PRMT1 was identified as a regulator of arginine methylation in ovarian cancer cells treated with cisplatin. It was revealed that DNA dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) binds to and phosphorylates PRMT1 in response to cisplatin, inducing its chromatin recruitment and redirecting its enzymatic activity toward R3 of histone H4 (H4R3). On chromatin, the DNA-PK/PRMT1 axis induced senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) through H4R3me2a deposition which protected from apoptosis cells confronted with sustained DNA damage. PRMT1 inhibition resensitised cells to cisplatin. Here, PRKDC is linked to ovarian carcinoma.