is a critical component of the immune response. Activation-induced deaminase (AID) initiates both processes by deaminating cytosine residues in immunoglobulin genes. The resulting U:G mismatch can be processed by alternative pathways to give rise to a mutation (SHM) or a DNA double-strand break (CSR). Central to this processing is the activity of uracil-N-glycosylase (UNG), an enzyme normally involved in error-free base excision repair. We used next generation sequencing to analyze the contribution of UNG to the resolution of AID-induced lesions. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments showed that UNG activity can promote both error-prone and high fidelity repair of U:G lesions. Unexpectedly, the balance between these alternative outcomes was influenced by the sequence context of the deaminated cytosine, with individual hotspots exhibiting higher susceptibility to UNG-triggered error-free or error-prone resolution. These results reveal UNG as a new molecular layer that shapes the specificity of AID-induced mutations and may provide new insights into the role of AID in cancer development.
Project description:Secondary diversification of antibodies through somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR) is a critical component of the immune response. Activation-induced deaminase (AID) initiates both processes by deaminating cytosine residues in immunoglobulin genes. The resulting U:G mismatch can be processed by alternative pathways to give rise to a mutation (SHM) or a DNA double-strand break (CSR). Central to this processing is the activity of uracil-N-glycosylase (UNG), an enzyme normally involved in error-free base excision repair. We used next generation sequencing to analyze the contribution of UNG to the resolution of AID-induced lesions. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments showed that UNG activity can promote both error-prone and high fidelity repair of U:G lesions. Unexpectedly, the balance between these alternative outcomes was influenced by the sequence context of the deaminated cytosine, with individual hotspots exhibiting higher susceptibility to UNG-triggered error-free or error-prone resolution. These results reveal UNG as a new molecular layer that shapes the specificity of AID-induced mutations and may provide new insights into the role of AID in cancer development. Next Generation Sequencing analysis of mutations introduced by AID in activated B lymphocytes from WT and UNG-/- mice (n=4). Activated B cells from AID-/- mice (n=2) were used as negative controls.
Project description:HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) belong to a new group of chemotherapeutics that are increasingly used to treat B-cell-derived malignancies. Such malignancies regularly carry mutational signatures that conform to off-target induction of uracil by the AID/APOBEC family of cytidine deaminases, or downstream processing of uracil. . HDACi suppress thymidylate synthase increasing the cellular dUTP/dTTP ratio and leading to increased pressure on uracil repair machinery due to misincorporated uracil lesions. To investigate potential effect upon other enzymes involved in genomic uracil induction and processing, Jurkat (T-cell lymphoma) and SUDHL5 (B-cell lymphoma) cells were treated with pan-HDACi SAHA prior to SILAC based MS/MS investigation. HDACi treatment mediated significant differential expression of xx and xx proteins in Jurkat and SUDHL5, respectively, and had a substantial impact upon enzymes involved in in pyrimidine metabolism. Surprisingly, uracil N-glycosylase, UNG, was strongly downregulated by HDACi treatment. Further analysis in HEK and HeLa cells revealed that HDACis induce specific loss of the nuclear isoform UNG2 independent of transcription and cell-cycle alterations. More than 80% of UNG2 is degraded proteasomally after 24 hours treatment with SAHA, MS275, Valproate or Na-butyrate, indicating a universal ability of HDACis to mediate loss of UNG2. Targeted MS/MS analysis in HEK cells against a panel of proteins involved in DNA repair, translesion synthesis and nucleotide metabolism, revealed that UNG2 was the most pronounced differentially expressed among these after HDACi treatment. 48 hour treatment lead to a 30-40% increase in uracil lesions in the nuclear genome of HeLa and HEK cells and MS275 treatment in murine CH12F3 cell line mediated robust UNG2-loss accompanied by reduced class switch recombination. Furthermore, our analysis identified the PCNA-associated factor PAF15 among the downregulated proteins. PAF15 is overexpressed in many cancers and suppress TLS by inducing double monoubiquitinylation of PCNA and recruitment of the replicative polymerases. In summary, our findings demonstrate that HDAC inhibition affects the levels of proteins involved in DNA base excision repair, translesion synthesis and pyrimidine metabolism. These findings are important for a wide range of clinical applications of HDACi, such as in rheumatology, HIV-, and cancer treatment.