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Title: Ku and DNA-dependent Protein Kinase Dynamic Conformations and Assembly Regulate DNA Binding and the Initial Non-homologous End Joining Complex

Journal Article · · Journal of Biological Chemistry
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [4];  [2];  [5]
  1. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Physical Biosciences Division
  2. Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB (Canada). Southern Alberta Cancer Research Inst. Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  3. Univ. of Missouri, St. Louis, MO (United States). Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Sciences
  4. Univ. of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX (United States). Dept. of Radiation Oncology. Division of Molecular Radiation Biology
  5. The Scripps Research Inst., La Jolla, CA (United States). Skaggs Inst. of Chemical Biology. Dept. of Molecular Biology; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Life Sciences Division. Dept. of Molecular Biology

DNA double strand break (DSB) repair by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is initiated by DSB detection by Ku70/80 (Ku) and DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) recruitment, which promotes pathway progression through poorly defined mechanisms. Here, Ku and DNA-PKcs solution structures alone and in complex with DNA, defined by x-ray scattering, reveal major structural reorganizations that choreograph NHEJ initiation. The Ku80 C-terminal region forms a flexible arm that extends from the DNA-binding core to recruit and retain DNA-PKcs at DSBs. Furthermore, Ku- and DNA-promoted assembly of a DNA-PKcs dimer facilitates transautophosphorylation at the DSB. The resulting site-specific autophosphorylationinduces a large conformational change that opens DNA-PKcs and promote sits release from DNA ends. These results show how protein and DNA interactions initiate large Ku and DNA-PKcs rearrangements to control DNA-PK biological functions as a macromolecular machine orchestrating assembly and disassembly of the initial NHEJ complex on DNA.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Biological Systems Science Division
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1625068
Journal Information:
Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 285, Issue 2; ISSN 0021-9258
Publisher:
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Clustered DNA damage induces pan-nuclear H2AX phosphorylation mediated by ATM and DNA–PK journal April 2013
Defective chromatin recruitment and retention of NHEJ core components in human tumor cells expressing a Cyclin E fragment journal September 2013
SFPQ•NONO and XLF function separately and together to promote DNA double-strand break repair via canonical nonhomologous end joining journal December 2016
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Modeling Damage Complexity-Dependent Non-Homologous End-Joining Repair Pathway journal February 2014
Recognition of DNA Termini by the C-Terminal Region of the Ku80 and the DNA-Dependent Protein Kinase Catalytic Subunit journal May 2015
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