Abeykoon Jithma P, Asada Shuhei, Zhu Guangli, Hirohashi Yuna, Moreau Lisa, Iyer Divya, Mukkavalli Sirisha, Parmar Kalindi, Zambrano Gabriella, Jiang Lige, Yi Dongni, Manske Michelle, Gwin Kimberly, King Rebecca L, Cerhan James R, Wu Xiaosheng, Lou Zhenkun, Shapiro Geoffrey I, Witzig Thomas, D'Andrea Alan
Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
J Clin Invest. 2025 Jul 3;135(17). doi: 10.1172/JCI193006. eCollection 2025 Sep 2.
Oncogene expression can cause replication stress (RS), leading to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that require repair through pathways such as homologous recombination, nonhomologous end-joining, and microhomology-mediated end-joining (MMEJ). Cyclin D1 (encoded by CCND1) is a well-known oncoprotein overexpressed in cancer; however, its role in RS is unknown. Using mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) as a naturally occurring model of cyclin D1 overexpression, we examined the impact of cyclin D1 on RS and DSB repair mechanisms. Cyclin D1 overexpression elevated RS, increased DNA damage, especially during mitosis, and caused specific upregulation of MMEJ. Furthermore, cyclin D1 activated polymerase theta (POLQ) transcription by binding its promoter loci, driving POLΘ-mediated MMEJ that is essential to withstand cyclin D1-induced RS. Moreover, concurrent ATM deficiency further intensified RS, enhanced POLQ expression, and heightened reliance on MMEJ-mediated DNA damage repair. Consequently, inhibition of POLΘ in cyclin D1-overexpressed settings further exacerbated RS, causing single-strand DNA gap accumulations and chromosomal instability, ultimately leading to apoptosis, an effect amplified in ATM-deficient cells. Targeting MMEJ via POLΘ inhibition is therefore an effective strategy in the context of cyclin D1 overexpression and ATM deficiency and may provide a unique therapeutic approach for treating MCL and other malignancies characterized by similar alterations.
癌基因表达可导致复制应激(RS),引发DNA双链断裂(DSB),需要通过同源重组、非同源末端连接和微同源性介导的末端连接(MMEJ)等途径进行修复。细胞周期蛋白D1(由CCND1编码)是一种在癌症中过度表达的著名癌蛋白;然而,其在复制应激中的作用尚不清楚。我们以套细胞淋巴瘤(MCL)作为细胞周期蛋白D1过度表达的天然模型,研究了细胞周期蛋白D1对复制应激和DNA双链断裂修复机制的影响。细胞周期蛋白D1的过度表达提高了复制应激水平,增加了DNA损伤,尤其是在有丝分裂期间,并导致MMEJ特异性上调。此外,细胞周期蛋白D1通过结合其启动子位点激活聚合酶θ(POLQ)转录,驱动POLΘ介导的MMEJ,这对于抵抗细胞周期蛋白D1诱导的复制应激至关重要。此外,同时存在的ATM缺陷进一步加剧了复制应激,增强了POLQ表达,并增加了对MMEJ介导的DNA损伤修复的依赖。因此,在细胞周期蛋白D1过度表达的情况下抑制POLΘ会进一步加剧复制应激,导致单链DNA缺口积累和染色体不稳定,最终导致细胞凋亡,这种效应在ATM缺陷细胞中会放大。因此,在细胞周期蛋白D1过度表达和ATM缺陷的情况下,通过抑制POLΘ靶向MMEJ是一种有效的策略,可能为治疗MCL和其他具有类似改变特征的恶性肿瘤提供一种独特的治疗方法。