Publications by authors named "Francesca Storici"

Ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) are abundant in DNA, but their distribution and function in human nuclear genomes remain unknown. Here, we mapped nearly one million rNMPs per genome across diverse human cell types, defining a nuclear "" with non-random distribution patterns. rNMPs are enriched in C/G-rich sequences, epigenetically marked regions, and telomeres.

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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of liver cancer, which often arises from previous liver pathologies such as HBV, HCV, and alcohol abuse. It is typically associated with an enlarged cirrhotic organ. In this study, we analyzed tumor and distal tissues from a patient who underwent liver resection for HCC with no previous pathologies and whose liver showed normal function without signs of cirrhosis.

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Double-strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA are challenging to repair. Cells employ at least three DSB-repair mechanisms, with a preference for non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) over homologous recombination (HR) and microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ). While most eukaryotic DNA is transcribed into RNA, providing complementary genetic information, much remains unknown about the direct impact of RNA on DSB-repair outcomes and its role in DSB-repair via end joining.

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Ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) are abundantly found within genomic DNA of cells. The embedded rNMPs alter DNA properties and impact genome stability. Mutations in ribonuclease (RNase) H2, a key enzyme for rNMP removal, are associated with the Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS), a severe neurological disorder.

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Motivation: Ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) are the most abundant non-standard nucleotides embedded in genomic DNA. If the presence of rNMP in DNA cannot be controlled, it can lead to genome instability. The actual regulatory functions of rNMPs in DNA remain mainly unknown.

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Article Synopsis
  • Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are harmful DNA damage events that can cause genome instability, prompting cells to use repair methods like non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), microhomology mediated end joining (MMEJ), and homology-directed recombination (HDR).
  • These repair processes can introduce DNA sequence variations, such as insertions and deletions, at the break site, necessitating accurate analysis through high throughput sequencing.
  • The study introduces a method for visualizing the complex patterns of sequence variations around DSBs, facilitating better comparison across different experimental conditions.
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Abundant ribonucleoside-triphosphate (rNTP) incorporation into DNA by DNA polymerases in the form of ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) is a widespread phenomenon in nature, resulting in DNA-structural change and genome instability. The rNMP distribution, characteristics, hotspots and association with DNA metabolic processes in human mitochondrial DNA (hmtDNA) remain mostly unknown. Here, we utilize the ribose-seq technique to capture embedded rNMPs in hmtDNA of six different cell types.

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Ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) are abundantly found within genomic DNA of cells. The embedded rNMPs alter DNA properties and impact genome stability. Mutations in ribonuclease (RNase) H2, a key enzyme for rNMP removal, are associated with the Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS), a severe neurological disorder.

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The existence of modified ribonucleotide monophosphates embedded in genomic DNA, as a consequence of oxidative stress conditions, including 8-oxo-guanosine and ribose monophosphate abasic site (rAP), has been recently highlighted by several works and associated with oxidative stress conditions. Although human apurinic-apyrimidinic endodeoxyribonuclease 1 (APE1), a key enzyme of the base-excision repair pathway, repairs rAP sites and canonical deoxyribose monophosphate abasic sites with similar efficiency, its incision-repairing activity on 8-oxo-guanosine is very weak. The aims of this work were to: (i) identify proteins able to specifically bind 8-oxo-guanosine embedded in DNA and promote APE1 endoribonuclease activity on this lesion, and (ii) characterize the molecular and biological relevance of this interaction using human cancer cell lines.

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The incorporation of ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) in genomic DNA is a frequent phenomenon in many species, often associated with genome instability and disease. The ribose-seq technique is one of a few techniques designed to capture and map rNMPs embedded in genomic DNA. The first step of ribose-seq is restriction enzyme (RE) fragmentation, which cuts the genome into smaller fragments for subsequent rNMP capture.

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Ribonucleoside triphosphate (rNTP) incorporation in DNA by DNA polymerases is a frequent phenomenon that results in DNA structural change and genome instability. However, it is unclear whether the rNTP incorporation into DNA follows any specific sequence patterns. We analyzed multiple datasets of ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) embedded in DNA, generated from three rNMP-sequencing techniques.

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The most common nonstandard nucleotides found in genomic DNA are ribonucleotides. Although ribonucleotides are frequently incorporated into DNA by replicative DNA polymerases, very little is known about the distribution and signatures of ribonucleotides incorporated into DNA. Recent advances in high-throughput ribonucleotide sequencing can capture the exact locations of ribonucleotides in genomic DNA.

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Ribonuclease (RNase) H2 is a key enzyme for the removal of RNA found in DNA-RNA hybrids, playing a fundamental role in biological processes such as DNA replication, telomere maintenance, and DNA damage repair. RNase H2 is a trimer composed of three subunits, being the catalytic subunit. expression levels have been shown to be upregulated in transformed and cancer cells.

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Ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) represent the most common non-standard nucleotides found in the genome of cells. The distribution of rNMPs in DNA has been studied only in limited genomes. Using the ribose-seq protocol and the Ribose-Map bioinformatics toolkit, we reveal the distribution of rNMPs incorporated into the whole genome of a photosynthetic unicellular green alga, .

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DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) are dangerous lesions threatening genomic stability. Fidelity of DSB repair is best achieved by recombination with a homologous template sequence. In yeast, transcript RNA was shown to template DSB repair of DNA.

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Despite the abundance of ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) in DNA, sites of rNMP incorporation remain poorly characterized. Here, by using ribose-seq and Ribose-Map techniques, we built and analyzed high-throughput sequencing libraries of rNMPs derived from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA of budding and fission yeast. We reveal both common and unique features of rNMP sites among yeast species and strains, and between wild type and different ribonuclease H-mutant genotypes.

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Double strand-breaks (DSBs) of genomic DNA caused by ionizing radiation or mutagenic chemicals are a common source of mutation, recombination, chromosomal aberration, and cell death. Linker histones are DNA packaging proteins with established roles in chromatin compaction, gene transcription, and in homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DNA repair. Using a machine-learning model for functional prioritization of eukaryotic post-translational modifications (PTMs) in combination with genetic and biochemical experiments with the yeast linker histone, Hho1, we discovered that site-specific phosphorylation sites regulate HR and HR-mediated DSB repair.

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Experiments conducted in yeast cells have recently shown abundant presence of ribonucleotides (rNMPs) embedded both in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Indeed, rNMPs are the most frequent, nonstandard nucleotides found in cellular DNA. rNMPs have a highly reactive 2'-hydroxyl group in the ribose sugar that gives rise to genome instability by altering the structure, function, and properties of DNA.

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The presence of ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) in nuclear DNA decreases genome stability. To ensure survival despite rNMP insertions, cells have evolved a complex network of DNA repair mechanisms, in which the ribonucleotide excision repair pathway, initiated by type 2 RNase H (RNase HII/2), plays a major role. We recently demonstrated that eukaryotic RNase H2 cannot repair damage, that is, ribose monophosphate abasic (both apurinic or apyrimidinic) site (rAP) or oxidized rNMP embedded in DNA.

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Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing techniques have made it possible to tag ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) embedded in genomic DNA for sequencing. rNMP sequencing experiments generate large, complex datasets that require efficient, scalable software that can accurately map embedded rNMPs independently of the particular sequencing technique used. Current computational pipelines designed to map rNMPs embedded in genomic DNA are customized for data generated using only one type of rNMP sequencing technique.

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Coding for proteins has been considered the main function of RNA since the "central dogma" of biology was proposed. The discovery of noncoding transcripts shed light on additional roles of RNA, ranging from the support of polypeptide synthesis, to the assembly of subnuclear structures, to gene expression modulation. Cellular RNA has therefore been recognized as a central player in often unanticipated biological processes, including genomic stability.

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A double-strand break (DSB) is one of the most dangerous DNA lesion, and its repair is crucial for genome stability. Homologous recombination is considered the safest way to repair a DNA DSB and requires an identical or nearly identical DNA template, such as a sister chromatid or a homologous chromosome for accurate repair. Can transcript RNA serve as donor template for DSB repair? Here, we describe an approach that we developed to detect and study DNA repair by transcript RNA.

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Small RNAs generated at DNA break sites are implicated in mammalian DNA repair. Now, a study shows that following the formation of DNA double-strand breaks, bidirectional transcription events adjacent to the break generate small RNAs that trigger the DNA damage response by local RNA:RNA interactions.

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Ribonucleoside 5'-monophosphates (rNMPs) are the most common non-standard nucleotides found in DNA of eukaryotic cells, with over 100 million rNMPs transiently incorporated in the mammalian genome per cell cycle. Human ribonuclease (RNase) H2 is the principal enzyme able to cleave rNMPs in DNA. Whether RNase H2 may process abasic or oxidized rNMPs incorporated in DNA is unknown.

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