Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is a post-translational modification that is instantly stimulated by DNA strand breaks creating a unique signal for the modulation of protein functions in DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoint pathways. Here we report that lack of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis leads to a compromised response to DNA damage. Deficiency in poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation metabolism induces profound cellular sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents, particularly in cells deficient for the protein kinase ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM). At the biochemical level, we examined the significance of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis on the regulation of early DNA damage-induced signaling cascade initiated by ATM. Using potent PARP inhibitors and PARP-1 knock-out cells, we demonstrate a functional interplay between ATM and poly(ADP-ribose) that is important for the phosphorylation of p53, SMC1, and H2AX. For the first time, we demonstrate a functional and physical interaction between the major DSB signaling kinase, ATM and poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation by PARP-1, a key enzyme of chromatin remodeling. This study suggests that poly(ADP-ribose) might serve as a DNA damage sensory molecule that is critical for early DNA damage signaling.
Double-strand breaks (DSB)5 are potentially the most cytotoxic form of DNA damage in human cells because they lead to genomic rearrangements, cancer predisposition, and perhaps cell death if unrepaired or repaired incorrectly (1). Consequently, the DNA damage response involves parallel modulation of redundant signaling pathways leading to lesion detection, processing, and repair. Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) is a DNA damage-responding kinase that is rapidly activated after the induction of DSB (2). Within minutes of DNA damage induction, ATM is recruited and activated in the vicinity of DSBs, where it induces the phosphorylation of a number of proteins required for DNA damage response and repair, including proteins of MRN (Mre11/Rad50/NBS1) complex, p53, SMC1 and histone variant H2AX (3). However, the detailed mechanisms of how ATM is activated and regulates its downstream effectors are not fully understood. Although ATM activation is mainly associated with DSB formation as part of the damage detection mechanism following ionizing radiation (IR), several studies indicate that the signaling kinase ATM is also activated in response to the environmental carcinogen N-methyl-NЈ-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) (4 -6).Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) are also constitutive factors of the DNA damage surveillance network, acting through a DNA break sensor function (7). Several observations indicate that poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation also plays an early role in DSB signaling and repair pathways (8 -11). PARP-1 and PARP-2 are highly activated upon binding to DNA strand interruptions and synthesize, within seconds, large amounts of the negatively charged polymer of ADP-ribose (PAR) on several nuclear proteins including themselves, histones, topoisomerase I, and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) (12). The immediate activat...