RESUMEN
Replication stress (RS) is a key trait of cancer cells, and a potential actionable target in cancer treatment. Accurate methods to measure RS in tumour samples are currently lacking. DNA fibre analysis has been used as a common technique to measure RS in cell lines. Here, we investigated DNA fibre analysis on fresh breast cancer specimens and correlated DNA replication kinetics to known RS markers and genomic alterations. Fresh, treatment-naïve primary breast cancer samples (n = 74) were subjected to ex vivo DNA fibre analysis to measure DNA replication kinetics. Tumour cell proliferation was confirmed by EdU incorporation and cytokeratin AE1/AE3 (CK) staining. The RS markers phospho-S33-RPA and γH2AX and the RS-inducing proto-oncogenes Cyclin E1 and c-Myc were analysed by immunohistochemistry. Copy number variations (CNVs) were assessed from genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays. We found that the majority of proliferating (EdU-positive) cells in each sample were CK-positive and therefore considered to be tumour cells. DNA fibre lengths varied largely in most tumour samples. The median DNA fibre length showed a significant inverse correlation with pRPA expression (r = -0.29, p = 0.033) but was not correlated with Cyclin E1 or c-Myc expression and global CNVs in this study. Nuclear Cyclin E1 expression showed a positive correlation with pRPA levels (r = 0.481, p < 0.0001), while cytoplasmic Cyclin E1 expression exhibited an inverse association with pRPA expression (r = -0.353, p = 0.002) and a positive association with global CNVs (r = 0.318, p = 0.016). In conclusion, DNA fibre analysis performed with fresh primary breast cancer samples is feasible. Fibre lengths were associated with pRPA expression. Cyclin E1 expression was associated with pRPA and the percentage of CNVs. © 2024 The Author(s). The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Asunto(s)
Neoplasias de la Mama , Ciclina E , Replicación del ADN , Humanos , Neoplasias de la Mama/genética , Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Neoplasias de la Mama/metabolismo , Femenino , Ciclina E/genética , Ciclina E/metabolismo , Replicación del ADN/genética , Polimorfismo de Nucleótido Simple , Proliferación Celular , Variaciones en el Número de Copia de ADN , Persona de Mediana Edad , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-myc/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-myc/metabolismo , Proteínas Oncogénicas/genética , Proteínas Oncogénicas/metabolismo , Biomarcadores de Tumor/genética , Biomarcadores de Tumor/metabolismo , Anciano , ADN de Neoplasias/genética , ADN de Neoplasias/metabolismo , AdultoRESUMEN
Most tumors lack the G1/S phase checkpoint and are insensitive to antigrowth signals. Loss of G1/S control can severely perturb DNA replication as revealed by slow replication fork progression and frequent replication fork stalling. Cancer cells may thus rely on specific pathways that mitigate the deleterious consequences of replication stress. To identify vulnerabilities of cells suffering from replication stress, we performed an shRNA-based genetic screen. We report that the RECQL helicase is specifically essential in replication stress conditions and protects stalled replication forks against MRE11-dependent double strand break (DSB) formation. In line with these findings, knockdown of RECQL in different cancer cells increased the level of DNA DSBs. Thus, RECQL plays a critical role in sustaining DNA synthesis under conditions of replication stress and as such may represent a target for cancer therapy.
Asunto(s)
Reparación del ADN/fisiología , Replicación del ADN/fisiología , RecQ Helicasas/metabolismo , Animales , Línea Celular Tumoral , Estructuras Cromosómicas/metabolismo , ADN , Roturas del ADN de Doble Cadena , Reparación del ADN/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Inestabilidad Genómica/genética , Humanos , Proteína Homóloga de MRE11/genética , Ratones , ARN Interferente Pequeño/genética , Recombinasa Rad51/genética , RecQ Helicasas/fisiologíaRESUMEN
DNA-damage checkpoints maintain genomic integrity by mediating a cell-cycle delay in response to genotoxic stress or stalled replication forks. In response to damage, the checkpoint kinase ATR phosphorylates and activates its effector kinase Chk1 in a process that critically depends on Claspin . However, it is not known how exactly this kinase cascade is silenced. Here we demonstrate that the abundance of Claspin is regulated through proteasomal degradation. In response to DNA damage, Claspin is transiently stabilized, and its expression depends on Chk1 kinase activity. In addition, we show that Claspin is degraded upon mitotic entry, a process that depends on the beta-TrCP-SCF ubiquitin ligase and Polo-like kinase-1 (Plk1). We demonstrate that Claspin interacts with both beta-TrCP and Plk1 and that inactivation of these components or the beta-TrCP recognition motif in Claspin prevents its mitotic degradation. Interestingly, expression of a nondegradable Claspin mutant inhibits recovery from a DNA-damage-induced checkpoint arrest. Thus, we conclude that Claspin levels are tightly regulated, both during unperturbed cell cycles and after DNA damage. Moreover, our data demonstrate that the degradation of Claspin at the onset of mitosis is an essential step for the recovery of a cell from a DNA-damage-induced cell-cycle arrest.