trans Autophosphorylation at DNA-dependent protein kinase's two major autophosphorylation site clusters facilitates end processing but not end joining

Recent studies have established that DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) undergoes a series of autophosphorylation events that facilitate successful completion of nonhomologous DNA end joining. Autophosphorylation at sites in two distinct clusters regulates DNA end access to DNA end-processing factors and to other DNA repair pathways. Autophosphorylation within the kinase's activation loop regulates kinase activity. Additional autophosphoryllation events (as yet undefined) occur that mediate kinase dissociation. Here we provide the first evidence that autophosphorylation within the two major clusters (regulating end access) occurs in trans. Further, both UV-induced and double-strand break (DSB)-induced phosphorylation in the two major clusters is predominately autophosphorylation. Finally, we show that while autophosphorylation in trans on one of two synapsed DNA-PK complexes facilitates appropriate end processing, this is not sufficient to promote efficient end joining. This suggests that end joining in living cells requires additional phosphorylation events that either occur in cis or that occur on both sides of the DNA-PK synapse. These data support an emerging consensus that, via a series of autophosphorylation events, DNA-PK undergoes a sequence of conformational changes that promote efficient and appropriate repair of DSBs.