Oviya Inian

During classical non-homologous end joining (cNHEJ), DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) encapsulates free DNA ends, forming a recruitment platform for downstream end-joining factors including ligase 4 (LIG4)¹. DNA-PK can also bind telomeres and regulate their resection^2–4, but does not initiate cNHEJ at this position. How the end-joining process is regulated in this context-specific manner is currently unclear. Here we show that the shelterin components TRF2 and RAP1 form a complex with DNA-PK that directly represses its end-joining function at telomeres. Biochemical experiments and cryo-electron microscopy reveal that when bound to TRF2, RAP1 establishes a network of interactions with KU and DNA that prevents DNA-PK from recruiting LIG4. In mouse and human cells, RAP1 is redundant with the Apollo nuclease in repressing cNHEJ at chromosome ends, demonstrating that the inhibition of DNA-PK prevents telomere fusions in parallel with overhang-dependent mechanisms. Our experiments show that the end-joining function of DNA-PK is directly and specifically repressed at telomeres, establishing a molecular mechanism for how individual linear chromosomes are maintained in mammalian cells.

The poly-ADP-ribosyltransferase tankyrase (TNKS, TNKS2) controls a wide range of disease-relevant cellular processes, including WNT–β-catenin signalling, telomere length maintenance, Hippo signalling, DNA damage repair and glucose homeostasis^1,2. This has incentivized the development of tankyrase inhibitors. Notwithstanding, our knowledge of the mechanisms that control tankyrase activity has remained limited. Both catalytic and non-catalytic functions of tankyrase depend on its filamentous polymerization^3–5. Here we report the cryo-electron microscopy reconstruction of a filament formed by a minimal active unit of tankyrase, comprising the polymerizing sterile alpha motif (SAM) domain and its adjacent catalytic domain. The SAM domain forms a novel antiparallel double helix, positioning the protruding catalytic domains for recurring head-to-head and tail-to-tail interactions. The head interactions are highly conserved among tankyrases and induce an allosteric switch in the active site within the catalytic domain to promote catalysis. Although the tail interactions have a limited effect on catalysis, they are essential to tankyrase function in WNT–β-catenin signalling. This work reveals a novel SAM domain polymerization mode, illustrates how supramolecular assembly controls catalytic and non-catalytic functions, provides important structural insights into the regulation of a non-DNA-dependent poly-ADP-ribosyltransferase and will guide future efforts to modulate tankyrase and decipher its contribution to disease mechanisms.

EMPIAR, the Electron Microscopy Public Image Archive centered at EMBL-EBI, is a public resource for raw electron microscopy images related to EMDB, contains micrographs, particle sets and tilt-series.