Defective neurogenesis resulting from DNA ligase IV deficiency requires Atm

  1. Youngsoo Lee1,
  2. Deborah E. Barnes2,
  3. Tomas Lindahl2, and
  4. Peter J. McKinnon1,3
  1. 1Department of Genetics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA; 2Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Clare Hall Laboratories, South Mimms, Herts EN6 3LD, UK

Abstract

Ataxia telangiectasia results from mutations of ATM and is characterized by severe neurodegeneration and defective responses to DNA damage. Inactivation of certain DNA repair genes such as DNA ligase IV results in massive neuronal apoptosis and embryonic lethality in the mouse, indicating the occurrence of endogenously formed DNA double-strand breaks during nervous system development. Here we report that Atm is required for apoptosis in all areas of the DNA ligase IV-deficient developing nervous system. However, Atm deficiency failed to rescue deficits in immune differentiation in DNA ligase IV-null mice. These data indicate that ATM responds to endogenous DNA lesions and functions during development to eliminate neural cells that have incurred genomic damage. Therefore, ATM could be important for preventing accumulation of DNA-damaged cells in the nervous system that might eventually lead to the neurodegeneration observed in ataxia telangiectasia.

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Footnotes

  • 3 Corresponding author.

  • E-MAIL peter.mckinnon{at}stjude.org; FAX (901) 526-2907.

  • Article and publication are at www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.837100.

    • Received July 20, 2000.
    • Accepted September 11, 2000.
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