NASP modulates histone turnover to drive PARP inhibitor resistance

Sarah C Moser, Anna Khalizieva, Josef Roehsner, Elisabeth Pottendorfer, Milo L Kaptein, Giulia Ricci, Vivek Bhardwaj, Onno B Bleijerveld, Liesbeth Hoekman, Ingrid van der Heijden, Simone di Sanzo, Alexander Fish, Aleksandra Chikunova, Judith H I Haarhuis, Roel Oldenkamp, Luisa Robbez-Masson, Justin Sprengers, Daniel J Vis, Lodewyk F A Wessels, Marieke van de VenStephen J Pettitt, Andrew N J Tutt, Christopher J Lord, Benjamin D Rowland, Moritz Völker-Albert, Francesca Mattiroli, Thijn R Brummelkamp, Abdelghani Mazouzi*, Jos Jonkers

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi) class of drugs represents a remarkable advance in the treatment of patients with homologous recombination-deficient tumours, but resistance remains a challenge1, 2, 3, 4–5. Although most research has focused on the downstream consequences of PARPi exposure to tackle resistance, the immediate effect of PARP inhibition on the chromatin environment and its contribution to PARPi toxicity remains elusive. Here we show that PARP inhibition induces histone release from the chromatin. This presents a vulnerability of PARPi-resistant cancer cells, which require histone homeostasis mechanisms to sustain elevated DNA replication rates and survival. Through functional genetic screens, we identified NASP as a key factor in maintaining the stability of evicted histones via its TPR motifs. Loss of NASP renders tumour cells hypersensitive to PARPi treatment in vitro and in vivo, impairs replication fork progression and elevates levels of replication-associated DNA damage. Moreover, NASP acts together with the INO80 complex and the chaperoning activity of PARP1 to ensure efficient histone turnover and prevent the accumulation of lethal DNA damage. Collectively, our work reports on histone eviction as an immediate cellular response to PARPi treatment and provides a promising avenue for targeting histone supply pathways to overcome PARPi resistance.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1071–1080
Number of pages10
JournalNature
Volume645
Issue number8082
Early online date13 Aug 2025
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2025
Externally publishedYes

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