ATM orchestrates the DNA-damage response to counter toxic non-homologous end-joining at broken replication forks

Mutations in the ATM tumor suppressor confer hypersensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. To explore genetic resistance mechanisms, we performed genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens in cells treated with the DNA topoisomerase poison topotecan. Thus, we establish that loss of terminal components of the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) machinery or the BRCA1-A complex specifically confers topotecan resistance to ATM-deficient cells. We show that hypersensitivity of ATM-mutant cells to topotecan or the poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor olaparib is due to delayed homologous recombination repair at DNA-replication-fork-associated double-strand breaks (DSBs), resulting in toxic NHEJ-mediated chromosome fusions. Accordingly, restoring legitimate repair in ATM-deficient cells, either by preventing NHEJ DNA ligation or by enhancing DSB-resection by BRCA1-A complex inactivation, markedly suppresses this toxicity. Our work suggests opportunities for patient stratification in ATM-deficient cancers and when using ATM inhibitors in the clinic, and identifies additional therapeutic vulnerabilities that might be exploited when such cancers evolve drug resistance.\n\nOne Sentence SummaryATM counteracts toxic NHEJ at broken replication forks