ZEB1 promotes non-homologous end joining double-strand break repair

Repair of DSB induced by IR is primarily carried out by Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ), a pathway in which 53BP1 plays a key role. We have discovered that the EMT-inducing transcriptional repressor ZEB1 (i) interacts with 53BP1 and that this interaction occurs rapidly and is significantly amplified following exposure of cells to IR; (ii) is required for the localization of 53BP1 to a subset of double-stranded breaks, and for physiological DSB repair; (iii) co-localizes with 53BP1 at IR-induced foci (IRIF); (iv) promotes NHEJ and inhibits Homologous Recombination (HR); (v) depletion increases resection at DSBs and (vi) confers PARP inhibitor (PARPi) sensitivity on BRCA1-deficient cells. Lastly, ZEB1's effects on repair pathway choice, resection, and PARPi sensitivity all rely on its homeodomain. In contrast to the well-characterized therapeutic resistance of high ZEB1-expressing cancer cells, the novel ZEB1-53BP1-shieldin resection axis described here exposes a therapeutic vulnerability: ZEB1 levels in BRCA1-deficient tumors may serve as a predictive biomarker of response to PARPis. Graphical Abstract