title: Protein-DNA complexes containing DNA-dependent protein kinase in crude extracts from human and rodent cells.
abstract: The DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) is composed of a large catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) and a DNA-binding protein, Ku. Cells lacking DNA-PK activity are radiosensitive and are defective in DNA double-strand break repair and V(D)J recombination. Although much information regarding the interactions of Ku with DNA ends is available, relatively little is known about the interaction of DNA-PKcs with DNA-bound Ku. Here we show, using electrophoretic mobility shift assays, that chemical crosslinkers enhance the formation of protein-DNA complexes containing DNA-PKcs, Ku and other proteins in extracts from cells of normal human cell lines. Extracts from cells of the radiosensitive human cell line M059J, which lacks DNA-PKcs, are not competent to form these protein-DNA complexes, while addition of purified DNA-PKcs protein restores complex formation. This assay may be useful for screening for DNA-PK function in cells of human cell lines and for identifying proteins that interact with the DNA-PK-DNA complex. We also show that Ku protein in rodent cells can interact with human DNA-PKcs; however, this assay may be less useful for studying Ku/DNA-PKcs interactions in cells of rodent cell lines due to the low abundance of DNA-PKcs in these cells.
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors: N S
authors: NS
authors: Ting
authors: D W
authors: DW
authors: Chan
authors: L G
authors: LG
authors: Lintott
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Allalunis-Turner
authors: S P
authors: SP
authors: Lees-Miller
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004265:DNA Helicases; D051747:DNA-Activated Protein Kinase; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D000072200:Ku Autoantigen; D051379:Mice; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D004247:DNA; D051747:DNA-Activated Protein Kinase; C497263:PRKDC protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D004265:DNA Helicases; C106893:XRCC5 protein, human; C000606509:Xrcc6 protein, human; C000606510:Xrcc6 protein, mouse; D000072200:Ku Autoantigen