PARP1: Liaison of Chromatin Remodeling and Transcription

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation) is a covalent post-translational modification and plays a key role in the immediate response of cells to stress signals. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1), the founding member of the PARP superfamily, synthesizes long and branched polymers of ADP-ribose (PAR) onto acceptor proteins, thereby modulating their function and their local surrounding. PARP1 is the most prominent of the PARPs and is responsible for the production of about 90% of PAR in the cell. Therefore, PARP1 and PARylation play a pleotropic role in a wide range of cellular processes, such as DNA repair and genomic stability, cell death, chromatin remodeling, inflammatory response and gene transcription. PARP1 has DNA-binding and catalytic activities that are important for DNA repair, yet also modulate chromatin conformation and gene transcription, which can be independent of DNA damage response. PARP1 and PARylation homeostasis have also been implicated in multiple diseases, including inflammation, stroke, diabetes and cancer. Studies of the molecular action and biological function of PARP1 and PARylation provide a basis for the development of pharmaceutic strategies for clinical applications. This review focuses primarily on the role of PARP1 in the regulation of chromatin remodeling and transcriptional activation.