p53-dependent effects of DNA double-strand breaks on chromatin accessibility

We used ATAC-seq to detect changes in chromatin accessibility and nucleosome positioning around the MYC gene during the DNA double-strand break response in human cells and the dependence of these changes on p53. We found that, in the region ~50 kb downstream of MYC where p53 binds strongly, chromatin accessibility as measured by ATAC-seq fragment density increased during the DNA DSB response, corresponding to the removal of a single nucleosome. These results are consistent with increased accessibility of a distal regulatory element at this locus that is dependent on DNA damage and p53 expression. At the MYC promoter region there is a p53-dependent decrease in chromatin accessibility in response to DSBs, even in the absence of a direct p53 binding site near the region. While both the P1 and P2 promoters of MYC are relatively free of nucleosomes in MCF-7 sh-p53 cells, both promoters are occluded in cells expressing WT levels of p53, with an increase of nucleosomal occlusion in response to DNA damage. This supports the hypothesis that MYC repression during the DNA DSB response results from nucleosomal occlusion of both the P1 and P2 promoters. Examination of chromatin accessibility and nucleosome positioning in cells with/without p53 and with/without DNA double-strand breaks.