Abstract 1517: Molecular architecture of replication stress response to oncogene deregulation
Authors: Vinas-Castells Rosa , Kozulic-Pirher Alja , Aparicio Tomás , Recasens Sandra Casas , Roberto Mark P. , Sue Rachel , Martinez Francisco , López-Bigas Nuria , Gautier Jean , Dominguez-Sola David 
Published: June 2022

Oncogene deregulation triggers replication stress, which can be detected in precancerous lesions and is a source of subsequent genomic instability in cancer. Studies on the mechanisms underlying DNA replication stress caused by frequently deregulated oncogenes, like MYC or RAS, can identify novel mechanisms of oncogenesis and point to actionable pathways with potential for anticancer therapy.

To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying this cellular response, we used high-content microscopy to monitor the dynamic behavior of &gt;60 GFP-tagged proteins linked to replication stress or DNA damage in primary human cells. Iterations of this screen identified a proteomic signature specific to MYC- and RAS-driven replication stress that was significantly different from responses activated by other sources of replication stress (i.e. DNA damaging drugs). These findings indicated that the replication stress response to oncogenes is somewhat unique. MYC-dependent replication stress responses typically activated the INO80 chromatin-remodeling complex — a highly conserved complex necessary for maintenance of genome stability in yeast. Core components of the INO80 complex assembled onto chromatin at MYC-bound sites and were quantitatively enriched at active replication forks. These molecular events were independent of transcription, and their disruption by pharmacological or genetic means specifically altered replication dynamics and cellular growth in cells overexpressing MYC.

Notably, we identified recurrent somatic mutations in several genes encoding for INO80 complex components across multiple cancer types, with an abundance of nonsense and splice-site mutations consistent with loss of function. Most of these mutant variants behaved as hypomorphs when tested in cell-based assays: they were insensitive to MYC deregulation and failed to rescue cell proliferation in knock-out cells with MYC overexpression. Computational predictions also suggested that many of these mutations had been selected as potential cancer drivers. Consistent with this notion, we found that in vivo, INO80 complex mutations shortened tumor latency in a mouse model of MYC-dependent lymphomagenesis. Collectively, these findings indicate that the replication stress response to oncogene deregulation is unique in its molecular architecture, and modification of this response by partial loss-of-function mutations in cancer facilitates tumor progression.

Citation Format: Rosa Vinas-Castells, Alja Kozulic-Pirher, Tomás Aparicio, Sandra Casas Recasens, Mark P. Roberto, Rachel Sue, Francisco Martinez, Nuria López-Bigas, Jean Gautier, David Dominguez-Sola. Molecular architecture of replication stress response to oncogene deregulation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1517.