Fumarate hydratase loss promotes mitotic entry in the presence of DNA damage after ionising radiation

Cell Death Dis. 2018 Sep 6;9(9):913. doi: 10.1038/s41419-018-0912-3.

Abstract

An altered response to DNA damage is commonly associated with genomic instability, a hallmark of cancer. Fumarate hydratase (FH) was recently characterised as a DNA repair factor required in non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) through the local production of fumarate. Inactivating germline mutations in FH cause hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC), a cancer syndrome characterised by accumulation of fumarate. Recent data indicate that, in FH-deficient cells, fumarate suppresses homologous recombination DNA repair upon DNA double-strand breaks, compromising genome integrity. Here, we show that FH loss confers resistance to DNA damage caused by ionising radiation (IR), and promotes early mitotic entry after IR in a fumarate-specific manner, even in the presence of unrepaired damage, by suppressing checkpoint maintenance. We also showed that higher levels of DNA damage foci are detectable in untreated FH-deficient cells. Overall, these data indicate that FH loss and fumarate accumulation lead to a weakened G2 checkpoint that predisposes to endogenous DNA damage and confers resistance to IR.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / genetics
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • DNA Damage / genetics*
  • DNA Repair / genetics
  • Fumarate Hydratase / genetics*
  • G2 Phase / genetics
  • Genomic Instability / genetics
  • Germ-Line Mutation / genetics
  • Humans
  • Kidney Neoplasms / genetics
  • Leiomyomatosis / genetics
  • Mitosis / genetics*
  • Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary / genetics
  • Radiation, Ionizing
  • Skin Neoplasms / genetics
  • Uterine Neoplasms / genetics

Substances

  • Fumarate Hydratase

Supplementary concepts

  • Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer