TAOK1 regulates chemo- and radiosensitivity in BRCA1/2-deficient tumors

BRCA1/2-deficient cells are hypersensitive to replication stress- and DNA-damage-inducing agents such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi), platinum drugs, and ionizing radiation (IR), largely due to impaired homologous recombination repair and replication fork (RF) protection. The precise mechanisms underlying RF vulnerability in the absence of BRCA1/2 remain incompletely understood, however. Here, we identify Thousand And One Amino Acid Kinase 1 (TAOK1) as a novel regulator of RF dynamics that sensitizes BRCA1/2-deficient cells to both PARPi and IR. Unlike established DNA repair factors, such as PARG or the 53BP1-RIF1-shieldin-CST pathway, which mediate PARPi sensitivity while protecting cells against IR, TAOK1 promotes RF degradation and suppresses post-replicative damage repair. TAOK1 depletion stabilizes RFs and reduces replication-associated DNA damage in BRCA1/2-deficient cells, thereby conferring therapy resistance. Interestingly, we found that TAOK1 functions in RF regulation to be independent of its kinase activity. Instead, it interacts with PCNA and regulates ISG15 levels and thereby affects RF stability. Our findings reveal TAOK1 as a non-canonical mediator of therapy sensitivity in BRCA1/2-deficient tumors.