Genome-Wide Requirements for Resistance to Functionally Distinct DNA-Damaging Agents

The mechanistic and therapeutic differences in the cellular response to DNA-damaging compounds are not completely understood, despite intense study. To expand our knowledge of DNA damage, we assayed the effects of 12 closely related DNA-damaging agents on the complete pool of ~4,700 barcoded homozygous deletion strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In our protocol, deletion strains are pooled together and grown competitively in the presence of compound. Relative strain sensitivity is determined by hybridization of PCR-amplified barcodes to an oligonucleotide array carrying the barcode complements. These screens identified genes in well-characterized DNA-damage-response pathways as well as genes whose role in the DNA-damage response had not been previously established. High-throughput individual growth analysis was used to independently confirm microarray results. Each compound produced a unique genome-wide profile. Analysis of these data allowed us to determine the relative importance of DNA-repair modules for resistance to each of the 12 profiled compounds. Clustering the data for 12 distinct compounds uncovered both known and novel functional interactions that comprise the DNA-damage response and allowed us to define the genetic determinants required for repair of interstrand cross-links. Further genetic analysis allowed determination of epistasis for one of these functional groups.: Cells have evolved sophisticated ways to respond to DNA damage. This is critical because unrepaired damage can kill cells or cause them to become cancerous. The response to DNA damage has been studied for more than 50 years, and has been found to be extremely complex. The traditional way of understanding this complexity is to divide the process into its component parts with the goal of eventually reconstituting the entire process. In this study, the authors extend classical approaches using genomics—an approach that involves studying all genes in an organism simultaneously. The authors tested 12 distinct compounds (many used in cancer chemotherapy) that damage DNA and uncovered new genes involved in DNA repair. They then grouped the compounds to define how they attack cells. Using this approach, the study found that many similar DNA-damaging agents act in comparable ways to damage DNA, but surprisingly, similar compounds can also act on cells by very different mechanisms. Specifically grouping the findings together and verifying the significant results lends a high degree of confidence in the data. The development of such a reproducible experimental design is important for inspiring future experiments.