Inhibiting WEE1 Selectively Kills Histone H3K36me3-Deficient Cancers by dNTP Starvation.

Histone H3K36 trimethylation (H3K36me3) is frequently lost in multiple cancer types, identifying it as an important therapeutic target. Here we identify a synthetic lethal interaction in which H3K36me3-deficient cancers are acutely sensitive to WEE1 inhibition. We show that RRM2, a ribonucleotide reductase subunit, is the target of this synthetic lethal interaction.

IGF-1R inhibition induces schedule-dependent sensitization of human melanoma to temozolomide.

Prior studies implicate type 1 IGF receptor (IGF-1R) in mediating chemo-resistance. Here, we investigated whether IGF-1R influences response to temozolomide (TMZ), which generates DNA adducts that are removed by O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), or persist causing replication-associated double-strand breaks (DSBs). Initial assessment in 10 melanoma cell lines revealed that TMZ resistance correlated with MGMT expression (r = 0.

Chk1 promotes replication fork progression by controlling replication initiation.

DNA replication starts at initiation sites termed replication origins. Metazoan cells contain many more potential origins than are activated (fired) during each S phase. Origin activation is controlled by the ATR checkpoint kinase and its downstream effector kinase Chk1, which suppresses origin firing in response to replication blocks and during normal S phase by inhibiting the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdk2.

DNA repair after irradiation in glioma cells and normal human astrocytes.

We examined DNA damage responses and repair in four human glioma cell lines (A7, U87, T98G, and U373) and normal human astrocytes (NHAs) after clinically relevant radiation doses to establish whether we could identify differences among them that might suggest new approaches to selective radiosensitization. We used phosphorylation of histone H2AX visualized by immunocytochemistry to assess DNA double-strand break (DSB) formation and resolution. Fluorescence immunocytochemistry was used to visualize and quantify repair foci.

PARP-1, PARP-2, and the cellular response to low doses of ionizing radiation.

Purpose: Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is rapidly and directly activated by single-strand breaks and is required for efficient base excision repair. These properties indicate that inhibition of PARP-1 might enhance the cellular response to low doses of radiation. We tested the effect of chemical inhibition of PARP-1 on low-dose clonogenic survival in a number of cell lines and the low-dose radiation response of a PARP-1 knockout murine cell line.