title: Non-homologous end joining dependency of gamma-irradiation-induced adaptive frameshift mutation formation in cell cycle-arrested yeast cells.
abstract: There is a strong selective pressure favoring adaptive mutations which relieve proliferation-limiting adverse living conditions. Due to their importance for evolution and pathogenesis, we are interested in the mechanisms responsible for the formation of such adaptive, gain-of-fitness mutations in stationary-phase cells. During previous studies on the occurrence of spontaneous reversions of an auxotrophy-causing frameshift allele in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we noticed that about 50% of the adaptive reversions depended on a functional non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway of DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. Here, we show that the occasional NHEJ component Pol4, which is the yeast ortholog of mammalian DNA polymerase lambda, is not required for adaptive mutagenesis. An artificially imposed excess of DSBs by gamma-irradiation resulted in a dramatic increase in the incidence of adaptive, cell cycle arrest-releasing frameshift reversions. By the use of DNA ligase IV-deficient strains we detected that the majority of the gamma-induced adaptive mutations were also dependent on a functional NHEJ pathway. This suggests that the same mutagenic NHEJ mechanism acts on spontaneously arising as well as on ionizing radiation-induced DSBs. Inaccuracy of the NHEJ repair pathway may extensively contribute to the incidence of frameshift mutations in resting (non-dividing) eukaryotic cells, and thus act as a driving force in tumor development.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cancer Research, Division of Molecular Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. erich.heidenreich@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Erich
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heidenreich
authors.forename: Herfried
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eisler
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000528:radiation effects*; D017931:DNA Primers; D016368:Frameshift Mutation; D005720:Gamma Rays; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers