The Arf/p53 protein module, which induces apoptosis, down-regulates histone H2AX to allow normal cells to survive in the presence of anti-cancer drugs.

Background: It is unclear how DNA-damaging agents target cancer cells over normal somatic cells.

Results: Arf/p53-dependent down-regulation of H2AX enables normal cells to survive after DNA damage.

Conclusion: Transformed cells, which harbor mutations in either Arf or p53, are more sensitive to DNA-damaging agents.

Significance: Cellular transformation renders cells more susceptible to some DNA-damaging agents. Anti-cancer drugs generally target cancer cells rather than normal somatic cells. However, the factors that determine this differential sensitivity are poorly understood. Here we show that Arf/p53-dependent down-regulation of H2AX induced the selective survival of normal cells after drug treatment, resulting in the preferential targeting of cancer cells. Treatment with camptothecin, a topoisomerase I inhibitor, caused normal cells to down-regulate H2AX and become quiescent, a process mediated by both Arf and p53. In contrast, transformed cells that harbor mutations in either Arf or p53 do not down-regulate H2AX and are more sensitive to drugs unless they have developed drug resistance. Such transformation-associated changes in H2AX expression rendered cancer cells more susceptible to drug-induced damage (by two orders of magnitude). Thus, the expression of H2AX and γH2AX (phosphorylated form of H2AX at Ser-139) is a critical factor that determines drug sensitivity and should be considered when administering chemotherapy.