STAG2 Regulates Homologous Recombination Repair and Sensitivity to ATM Inhibition

Stromal antigen 2 (STAG2), a subunit of the cohesin complex, is recurrently mutated in various tumors. However, the role of STAG2 in DNA repair and its therapeutic implications are largely unknown. Here it is reported that knockout of STAG2 results in increased double-stranded breaks (DSBs) and chromosomal aberrations by reducing homologous recombination (HR) repair, and confers hypersensitivity to inhibitors of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATMi), Poly ADP Ribose Polymerase (PARPi), or the combination of both. Of note, the impaired HR by STAG2-deficiency is mainly attributed to the restored expression of KMT5A, which in turn methylates H4K20 (H4K20me0) to H4K20me1 and thereby decreases the recruitment of BRCA1-BARD1 to chromatin. Importantly, STAG2 expression correlates with poor prognosis of cancer patients. STAG2 is identified as an important regulator of HR and a potential therapeutic strategy for STAG2-mutant tumors is elucidated. Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) inhibitors are potential antitumor drugs. Notably, the study illuminates that Stromal antigen 2 (STAG2) deficient cancer cells manifest heightened sensitivity to ATM inhibition. It also unveils a synthetic lethality existing between ATM and STAG2, due to increased DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). This culmination precipitates an inescapable DNA calamity, ultimately culminating in the demise of tumor cells.image