BRCA1

RAD52 is the key mediator of SSA. Activated ATM phosphorylates and activates ABL1, and activated ABL1 subsequently phosphorylates pre-formed RAD52 heptameric rings, increasing their affinity for ssDNA (Honda et al. 2011). Phosphorylated RAD52 binds phosphorylated RPA heterotrimers on 3'-ssDNA overhangs at resected DNA DSBs. RAD52 also binds RAD51 and prevents formation of invasive RAD51 nucleofilaments involved in HRR (Chen et al. 1999, Van Dyck et al. 1999, Parsons et al. 2000, Jackson et al. 2002, Singleton et al. 2002).

RAD52 promotes annealing of two 3'-ssDNA overhangs when highly homologous directed repeats are present in both 3'-ssDNA overhangs. Nonhomologous regions lying 3' to the annealed repeats are displaced as 3'-flaps (Parsons et al. 2000, Van Dyck et al. 2001, Singleton et al. 2002, Stark et al. 2004, Mansour et al. 2008). The endonuclease complex composed of ERCC1 and ERCC4 (XPF) is subsequently recruited to SSA sites through direct interaction between RAD52 and ERCC4, leading to cleavage of 3' flaps (Motycka et al. 2004, Al-Minawi et al. 2008). The identity of a DNA ligase that closes the remaining single strand nicks (SSBs) to complete SSA-mediated repair is not known.

SSA results in deletion of one of the annealed repeats and the intervening DNA sequence between the two annealed repeats and is thus mutagenic

Activated ATM phosphorylates the NBN (NBS1) subunit of the MRN complex (MRE11A:RAD50:NBN) (Gatei et al. 2000), as well as the nucleosome histone H2AFX (H2AX) on serine residue S139, producing gamma-H2AFX (gamma-H2AX) containing nucleosomes (Rogakou et al. 1998, Burma et al. 2001). H2AFX is phosphorylated on tyrosine 142 (Y142) under basal conditions (Xiao et al. 2009). After ATM-mediated phosphorylation of H2AFX on S139, tyrosine Y142 has to be dephosphorylated by EYA family phosphatases in order for the DNA repair to proceed and to avoid apoptosis induced by DNA DSBs (Cook et al. 2009). Gamma-H2AFX recruits MDC1 to DNA DSBs (Stucki et al. 2005). After ATM phosphorylates MDC1 (Liu et al. 2012), the MRN complex, gamma-H2AFX nucleosomes, and MDC1 serve as a core of the nuclear focus and a platform for the recruitment of other proteins involved in DNA damage signaling and repair (Lukas et al. 2004, Soutoglou and Misteli 2008).

RNF8 ubiquitin ligase binds phosphorylated MDC1 (Kolas et al. 2007) and, in cooperation with HERC2 and RNF168 (Bekker-Jensen et al. 2010, Campbell et al. 2012), ubiquitinates H2AFX (Mailand et al. 2007, Huen et al. 2007, Stewart et al. 2009, Doil et al. 2009) and histone demethylases KDM4A and KDM4B (Mallette et al. 2012).

Ubiquitinated gamma-H2AFX recruits UIMC1 (RAP80), promoting the assembly of the BRCA1-A complex at DNA DSBs. The BRCA1-A complex consists of RAP80, FAM175A (Abraxas), BRCA1:BARD1 heterodimer, BRCC3 (BRCC36), BRE (BRCC45) and BABAM1 (MERIT40, NBA1) (Wang et al. 2007, Wang and Elledge 2007)

Ubiquitin mediated degradation of KDM4A and KDM4B allows TP53BP1 (53BP1) to associate with histone H4 dimethylated on lysine K21 (H4K20Me2 mark) by WHSC1 at DNA DSB sites (Pei et al. 2011).

Once recruited to DNA DSBs, both BRCA1:BARD1 heterodimers and TP53BP1 are phosphorylated by ATM (Cortez et al. 1999, Gatei et al. 2000, Kim et al. 2006, Jowsey et al. 2007), which triggers recruitment and activation of CHEK2 (Chk2, Cds1) (Wang et al. 2002, Wilson and Stern 2008, Melchionna et al. 2000).

Depending on the cell cycle stage, BRCA1 and TP53BP1 competitively promote either homology directed repair (HDR) or nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) of DNA DSBs. HDR through homologous recombination repair (HRR) or single strand annealing (SSA) is promoted by BRCA1 in association with RBBP8 (CtIP), while NHEJ is promoted by TP53BP1 in association with RIF1 (Escribano-Diaz et al. 2013)

A D-loop can be cleaved by the complex of MUS81 and EME1 (MUS81:EME1) or MUS81 and EME2 (MUS81:EME2) and resolved without the formation of double Holliday junctions, generating cross-over products. All steps involved in this process have not been elucidated (Osman et al. 2003, Schwartz et al. 2012, Pepe and West 2014).

Alternatively, double Holliday junctions can be created by ligation of crossed-strand intermediates. Double Holliday junctions can then be resolved through the action of the BLM helicase complex known as BTRR (BLM:TOP3A:RMI1:RMI2) (Wan et al. 2013, Bocquet et al. 2014). BLM-mediated resolution of Holliday junction intermediates prevents sister chromatid exchange (SCE) between mitotic chromosomes and generates non-crossover products. Mitotic SCE can result in the loss-of-heterozygosity (LOH), which can make the cell homozygous for deleterious recessive mutations (e.g. in tumor suppressor genes) (Wu and Hickson 2003). Double Holliday junctions can also be resolved by cleavage, mediated by GEN1 or the SLX-MUS complex (composed of SLX1A:SLX4 heterodimer and a heterodimer of MUS81 and EME1 or, possibly, EME2). The resolvase activity of GEN1 and SLX-MUS predominantly results in crossover products, with SCE (Fekairi et al. 2009, Wyatt et al. 2013, Sarbajna et al. 2014)

While RAD52 promotes formation of invasive RAD51 nucleofilaments in yeast, human BRCA2 performs this function, while human RAD52 regulates single strand annealing (SSA) (reviewed by Ciccia and Elledge 2010)

TP53 directly stimulates transcription of several genes involved in DNA mismatch repair, including MSH2 (Scherer et al. 2000, Warnick et al. 2001), PMS2 and MLH1 (Chen and Sadowski 2005). TP53 also directly stimulates transcription of DDB2, involved in nucleotide excision repair (Tan and Chu 2002), and FANCC, involved in the Fanconi anemia pathway that repairs DNA interstrand crosslinks (Liebetrau et al. 1997). Other p53 targets that can influence DNA repair functions are RRM2B (Kuo et al. 2012), XPC (Fitch et al. 2003), GADD45A (Amundson et al. 2002), CDKN1A (Cazzalini et al. 2010) and PCNA (Xu and Morris 1999). Interestingly, the responsiveness of some of these DNA repair genes to p53 activation has been shown in human cells but not for orthologous mouse genes (Jegga et al. 2008, Tan and Chu 2002). Contrary to the positive modulation of nucleotide excision repair (NER) and mismatch repair (MMR), p53 can negatively modulate base excision repair (BER), by down-regulating the endonuclease APEX1 (APE1), acting in concert with SP1 (Poletto et al. 2016).

Expression of several DNA repair genes is under indirect TP53 control, through TP53-mediated stimulation of cyclin K (CCNK) expression (Mori et al. 2002). CCNK is the activating cyclin for CDK12 and CDK13 (Blazek et al. 2013). The complex of CCNK and CDK12 binds and phosphorylates the C-terminal domain of the RNA polymerase II subunit POLR2A, which is necessary for efficient transcription of long DNA repair genes, including BRCA1, ATR, FANCD2, FANCI, ATM, MDC1, CHEK1 and RAD51D. Genes whose transcription is regulated by the complex of CCNK and CDK12 are mainly involved in the repair of DNA double strand breaks and/or the Fanconi anemia pathway (Blazek et al. 2011, Cheng et al. 2012, Bosken et al. 2014, Bartkowiak and Greenleaf 2015, Ekumi et al. 2015)

Phosphorylation of TP53 at serine residue S46 promotes transcription of TP53-regulated apoptotic genes rather than cell cycle arrest genes. Several kinases can phosphorylate S46 of TP53, including ATM-activated DYRK2, which, like TP53, is targeted for degradation by MDM2 (Taira et al. 2007, Taira et al. 2010). TP53 is also phosphorylated at S46 by HIPK2 in the presence of the TP53 transcriptional target TP53INP1 (D'Orazi et al. 2002, Hofmann et al. 2002, Tomasini et al. 2003). CDK5, in addition to phosphorylating TP53 at S15, also phosphorylates it at S33 and S46, which promotes neuronal cell death (Lee et al. 2007).

MAPKAPK5 (PRAK) phosphorylates TP53 at serine residue S37, promoting cell cycle arrest and cellular senescence in response to oncogenic RAS signaling (Sun et al. 2007).

NUAK1 phosphorylates TP53 at S15 and S392, and phosphorylation at S392 may contribute to TP53-mediated transcriptional activation of cell cycle arrest genes (Hou et al. 2011). S392 of TP53 is also phosphorylated by the complex of casein kinase II (CK2) bound to the FACT complex, enhancing transcriptional activity of TP53 in response to UV irradiation (Keller et al. 2001, Keller and Lu 2002).

The activity of TP53 is inhibited by phosphorylation at serine residue S315, which enhances MDM2 binding and degradation of TP53. S315 of TP53 is phosphorylated by Aurora kinase A (AURKA) (Katayama et al. 2004) and CDK2 (Luciani et al. 2000). Interaction with MDM2 and the consequent TP53 degradation is also increased by phosphorylation of TP53 threonine residue T55 by the transcription initiation factor complex TFIID (Li et al. 2004).

Aurora kinase B (AURKB) has been shown to phosphorylate TP53 at serine residue S269 and threonine residue T284, which is possibly facilitated by the binding of the NIR co-repressor. AURKB-mediated phosphorylation was reported to inhibit TP53 transcriptional activity through an unknown mechanism (Wu et al. 2011). A putative direct interaction between TP53 and AURKB has also been described and linked to TP53 phosphorylation and S183, T211 and S215 and TP53 degradation (Gully et al. 2012)

E2f6 knockout mice are viable and embryonic fibroblasts derived from these mice proliferate normally. Although E2f6 knockout mice appear healthy, they are affected by homeotic transformations of the axial skeleton, involving vertebrae and ribs. Similar skeletal defects have been reported in mice harboring mutations in polycomb genes, suggesting that E2F6 may function in recruitment of polycomb repressor complex(es) to target promoters (Storre et al. 2002).

E2F6 mediates repression of E2F responsive genes. While E2F6 was suggested to maintain G0 state in quiescent cells (Gaubatz et al. 1998, Ogawa et al. 2002), this finding has been challenged (Giangrande et al. 2004, Bertoli et al. 2013, Bertoli et al. 2016). Instead, E2F6-mediated gene repression in proliferating (non-quiescent) cells is thought to repress E2F targets involved in G1/S transition during S phase of the cell cycle. E2F6 does not affect E2F targets involved in G2/M transition (Oberley et al. 2003, Giangrande et al. 2004, Attwooll et al. 2005, Trojer et al. 2011, Bertoli et al. 2013). In the context of the E2F6.com-1 complex, E2F6 was shown to bind to promoters of E2F1, MYC, CDC25A and TK1 genes (Ogawa et al. 2002). E2F6 also binds the promoters of CDC6, RRM1 (RR1), PCNA and TYMS (TS) genes (Giangrande et al. 2004), as well as the promoter of the DHFR gene (Gaubatz et al. 1998). While transcriptional repression by the E2F6.com 1 complex may be associated with histone methyltransferase activity (Ogawa et al. 2002), E2F6 can also repress transcription independently of H3K9 methylation (Oberley et al. 2003).

During S phase, E2F6 is involved in the DNA replication stress checkpoint (Bertoli et al. 2013, Bertoli et al. 2016). Under replication stress, CHEK1-mediated phosphorylation prevents association of E2F6 with its target promoters, allowing transcription of E2F target genes whose expression is needed for resolution of stalled replication forks and restart of DNA synthesis. Inability to induce transcription of E2F target genes (due to CHEK1 inhibition or E2F6 overexpression) leads to replication stress induced DNA damage (Bertoli et al. 2013, Bertoli et al. 2016). E2F6 represses transcription of a number of E2F targets involved in DNA synthesis and repair, such as RRM2, RAD51, BRCA1, and RBBP8 (Oberley et al. 2003, Bertoli et al. 2013)