Identification of the interactors of human nibrin (NBN) and of its 26 kDa and 70 kDa fragments arising from the NBN 657del5 founder mutation

PLoS One. 2014 Dec 8;9(12):e114651. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114651. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Nibrin (also named NBN or NBS1) is a component of the MRE11/RAD50/NBN complex, which is involved in early steps of DNA double strand breaks sensing and repair. Mutations within the NBN gene are responsible for the Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS). The 90% of NBS patients are homozygous for the 657del5 mutation, which determines the synthesis of two truncated proteins of 26 kDa (p26) and 70 kDa (p70). Here, HEK293 cells have been exploited to transiently express either the full-length NBN protein or the p26 or p70 fragments, followed by affinity chromatography enrichment of the eluates. The application of an unsupervised proteomics approach, based upon SDS-PAGE separation and shotgun digestion of protein bands followed by MS/MS protein identification, indicates the occurrence of previously unreported protein interacting partners of the full-length NBN protein and the p26 fragment containing the FHA/BRCT1 domains, especially after cell irradiation. In particular, results obtained shed light on new possible roles of NBN and of the p26 fragment in ROS scavenging, in the DNA damage response, and in protein folding and degradation. In particular, here we show that p26 interacts with PARP1 after irradiation, and this interaction exerts an inhibitory effect on PARP1 activity as measured by NAD+ levels. Furthermore, the p26-PARP1 interaction seems to be responsible for the persistence of ROS, and in turn of DSBs, at 24 h from IR. Since some of the newly identified interactors of the p26 and p70 fragments have not been found to interact with the full-length NBN, these interactions may somehow contribute to the key biological phenomena underpinning NBS.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Nucleus / genetics
  • Cell Nucleus / radiation effects
  • DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded*
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Gene Regulatory Networks
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Heterozygote
  • Homozygote
  • Humans
  • Mutation / genetics*
  • Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome / genetics
  • Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome / metabolism*
  • Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome / pathology
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics*
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism*
  • Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs*
  • Sequence Deletion*
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry
  • X-Rays

Substances

  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • NBN protein, human
  • Nuclear Proteins

Grants and funding

This work was partially supported by grants University Roma Tre (CAL 2012, to AdM). CM, VP, AD and LZ are supported by funds from the Italian National Blood Centre (Rome, Italy). AD acknowledges financial support for a post-doctoral studentship granted by the Interuniversity Consortium for Biotechnologies (CIB, Italy). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.