ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Topoisomerase I (Topo I) poisons (e.g., camptothecin (CPT)), used to treat cancer, cause DNA breaks that are most cytotoxic during S phase. PARP-1 promotes DNA repair and PARP inhibitors (PARPi) sensitise cells to Topo I poisons. We aimed to determine whether chemosensitisation is also S phase specific using rucaparib, a potent PARPi in advanced clinical evaluation. METHODS: The impact of rucaparib, on CPT-induced cytotoxicity was measured in human colon cancer (LoVo) and leukaemic (K562) cells in asynchronous and cell cycle phase-separated cultures. Topoisomerase I and PARP levels and activity and the effect of rucaparib on DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs), double-strand breaks (DSBs) and collapsed replication fork induction and repair were determined in cell cycle phase-separated cells. RESULTS: The cytotoxicity of CPT was greatest during S phase, partially attributable to high Topo I activity, and rucaparib preferentially sensitised S-phase cells. Rucaparib increased CPT-induced DNA SSBs in all phases of the cell cycle, and increased DSB and γH2AX foci in S and G2, with γH2AX foci being highest in S-phase cells. Repair of SSBs and DSBs was most rapid during S then G2 phases and was substantially hindered by rucaparib. CONCLUSIONS: Rucaparib preferentially sensitises S-phase cells by increasing the frequency of collapsed replication forks.
Subject(s)
Camptothecin/pharmacology , Indoles/pharmacology , Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors , S Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints/drug effects , Topoisomerase I Inhibitors/pharmacology , Cell Survival/drug effects , DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded , DNA Repair/drug effects , DNA Topoisomerases, Type I/metabolism , Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor , Drug Synergism , Humans , K562 Cells , Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1 , Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases/metabolismABSTRACT
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP). Unfortunately, 25% of TKI-naive patients and 50-90% of patients developing TKI-resistance carry CML clones expressing TKI-resistant BCR-ABL1 kinase mutants. We reported that CML-CP leukemia stem and progenitor cell populations accumulate high amounts of reactive oxygen species, which may result in accumulation of uracil derivatives in genomic DNA. Unfaithful and/or inefficient repair of these lesions generates TKI-resistant point mutations in BCR-ABL1 kinase. Using an array of specific substrates and inhibitors/blocking antibodies we found that uracil DNA glycosylase UNG2 were inhibited in BCR-ABL1-transformed cell lines and CD34(+) CML cells. The inhibitory effect was not accompanied by downregulation of nuclear expression and/or chromatin association of UNG2. The effect was BCR-ABL1 kinase-specific because several other fusion tyrosine kinases did not reduce UNG2 activity. Using UNG2-specific inhibitor UGI, we found that reduction of UNG2 activity increased the number of uracil derivatives in genomic DNA detected by modified comet assay and facilitated accumulation of ouabain-resistant point mutations in reporter gene Na(+)/K(+)ATPase. In conclusion, we postulate that BCR-ABL1 kinase-mediated inhibition of UNG2 contributes to accumulation of point mutations responsible for TKI resistance causing the disease relapse, and perhaps also other point mutations facilitating malignant progression of CML.