Nucleotide-resolution DNA double-strand breaks mapping by next-generation sequencing

Abstract

We present a genome-wide method to map DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) at nucleotide resolution by direct in situ breaks labeling, enrichment on streptavidin, and next-generation sequencing (BLESS). We comprehensively validated and tested BLESS using different human and mouse cells, DSBs-inducing agents, and sequencing platforms. BLESS was able to detect telomere ends, Sce endonuclease-induced DSBs, and complex genome-wide DSBs landscapes. As a proof of principle, we characterized the genomic landscape of sensitivity to replication stress in human cells, and identified over two thousand non-uniformly distributed aphidicolin-sensitive regions (ASRs) overrepresented in genes and enriched in satellite repeats. ASRs were also enriched in regions rearranged in human cancers, with many cancer-associated genes exhibiting high sensitivity to replication stress. Our method is suitable for genome-wide mapping of DSBs in various cells and experimental conditions with a specificity and resolution unachievable by current techniques.