Low dose ionizing radiation strongly stimulates insertional mutagenesis in a γH2AX dependent manner

PLoS Genet. 2020 Jan 16;16(1):e1008550. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008550. eCollection 2020 Jan.

Abstract

Extrachromosomal DNA can integrate into the genome with no sequence specificity producing an insertional mutation. This process, which is referred to as random integration (RI), requires a double stranded break (DSB) in the genome. Inducing DSBs by various means, including ionizing radiation, increases the frequency of integration. Here we report that non-lethal physiologically relevant doses of ionizing radiation (10-100 mGy), within the range produced by medical imaging equipment, stimulate RI of transfected and viral episomal DNA in human and mouse cells with an extremely high efficiency. Genetic analysis of the stimulated RI (S-RI) revealed that it is distinct from the background RI, requires histone H2AX S139 phosphorylation (γH2AX) and is not reduced by DNA polymerase θ (Polq) inactivation. S-RI efficiency was unaffected by the main DSB repair pathway (homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining) disruptions, but double deficiency in MDC1 and 53BP1 phenocopies γH2AX inactivation. The robust responsiveness of S-RI to physiological amounts of DSBs can be exploited for extremely sensitive, macroscopic and direct detection of DSB-induced mutations, and warrants further exploration in vivo to determine if the phenomenon has implications for radiation risk assessment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Cells, Cultured
  • DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded
  • DNA Polymerase theta
  • DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / metabolism
  • Histones / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mutagenesis, Insertional / radiation effects*
  • Radiation, Ionizing*
  • Recombinational DNA Repair

Substances

  • Histones
  • DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase

Grants and funding

RK was funded by Gravitation program CancerGenomiCs.nl from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO, nwo.nl) RK funded by Oncode Institute (oncode.nl), which is partly financed by the Dutch Cancer Society (kwf.nl). DvG, JE were funded by European Atomic Energy Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2011) under grant agreement n° 249689. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.