RPRM negatively regulates ATM levels involving its phosphorylation mediated by CDK4/CDK6

Sensitizing cancer cells to radio- and chemotherapy remains a hot topic in cancer treatment. Here it is identified that Protein Reprimo (RPRM) negatively regulates the levels of ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) protein kinase, a master regulator of DNA damage response (DDR) in the presence of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), resulting in impaired DNA repair efficiency and enhanced cellular sensitivity to genotoxic agents. Mechanistically, although RPRM is primarily located in cytoplasm, it rapidly translocates to nucleus shortly after induced by X-irradiation, interacts with ATM and promotes the nuclear export and proteasomal degradation of ATM. The nuclear translocation of RPRM is associated with its phosphorylation at serine 98, which is mediated by cyclin-dependent kinases 4/6 (CDK4/6). Inhibition of CDK4/6 stabilizes RPRM and promotes its nuclear import, in turn enhances the nuclear export of ATM and the reduction of ATM levels. As a result, RPRM overexpression and its phosphorylation inhibition sensitize cells to genotoxic agents. Moreover, RPRM deficiency significantly increases resistance to radiation-induced damage both in vitro and in vivo. These findings establish a crucial regulatory mechanism in which ATM is negatively modulated by RPRM, suggesting that RPRM may serve as a novel target for both cancer therapy and radiation protection.