H2AX promotes replication fork degradation and chemosensitivity in BRCA-deficient tumours.

Histone H2AX plays a key role in DNA damage signalling in the surrounding regions of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). In response to DNA damage, H2AX becomes phosphorylated on serine residue 139 (known as γH2AX), resulting in the recruitment of the DNA repair effectors 53BP1 and BRCA1. Here, by studying resistance to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in BRCA1/2-deficient mammary tumours, we identify a function for γH2AX in orchestrating drug-induced replication fork degradation.

Telomeres as hotspots for innate immunity and inflammation.

Aging is marked by the gradual accumulation of deleterious changes that disrupt organ function, creating an altered physiological state that is permissive for the onset of prevalent human diseases. While the exact mechanisms governing aging remain a subject of ongoing research, there are several cellular and molecular hallmarks that contribute to this biological process. This review focuses on two factors, namely telomere dysfunction and inflammation, which have emerged as crucial contributors to the aging process.

Telomere-to-mitochondria signalling by ZBP1 mediates replicative crisis.

Cancers arise through the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations that enable cells to evade telomere-based proliferative barriers and achieve immortality. One such barrier is replicative crisis-an autophagy-dependent program that eliminates checkpoint-deficient cells with unstable telomeres and other cancer-relevant chromosomal aberrations. However, little is known about the molecular events that regulate the onset of this important tumour-suppressive barrier.

RNAi Screening Uncovers a Synthetic Sick Interaction between CtIP and the BARD1 Tumor Suppressor.

Human CtIP is best known for its role in DNA end resection to initiate DNA double-strand break repair by homologous recombination. Recently, CtIP has also been shown to protect reversed replication forks from nucleolytic degradation upon DNA replication stress. However, still little is known about the DNA damage response (DDR) networks that preserve genome integrity and sustain cell survival in the context of CtIP insufficiency.

A stapled peptide mimetic of the CtIP tetramerization motif interferes with double-strand break repair and replication fork protection.

Cancer cells display high levels of DNA damage and replication stress, vulnerabilities that could be exploited by drugs targeting DNA repair proteins. Human CtIP promotes homology-mediated repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and protects stalled replication forks from nucleolytic degradation, thus representing an attractive candidate for targeted cancer therapy. Here, we establish a peptide mimetic of the CtIP tetramerization motif that inhibits CtIP activity.

Structure of the Complex of Human Programmed Death 1, PD-1, and Its Ligand PD-L1.

Targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 immunologic checkpoint with monoclonal antibodies has recently provided breakthrough progress in the treatment of melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and other types of cancer. Small-molecule drugs interfering with this pathway are highly awaited, but their development is hindered by insufficient structural information. This study reveals the molecular details of the human PD-1/PD-L1 interaction based on an X-ray structure of the complex.