Cytidine deaminase deficiency in tumor cells is associated with sensitivity to a naphthol derivative and a decrease in oncometabolite levels.

Identifying new molecular targets for novel anticancer treatments is a major challenge in clinical cancer research. We have shown that cytidine deaminase (CDA) expression is downregulated in about 60% of cancer cells and tissues. In this study, we aimed to develop a new anticancer treatment specifically inhibiting the growth of CDA-deficient tumor cells. High-throughput screening of a chemical library led to the identification of a naphthol derivative, X55, targeting CDA-deficient tumor cells preferentially, without affecting the growth of non-tumoral cells regardless of CDA expression status. Metabolomic profiling revealed that CDA-deficient HeLa cells differed markedly from control HeLa cells. X55 treatment had a moderate effect on control cells, but greatly disturbed the metabolome of CDA-deficient HeLa cells, worsening the deregulation of many metabolites. In particular, the levels of the three oncometabolites, fumarate, succinate and 2-hydroxyglutarate, were significantly lower in CDA-depleted cells, and this decrease in levels was exacerbated by X55 treatment, revealing an unexpected link between CDA deficiency, mitochondrial function and X55 response. Finally, we identified strong downregulation of MAPT (encoding Tau, a microtubule associated protein) expression as a reliable predictive marker for tumor cell X55 sensitivity.

PARP2 controls double-strand break repair pathway choice by limiting 53BP1 accumulation at DNA damage sites and promoting end-resection.

Double strand breaks (DSBs) are one of the most toxic lesions to cells. DSB repair by the canonical non-homologous end-joining (C-EJ) pathway involves minor, if any, processing of the broken DNA-ends, whereas the initiation of DNA resection channels the broken-ends toward DNA repair pathways using various lengths of homology. Mechanisms that control the resection initiation are thus central to the regulation to the choice of DSB repair pathway. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms which regulate the initiation of DNA end-resection is of prime importance. Our findings reveal that poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 2 (PARP2) is involved in DSBR pathway choice independently of its PAR synthesis activity. We show that PARP2 favors repair by homologous recombination (HR), single strand annealing (SSA) and alternative-end joining (A-EJ) rather than the C-EJ pathway and increases the deletion sizes at A-EJ junctions. We demonstrate that PARP2 specifically limits the accumulation of the resection barrier factor 53BP1 at DNA damage sites, allowing efficient CtIP-dependent DNA end-resection. Collectively, we have identified a new PARP2 function, independent of its PAR synthesis activity, which directs DSBs toward resection-dependent repair pathways.

DNA damage: RNA-binding proteins protect from near and far.

Recent work, including large-scale genetic and molecular analyses, identified RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) as major players in the prevention of genome instability. These studies show that RBPs prevent harmful RNA/DNA hybrids and are involved in the DNA damage response (DDR), from DNA repair to cell survival decisions. Indeed, specific RBPs allow the selective regulation of DDR genes at multiple post-transcriptional levels (from pre-mRNA splicing/polyadenylation to mRNA stability/translation) and are directly involved in DNA repair. These multiple activities are mediated by RBP binding to mRNAs, nascent transcripts, noncoding RNAs, and damaged DNA. Finally, because DNA damage modifies RBP localization and binding to different RNA/DNA molecules, we propose that upon DNA damage, RBPs coordinately regulate various aspects of both RNA and DNA metabolism.

A balanced pyrimidine pool is required for optimal Chk1 activation to prevent ultrafine anaphase bridge formation.

Cytidine deaminase (CDA) deficiency induces an excess of cellular dCTP, which reduces basal PARP-1 activity, thereby compromising complete DNA replication, leading to ultrafine anaphase bridge (UFB) formation. CDA dysfunction has pathological implications, notably in cancer and in Bloom syndrome. It remains unknown how reduced levels of PARP-1 activity and pyrimidine pool imbalance lead to the accumulation of unreplicated DNA during mitosis. We report that a decrease in PARP-1 activity in CDA-deficient cells impairs DNA-damage-induced Chk1 activation, and, thus, the downstream checkpoints. Chemical inhibition of the ATR-Chk1 pathway leads to UFB accumulation, and we found that this pathway was compromised in CDA-deficient cells. Our data demonstrate that ATR-Chk1 acts downstream from PARP-1, preventing the accumulation of unreplicated DNA in mitosis, and, thus, UFB formation. Finally, delaying entry into mitosis is sufficient to prevent UFB formation in both CDA-deficient and CDA-proficient cells, suggesting that both physiological and pathological UFBs are derived from unreplicated DNA. Our findings demonstrate an unsuspected requirement for a balanced nucleotide pool for optimal Chk1 activation both in unchallenged cells and in response to genotoxic stress.

Pyrimidine Pool Disequilibrium Induced by a Cytidine Deaminase Deficiency Inhibits PARP-1 Activity, Leading to the Under Replication of DNA.

Genome stability is jeopardized by imbalances of the dNTP pool; such imbalances affect the rate of fork progression. For example, cytidine deaminase (CDA) deficiency leads to an excess of dCTP, slowing the replication fork. We describe here a novel mechanism by which pyrimidine pool disequilibrium compromises the completion of replication and chromosome segregation: the intracellular accumulation of dCTP inhibits PARP-1 activity. CDA deficiency results in incomplete DNA replication when cells enter mitosis, leading to the formation of ultrafine anaphase bridges between sister-chromatids at "difficult-to-replicate" sites such as centromeres and fragile sites. Using molecular combing, electron microscopy and a sensitive assay involving cell imaging to quantify steady-state PAR levels, we found that DNA replication was unsuccessful due to the partial inhibition of basal PARP-1 activity, rather than slower fork speed. The stimulation of PARP-1 activity in CDA-deficient cells restores replication and, thus, chromosome segregation. Moreover, increasing intracellular dCTP levels generates under-replication-induced sister-chromatid bridges as efficiently as PARP-1 knockdown. These results have direct implications for Bloom syndrome (BS), a rare genetic disease combining susceptibility to cancer and genomic instability. BS results from mutation of the BLM gene, encoding BLM, a RecQ 3'-5' DNA helicase, a deficiency of which leads to CDA downregulation. BS cells thus have a CDA defect, resulting in a high frequency of ultrafine anaphase bridges due entirely to dCTP-dependent PARP-1 inhibition and independent of BLM status. Our study describes previously unknown pathological consequences of the distortion of dNTP pools and reveals an unexpected role for PARP-1 in preventing DNA under-replication and chromosome segregation defects.

Loss of cytidine deaminase expression as a potential attempt to counteract the process of carcinogenesis by reducing basal PARP-1 activity and increasing tau levels.

Cytidine deaminase (CDA) is a pyrimidine salvage pathway enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolytic deamination of free cytidine and deoxycytidine to uridine and deoxyuridine, respectively. Our team discovered that CDA deficiency is associated with several aspects of genetic instability, such as increased sister chromatid exchange and ultrafine anaphase bridge frequencies. Based on these results, we sought (1) to determine how CDA deficiency contributes to genetic instability, (2) to explore the possible relationships between CDA deficiency and carcinogenesis, and (3) to develop a new anticancer treatment targeting CDA-deficient tumors. This review summarizes our major findings indicating that CDA deficiency is associated with a genetic instability that does not confer an increased cancer risk. In light of our results and published data, I propose a novel hypothesis that loss of CDA, by reducing basal PARP-1 activity and increasing Tau levels, may reflect an attempt to prevent, slow or reverse the process of carcinogenesis.

Cytidine deaminase deficiency in mice enhances genetic instability but limits the number of chemically induced colon tumors.

Cytidine deaminase (CDA) catalyzes the deamination of cytidine (C) and deoxycytidine (dC) to uridine and deoxyuridine, respectively. We recently showed that CDA deficiency leads to genomic instability, a hallmark of cancers. We therefore investigated whether constitutive CDA inactivation conferred a predisposition to cancer development. We developed a novel mouse model of Cda deficiency by generating Cda-knockout mice. Cda+/+ and Cda-/- mice did not differ in lifetime phenotypic or behavioral characteristics, or in the frequency or type of spontaneous cancers. However, the frequency of chemically induced tumors in the colon was significantly lower in Cda-/- mice. An analysis of primary kidney cells from Cda-/- mice revealed an excess of C and dC associated with significantly higher frequencies of sister chromatid exchange and ultrafine anaphase bridges and lower Parp-1 activity than in Cda+/+ cells. Our results suggest that, despite inducing genetic instability, an absence of Cda limits the number of chemically induced tumors. These results raise questions about whether a decrease in basal Parp-1 activity can protect against inflammation-driven tumorigenesis; we discuss our findings in light of published data for the Parp-1-deficient mouse model.

Topoisomerase IIIalpha is required for normal proliferation and telomere stability in alternative lengthening of telomeres.

Topoisomerase (Topo) IIIalpha associates with BLM helicase, which is proposed to be important in the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway that allows telomere recombination in the absence of telomerase. Here, we show that human Topo IIIalpha colocalizes with telomeric proteins at ALT-associated promyelocytic bodies from ALT cells. In these cells, Topo IIIalpha immunoprecipitated with telomere binding protein (TRF) 2 and BLM and was shown to be associated with telomeric DNA by chromatin immunoprecipitation, suggesting that these proteins form a complex at telomere sequences. Topo IIIalpha depletion by small interfering RNA reduced ALT cell survival, but did not affect telomerase-positive cell lines. Moreover, repression of Topo IIIalpha expression in ALT cells reduced the levels of TRF2 and BLM proteins, provoked a strong increase in the formation of anaphase bridges, induced the degradation of the G-overhang signal, and resulted in the appearance of DNA damage at telomeres. In contrast, telomere maintenance and TRF2 levels were unaffected in telomerase-positive cells. We conclude that Topo IIIalpha is an important telomere-associated factor, essential for telomere maintenance and chromosome stability in ALT cells, and speculate on its potential mechanistic function.

Cytidine deaminase activity increases in the blood of breast cancer patients.

Cytidine deaminase (CDA), an enzyme of the pyrimidine salvage pathway, deaminates cytidine, deoxycytidine and analogs, such as gemcitabine. Constitutive low levels of CDA activity have been reported in the blood of patients with hematological malignancies or suffering from gemcitabine toxicity. We previously reported that cellular CDA deficiency leads to genetic instability. We therefore hypothesized that constitutive CDA deficiency might confer a predisposition to cancer. We analyzed CDA activity and expression in blood samples from breast cancer (BC) patients with a suspected predisposition to the disease, and in healthy controls. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that both CDA activity and mRNA levels were higher in blood samples from BC patients than in those from controls, and that this difference was not due to excess neutrophils. CDA activity levels were significantly higher in the serum samples of BC patients treated by radiotherapy (RT) than in those of untreated healthy controls, and hormone therapy in RT-treated BC patients was associated with significantly lower levels of CDA activity. A preliminary analysis of CDA activity in the serum of the very few BC patients who had undergone no treatment other than surgery suggested that the increase in CDA activity might be due to the breast cancer itself. Our findings raise important questions, which should lead to studies to elucidate the origin and significance of the increase in CDA activity in the serum of BC patients, and the impact of hormone therapy.

Identification and Analysis of Different Types of UFBs.

Ultrafine anaphase bridges (UFBs) result from a defect in sister chromatid segregation during anaphase. They arise from particular DNA structures, mostly generated at specific loci in the human genome, such as centromeres, common fragile sites, telomeres, or ribosomal DNA. Increases in UFB frequency are a marker of genetic instability, and their detection has become a classic way of detecting such genetic instability over the last decade. Here we describe a protocol to stain different types of UFBs in adherent human cells.

p21Waf1 expression is regulated by nuclear intermediate filament vimentin in neuroblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Human neuroblastoma (NB) cell lines may present with either one of the so-called S-and N-subtypes. We have previously reported a strong correlation between protein expression levels of vimentin, an S-subtype marker, and the p21Waf1 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor. We here investigated whether this correlation extend to the mRNA level in NB cell lines as well as in patients' tumors. We also further explored the relationship between expression of vimentin and p21, by asking whether vimentin could regulate p21 expression. METHODS: Vimentin and p21 mRNA levels in NB cell lines as well as in patients' tumors (n = 77) were quantified using Q-PCR. Q-PCR data obtained from tumors of high risk NB patients (n = 40) were analyzed in relation with the overall survival using the Log-rank Kaplan-Meier estimation. siRNA-mediated depletion or overexpression of vimentin in highly or low expressing vimentin cell lines, respectively, followed by protein expression and promoter activation assays were used to assess the role of vimentin in modulating p21 expression. RESULTS: We extend the significant correlation between vimentin and p21 expression to the mRNA level in NB cell lines as well as in patients' tumors. Overall survival analysis from Q-PCR data obtained from tumors of high risk patients suggests that lower levels of p21 expression could be associated with a poorer outcome. Our data additionally indicate that the correlation observed between p21 and vimentin expression levels results from p21 transcriptional activity being regulated by vimentin. Indeed, downregulating vimentin resulted in a significant decrease in p21 mRNA and protein expression as well as in p21 promoter activity. Conversely, overexpressing vimentin triggered an increase in p21 promoter activity in cells with a nuclear expression of vimentin. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that p21 mRNA tumor expression level could represent a refined prognostic factor for high risk NB patients. Our data also show that vimentin regulates p21 transcription; this is the first demonstration of a gene regulating function for this type III-intermediate filament.

Topoisomerase IIα prevents ultrafine anaphase bridges by two mechanisms.

Topoisomerase IIα (Topo IIα), a well-conserved double-stranded DNA (dsDNA)-specific decatenase, processes dsDNA catenanes resulting from DNA replication during mitosis. Topo IIα defects lead to an accumulation of ultrafine anaphase bridges (UFBs), a type of chromosome non-disjunction. Topo IIα has been reported to resolve DNA anaphase threads, possibly accounting for the increase in UFB frequency upon Topo IIα inhibition. We hypothesized that the excess UFBs might also result, at least in part, from an impairment of the prevention of UFB formation by Topo IIα. We found that Topo IIα inhibition promotes UFB formation without affecting the global disappearance of UFBs during mitosis, but leads to an aberrant UFB resolution generating DNA damage within the next G1. Moreover, we demonstrated that Topo IIα inhibition promotes the formation of two types of UFBs depending on cell cycle phase. Topo IIα inhibition during S-phase compromises complete DNA replication, leading to the formation of UFB-containing unreplicated DNA, whereas Topo IIα inhibition during mitosis impedes DNA decatenation at metaphase-anaphase transition, leading to the formation of UFB-containing DNA catenanes. Thus, Topo IIα activity is essential to prevent UFB formation in a cell-cycle-dependent manner and to promote DNA damage-free resolution of UFBs.

A decrease in NAMPT activity impairs basal PARP-1 activity in cytidine deaminase deficient-cells, independently of NAD.

Cytidine deaminase (CDA) deficiency causes pyrimidine pool disequilibrium. We previously reported that the excess cellular dC and dCTP resulting from CDA deficiency jeopardizes genome stability, decreasing basal poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) activity and increasing ultrafine anaphase bridge (UFB) formation. Here, we investigated the mechanism underlying the decrease in PARP-1 activity in CDA-deficient cells. PARP-1 activity is dependent on intracellular NAD+ concentration. We therefore hypothesized that defects of the NAD+ salvage pathway might result in decreases in PARP-1 activity. We found that the inhibition or depletion of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), the rate-limiting enzyme in the NAD+ salvage biosynthesis pathway, mimicked CDA deficiency, resulting in a decrease in basal PARP-1 activity, regardless of NAD+ levels. Furthermore, the expression of exogenous wild-type NAMPT fully restored basal PARP-1 activity and prevented the increase in UFB frequency in CDA-deficient cells. No such effect was observed with the catalytic mutant. Our findings demonstrate that (1) the inhibition of NAMPT activity in CDA-proficient cells lowers basal PARP-1 activity, and (2) the expression of exogenous wild-type NAMPT, but not of the catalytic mutant, fully restores basal PARP-1 activity in CDA-deficient cells; these results strongly suggest that basal PARP-1 activity in CDA-deficient cells decreases due to a reduction of NAMPT activity.

The arginine finger of the Bloom syndrome protein: its structural organization and its role in energy coupling.

RecQ family helicases are essential in maintaining chromosomal DNA stability and integrity. Despite extensive studies, the mechanisms of these enzymes are still poorly understood. Crystal structures of many helicases reveal a highly conserved arginine residue located near the gamma-phosphate of ATP. This residue is widely recognized as an arginine finger, and may sense ATP binding and hydrolysis, and transmit conformational changes. We investigated the existence and role of the arginine finger in the Bloom syndrome protein (BLM), a RecQ family helicase, in ATP hydrolysis and energy coupling. Our studies by combination of structural modelling, site-directed mutagenesis and biochemical and biophysical approaches, demonstrate that mutations of residues interacting with the gamma-phosphate of ATP or surrounding the ATP-binding sites result in severe impairment in the ATPase activity of BLM. These mutations also impair BLM's DNA-unwinding activities, but do not affect its ATP and DNA-binding abilities. These data allow us to identify R982 as the residue that functions as a BLM arginine finger. Our findings further indicate how the arginine finger is precisely positioned by the conserved motifs with respect to the gamma-phosphate.

Structural and functional analyses of disease-causing missense mutations in Bloom syndrome protein.

Bloom syndrome (BS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by genomic instability and the early development of many types of cancer. Missense mutations have been identified in the BLM gene (encoding a RecQ helicase) in affected individuals, but the molecular mechanism and the structural basis of the effects of these mutations remain to be elucidated. We analysed five disease-causing missense mutations that are localized in the BLM helicase core region: Q672R, I841T, C878R, G891E and C901Y. The disease-causing mutants had low ATPase and helicase activities but their ATP binding abilities were normal, except for Q672, whose ATP binding activity was lower than that of the intact BLM helicase. Mutants C878R, mapping near motif IV, and G891E and C901Y, mapping in motif IV, displayed severe DNA-binding defects. We used molecular modelling to analyse these mutations. Our work provides insights into the molecular basis of BLM pathology, and reveals structural elements implicated in coupling DNA binding to ATP hydrolysis and DNA unwinding. Our findings will help to explain the mechanism underlying BLM catalysis and interpreting new BLM causing mutations identified in the future.

Bloom syndrome protein restrains innate immune sensing of micronuclei by cGAS.

Cellular innate immune sensors of DNA are essential for host defense against invading pathogens. However, the presence of self-DNA inside cells poses a risk of triggering unchecked immune responses. The mechanisms limiting induction of inflammation by self-DNA are poorly understood. BLM RecQ-like helicase is essential for genome integrity and is deficient in Bloom syndrome (BS), a rare genetic disease characterized by genome instability, accumulation of micronuclei, susceptibility to cancer, and immunodeficiency. Here, we show that BLM-deficient fibroblasts show constitutive up-regulation of inflammatory interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression, which is mediated by the cGAS-STING-IRF3 cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway. Increased DNA damage or down-regulation of the cytoplasmic exonuclease TREX1 enhances ISG expression in BLM-deficient fibroblasts. cGAS-containing cytoplasmic micronuclei are increased in BS cells. Finally, BS patients demonstrate elevated ISG expression in peripheral blood. These results reveal that BLM limits ISG induction, thus connecting DNA damage to cellular innate immune response, which may contribute to human pathogenesis.

Three new BLM gene mutations associated with Bloom syndrome.

Bloom's syndrome (BS) is a rare autosomal recessive disease predisposing patients to all types of cancers affecting the general population. BS cells display a high level of genetic instability, including a 10-fold increase in the rate of sister chromatid exchanges, currently the only objective criterion for BS diagnosis. We have developed a method for screening the BLM gene for mutations based on direct genomic DNA sequencing. A questionnaire based on clinical information, cytogenetic features, and family history was addressed to physicians prescribing BS genetic screening, with the aim of confirming or guiding diagnosis. We report here four BLM gene mutations, three of which have not been described before. Three of the mutations are frameshift mutations, and the fourth is a nonsense mutation. All these mutations introduce a stop codon, and may therefore be considered to have deleterious biological effect. This approach should make it possible to identify new mutations and to correlate them with clinical information.

Predisposition to therapy-related acute leukemia with balanced chromosomal translocations does not result from a major constitutive defect in DNA double-strand break end joining.

The frequency of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with balanced chromosomal translocations arising after anticancer therapy with DNA-damaging agents such as DNA topoisomerase II inhibitors has increased over the last two decades. However, factors that predispose to these therapy-related disorders are still poorly defined. It has been reported that DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair by the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway is impaired in myeloid leukemia cells. This led us to hypothesize that therapy-related AML (t-AML) may result from individual differences in the repair of DSBs generated by the treatment. We show here that DSB repair is accurate, in vivo, in non-tumoral cells derived from patients who developed t-AML with t(9;11) or t(15;17) translocation after treatment for a first cancer with DNA topoisomerase II inhibitors. These results indicate that a major constitutive defect in the NHEJ pathway is unlikely to predispose to t-AML with balanced chromosomal translocations.

Cytidine deaminase deficiency impairs sister chromatid disjunction by decreasing PARP-1 activity.

Bloom Syndrome (BS) is a rare genetic disease characterized by high levels of chromosomal instability and an increase in cancer risk. Cytidine deaminase (CDA) expression is downregulated in BS cells, leading to an excess of cellular dC and dCTP that reduces basal PARP-1 activity, compromising optimal Chk1 activation and reducing the efficiency of downstream checkpoints. This process leads to the accumulation of unreplicated DNA during mitosis and, ultimately, ultrafine anaphase bridge (UFB) formation. BS cells also display incomplete sister chromatid disjunction when depleted of cohesin. Using a combination of fluorescence in situ hybridization and chromosome spreads, we investigated the possible role of CDA deficiency in the incomplete sister chromatid disjunction in cohesin-depleted BS cells. The decrease in basal PARP-1 activity in CDA-deficient cells compromised sister chromatid disjunction in cohesin-depleted cells, regardless of BLM expression status. The observed incomplete sister chromatid disjunction may be due to the accumulation of unreplicated DNA during mitosis in CDA-deficient cells, as reflected in the changes in centromeric DNA structure associated with the decrease in basal PARP-1 activity. Our findings reveal a new function of PARP-1 in sister chromatid disjunction during mitosis.