Meta-Biol

• Pathways

Formation of TC-NER pre-incision complex is initiated when the RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) complex stalls at a DNA damage site. The stalling is caused by misincorporation of a ribonucleotide opposite to a damaged base (Brueckner et al. 2007). Cockayne syndrome protein B (ERCC6, CSB) binds stalled RNA Pol II and recruits Cockayne syndrome protein A (ERCC8, CSA). ERCC8 is part of an ubiquitin ligase complex that also contains DDB1, CUL4A or CUL4B and RBX1. This complex is implicated in the regulation of TC-NER progression probably by ubiquitinating one or more factors involved in this pathway, which may include RNA Pol II and ERCC6 at the later stages of repair (Bregman et al. 1996, Fousteri et al. 2006, Groisman et al. 2006). XPA is recruited to the TC-NER site through its interaction with the TFIIH complex (Furuta et al. 2002, Ziani et al. 2014). The XAB2 complex, which probably regulates the accessibility of the DNA damage site through its RNA-DNA helicase activity, binds the TC-NER site via the interaction of its XAB2 subunit with RNA Pol II, ERCC6, ERCC8 and XPA (Nakatsu et al. 2000, Sollier et al. 2014). TCEA1 (TFIIS) is a transcription elongation factor that may facilitate backtracking of the stalled RNA Pol II, enabling access of repair proteins to the DNA damage site and promotes partial digestion of the 3' protruding end of the nascent mRNA transcript by the backtracked RNA Pol II, allowing resumption of RNA synthesis after damage removal (Donahue et al. 1994). Access to DNA damage site is also facilitated by chromatin remodelers HMGN1 (recruited to the TC-NER site through RNA Pol II and ERCC8-dependent manner) and histone acetyltransferase p300 (EP300), recruited to the TC-NER site through ERCC6-dependent manner (Birger et al. 2003, Fousteri et al. 2006). UVSSA protein interacts with ubiquitinated ERCC6 and RNA Pol II, recruiting ubiquitin protease USP7 to the TC-NER site and promoting ERCC6 stabilization (Nakazawa et al. 2012, Schwertman et al. 2012, Zhang et al. 2012, Fei and Chen 2012).

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) was first described in the model organism E. coli in the early 1960s as a process whereby bulky base damage is enzymatically removed from DNA, facilitating the recovery of DNA synthesis and cell survival. Deficient NER processes have been identified from the cells of cancer-prone patients with different variants of xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), trichothiodystrophy (TTD), and Cockayne's syndrome. The XP cells exhibit an ultraviolet radiation hypersensitivity that leads to a hypermutability response to UV, offering a direct connection between deficient NER, increased mutation rate, and cancer. While the NER pathway in prokaryotes is unique, the pathway utilized in yeast and higher eukaryotes is highly conserved.
NER is involved in the repair of bulky adducts in DNA, such as UV-induced photo lesions (both 6-4 photoproducts (6-4 PPDs) and cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs)), as well as chemical adducts formed from exposure to aflatoxin, benzopyrene and other genotoxic agents. Specific proteins have been identified that participate in base damage recognition, cleavage of the damaged strand on both sides of the lesion, and excision of the oligonucleotide bearing the lesion. Reparative DNA synthesis and ligation restore the strand to its original state.
NER consists of two related pathways called global genome nucleotide excision repair (GG-NER) and transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER). The pathways differ in the way in which DNA damage is initially recognized, but the majority of the participating molecules are shared between these two branches of NER. GG-NER is transcription-independent, removing lesions from non-coding DNA strands, as well as coding DNA strands that are not being actively transcribed. TC-NER repairs damage in transcribed strands of active genes.
Several of the proteins involved in NER are key components of the basal transcription complex TFIIH. An ubiquitin ligase complex composed of DDB1, CUL4A or CUL4B and RBX1 participates in both GG-NER and TC-NER, implying an important role of ubiquitination in NER regulation. The establishment of mutant mouse models for NER genes and other DNA repair-related genes has been useful in demonstrating the associations between NER defects and cancer.
For past and recent reviews of nucleotide excision repair, please refer to Lindahl and Wood 1998, Friedberg et al. 2002, Christmann et al. 2003, Hanawalt and Spivak 2008, Marteijn et al. 2014).

DNA repair is a phenomenal multi-enzyme, multi-pathway system required to ensure the integrity of the cellular genome. Living organisms are constantly exposed to harmful metabolic by-products, environmental chemicals and radiation that damage their DNA, thus corrupting genetic information. In addition, normal cellular pH and temperature create conditions that are hostile to the integrity of DNA and its nucleotide components. DNA damage can also arise as a consequence of spontaneous errors during DNA replication. The DNA repair machinery continuously scans the genome and maintains genome integrity by removing or mending any detected damage.

Depending on the type of DNA damage and the cell cycle status, the DNA repair machinery utilizes several different pathways to restore the genome to its original state. When the damage and circumstances are such that the DNA cannot be repaired with absolute fidelity, the DNA repair machinery attempts to minimize the harm and patch the insulted genome well enough to ensure cell viability.

Accumulation of DNA alterations that are the result of cumulative DNA damage and utilization of "last resort" low fidelity DNA repair mechanisms is associated with cellular senescence, aging, and cancer. In addition, germline mutations in DNA repair genes are the underlying cause of many familial cancer syndromes, such as Fanconi anemia, xeroderma pigmentosum, Nijmegen breakage syndrome and Lynch syndrome, to name a few.

When the level of DNA damage exceeds the capacity of the DNA repair machinery, apoptotic cell death ensues. Actively dividing cells have a very limited time available for DNA repair and are therefore particularly sensitive to DNA damaging agents. This is the main rationale for using DNA damaging chemotherapeutic drugs to kill rapidly replicating cancer cells.

There are seven main pathways employed in human DNA repair: DNA damage bypass, DNA damage reversal, base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair, mismatch repair, repair of double strand breaks and repair of interstrand crosslinks (Fanconi anemia pathway). DNA repair pathways are intimately associated with other cellular processes such as DNA replication, DNA recombination, cell cycle checkpoint arrest and apoptosis.

The DNA damage bypass pathway does not remove the damage, but instead allows translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) using a damaged template strand. Translesion synthesis allows cells to complete DNA replication, postponing the repair until cell division is finished. DNA polymerases that participate in translesion synthesis are error-prone, frequently introducing base substitutions and/or small insertions and deletions.

The DNA damage reversal pathway acts on a very narrow spectrum of damaging base modifications to remove modifying groups and restore DNA bases to their original state.

The base excision repair (BER) pathway involves a number of DNA glycosylases that cleave a vast array of damaged bases from the DNA sugar-phosphate backbone. DNA glycosylases produce a DNA strand with an abasic site. The abasic site is processed by DNA endonucleases, DNA polymerases and DNA ligases, the choice of which depends on the cell cycle stage, the identity of the participating DNA glycosylase and the presence of any additional damage. Base excision repair yields error-free DNA molecules.

Mismatch repair (MMR) proteins recognize mismatched base pairs or small insertion or deletion loops during DNA replication and correct erroneous base pairing by excising mismatched nucleotides exclusively from the nascent DNA strand, leaving the template strand intact.

Nucleotide excision repair pathway is involved in removal of bulky lesions that cause distortion of the DNA double helix. NER proteins excise the oligonucleotide that contains the lesion from the affected DNA strand, which is followed by gap-filling DNA synthesis and ligation of the repaired DNA molecule.

Double strand breaks (DSBs) in the DNA can be repaired via a highly accurate homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway, or through error-prone nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), single strand annealing (SSA) and microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ) pathways. DSBs can be directly generated by some DNA damaging agents, such as X-rays and reactive oxygen species (ROS). DSBs can also be intermediates of the Fanconi anemia pathway.

Interstrand crosslinking (ICL) agents damage the DNA by introducing covalent bonds between two DNA strands, which disables progression of the replication fork. The Fanconi anemia proteins repair the ICLs by unhooking them from one DNA strand. TLS enables the replication fork to bypass the unhooked ICL, resulting in two replicated DNA molecules, one of which contains a DSB and triggers double strand break repair, while the sister DNA molecule contains a bulky unhooked ICL, which is removed through NER.

Single strand breaks (SSBs) in the DNA, generated either by DNA damaging agents or as intermediates of DNA repair pathways such as BER, are converted into DSBs if the repair is not complete prior to DNA replication. Simultaneous inhibition of DSB repair and BER through cancer mutations and anti-cancer drugs, respectively, is synthetic lethal in at least some cancer settings, and is a promising new therapeutic strategy.

For reviews of DNA repair pathways, please refer to Lindahl and Wood 1999 and Curtin 2012.