Direct ectrophilic (Benzenesulfonyl)difluoromethylthiolation with a shelf-stable reagent

International audienceThe (benzenesulfonyl)difluoromethylsulfanyl (PhSO2 CF2 S) group is a valuable substituent with specific properties which can provide access to new applications of fluoroalkylthiolated compounds. Direct introduction of this moiety can be performed by in an electrophilic manner by using a new shelf-stable reagent, namely a (benzenesulfonyl)difluoromethanesulfenamide. Furthermore, mild magnesium-mediated reduction of the PhSO2 CF2 S group leads to a facile synthesis of difluoromethylthiolated molecules and their deuterated analogs

DNA Double-Strand Break Repair Pathway Choice Is Directed by Distinct MRE11 Nuclease Activities

MRE11 within the MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex acts in DNA double-strand break repair (DSBR), detection, and signaling; yet, how its endo- and exonuclease activities regulate DSBR by non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) versus homologous recombination (HR) remains enigmatic. Here, we employed structure-based design with a focused chemical library to discover specific MRE11 endo- or exonuclease inhibitors. With these inhibitors, we examined repair pathway choice at DSBs generated in G2 following radiation exposure. While nuclease inhibition impairs radiation-induced replication protein A (RPA) chromatin binding, suggesting diminished resection, the inhibitors surprisingly direct different repair outcomes. Endonuclease inhibition promotes NHEJ in lieu of HR, while exonuclease inhibition confers a repair defect. Collectively, the results describe nuclease-specific MRE11 inhibitors, define distinct nuclease roles in DSB repair, and support a mechanism whereby MRE11 endonuclease initiates resection, thereby licensing HR followed by MRE11 exonuclease and EXO1/BLM bidirectional resection toward and away from the DNA end, which commits to HR