ATR kinase inhibition leads to cell death in unstressed normal cells
It has been reported that loss of both the alleles of ATR gene leads to an early embryonic lethality but the underlying regulation remains unclear (14). To understand the role of ATR kinase activity in cell survival, we inhibited cellular ATR kinase activity using a specific chemical inhibitor VE-821 in NHDFs and HEK293 cells followed by annexin V FITC PI assay (Fig 1a-b) and trypan blue dye exclusion test (Fig 1b). These assays revealed that prolonged ATR kinase inhibition (ATRi) causes cell death, which was specific to ATRi but not to either ATM kinase inhibition (ATMi) or DNAPKc inhibition (DNAPKci). Chk1 kinase inhibition by a specific chemical inhibitor also resulted in cell death. Latrunculin B is a chemical inhibitor that blocks actin polymerisation whose prolonged state of inhibition also led to cell death, used as positive control (Fig 1a-b). Quantitative analyses showed that while ATRi, Chk1i and LatB samples exhibited hardly any cell survival (approximately 5-10% of cells), ATMi and DNAPKci led to the survival of >80% cells in the populational assay (Fig 1b). In order to assess whether the cell death phenotype was associated with genome damage, we performed the comet assay.
Prolonged ATR Kinase inhibition does not lead to genotoxic stress
The comet assay was performed for double and single stranded breaks on ATRi samples from different time points of the inhibition regime. Surprisingly, ATRi condition did not exhibit any detectable comet tail formation, and neither double nor single stranded breaks were evident (Additional file 1). Hydroxyurea (2mM) treatment, a classical replication stressor, was used as a positive control that revealed strand breaks. In the same experiment, ATMi, DNAPKci and Chk1i also revealed no DNA strand breaks (Additional file 1). In the entire time course of inhibition, none of the kinase inhibitions led to any discernible DNA strand breaks (Additional file 1 data are shown only for alkaline comet assay). However, in these conditions where the strand breaks were not evident, only ATRi and Chk1i treatments led to cell death phenotype whereas ATMi and DNAPKci treatments yielded no cell death as evidenced by the robust cell survival in these conditions (Fig 1a-b). We were curious whether ATRi conditions evoked any ATM kinase activation signal: we scored pChk2 and γH2AX signals as bonafide targets of active ATM kinase. As a direct readout of ATM activation, we also assayed for pATM staining during ATRi time course regime. Cisplatin (25µM) treatment was used as a positive control. Western blotting for pChk2, γH2AX (Fig 1c) and immunofluorescence for pATM, pChk2, γH2AX (Fig 2a-d) revealed that there was no activation of ATM kinase during the state of prolonged ATR kinase inhibition. Interestingly, in the same time-course, we observed transient increase of p53 protein by both western blotting as well as immunofluorescence assays wherein p53 protein reached its maximum by 2h of ATRi followed by almost complete depletion of the same by the next 1 hr which stayed so during 5h ATRi treatment (Fig 1c, 2a). In the prolonged ATRi (5 hours) condition, where the cell death phenotype reached maximum (see the time-course result in the next experiment), p53 level had dipped to the basal value. To rule out the possibility of off target effects of ATRi and Chk1i, we probed for ATM kinase activity in the presence of ATRi and Chk1i under DNA damage inducing conditions (Cisplatin treated). Immunofluorescence for pChk2, γH2AX revealed that ATRi and Chk1i conditions did not lead to any measurable inhibition of ATM kinase function: both pChk2, γH2AX markers were active during ATRi and Chk1i conditions, specifically during DNA damage induction (Fig 2e-f).
Activation of PIDDosome signalling following ATR kinase inhibition
Chk1 inhibition activates PIDDosome signalling but the mechanism remains unclear (17,28). PIDDosome signalling is therefore referred to as “Chk1 inhibited death response” in the cells (16,41). Chk1 undergoes ATR dependent phosphorylation at S345 (3). To test whether PIDDosome signalling is activated upon ATR kinase inhibition and the resultant cell death is indeed caspase 2 dependent, we performed IF assay for PIDDosome components in NHDFs. There are five known isoforms of PIDD (44–46), our study focuses on PIDD isoform 4 which lacks the LRR domain (47). It is known that PIDD4 is activated in a p53 dependent manner and promotes apoptosis in the cytoplasm (47). Caspase 2 assay revealed increased activity of caspase 2 in ATRi and Chk1i condition (Fig 3b). Caspase 3 cleavage and activation was not observed in both ATRi and Chk1i conditions (Additional file 3). Western blotting and IF assays revealed that PIDDosome signalling was indeed activated leading to the cleavage of caspase 2 during ATR and Chk1 kinase inhibition (Fig 3a-e) even under the conditions in which the p53 protein level had fallen to basal values (Fig 1c, 2a). Current models suggest that the PIDDosome complex is activated leading to caspase 2 cleavage in the nucleolar compartment during DNA damage and a similar PIDDosome response recurs in the cytoplasmic compartment during the conditions of cytoskeletal poisoning/disruption(18,46,48,49). In addition, IF analyses of nucleolar markers such as nucleolin, fibrillarin and nucleophosmin revealed that nucleolar structure was distorted during the prolonged inhibition of ATR kinase activity in the cells (Additional file 2a, Fig 3c, 4c) whose effect was specific to ATR and Chk1 rather than DDR apical kinases (ATM and DNAPKc) inhibition (Additional file 2a). In order to probe the time-course of PIDDosome formation in these conditions, we scored for PIDDosome complex as a function of ATRi time-course which revealed that PIDD was induced and started accumulating by 1-2 hours of ATR kinase inhibition (Fig 3e, 3g) by when p53 protein level had reached maximum in the cells (Fig 1c, 2a). However, interestingly, the PIDD level increased even further during the time-course beyond the first 2 hours (Fig 3e-h) when p53 level decreased to the basal values (Fig 1c, 2a). Immunofluorescence assay also revealed the co-localization of PIDD/caspase 2 and PIDD/RAIDD; the coefficient of co-localisation for both pairs increased reaching the maximum by 5 hours of ATRi (Fig 3f-h).
ATR kinase mediates the phosphorylation of NPM via Chk1 by regulating NPM-Chk1 stable interaction
NPM has been shown to be essential for activation of PIDDosome signalling and Chk1 acts as the negative regulator of the same(18). NPM is mutated in about one third of adult Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) patients (50) and (besides several other roles) has also been critically linked to cellular apoptosis function whose mechanistic basis is still unclear (51–53). Interestingly, while NPM is largely nucleolar in localization, pNPM is present both in the nucleoplasm/chromatin and nucleolus of the cell (Fig 4a-b). On ATR and Chk1 kinase inhibition, the phosphorylation of NPM at T199 is lost (Fig 4c, 4g). Chk1 interacts with NPM during DNA damage condition as an essential step for promoting NPM recruitment to the chromatin (19). Immunoprecipitation of pChk1(S345) revealed that Chk1 stably interacts with both NPM and pNPM in normal cellular conditions (Fig 4f). However, during ATR kinase inhibition time-course, available pChk1 shows a near complete loss of its interaction with NPM by 5 hours ATRi (Fig 4f-g). We note that even though NPM levels remain largely unaffected during both ATRi and Chk1i conditions, pNPM levels plummet (Fig 4g). We surmise that the gradual fall in the interaction between pChk1 and NPM during ATRi time course finally results in complete loss of pNPM after 3 hours of ATRi (Fig 4f). Interestingly, we observe an intermediate time-point (4h ATRi in Fig 4f) in this regime at which pChk1 interaction with NPM is detectable, but pNPM level fell to low level that it is hard to detect (see Discussion). We thus conclude that PIDDosome activation is associated with a significant drop in pNPM levels in ATRi cells (Additional file 2b and Fig 4c, 4f, 4g).
Phosphorylation of NPM and Chk1 render the cells refractory to ATRi mediated cell death.
To test whether the phosphorylation of NPM (T199) and Chk1 (S345) was essential for preventing the cells from caspase 2 mediated cell death, we made phosphodead and phosphomimic constructs of NPM (T199) and Chk1 (S345) and transfected them into HEK293 cells. Trypan blue dye exclusion test showed that cells overexpressing phosphodead mutants of NPM and Chk1 i.e., NPM (T199A) and Chk1 (S345A) were generally not viable even under normal conditions implying that these phospho-proteins are essential for normal cellular homeostasis (Fig 5a). In contrast, cells overexpressing phosphomimic mutants of NPM(T199D) and Chk1(S345E) did not show cell death even under the conditions of ATR kinase inhibition in the cells (Fig 5a). Surprisingly however, inhibition of Chk1 kinase activity in phosphomimic mutant cells of Chk1(S345E) resulted in cell death, but didn’t have any effect on NPM(T199D) mutant cells (Fig 5a). This result implied that pChk1 kinase activity was essential for the cell protective function of pNPM. In order to test whether pNPM is directly regulated by ATR or Chk1 or both, we analysed the sensitivity of Chk1 inhibitor effect on Chk1(S345E) expressing cells and probed for pNPM (Fig 5b). Cell death assay results had already indicated that these mutant cells were specifically sensitive to Chk1i rather than ATRi conditions (Fig 5a). As expected, pNPM scoring showed that Chk1(S345E) expressing cells failed to reveal pNPM specifically in Chk1i and not in ATRi condition (Fig 5b), thereby implying that pNPM is directly under the Chk1 rather than ATR kinase control. In order to probe the mechanism further, we stained for PIDD and cleaved caspase 2 markers in these mutant cells. Expectedly, the cells that were refractory to cell death even under prolonged ATRi conditions showed avoidance to PIDD and caspase-2 activation specifically in NPM(T199D) or Chk1(S345E) expressing cells (Fig 5c-h). In the same experiment, control cells that were not transfected with NPM(T199D) or Chk1(S345E) reproduced the ATRi effect exhibiting PIDDosome and caspase 2 activation (Fig 5c-h). Quantitation revealed that phosphomimick mutants (T199D & S345E) exhibited robust avoidance of PIDDosome and caspase 2 activation (Fig 5g-h). This experiment clearly demonstrated that ATR kinase was upstream to both pNPM and pChk1 modulators in the system where pNPM acts as a negative regulator of PIDDosome and caspase 2 activation during ATRi conditions. Inhibition of Chk1 kinase activity prevents pNPM formation even though cells possess activated form of Chk1 mimic [Chk1(S345E)] which is NPM interaction competent where the stable interaction of pChk1 with NPM constitutes the first step of the mechanism whereas its phosphorylation by pChk1 constitutes the second discernible step. This model, for the first time, opens up an interesting possibility of pChk1 kinase activity modulation impacting PIDDosome function following its interaction with NPM protein in the nucleolus (see Discussion).
Phosphatases in regulation of PIDDosome signalling
Phosphorylation of NPM is regulated by PPM1D phosphatase(26). PPM1D overexpression upregulates the phosphorylation of NPM at S4 and T199 resulting into increased nucleolar number, a hallmark of cancer cell(26). PP1β is known to dephosphorylate pNPM(T199) and facilitate activation of E2F1 responsive genes in response to DNA damage(27). However, no single phosphatase has been implicated in regulation of PIDDosome signalling. In our previous study, we showed that ATR kinase activity is essential for spatial localisation and stabilisation of PPM1D in endogenous conditions of normal cells.
In order to understand the phosphatase regulation of PIDDosome signalling, we probed the involvement of PPM1D and PP1β, the two phosphatases known to inversely regulate pNPM status in the cells. Expectedly, inhibition of PPM1D phosphatase led to cell death and time-course study of the same showed a measurable drop in pNPM level associated with increased PIDD induction, thus reinforcing the interpretation that inhibition of PPM1D phosphatase results into caspase 2 mediated cell death (Fig 6a-b). Furthermore, we probed the changes of PP1β phosphatase by immunofluorescence. Immunostaining for PP1β phosphatase as a function of ATR inhibition revealed interesting changes: Firstly, PP1β staining encompassed both nuclear as well as cytoplasmic segments in ATR normal state, but changed exclusively to nucleus in ATR inhibited cells (Fig 6c-d). But interestingly, the PP1β nuclear intensity also dropped as a function of ATR inhibition time-course by 5h ATRi (Fig 6c-d).
All these results put together suggest that ATR kinase actively maintains pNPM levels in the cells via Chk1 axis. We integrate these results into a model where we suggest that ATR kinase maintains the cellular pool of pChk1 and regulates the spatial localisation of PPM1D and PP1β phosphatase, which in turn leads to the build-up of sufficient level of pNPM in normal cells such that the normal cells are actively protected from NPM mediated activation of PIDDosome and caspase-2 functions, thereby preventing the cells from “tipping” into cell death. Either ATR or Chk1 inhibition leads to the imbalance of such finely tuned cellular homeostatic control via the loss of pNPM in the cell following which NPM protein triggers the activation of PIDDosome signalling, thus leading to caspase 2 mediated cell death (Fig 7).