Inactive PARP1 causes embryonic lethality and genome instability in a dominant-negative manner

PARP1 (poly-ADP ribose polymerase 1) is recruited and activated by DNA strand breaks, catalyzing the generation of poly-ADP-ribose (PAR) chains from NAD+. PAR relaxes chromatin and recruits other DNA repair factors, including XRCC1 and DNA Ligase 3, to maintain genomic stability. Here we show that, in contrast to the normal development of Parp1-null mice, heterozygous expression of catalytically inactive Parp1 (E988A, Parp1) acts in a dominant-negative manner to disrupt murine embryogenesis. As such, all the surviving F1 Parp1 mice are chimeras with mixed Parp1 (neoR retention) cells that act similarly to Parp1. Pure F2 Parp1 embryos were found at Mendelian ratios at the E3.5 blastocyst stage but died before E9.5. Compared to Parp1 cells, genotype and expression-validated pure Parp1 cells retain significant ADP-ribosylation and PARylation activities but accumulate markedly higher levels of sister chromatid exchange and mitotic bridges. Despite proficiency for homologous recombination and nonhomologous end-joining measured by reporter assays and supported by normal lymphocyte and germ cell development, Parp1 cells are hypersensitive to base damages, radiation, and Topoisomerase I and II inhibition. The sensitivity of Parp1 cells to base damages and Topo inhibitors exceed Parp1 controls. The findings show that the enzymatically inactive PARP1 dominant negatively blocks DNA repair in selective pathways beyond wild-type PARP1 and establishes a crucial physiological difference between PARP1 inactivation vs. deletion. As a result, the expression of enzymatically inactive PARP1 from one allele is sufficient to abrogate murine embryonic development, providing a mechanism for the on-target side effect of PARP inhibitors used for cancer therapy.