Classical non-homologous end-joining pathway utilizes nascent RNA for error-free double-strand break repair of transcribed genes
- University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (United States). Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Sealy Center for Molecular Medicine; DOE/OSTI
- University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (United States). Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Sealy Center for Molecular Medicine
- The Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas (United States). Department of Radiation Oncology, The Houston Methodist Research Institute
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Division of Life Sciences, Department of Cancer and DNA Damage Responses
- University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (United States). Department of Neurology and Neuroscience and Cell Biology
DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) leading to loss of nucleotides in the transcribed region can be lethal. Classical non-homologous end-joining (C-NHEJ) is the dominant pathway for DSB repair (DSBR) in adult mammalian cells. Here we report that during such DSBR, mammalian C-NHEJ proteins form a multiprotein complex with RNA polymerase II and preferentially associate with the transcribed genes after DSB induction. Depletion of C-NHEJ factors significantly abrogates DSBR in transcribed but not in non-transcribed genes. We hypothesized that nascent RNA can serve as a template for restoring the missing sequences, thus allowing error-free DSBR. We indeed found pre-mRNA in the C-NHEJ complex. Finally, when a DSB-containing plasmid with several nucleotides deleted within the E. coli lacZ gene was allowed time to repair in lacZ expressing mammalian cells, a functional lacZ plasmid could be recovered from control but not C-NHEJ factor-depleted cells, providing important mechanistic insights into C-NHEJ-mediated error-free DSBR of the transcribed genome.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 1623855
- Journal Information:
- Nature Communications, Journal Name: Nature Communications Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 7; ISSN 2041-1723
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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