ATM and ATR

ATM and ATR

What do ATM and ATR do in the cell? To maintain genomic stability in the face of constant exposure to exogenous and endogenous DNA-damaging agents, all eukaryotic cells contain elaborate, highly conserved pathways to sense, signal and repair DNA damage. ATM and ATR act near the top of these signalling networks. Their role here is so important that they have been described as ‘sentries at the ga...

ATM and ATR signaling at a glance.

ATM and ATR signaling pathways are well conserved throughout evolution and are central to the maintenance of genome integrity. Although the role of both ATM and ATR in DNA repair, cell cycle regulation and apoptosis have been well studied, both still remain in the focus of current research activities owing to their role in cancer. Recent advances in the field suggest that these proteins have an...

Cell cycle checkpoint signaling through the ATM and ATR kinases

DNA damage sensing by the ATM and ATR kinases.

In eukaryotic cells, maintenance of genomic stability relies on the coordinated action of a network of cellular processes, including DNA replication, DNA repair, cell-cycle progression, and others. The DNA damage response (DDR) signaling pathway orchestrated by the ATM and ATR kinases is the central regulator of this network in response to DNA damage. Both ATM and ATR are activated by DNA damag...

ATM/ATR-mediated phosphorylation of PALB2 promotes RAD51 function.

DNA damage activates the ATM and ATR kinases that coordinate checkpoint and DNA repair pathways. An essential step in homology-directed repair (HDR) of DNA breaks is the formation of RAD51 nucleofilaments mediated by PALB2-BRCA2; however, roles of ATM and ATR in this critical step of HDR are poorly understood. Here, we show that PALB2 is markedly phosphorylated in response to genotoxic stresses...