Comprehensive Interactome Mapping of the DNA Repair Scaffold SLX4 using Proximity Labeling and Affinity Purification

The DNA repair scaffold SLX4 has pivotal roles in cellular processes that maintain genome stability, most notably homologous recombination. Germline mutations in SLX4 are associated with Fanconi anemia, a disease characterized by chromosome instability and cancer susceptibility. The role of mammalian SLX4 in homologous recombination depends critically on binding and activating structure-selective endonucleases, namely SLX1, MUS81-EME1, and XPF-ERCC1. Increasing evidence indicates that cells rely on distinct SLX4-dependent complexes to remove DNA lesions in specific regions of the genome. Despite our understanding of SLX4 as a scaffold for DNA repair proteins, a detailed repertoire of SLX4 interactors has never been reported. Here, we provide the first comprehensive map of the human SLX4 interactome using proximity-dependent biotin identification (BioID) and affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry (AP-MS). We identified 237 high-confidence interactors, of which the vast majority represent novel SLX4 binding proteins. Network analysis of these hits revealed pathways with known involvement of SLX4, such as DNA repair, and novel or emerging pathways of interest, including RNA metabolism and chromatin remodeling. In summary, the comprehensive SLX4 interactome we report here provides a deeper understanding of how SLX4 functions in DNA repair while revealing new cellular processes that may involve SLX4.