Investigating the requirement of HOB1 on the sensitivity of Schizosaccharomyces pombe after exposure to various DNA damaging agents

Abstract

DNA encodes the genetic information for the growth and development of living organisms. As such, it is inherently important that when damaged, the DNA is repaired efficiently and accurately. BIN1 encodes a protein that plays a role in genomic stability, specifically in cell cycle regulation, chromatin remodeling, and DNA repair. Previous research has shown that the protein Bin1 exhibits an inhibitory role in the double strand break repair pathway of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). The homolog of BIN1, HOB1, is found in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe. To understand the role HOB1 has on yeast survival after damage, two strains of S. pombe, a wild type strain (WT) and a strain without HOB1 (hob1Δ), were exposed to various DNA damaging agents. Each treatment introduced a different type of DNA damage that would require different DNA repair pathways. The treatments included UV radiation, hydrogen peroxide, bleomycin, and cisplatin. After treatment with each respective agent, the % of surviving cells at multiple doses was analyzed and graphed logarithmically. The data collected supports the idea that the presence of HOB1 has a role on the survival of yeast after DNA damage. The WT strains survived better than the hob1Δ counterparts when exposed to hydrogen peroxide or bleomycin. When exposed to UV radiation or cisplatin damage, no significant difference is observed between the strains regarding survival.