Double-strand breaks in motion: implications for chromosomal rearrangement

DNA Double-Strand Breaks

The activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is required for somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class-switch recombination (CSR) of immunoglobulin (Ig) genes, both of which are associated with DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). As AID is capable of deaminating deoxy-cytidine (dC) to deoxy-uracil (dU), it might induce nicks (single strand DNA breaks) and also DNA DSBs via a U-DNA glycosylase-media...

Double-strand breaks and tumorigenesis.

The establishment of connections between biochemical defects and clinical disease is a major goal of modern molecular genetics. In this review, we examine the current literature that relates defects in the two major DNA double-strand-break repair pathways--homologous recombination and nonhomologous end-joining--with the development of human tumors. Although definitive proof has yet to be obtain...

Proteins pinpoint double strand breaks

Combining green fluorescent protein with a protein that only binds to double strand breaks in DNA allows these breaks-which are an important form of DNA damage-to be detected with high efficiency in living bacteria.

DNA Double-Strand Breaks Relieve

Essential Factors for Incompatible DNA End Joining at Chromosomal DNA Double Strand Breaks In Vivo

Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is a major pathway for the repair of DNA double strand break (DSBs) with incompatible DNA ends, which are often generated by ionizing irradiation. In vitro reconstitution studies have indicated that NHEJ of incompatible DNA ends requires not only the core steps of synapsis and ligation, employing KU80/DNA-PKcs and LIG4, but also additional DNA end processing st...