Genetic inhibitors of APOBEC3B-induced mutagenesis

Abstract

The cytidine deaminases APOBEC3A (A3A) and APOBEC3B (A3B) are prominent mutators of human cancer genomes. However, tumor-specific genetic modulators of APOBEC-induced mutagenesis are poorly defined. Here, we used a screen to identify 61 gene deletions that increase A3B-induced mutations in yeast. We also determined whether each deletion was epistatic with Ung1 loss, which indicated whether the encoded factors participate in the homologous recombination (HR)–dependent bypass of A3B/Ung1-dependent abasic sites or suppress A3B-catalyzed deamination by protecting against aberrant formation of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). We found that the mutation spectra of A3B-induced mutations revealed genotype-specific patterns of strand-specific ssDNA formation and nucleotide incorporation across APOBEC-induced lesions. Combining these three metrics, we were able to establish a multifactorial signature of APOBEC-induced mutations specific to (1) failure to remove H3K56 acetylation, (2) defective CTF18–RFC complex function, and (3) defective HR-mediated bypass of APOBEC-induced lesions. We extended these results by analyzing mutation data for human tumors and found BRCA1/2-deficient breast cancers display three- to fourfold more APOBEC-induced mutations. Mirroring our results in yeast, Rev1-mediated C-to-G substitutions are mainly responsible for increased APOBEC-signature mutations in BRCA1/2-deficient tumors, and these mutations associate with lagging strand synthesis during replication. These results identify important factors that influence DNA replication dynamics and likely the abundance of APOBEC-induced mutation during tumor progression. They also highlight a novel role for BRCA1/2 during HR-dependent lesion bypass of APOBEC-induced lesions during cancer cell replication.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Aug 02, 2023
Source ID
10.1101/gr.277430.122

Entities

People

  • Anna Wood
  • Cameron Cordero
  • Debra Mitchell
  • Elizabeth Rice-reynolds
  • Kirill Lobachev
  • Ly Nguyen
  • Nicholas Bray
  • Rudri K. Vyas
  • Steven A Roberts
  • Tony M Mertz
  • Victoria Harcy

Organizations

  • National Cancer Institute
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences
  • National Institutes of Health
  • The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
  • United States Department of Defense

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Molecular Genetics
  • Molecular and genetic basis of cancer.
  • Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology.

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology