A. De Klein et al., Targeted disruption of the cell-cycle checkpoint gene ATR leads to early embryonic lethality in mice, CURR BIOL, 10(8), 2000, pp. 479-482
Checkpoints of DNA integrity are conserved throughout evolution, as are the
kinases ATM (Ataxia Telangiectasia mutated) and ATR (Ataxia- and Rad-relat
ed), which are related to phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase [1-3]. The ATM
gene is not essential, but mutations lead to ataxia telangiectasia (AT), a
pleiotropic disorder characterised by radiation sensitivity and cellular c
heckpoint defects in response to ionising radiation [4-6]. The ATR gene has
not been associated with human syndromes and, structurally, is more closel
y related to the canonical yeast checkpoint genes rad3(Sp) and MEC1(Sc) [7,
8]. ATR has been implicated in the response to ultraviolet (UV) radiation a
nd blocks to DNA synthesis [8-11], and may phosphorylate p53 [12,13], sugge
sting that ATM and ATR may have similar and, perhaps, complementary roles i
n cell-cycle control after DNA damage. Here, we report that targeted inacti
vation of ATR in mice by disruption of the kinase domain leads to early emb
ryonic lethality before embryonic day 8.5 (E8.5). Heterozygous mice were fe
rtile and had no aberrant phenotype, despite a lower ATR mRNA level. No inc
rease was observed in the sensitivity of ATR(+/-) embryonic stem (ES) cells
to a variety of DNA-damaging agents. Attempts to target the remaining wild
-type A TR allele in heterozygous ATR(+/-) ES cells failed, supporting the
idea that loss of both alleles of the ATR gene, even at the ES-cell level,
is lethal. Thus, in contrast to the closely related checkpoint gene ATM,ATR
has an essential function in early mammalian development.