N. Adachi et al., DNA ligase IV-deficient cells are more resistant to ionizing radiation in the absence of Ku70: Implications for DNA double-strand break repair, P NAS US, 98(21), 2001, pp. 12109-12113
Citations number
33
Categorie Soggetti
Multidisciplinary
Journal title
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Vertebrate cells have evolved two major pathways for repairing DNA double-s
trand breaks (DSBs), homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous DNA en
d-joining (NHEJ). To investigate the role of DNA ligase IV (Lig4) in DSB re
pair, we knocked out the Lig4 gene (LIG4) in the DT40 chicken B-lymphocyte
cell line. The LIG4(-/-) cells showed a marked sensitivity to X-rays, bleom
ycin, and VP-16 and were more x-ray-sensitive in G, than late S or G(2)/M,
suggesting a critical role of Lig4 in DSB repair by NHEJ In support of this
notion, HR was not impaired in LIG4(-/-) cells. LIG4(-/-) cells were more
x-ray-sensitive when compared with KU70(-/-) DT40 cells, particularly at hi
gh doses. Strikingly, however, the x-ray sensitivity of KU70(-/-)/LIG4(-/-)
double-mutant cells was essentially the same as that of KU70(-/-) cells, s
howing that Lig4 deficiency has no effect in the absence of Ku. These resul
ts indicate that Lig4 is exclusively required for the Ku-dependent NHEJ pat
hway of DSB repair and that other DNA ligases (I and III) do not substitute
for this function. Our data may explain the observed severe phenotype of L
ig4-deficient mice as compared with Ku-deficient mice.