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Cells deficient in the base excision repair protein, DNA polymerase beta, are hypersensitive to oxaliplatin chemotherapy

Oncogene volume 29, pages 463–468 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

A significant proportion of human cancers overexpress DNA polymerase beta (Pol β), the major DNA polymerase involved in base excision repair. The underlying mechanism and biological consequences of overexpression of this protein are unknown. We examined whether Pol β, expressed at levels found in tumor cells, is involved in the repair of DNA damage induced by oxaliplatin treatment and whether the expression status of this protein alters the sensitivity of cells to oxaliplatin. DNA damage induced by oxaliplatin treatment of HCT116 and HT29 colon cancer cells was observed to be associated with the stabilization of Pol β protein on chromatin. In comparison with HCT116 colon cancer cells, isogenic oxaliplatin-resistant (HCT-OR) cells were found to have higher constitutive levels of Pol β protein, faster in vitro repair of a DNA substrate containing a single nucleotide gap and faster repair of 1,2-GG oxaliplatin adduct levels in cells. In HCT-OR cells, small interfering RNA knockdown of Pol β delayed the repair of oxaliplatin-induced DNA damage. In a different model system, Pol β-deficient fibroblasts were less able to repair 1,2-GG oxaliplatin adducts and were hypersensitive to oxaliplatin treatment compared with isogenic Pol β-expressing cells. Consistent with previous studies, Pol β-deficient mouse fibroblasts were not hypersensitive to cisplatin treatment. These data provide the first link between oxaliplatin sensitivity and DNA repair involving Pol β. They demonstrate that Pol β modulates the sensitivity of cells to oxaliplatin treatment.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Drs Tomas Lindahl and Peter McHugh for comments on the paper. This study was supported by Cancer Research UK, the UK Medical Research Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Research Equipment Initiative of the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Research UK–Medical Research Council Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology & Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    J Yang, J Parsons, N H Nicolay, D Finch, W G McKenna, G Dianov & R A Sharma

  2. Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Istituto Dermopatico dell’Immacolata-IRCCS, Rome, Italy

    S Caporali & S D’Atri

  3. Trace Element Laboratory, Centre for Clinical Science and Measurement, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK

    C F Harrington

  4. Cancer Biomarkers and Prevention Group, Biocentre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    R Singh & P B Farmer

  5. School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK

    P G Johnston

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  1. J Yang
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  2. J Parsons
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  3. N H Nicolay
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  4. S Caporali
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  7. D Finch
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  8. S D’Atri
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  9. P B Farmer
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  11. W G McKenna
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  12. G Dianov
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Correspondence to G Dianov or R A Sharma.

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Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Oncogene website (http://www.nature.com/onc)

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Yang, J., Parsons, J., Nicolay, N. et al. Cells deficient in the base excision repair protein, DNA polymerase beta, are hypersensitive to oxaliplatin chemotherapy. Oncogene 29, 463–468 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2009.327

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2009.327

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