Monitoring and signaling of radiation-induced damage in mammalian cells.

This paper reviews the functions of and connections between the presumed DNA damage sensors: poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), the protein product of the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene, and the tumor suppressor, p53. Recognition of DNA damage is associated with the generation of alarm signals. The possible alarm signals include synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose) polymers and initiation of phosphorylation cascades by kinases complexed with the DNA damage sensors, DNA-PK and ATM; the role of other factors is discussed, among them BRCA1 and 2, IRF-1 and RB (retinoblastoma). Alarm signal molecules generated in the cytoplasm or plasma membrane are reactive oxygen species and ceramide. Some of the signal pathways are discussed. The p53 protein, which is poised in the central junction of the postirradiation signaling, as well as p53-independent signaling pathways form an intricate network that executes concerted and partly overlapping functions in the cellular response to ionizing radiation. These functions comprise activation of specific groups of genes, control of progression through the cell cycle checkpoints, inhibition of replication and transcription, induction of apoptosis, or an adaptive response; these features of the cellular response to radiation are discussed. They affect the fate of the irradiated mammalian cell as markedly as the DNA repair efficiency. This is shown in examples of the effect of inhibition of signaling on the adaptive response of human lymphocytes and on survival of tumor cells.