Fumarate hydratase loss promotes mitotic entry in the presence of DNA damage after ionising radiation.

Authors
Johnson, Timothy I 
Costa, Ana SH 
Ferguson, Ashley N 

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Type
Article
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Abstract

An altered response to DNA damage is commonly associated with genomic instability, a hallmark of cancer. Fumarate hydratase (FH) was recently characterised as a DNA repair factor required in non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) through the local production of fumarate. Inactivating germline mutations in FH cause hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC), a cancer syndrome characterised by accumulation of fumarate. Recent data indicate that, in FH-deficient cells, fumarate suppresses homologous recombination DNA repair upon DNA double-strand breaks, compromising genome integrity. Here, we show that FH loss confers resistance to DNA damage caused by ionising radiation (IR), and promotes early mitotic entry after IR in a fumarate-specific manner, even in the presence of unrepaired damage, by suppressing checkpoint maintenance. We also showed that higher levels of DNA damage foci are detectable in untreated FH-deficient cells. Overall, these data indicate that FH loss and fumarate accumulation lead to a weakened G2 checkpoint that predisposes to endogenous DNA damage and confers resistance to IR.

Publication Date
2018-09-06
Online Publication Date
2018-09-06
Acceptance Date
2018-07-27
Keywords
Carcinoma, Renal Cell, Cell Line, Tumor, DNA Damage, DNA Repair, Fumarate Hydratase, G2 Phase, Genomic Instability, Germ-Line Mutation, Humans, Kidney Neoplasms, Leiomyomatosis, Mitosis, Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary, Radiation, Ionizing, Skin Neoplasms, Uterine Neoplasms
Journal Title
Cell Death Dis
Journal ISSN
2041-4889
2041-4889
Volume Title
9
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sponsorship
MRC (unknown)
Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12022/6)