Genetic suppression reveals DNA repair-independent antagonism between BRCA1 and COBRA1 in mammary gland development
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
3-4-2016
Journal
Nature Communications
Volume
7
DOI
10.1038/ncomms10913
Abstract
The breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 is well known for its function in double-strand break (DSB) DNA repair. While BRCA1 is also implicated in transcriptional regulation, the physiological significance remains unclear. COBRA1 (also known as NELF-B) is a BRCA1-binding protein that regulates RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) pausing and transcription elongation. Here we interrogate functional interaction between BRCA1 and COBRA1 during mouse mammary gland development. Tissue-specific deletion of Cobra1 reduces mammary epithelial compartments and blocks ductal morphogenesis, alveologenesis and lactogenesis, demonstrating a pivotal role of COBRA1 in adult tissue development. Remarkably, these developmental deficiencies due to Cobra1 knockout are largely rescued by additional loss of full-length Brca1. Furthermore, Brca1/Cobra1 double knockout restores developmental transcription at puberty, alters luminal epithelial homoeostasis, yet remains deficient in homologous recombination-based DSB repair. Thus our genetic suppression analysis uncovers a previously unappreciated, DNA repair-independent function of BRCA1 in antagonizing COBRA1-dependent transcription programme during mammary gland development.
APA Citation
Nair, S., Zhang, X., Chiang, H., Jahid, M., Wang, Y., Garza, P., April, C., Salathia, N., Banerjee, T., Alenazi, F., Ruan, J., Fan, J., Parvin, J., Jin, V., Hu, Y., & Li, R. (2016). Genetic suppression reveals DNA repair-independent antagonism between BRCA1 and COBRA1 in mammary gland development. Nature Communications, 7 (). http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10913