bDNA damage response signaling is crucial for genome maintenance in all organisms and is corrupted in cancer. In an RNA interference (RNAi) screen for (de)ubiquitinases and sumoylases modulating the apoptotic response of embryonic stem (ES) cells to DNA damage, we identified the E3 ubiquitin ligase/ISGylase, ariadne homologue 1 (ARIH1). Silencing ARIH1 sensitized ES and cancer cells to genotoxic compounds and ionizing radiation, irrespective of their p53 or caspase-3 status. Expression of wild-type but not ubiquitinase-defective ARIH1 constructs prevented sensitization caused by ARIH1 knockdown. ARIH1 protein abundance increased after DNA damage through attenuation of proteasomal degradation that required ATM signaling. Accumulated ARIH1 associated with 4EHP, and in turn, this competitive inhibitor of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) underwent increased nondegradative ubiquitination upon DNA damage. Genotoxic stress led to an enrichment of ARIH1 in perinuclear, ribosome-containing regions and triggered 4EHP association with the mRNA 5= cap as well as mRNA translation arrest in an ARIH1-dependent manner. Finally, restoration of DNA damage-induced translation arrest in ARIH1-depleted cells by means of an eIF2 inhibitor was sufficient to reinstate resistance to genotoxic stress. These findings identify ARIH1 as a potent mediator of DNA damage-induced translation arrest that protects stem and cancer cells against genotoxic stress.
DNA damage leads to acute toxicity and the accumulation of mutations and chromosomal instability, potentially resulting in malignant transformation (1, 2). To counteract these deleterious effects of DNA damage, the cell is equipped with a highly complex signaling response termed the DNA damage response (DDR). The DDR activates effector components involved in protective pathways, including DNA damage repair, cell cycle arrest, transcription regulation, chromatin remodeling, and cell death (1). The complex of DDR signaling pathways is crucial for the protection of the genome in all organisms. Moreover, understanding DDR signaling in the context of chemical or ionizing radiation-induced DNA damage is important to design improved strategies to combat therapy resistance. In tandem with phosphorylation-mediated signaling, which is largely executed by the phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-like kinases ATM, ATR, and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), the checkpoint kinases Chk1 and Chk2, and members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family (3, 4), protein modifications by ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like moieties are crucial at all levels of the DDR (5).The ubiquitination machinery can form various, differentially interpreted tags, including both degradative (K48-and K11-linked chains) and nondegradative (monoubiquitination and K63-linked chains) signals (6). Furthermore, a growing family of ubiquitin-like modifications, such as SUMO, Nedd8, and ISG15, has been identified, mostly providing nondegradative signals. Multiple enzymes are shared between the ubiquitinat...