Ask about this productRelated genes to: MRE11A antibody
- Gene:
- MRE11 NIH gene
- Name:
- MRE11 homolog, double strand break repair nuclease
- Previous symbol:
- MRE11A
- Synonyms:
- ATLD
- Chromosome:
- 11q21
- Locus Type:
- gene with protein product
- Date approved:
- 1995-05-05
- Date modifiied:
- 2019-04-23
Related products to: MRE11A antibody
Related articles to: MRE11A antibody
- MRE11 safeguards genome stability at stalled replication forks, where its activity must be tightly controlled to prevent nascent strand DNA degradation (NSD). However, the upstream signaling mechanisms that limit NSD remain poorly defined. Here, we identify Ser649 (S649) as a previously unrecognized phosphorylation site that limits MRE11 association with stalled forks. We show that S649 phosphorylation is robustly induced by replication stress or elevated cytosolic calcium levels, and is mediated by the calcium-responsive CaMKK2-AMPKα axis in concert with ATR, but independently of CHK1. Loss of S649 phosphorylation enhances MRE11 binding to DNA and increases its association with stalled forks, driving excessive NSD, elevated DNA damage, and increased sensitivity to PARP inhibition. We find that the ATM-mediated S676/S678 phosphorylation primes S649 phosphorylation, which in turn facilitates subsequent phosphorylation of SQ/TQ sites in MRE11. Moreover, we find that CaMKK2-AMPKα activation requires ATR but is independent of ATM. Collectively, our findings reveal a hierarchical signaling mechanism that couples calcium signaling with ATM/ATR pathways to prevent NSD at stalled forks and preserve genome integrity. - Source: PubMed
Publication date: 2026/04/22
Chai Weihang ValerieRay ManobendroChang Chih-ChunWang Zhen-GuoLi ZhiguoChi Peter - : Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal disease with limited treatment options. Patients are treated with DNA damaging chemotherapies which act by inducing DNA damage in rapidly dividing tumor cells. Unfortunately, these tumors frequently develop treatment resistance, underscoring the need to understand resistance mechanisms in order to develop better treatment strategies. DNA damage response (DDR) detects and repairs DNA damage, and the DDR pathway has been shown to contribute to chemoresistance. Another factor known to drive chemoresistance in PDAC is the dense stroma, composed of extracellular matrix proteins secreted by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Our recent work identified a CAF-induced resistance mechanism involving N-myc downstream regulated gene 1 (NDRG1). CAF-induced signaling resulted in the phosphorylation of NDRG1 and NDRG1-dependent DNA repair and protection from chemotherapies. Loss of NDRG1 resulted in increased chemotherapy-induced DNA damage and decreased replication fork speed and recovery. : To gain insight into the molecular mechanism of NDRG1-mediated DNA repair and replication, we performed a BioID screen to identify binding partners of NDRG1. We further assessed the mechanistic roles of the identified interaction partners on DNA repair using DNA replication and repair assays such as the Comet assay and DNA fiber assays. : Our BioID screen identified meiotic recombination 11 (MRE11) protein, a nuclease involved in DDR, as a putative NDRG1 interacting protein. Interaction between MRE11 and NDRG1 was enriched during the late S/early G2 cell cycle phases and under replication stress. However, this interaction is likely indirect as the interaction only occurred in a cellular context and not with in vitro purified proteins. Blocking NDRG1 phosphorylation or blocking MRE11 exonuclease activity both resulted in protection of newly synthesized DNA at stalled replication forks. In NDRG1 knockout cells, blocking MRE11 led to decreased protection of nascent DNA, suggesting that NDRG1 and MRE11 may be acting in the same pathway and that NDRG1 is required for MRE11's activity at stalled forks. : In summary, our work has uncovered a protein complex between NDRG1 and MRE11 that may play a key role in chemoresistance due to its role in the processing of stalled replication forks. - Source: PubMed
Publication date: 2026/04/20
Doh Hanna MKozlova NinaWang Zhipeng ABae HwanCole Philip AMuranen Taru - Replication stress (RS) and altered metabolism are two hallmarks of cancer, yet how metabolic perturbations contribute to RS remains poorly understood. Lipotransferase 1 (LIPT1) catalyzes the covalent attachment of lipoic acid to mitochondrial 2-ketoacid dehydrogenases, sustaining flux through the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Loss of LIPT1 causes accumulation of 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG), which is known to inhibit α-ketoglutarate (α-KG)-dependent histone demethylases and promotes heterochromatin formation. Here, we show that 2-HG-driven heterochromatin impedes replication fork progression, causing fork stalling and RS in LIPT1-deficient cancer cells. To bypass stalled forks, PrimPol-mediated repriming resumes DNA synthesis but leaves behind single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), which requires poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) for repair. Furthermore, nascent DNA at reprimed forks undergoes MRE11-dependent degradation, further destabilizing replication fork integrity. Consequently, LIPT1 deficiency promotes replication and genome instability, and therapeutic vulnerability to PARP inhibitor. Together, these findings reveal a mechanistic link between mitochondrial lipoylation and replication fork stability, uncovering a metabolic basis for genome instability in cancer. - Source: PubMed
Publication date: 2026/05/01
Shang ZengfuChiang Jui-ChungHsu Ching-ChengNewman CiaraDavis Anthony JZhang Yuanyuan - Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), which is defined as the loss of ovarian activity before the age of 40 leading to amenorrhea and infertility, is often induced in female patients treated with alkylating agents such as cyclophosphamide (CTX). Currently, the standard clinical management for POI is hormone replacement therapy, which alleviates symptoms but does not restore fertility. Although multiple previous studies have demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells and their derived extracellular vesicles can protect ovarian function and restore fertility, whether concurrent EV intervention during chemotherapy can preserve ovarian reserve remains unclear. - Source: PubMed
Publication date: 2026/04/29
Yang ZelanZou ChengDeng YufeiXiao HanyuZou YanWang ZhibiaoFang LiaoqiongBai Jin - Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), a DNA sensor that activates type-I interferon responses, is restrained in the nucleus through chromatin binding, but its impact on DNA metabolism remains unknown. Here we show that chromatin-bound cGAS impedes DNA replication forks unless countered by ATM. Upon ATM loss, chromatin-bound cGAS slows replication forks, increases nascent DNA fragmentation and activates cytosolic cGAS. Remarkably, all these effects are alleviated upon the loss of cGAS chromatin binding, suggesting that ATM enables tolerance to chromatin-bound cGAS. Mechanistically, ATM, backed by ATR, releases cGAS from chromatin by phosphorylating MRE11. ATR inhibition in ATM-deficient cells exacerbates replication stress, causing synthetic lethality and stimulated interferon response. In ATM-deficient cancer cells, cGAS dictates replication stress and ATR inhibitor sensitivity, highlighting its potential as a biomarker for ATR-targeted therapy. Together, our findings uncover a regulatory circuit in which ATM and chromatin-bound cGAS jointly maintain the homeostasis of replication and cGAS signalling in cycling cells. - Source: PubMed
Publication date: 2026/04/29
Song YunhaoRan XiaojuanXu YuSubramanian KartikDai ChaoKonstantinos MavrakisLan LiYadav VipinZou Lee