Targeted mass spectrometry enables robust quantification of FANCD2 mono-ubiquitination in response to DNA damage.

The Fanconi anemia pathway is an important coordinator of DNA repair pathways and is particularly relevant to repair of DNA inter-strand crosslinks. Central to the pathway is monoubiquitination of FANCD2, requiring the function of multiple proteins in an upstream Fanconi core complex. We present development and analytical characterization of a novel assay for quantification of unmodified and monoubiquitinated FANCD2 proteoforms, based on peptide immunoaffinity enrichment and targeted multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (immuno-MRM). The immuno-MRM assay is analytically characterized using fit-for-purpose method validation. The assay linear range is >3 orders of magnitude with total repeatability <16% CV. In proof-of-principle experiments, we demonstrate application of the multiplex assay by quantifying the FANCD2 proteoforms following mitomycin-c treatment in an isogenic pair of FancA-corrected and uncorrected cell lines, as well as primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells from Fanconi Anemia patients. Additionally, we demonstrate detection of endogenous FANCD2 monoubiquitination in human breast cancer tissue. The immuno-MRM assay provides a potential functional diagnostic for patients with Fanconi Anemia with defects in the upstream FA complex or FANCD2, and a potential test for predicting sensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents in human cancers.

First synthesis of N-[(aziridin-2-yl)methyl]benzimidazolequinone and analysis of toxicity towards normal and Fanconi anemia cells.

A diazole is N-substituted with 1-trityl-2-methylaziridine and demethylated and oxidised with NBS under acidic conditions to give a benzimidazolequinone; this novel anti-tumour agent is marginally more cytotoxic than mitomycin C (MMC) towards the normal human fibroblast cell line GM00637, while the MMC-hypersensitive human Fanconi anaemia (FA) cell line, PD20i, lacking the FANCD2 protein, is also hypersensitive to the benzimidazolequinone, with expression of FANCD2 protein decreasing sensitivity to both MMC and the benzimidazolequinone.