DROSHA, DICER and Damage-Induced long ncRNA control BMI1-dependent transcriptional repression at DNA double-strand break

Genome integrity is safeguarded by the DNA damage response (DDR). Controlled transcriptional dampening of genes surrounding DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) has been shown to facilitate DNA repair. This phenomenon, defined as DSB-induced silencing in cis (DISC), involves the DDR apical kinase ATM and the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1). Conversely, DSBs have also been reported to induce de novo transcription of damaged-induced long non-coding RNAs (dilncRNAs) in a MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MNR) complex-dependent manner. MRN also controls the recruitment to DSB of the ribonuclease DROSHA, which together with DICER, stimulates DDR signaling and DNA repair. Here, we reconcile these apparently contrasting observations by showing that dilncRNA, together with DROSHA and DICER, but not GW182-like proteins required for miRNA-mediated gene silencing, controls DISC. Indeed, similarly to ATM, MRN inhibition abolishes DISC while pharmacological enhancement of DICER ribonuclease activity by Enoxacin improves DISC. Importantly, Enoxacin administration restores DISC upon ATM inhibition, demonstrating that DICER promotes DISC independently from ATM. Differently, Enoxacin does not restore DISC upon MRN inhibition, suggesting that DICER acts downstream to dilncRNA biogenesis and DROSHA recruitment. Mechanistically, we show that DROSHA and DICER control the recruitment of the PRC1 component BMI1 at DSBs and the consequent H2A-K119 ubiquitination. Upon DSBs formation, BMI1 and DROSHA interact in an RNA-dependent manner. Indeed, BMI1 associates to dilncRNA and do so in a DROSHA- and DICER-dependent manner. Importantly, inhibition of dilncRNA function by antisense oligonucleotides or Cas13-mediated targeting is sufficient to reduce BMI1 recruitment and DISC at individual loci. We propose that dilncRNAs together with DROSHA and DICER control DISC at genomic DSB by supporting PRC1 recruitment and chromatin ubiquitination.