Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 98, Issue 16, Pages 9092-9097Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.161281798
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- NIAMS NIH HHS [K08-AR0208703] Funding Source: Medline
- NIGMS NIH HHS [GM-52067] Funding Source: Medline
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Premature chromatin condensation (PCC) is a hallmark of mammalian cells that begin mitosis before completing DNA replication. This lethal event is prevented by a highly conserved checkpoint involving an unknown, caffeine-sensitive mediator. Here, we have examined the possible involvement of the caffeine-sensitive ATM and ATR protein kinases in this check point. We show that caffeine's ability to inhibit ATR (but not ATM) causes PCC, that ATR (but not ATM) prevents PCC, and that ATR prevents PCC via Chk-1 regulation. Moreover, mimicking cancer cell phenotypes by disrupting normal Gt checkpoints sensitizes cells to PCC by ATR inhibition plus tow-dose DNA damage. Notably, loss of p53 function potently sensitizes cells to PCC caused by ATR inhibition by a small molecule. We present a molecular model for how ATR prevents PCC and suggest that ATR represents an attractive therapeutic target for selectively killing cancer cells by premature chromatin condensation.
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