Analysis of DNA Double-strand Break (DSB) Repair in Mammalian Cells
Summary
This article describes GFP-based fluorescence in vivo assays that separately quantify homologous recombination and nonhomologous end joining in mammalian cells.
Abstract
DNA double-strand breaks are the most dangerous DNA lesions that may lead to massive loss of genetic information and cell death. Cells repair DSBs using two major pathways: nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR). Perturbations of NHEJ and HR are often associated with premature aging and tumorigenesis, hence it is important to have a quantitative way of measuring each DSB repair pathway. Our laboratory has developed fluorescent reporter constructs that allow sensitive and quantitative measurement of NHEJ and HR. The constructs are based on an engineered GFP gene containing recognition sites for a rare-cutting I-SceI endonuclease for induction of DSBs. The starting constructs are GFP negative as the GFP gene is inactivated by an additional exon, or by mutations. Successful repair of the I-SceI-induced breaks by NHEJ or HR restores the functional GFP gene. The number of GFP positive cells counted by flow cytometry provides quantitative measure of NHEJ or HR efficiency.
Protocol
Discussion
The fluorescent NHEJ and HR reporter assays provide a quantitative way for separately measuring each DSB repair pathway in vivo. The assays are very sensitive, as FACS can reliably detect 10 GFP+ cells in 20,000 cells. The assays may be adapted for measuring repair events in “real time” by detecting the appearance of GFP+ cells within minutes or hours after induction of DSBs2. Furthermore, the analysis of GFP+ cells does not rely on additional cell proliferation, allowing DSB repair to be analyzed a…
Divulgations
The authors have nothing to disclose.
Acknowledgements
The original GFP-Pem1 was a gift from Dr. Lei Li. This work was supported by grants from the NIH and the Ellison Medical Foundation to V.G. and A.S.
Materials
| Material Name | Type | Company | Catalogue Number | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EndoFree Plasmid Maxi kit | Qiagen | 12362 | ||
| Qiaex II Gel Extraction Kit | Qiagen | 20021 | ||
| Amaxa Nucleofector | Lonza | AAD-1001 | ||
| Geneticin (G418) | Invitrogen | 11811-031 | ||
| pDsRed2-N1 | Clontech | 632406 | ||
| Round bottom tubes | BD Falcon | 352058 | FACS tubes |
References
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