The Werner syndrome protein operates in base excision repair and cooperates with DNA polymerase β. Nucleic Acids Res

Genome instability is a characteristic of cancer and aging, and is a hallmark of the premature aging disorder Werner syndrome (WS). Evidence suggests that the Werner syndrome protein (WRN) contributes to the maintenance of genome integrity through its involvement in DNA repair. In particular, biochemical evidence indicates a role for WRN in base excision repair (BER). We have previously reported that WRN helicase activity stimulates DNA polymerase beta (pol b) strand displacement synthesis in vitro. In this report we demonstrate that WRN exonuclease activity can act cooperatively with pol b, a polymerase lacking 30–50 proofreading activity. Furthermore, using small interference RNA technology, we demonstrate that WRN knockdown cells are hyper-sensitive to the alkylating agent methyl methanesul-fonate, which creates DNA damage that is primarily repaired by the BER pathway. In addition, repair assays using whole cell extracts from WRN knock-down cells indicate a defect in long patch (LP) BER. These findings demonstrate that WRN plays a direct role in the repair of methylation-induced DNA damage, and suggest a role for both WRN helicase and exonuclease activities together with pol b during LP BER