This study focussed on two areas in the field of cancer susceptibility. The initial area was the genetic analysis of a recently mapped breast cancer susceptibility locus, BRCAl, in a number of breast and breast-ovarian cancer families. In the largest of the ICRF families studied (BOV3), linkage to the long arm of chromosome 17 was confirmed and a number of recombinants were identified. One such cross-over event enabled the reduction of the interval harbouring BRCAI to a region estimated to be between 1-1.5 Mh. During the course of this study, a second gene for breast/ovarian cancer predisposition, BRCA2, had been assigned to a 6 cM region at 13q12-13.Towards the identification of this gene, a YAC contig was constructed spanning the published minimal genetic interval for BRCA2. This contig provided a framework for the identification of BRCA2. Allele loss studies were also performed and indicated that BRCA1 acts as a tumour suppressor. Analysis of familial and sporadic infiltrating ductal grade 3 breast carcinomas revealed a pattern of combined loss or retention of BRCAI and BRCA2. This supports a role for both genes in the development of thistumour type. The other area of study was the genetic analysis of a group of autosomal dominant skin diseases, termed the non-epidermolytic palmoplantar keratodermas. This study demonstrated genetic heterogeneity between three forms of NEPPK: diffuse, punctate and focal. Genetic heterogeneity was also established between families presenting with clinically similar forms of focal NEPPK. Mutations in thetype I keratin on 17q12-21, KRT16, were identified as the genetic basis of focal NEPPK in a pedigree without associated susceptibility to oesophageal cancer. In the pedigrees with a striking association between focal NEPPK and oesophageal cancer susceptibility, the region harbouring this disease locus (TOC) was refined to a lcMregion on 17q24-25.

No description available.

Copies of author's previously published articles inserted. / Bibliography: leaves 187-209. / xiii, 209 leaves : / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Documents the establishment of a reproducible model of carcinoma implanted into the abdominal wall of an immunocompetent Dark agouli rat to study the relationship between laparoscopy and the development of port site metastases. / Thesis (M.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Surgery, 1998?

Abstract As the defects in DNA repair and cell cycle control are known to promote tumorigenesis, a proportion of inherited breast cancers might be attributable to mutations in the genes involved in these functions. In the present study, three such genes, TP53, CHK2 and ATM, which are also associated with known cancer syndromes, were screened for germline mutations in Finnish breast cancer patients. In combination with our previous results, three TP53 germline mutations, Tyr220Cys, Asn235Ser and Arg248Gln, were detected in 2.6% (3/108) of the breast cancer families. The only observed CHK2 alteration with a putative effect on cancer susceptibility, Ile157Thr, segregated ambiguously with the disease, and was also present in cancer-free controls. The available functional data, however, suggests that the altered CHK2 in some way promote tumorigenesis. Furthermore, compared to the other studied populations, Ile157Thr seems to be markedly enriched in Finland. Thus, the clinical significance of Ile157Thr requires further investigation among Finnish cancer patients. ATM germline mutations appear to contribute to a small proportion of the hereditary breast cancer risk, as two distinct ATM mutations, Ala2524Pro and 6903insA, were found among three families (1.9%, 3/162) displaying breast cancer. They all originated from the same geographical region as the AT families with the corresponding mutations, possibly referring to a founder effect concerning the distribution of these mutations in the Finnish population. The genes important for tumorigenesis in sporadic disease might also contribute to familial breast cancer. Therefore, four putative LOH targets genes in chromosome 11q21-q24 were screened for intragenic mutations, and five were analyzed for epigenetic inactivation in sporadic breast tumors. The lack of somatic intragenic mutations in MRE11A, PPP2R1B, CHK1 and TSLC1 led us next to investigate promoter region hypermethylation as a mechanism capable of silencing these genes, as well as the ATM gene. Only TSLC1 demonstrated involvement of CpG island methylation, which was especially prominent in three tumors. This suggests that together with LOH, methylation could result in biallelic inactivation of the TSLC1 gene in breast cancer.

Human response to ionising radiation (IR) shows a wide variation. This is most clearly seen in the radiation-response of cells as measured by frequencies of chromosomal aberrations. Different frequencies of IR-induced aberrations can be conveniently observed in phytohaemagglutin-stimulated peripheral blood T-lymphocytes from both normal individuals and sporadic cancer cases, in either metaphase chromosomes or as micronuclei in the following cell cycle. Metaphase cells show frequent chromatid breaks, defined as chromatid discontinuities or terminal deletions, if irradiated in the G 2 -phase of the cell cycle. It has been shown that the frequency of chromatid breaks in cells from approximately 40% of sporadic breast cancer patients, are significantly higher than in groups of normal individuals. This suggests that elevated radiation-induced chromatid break frequency may be linked with susceptibility to breast cancer. It is known that chromatid breaks are initiated by a double strand break (DSB), but it appears that the two are linked only indirectly as repair kinetics for DSBs and chromatid breaks do not match. Therefore, the underlying causes of the wide variation in frequencies of chromatid breaks in irradiated T-lymphocytes from different normal individuals and from sporadic breast cancer cases are still unclear but it is unlikely to be linked directly to DSB rejoining. My research has focused on the mechanism through which chromatid breaks are formed from initial DSBs. The lack of a direct association suggested that a signalling process might be involved, connecting the initial DSB and resulting chromatid break. The signal model, suggested that the initial DSB is located within a chromatin loop that leads to an intra- or interchromatid rearrangement resulting in incomplete mis-joining of chromatin ends during the decatenation of chromatids during G 2 . It was therefore proposed that topoisomerase II alpha (topo IIα) might be involved, mainly because of its ability to incise DNA and its role in sister chromatid decatenation. During my PhD research I have used a strategy of altering topo II activity or expression and studying whether this alters IR-induced chromatid break frequency. The first approach involved cell lines that varied in topo IIα expression. The frequency of IR-induced chromatid breaks was found to correlate positively with topo IIα expression level, as measured in three different cell lines by immunoblotting, i.e. two cell lines with lower topo IIα expression exhibited lower chromatid break frequency. Topo II activity in these three cell lines was also estimated indirectly by the ability of a topo IIα poison to activate the G 2 /M checkpoint, and this related well with topo IIα expression. A second approach involved ‘knocking down’ topo IIα protein expression by silencing RNA (siRNA). Lowered topo IIα expression was confirmed by immunoblotting and polymerase chain reaction. SiRNA-lowered topo IIα expression correlated with a decreased IR-induced chromatid break frequency. In a third series of experiments cells were treated with ICRF-193, a topo IIα catalytic inhibitor. It was shown that inhibition of topo IIα also significantly reduced IR-induced chromatid breaks. I also showed that lowered chromatid break frequency was not due to cells with high chromatid break frequencies being blocked in G 2 as the mitotic index was not altered significantly in cells with lowered topo IIα expression or activity. These experiments show that topo IIα is involved in IR-induced chromatid break formation. The final experiments reported here attempted to show how topo II might be recruited in the process of forming IR-induced chromatid breaks. Hydrogen peroxide was used as a source of reactive oxygen species (reported to poison topo IIα) and it was shown that topo IIα under these conditions is involved in the entanglement of metaphase chromosomes and formation of chromatin ‘dots’ as well as chromatid breaks. Experiments using atomic force microscopy attempted to confirm these dots as excised chromatin loops. The possible role of topo IIα in both radiation- and hydrogen peroxide-induced primary DNA damage was also tested. It was shown that topo IIα does not affect radiation-induced DSBs, even though it does affect chromatid break frequency. Also, topo IIα does not affect hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA damage at low doses. The results support the idea that topo IIα is involved in the conversion of DSBs to chromatid breaks after both irradiation and treatment with hydrogen peroxide at a low concentrations. I have demonstrated that topo IIα is involved in forming IR-induced chromatid breaks, most likely by converting the initial DSBs into chromosomal aberrations as suggested by the signal model.

It is increasingly recognised that individual risk of cancer may be related to genetically determined differences in the ability of cells to identify and repair DNA damage. Cell cycle based assays of chromosomal radiosensitivity provide the greatest power for discriminating differences in response to DNA damage and it has been suggested that individuals who are genetically susceptible to cancer show increased chromosomal radiosensitivity. The relationship between chromosomal radiosensitivity and early onset cancer was investigated in a population of Danish survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer and a control group comprising of their partners using the G₂ assay of chromosomal radiosensitivity. Heritability was also examined in the offspring. No significant differences in radiosensitivity profiles were found between partner controls and either the cancer survivors or offspring. However, when compared to the Westlakes Research Institute control population, significant differences were observed with the cancer survivors (P = 0.002) and offspring (P < 0.001), supporting an association of chromosomal radiosensitivity with cancer predisposition. Heritability studies suggested the majority of phenotypic variance of chromosomal radiosensitivity was attributable to a putative major gene locus with dominant effect. Since G2 chromosomal radiosensitivity indirectly measures the ability of cells to repair DNA damage induced by ionising radiation exposure, variants in DNA repair genes may explain inter-individual variation observed. Sixteen polymorphisms in nine genes from four DNA repair pathways were investigated. Genotype frequencies at the Asp148Glu polymorphism were associated with childhood cancer in survivors. Analysis of variance and FBAT analysis suggested significant associations at both the Thr241Met and Ser326Cys polymorphism sites with G₂ radiosensitivity, but neither remained significant after multiple-test adjustment. This study invites further exploration of the predictive capacity of G₂ chromosomal radiosensitivity in cancer predisposition. Clearly, further work is needed to correlate radiosensitivity with genetic polymorphisms, which may underlie cancer susceptibility and variation in radiosensitivity.

The circadian clock is a molecular mechanism that synchronizes physiological changes with environmental variations. Disruption of the circadian clock has been linked to increased risk in diseases and a number of disorders (e.g. jet lag, insomnia, and cancer). Period 2 (Per2), a circadian protein, is at the center of the clock's function. The loss or deregulation of per2 has been shown to be common in several types of cancer including breast and ovarian [1, 2]. Epidemiological studies established a correlation between circadian disruption and the development of estrogen dependent tumors. The expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) mRNA oscillates in a 24-hour period and, unlike Per2, ERα peaks during the light phase of the day. Because up regulation of ERα relates to tumor development, defining the mechanisms of ERα expression will contribute to our comprehension of cellular proliferation and regulation of normal developmental processes. The overall goal of this project is to investigate the molecular basis for circadian control of ERα transcription. Transcriptional activation of ERα was measured using a reporter system in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines. Data show that Per2 influences ERα transcription through a non-canonical mechanism independent of its circadian counterparts. Breast cancer susceptibility protein 1 (BRCA1) was confirmed to be an interactor of Per2 via bacterial two-hybrid assays, in accordance with previous studies [2]. BRCA1 is a transcriptional activator of ERα promoter in the presence of octamer transcription factor-1 (OCT-1) [3]. Our results indicate that the DNA binding domain of OCT-1, POU, to directly interact with Per2 and BRCA1, in vitro. Pull-down assays were used to map direct interaction of various Per2 and BRCA1 recombinant proteins and POU. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed the recruitment of PER2 and BRCA1 to the estrogen promoter by OCT-1 and the recruitment of Per2 to the ERα promoter decreases ERα mRNA expression levels in MCF-7 cells. Our work supports a circadian regulation of ERα through the repression of esr1 by Per2 in MCF-7 cells. / Ph. D.

Breast Cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) & Breast Cancer Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies affecting women worldwide. About 5-10% of all cases are estimated to be familial. Mutations in the BRCA1 (Breast Cancer susceptibility gene 1) gene account for about 15-20% of inherited breast cancer cases and 60-80% of families predisposed to both breast and ovarian cancer. BRCA1 mutations also result in susceptibility to early-onset breast and ovarian cancer. The human BRCA1 gene encodes a multi-domain 1,863 amino acid nuclear protein that is expressed in a wide variety of adult human tissues. The N-terminal end of BRCA1 contains a RING-finger domain. Exon 11 of BRCA1 contains two nuclear localization signals towards its N-terminal for targeting BRCA1 to the nucleus. The carboxyl terminus contains two BRCT (BRCA1 C-terminal) domains and a transcriptional activation domain. This study was carried out to functionally characterize BRCA1 and to find out the percentage in which BRCA1 gene is mutated in Indian familial breast and/or ovarian cancer families. The work has been divided into three sections: 1. Identification & characterization of a BRCA1 Associated Protein 2 (BAP2). 2. Germ-line BRCA1 mutation Analysis in Indian Breast and/or Ovarian Cancer Families. 3. Characterization of a novel missense mutation (E116K) in BRCA1. BRCA1 is known to interact with large number of proteins and is involved in various cellular functions like tumorigenesis, transcription, DNA damage repair, cell-cycle control, ubiquitinylation, genetic stability, cell growth and apoptosis. The interacting partners of BRCA1 have given a lot of clue about the functions of this complex protein. In the first project, we used the yeast two-hybrid system to identify novel interacting proteins of BRCA1. We used the 1-500 amino acid region of BRCA1 as bait in library screen and picked up a novel clone (clone 89) showing interaction with BRCA1. Clone 89 contains approximately 2.3 Kb long cDNA sequence. Using the nucleotide blast search, we obtained a full-length cDNA of approximately 5.4 Kb (KIAA0657) that is located on chromosome 2, 2q36.1 region. We have named this new protein BRCA1 Associated Protein 2 (BAP2). Translation of this coding sequence gave a protein that has homology to Titin protein. This protein, which has 1,236 amino acids, contains 9 Immunoglobulin like domains. The homologues of this protein exists in many other organisms but the function is not known. We have confirmed the interaction between BRCA1 and c89 using in vitro GST pull-down assay. We have studied the influence of BAP2 on various functions of BRCA1 like transcription, colony suppression and cell cycle. In the transcription assays, BAP2 activated p21 promoter activity perhaps by using endogenous BRCA1 as simultaneous ectopic expression of truncated BRCA1 (containing aa 1-500) abolished this activity. Further, BAP2 also increased the ability of BRCA1 to activate p21 promoter suggesting that BAP2 may act as a co-activator of BRCA1 functions. Surprisingly, we observed that BAP2 inhibited p53-mediated transcription both in the absence and presence of BRCA1. BAP2 failed to inhibit colony growth by itself as well as in combination with BRCA1. In the cell-cycle study, we found that BAP2 did not have any significant effect on cell cycle profile by itself. However, it drastically augmented the G2/M arrest mediated by BRCA1. Thus we conclude that we have identified a novel interacting protein of BRCA1 that regulates certain functions of BRCA1. Detection of mutations is of central importance in the study of genetic and malignant diseases. Mutation detection helps us in understanding the protein structure, function and expression. More than that, it is also important for pre-symptomatic/antenatal diagnosis, confirmation of the genetic cause of the disease and the mode of inheritance of a disease in a particular family, the prediction of clinical phenotype and the potentiation of diagnostic analysis in the case of families with incomplete pedigrees or with new mutations. Therefore, the importance of direct mutation analysis cannot be understated. The second project deals with screening of mutations in BRCA1 gene in 50 familial breast and/or ovarian cancer families using the technique of Conformation Sensitive Gel Electrophoresis (CSGE). CSGE can be used to detect mismatches in DNA heteroduplexes that contain one strand of wild type and one strand of mutated DNA. In a collaborative study with Kidwai Memorial Hospital for Oncology, Bangalore, we screened 50 families suffering from breast and/or ovarian cancer. We detected 13 mutations in this study out of which 3 are novel and 10 have already been reported earlier (Breast Information Core). All the mutations obtained in our study result in truncation of the BRCA1 protein either because of non-sense mutation or frame-shift mutation. Interestingly, 8 of the mutations detected are 185delAG mutations – the most commonly occurring mutation in Ashkenazi Jewish population. From this study, we conclude that BRCA1 is mutated in 26% of familial breast and/or ovarian cancer cases in India. Genetic testing in individuals with family history of breast, ovarian or both has become very common. It is difficult to interpret the result of genetic screen if a DNA change in the gene does not result in truncation of the protein. Rare missense changes of unknown functional and pathogenic significance are called unclassified variants. It is important to study the functional implications of these unclassified variants in order to determine the risk associated with the presence of such variations. The third project deals with characterization of one such missense variation. In an earlier mutation analysis study for BRCA1 gene in breast cancer samples, we found a novel missense variation resulting in Glu116Lys (E116K) change. In order to determine if this variant is a disease associated missense mutation or a benign sequence alteration; we introduced this variation into full length BRCA1 cDNA and studied its effect on the known functions of BRCA1, namely, transcription, colony suppression and cell cycle. We found that E116K is defective for activating transcription. However, it continued to inhibit growth in colony formation assay and arrest cells in G2/M phase of cell cycle. We conclude that E116K mutation results in loss of transactivation function of BRCA1 but has no effect on colony formation and cell cycle regulation; thus it can be categorized as a novel missense mutation.

My research was focused on understanding the importance of mammalian RAD51 paralogs in genome maintenance and suppression of tumorigenesis. The investigation carried out during this study has been addressed toward gaining more insights into the involvement of RAD51 paralogs in DNA damage signalling, repair of various types of lesions including double stranded breaks (DSBs), daughter strand gaps (DSGs), interstrand crosslinks (ICLs), and in the protection of stalled replication forks. My study highlights the molecular functions of RAD51 paralogs in Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway of ICL repair, in the ATM and ATR mediated DNA damage responses, in homologous recombination (HR), and in the recovery from replication associated lesions. My research also focused on the development of a novel photoinducible ICL agent for targeted cancer therapy. The thesis has been divided into following sections as follows: Chapter I: General introduction that describes about DNA damage responses and the known functions of RAD51 paralogs across species in DNA repair and checkpoint The genome of every living organism is susceptible to various types of DNA damage and mammalian cells are evolved with various DNA damage surveillance mechanisms in response to DNA damages. In response to DNA damage, activated checkpoints arrest the cell cycle progression transiently and allow the repair of damaged DNA. Upon completion of DNA repair, checkpoints are deactivated to resume the normal cell cycle progression. Defective DNA damage responses may lead to chromosome instability and tumorigenesis. Indeed, genome instability is associated with several genetic disorders, premature ageing and various types of cancer in humans. The major cause of chromosome instability is the formation of DSBs and DSGs. Both DSBs and DSGs are the most dangerous type of DNA lesions that arise endogenously as well as through exogenous sources such as radiations and chemicals. Spontaneous DNA damage is due to generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through normal cellular metabolism. Replication across ROS induced modified bases and single strand breaks (SSBs) leads to DSGs and DSBs, respectively. Such DNA lesions need to be accurately repaired to maintain the integrity of the genome. To understand the various cellular responses that are triggered after different types of DNA damage and the possible roles of RAD51 paralogs in these processes, chapter I of the thesis has been distributed in to multiple sections as follows: Briefly, the initial portion of the chapter provides a glimpse of various types of DNA damage responses and repair pathways to deal with the lesions arising from both endogenous as well as exogenous sources. Owing to the vast range of cellular responses and pathways, the following section provides the detailed description and mechanisms of various pathways involved in taking care of wide range of DNA lesions from SSBs to DSBs. Subsequent section of chapter I provides a comprehensive description of maintenance of genome stability at the replication fork and telomeres. Germline mutations in the genes that regulate genome integrity cause various genetic disorders and cancer. Mutations in ATM, ATR, MRE11, NBS1, BLM and FANC (1-16), BRCA1 and BRCA2 that are known to regulate DNA damage signaling, DNA repair and genome integrity lead to chromosome instability disorders such as ataxia-telangiectasia, ATR-Seckel syndrome, AT-like disorder, Nijmegen breakage syndrome, Bloom syndrome, FA, and breast and ovarian cancers respectively. Interestingly, RAD51 paralog mutations are reported in patients with FA-like disorder and various types of cancers including breast and ovarian cancers. Mono-allelic germline mutations in all RAD51 paralogs are reported to cause cancer in addition to the reported cases of FA-like disorder with bi-allelic germline mutations in RAD51C and XRCC2. In accordance, the last section of the chapter has been dedicated to describe the genetics of breast and ovarian cancers and the known functions of tumor suppressors such as BRCA1, BRCA2 and RAD51 paralogs in the protection of genome. Despite the identification of five RAD51 paralogs nearly two decades ago, the molecular mechanism(s) by which RAD51 paralogs regulate HR and genome maintenance remain obscure. To gain insights into the molecular mechanisms of RAD51 paralogs in DNA damage responses and their link with genetic diseases and cancer, the following objectives were laid for my PhD thesis: 1) To understand the functional role of RAD51 paralog RAD51C in FA pathway of ICL repair and DNA damage signalling. 2) To dissect the ATM/ATR mediated targeting of RAD51 paralog XRCC3 in the repair of DSBs and intra S-phase checkpoint. 3) To uncover the replication restart pathway after transient replication pause and the involvement of distinct complexes of RAD51 paralogs in the protection of replication forks. 4) To design photoinducible ICL agent that can be activated by visible light for targeted cancer therapy. Chapter II: Distinct roles of FANCO/RAD51C protein in DNA damage signaling and repair: Implications for Fanconi anemia and breast cancer susceptibility RAD51C, a RAD51 paralog has been implicated in HR. However, the underlying mechanism by which RAD51C regulates HR mediated DNA repair is elusive. In 2010, a study identified biallelic mutation in RAD51C leading to FA-like disorder, whereas a second study reported monoallelic mutations in RAD51C associated with increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers. However, the role of RAD51C in the FA pathway of DNA cross-link repair and as a tumor suppressor remained obscure. To understand the role of RAD51C in FA pathway of ICL repair and DNA damage response, we employed genetic, biochemical and cell biological approaches to dissect out the functions of RAD51C in genome maintenance. In our study, we observed that RAD51C deficiency leads to ICL sensitivity, chromatid-type errors, and G2/M accumulation, which are hallmarks of the FA phenotype. We found that RAD51C is dispensable for ICL unhooking and FANCD2 monoubiquitination but is essential for HR, confirming the downstream role of RAD51C in ICL repair. Furthermore, we demonstrated that RAD51C plays a vital role in the HR-mediated repair of DSBs associated with replication. Finally, we showed that RAD51C participates in ICL and DSB induced DNA damage signaling and controls intra-S-phase checkpoint through CHK2 activation. Our analyses with pathological mutants of RAD51C displayed that RAD51C regulates HR and DNA damage signaling distinctly. Together, these results unravel the critical role of RAD51C in the FA pathway of ICL repair and as a tumor suppressor. Chapter III: ATM-and ATR-mediated phosphorylation of XRCC3 regulates DNA double-strand break-induced checkpoint activation and repair The RAD51 paralogs XRCC3 and RAD51C have been implicated in HR and DNA damage responses, but the molecular mechanism of their participation in these pathways remained obscured. In our study, we showed that an SQ motif serine 225 in XRCC3 is phosphorylated by ATR kinase in an ATM signaling pathway. We found that RAD51C in CX3 complex but not in BCDX2 complex is essential for XRCC3 phosphorylation, and this modification follows end resection and is specific to S and G2 phases. XRCC3 phosphorylation was found to be required for chromatin loading and stabilization of RAD51 and HR-mediated repair of DSBs. Notably, in response to DSBs, XRCC3 participates in the intra-S-phase checkpoint following its phosphorylation and in the G2/M checkpoint independently of its phosphorylation. Strikingly, we found that XRCC3 distinctly regulates recovery of stalled and collapsed replication forks such that phosphorylation was required for the HR-mediated recovery of collapsed replication forks but is dispensable for the recovery of stalled replication forks. Together, our findings suggest that XRCC3 is a new player in the ATM/ATR-induced DNA damage responses to control checkpoint and HR-mediated repair. Chapter IV: RAD51 paralogs protect stalled forks and mediate replication restart in an FA-BRCA independent manner Mammalian RAD51 paralogs RAD51 B, C, D, XRCC2 and XRCC3 are critical for genome maintenance. To understand the crucial roles of RAD51 paralogs during spontaneously arising DNA damage, we have studied the RAD51 paralogs assembly during replication and examined the replication fork stability and its restart. We found that RAD51 paralogs are enriched onto the S-phase chromatin spontaneously. Interestingly, the number of 53BP1 nuclear bodies in G1-phase and micro-nucleation which serve as markers for under replicated lesions increases after genetic ablation of RAD51C, XRCC2 and XRCC3. Furthermore, we showed that RAD51 paralogs are specifically enriched at two major fragile sites FRA3B and FRA16D after replication fork stalling. We found that all five RAD51 paralogs bind to nascent DNA strands after replication fork stalling and protect the fork. Nascent replication tracts created before fork stalling with hydroxyurea degrade in the absence of RAD51 paralogs but remain stable in wild-type cells. This function was dependent on ATP binding at the walker A motif of RAD51 paralogs. Our results also suggested that RAD51 paralogs assemble into BCDX2 complex to prevent generation of DSBs at stalled replication forks, thereby safeguarding the pre-assembled replisome from the action of nucleases. Strikingly, we showed that RAD51C and XRCC3 in complex with FANCM promote the restart of stalled replication forks in an ATP hydrolysis dependent manner. Moreover, RAD51C R258H mutation that was identified in FA-like disorder abrogates the interaction of RAD51C with FANCM and XRCC3, and prevents fork restart. Thus, assembly of RAD51 paralogs in different complexes prevents nucleolytic degradation of stalled replication forks and promotes restart to maintain genomic integrity. Chapter V: Trans-dichlorooxovandium(IV) complex as a potent photoinducible DNA interstrand crosslinker for targeted cancer therapy Although DNA ICL agents such as MMC, cisplatin and psoralen are known to serve as anticancer drugs, these agents affect normal cells as well. Moreover, tumor resistance to these agents has been reported. We have designed and synthesized a novel photoinducible DNA crosslinking agent (ICL-2) which is a derivative of oxovanadiumterpyridine complex with two chlorides in trans position. We found that ICL-2 can be activated by UV-A and visible light to enable DNA ICLs. ICL-2 efficiently activated FA pathway of ICL repair. Strikingly, photoinduction of ICL-2 induces prolonged activation of cell cycle checkpoint and high degree of cell death in FA pathway defective cells. Moreover, we showed that ICL-2 specifically targets cells that express pathological RAD51C mutants. Our findings suggest that ICL-2 can be potentially used for targeted cancer therapy in patients with gene mutations in FA and HR pathway.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Although rare, classification of over 200 hereditary cancer susceptibility syndromes accounting for ~5-10% of cancer incidence has enabled the discovery and understanding of cancer predisposition genes that are also frequently mutated in sporadic cancers. The need to prevent or delay invasive cancer can partly be addressed by characterization of cells derived from healthy individuals predisposed to cancer due to inherited "single-hits" in genes in order to develop patient-derived samples as preclinical models for mechanistic in vitro studies. Here, we present microarray-based transcriptome profiling of Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) patient-derived unaffected breast epithelial cells and their phenotypic characterization as in vitro three-dimensional (3D) models to test pharmacological agents. In this study, the epithelial cells derived from the unaffected breast tissue of a LFS patient were cultured and progressed from non-neoplastic to a malignant stage by successive immortalization and transformation steps followed by growth in athymic mice. These cell lines exhibited distinct transcriptomic profiles and were readily distinguishable based upon their gene expression patterns, growth characteristics in monolayer and in vitro 3D cultures. Transcriptional changes in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition gene signature contributed to the unique phenotypes observed in 3D culture for each cell line of the progression series; the fully transformed LFS cells exhibited invasive processes in 3D culture with disorganized morphologies due to cell-cell miscommunication, as seen in breast cancer. Bioinformatics analysis of the deregulated genes and pathways showed inherent differences between these cell lines and targets for pharmacological agents. After treatment with small molecule APR-246 that restores normal function to mutant p53, we observed that the neoplastic LFS cells had reduced malignant invasive structure formation from 73% to 9%, as well as an observance of an increase in formation of well-organized structures in 3D culture (from 27% to 91%) by stereomicroscopy and confocal microscopy. Therefore, the use of well-characterized and physiologically relevant preclinical models in conjunction with transcriptomic profiling of high-risk patient derived samples as a renewable laboratory resource can potentially guide the development of safer and more effective chemopreventive approaches.