Pablo Huertas

In G(0) and G(1), DNA double strand breaks are repaired by nonhomologous end joining, whereas in S and G(2), they are also repaired by homologous recombination. The human CtIP protein controls double strand break (DSB) resection, an event that occurs effectively only in S/G(2) and that promotes homologous recombination but not non-homologous end joining. Here, we mutate a highly conserved cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) target motif in CtIP and reveal that mutating Thr-847 to Ala impairs resection, whereas mutating it to Glu to mimic constitutive phosphorylation does not. Moreover, we show that unlike cells expressing wild-type CtIP, cells expressing the Thr-to-Glu mutant resect DSBs even after CDK inhibition. Finally, we establish that Thr-847 mutations to either Ala or Glu affect DSB repair efficiency, cause hypersensitivity toward DSB-generating agents, and affect the frequency and nature of radiation-induced chromosomal rearrangements. These results suggest that CDK-mediated control of resection in human cells operates by mechanisms similar to those recently established in yeast.

DNA-end resection is a highly regulated and critical step in the response and repair of DNA double-strand breaks. In higher eukaryotes, CtIP regulates resection by integrating cellular signals via its posttranslational modifications and protein-protein interactions, including cell-cycle-controlled interaction with BRCA1. The role of BRCA1 in DNA-end resection is not clear. Here, we develop an assay to study DNA resection in higher eukaryotes at high resolution. We demonstrate that the BRCA1-CtIP interaction, albeit not essential for resection, modulates the speed at which this process takes place.