Mre11-Rad50 oligomerization promotes DNA double-strand break repair

Abstract The conserved Mre11-Rad50 (MR) complex is crucial for the detection, signaling, end tethering and processing of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). While it was known for decades that MR foci formation at DSBs accompanies repair, the underlying molecular assembly mechanisms and functional implications remained unclear. Combining pathway reconstitution in electron microscopy, biochemical assays and genetic studies, we show that S. cerevisiae MR oligomerizes via a conserved Rad50 beta-sheet to higher-order assemblies, which bind DNA with positive cooperativity. We designed Rad50 point mutants with enhanced or disrupted MR oligomerization, and demonstrate that MR oligomerization facilitates foci formation, DNA damage signaling and repair in vivo. MR oligomerization does not affect its exonuclease activity but drives endonucleolytic cleavage at multiple sites on the 5'-terminated DNA strand near DSBs. Interestingly, mutations in the human Rad50 beta-sheet are linked to hereditary cancer predisposition and our findings might provide new insights into their potential role in chemoresistance.