Replication stress conferred by POT1 dysfunction promotes telomere relocalization to the nuclear pore.

Mutations in the telomere-binding protein POT1 are associated with solid tumors and leukemias. POT1 alterations cause rapid telomere elongation, ATR kinase activation, telomere fragility, and accelerated tumor development. Here, we define the impact of mutant POT1 alleles through complementary genetic and proteomic approaches based on CRISPR interference and biotin-based proximity labeling, respectively. These screens reveal that replication stress is a major vulnerability in cells expressing mutant POT1, which manifests as increased telomere mitotic DNA synthesis at telomeres. Our study also unveils a role for the nuclear pore complex in resolving replication defects at telomeres. Depletion of nuclear pore complex subunits in the context of POT1 dysfunction increases DNA damage signaling, telomere fragility and sister chromatid exchanges. Furthermore, we observed telomere repositioning to the nuclear periphery driven by nuclear F-actin polymerization in cells with POT1 mutations. In conclusion, our study establishes that relocalization of dysfunctional telomeres to the nuclear periphery is critical to preserve telomere repeat integrity.

Cell death mechanisms of plant-derived anticancer drugs: beyond apoptosis.

Despite remarkable progress in the discovery and development of novel cancer therapeutics, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the world. For many years, compounds derived from plants have been at the forefront as an important source of anticancer therapies and have played a vital role in the prevention and treatment of cancer because of their availability, and relatively low toxicity when compared with chemotherapy. More than 3000 plant species have been reported to treat cancer and about thirty plant-derived compounds have been isolated so far and have been tested in cancer clinical trials. The mechanisms of action of plant-derived anticancer drugs are numerous and most of them induce apoptotic cell death that may be intrinsic or extrinsic, and caspase and/or p53-dependent or independent mechanisms. Alternative modes of cell death by plant-derived anticancer drugs are emerging and include mainly autophagy, necrosis-like programmed cell death, mitotic catastrophe, and senescence leading to cell death. Considering that the non-apoptotic cell death mechanisms of plant-derived anticancer drugs are less reviewed than the apoptotic ones, this paper attempts to focus on such alternative cell death pathways for some representative anticancer plant natural compounds in clinical development. In particular, emphasis will be on some promising polyphenolics such as resveratrol, curcumin, and genistein; alkaloids namely berberine, noscapine, and colchicine; terpenoids such as parthenolide, triptolide, and betulinic acid; and the organosulfur compound sulforaphane. The understanding of non-apoptotic cell death mechanisms induced by these drugs would provide insights into the possibility of exploiting novel molecular pathways and targets of plant-derived compounds for future cancer therapeutics.