2. Academic Validation
  3. SLFN11 inhibits checkpoint maintenance and homologous recombination repair

SLFN11 inhibits checkpoint maintenance and homologous recombination repair

  • EMBO Rep. 2016 Jan;17(1):94-109. doi: 10.15252/embr.201540964.
Yanhua Mu 1,  Jiangman Lou 1,  Mrinal Srivastava 2,  Bin Zhao 1,  Xin-hua Feng 1,  Ting Liu 3,  Junjie Chen 4,  Jun Huang 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Life Sciences Institute and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Zhejiang, China.
  • 2 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
  • 3 Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou Zhejiang, China liuting518@zju.edu.cn jchen8@mdanderson.org jhuang@zju.edu.cn.
  • 4 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA liuting518@zju.edu.cn jchen8@mdanderson.org jhuang@zju.edu.cn.
  • 5 Life Sciences Institute and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Zhejiang, China liuting518@zju.edu.cn jchen8@mdanderson.org jhuang@zju.edu.cn.
PMID: 26658330 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201540964
Abstract

High expression levels of SLFN11 correlate with the sensitivity of human Cancer cells to DNA-damaging agents. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism. Here, we show that SLFN11 interacts directly with RPA1 and is recruited to sites of DNA damage in an RPA1-dependent manner. Furthermore, we establish that SLFN11 inhibits checkpoint maintenance and homologous recombination repair by promoting the destabilization of the RPA-ssDNA complex, thereby sensitizing Cancer cell lines expressing high endogenous levels of SLFN11 to DNA-damaging agents. Finally, we demonstrate that the RPA1-binding ability of SLFN11 is required for its function in the DNA damage response. Our findings not only provide novel insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the drug sensitivity of Cancer cell lines expressing SLFN11 at high levels, but also suggest that SLFN11 expression can serve as a biomarker to predict responses to DNA-damaging therapeutic agents.

Keywords

DNA damage response; RPA; checkpoint initiation; checkpoint maintenance; homologous recombination repair.

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