In the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, genes in close proximity to telomeres are subject to transcriptional silencing through the process of telomere position effect (TPE). Here, we show that the protein Ku, previously implicated in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair and in telomeric length maintenance, is also essential for telomeric silencing. Furthermore, using an in vivo plasmid ...

Emerging genome-wide methods for mapping DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by sequencing (e.g. BLESS) are limited to measuring relative frequencies of breaks between loci. Knowing the absolute DSB frequency per cell, however, is key to understanding their physiological relevance. Here, we propose quantitative DSB sequencing (qDSBSeq), a method to infer the absolute DSB frequency genome-wide. qDSB...

Meiotic recombination is initiated by programmed formation of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), which are mainly formed at recombination hotspots. Meiotic DSBs require multiple proteins including the conserved protein Spo11 and its cofactors, and are influenced by chromatin structure. For example, local chromatin around hotspots directly impacts DSB formation. Moreover, DSB is proposed to occur ...

Meiotic double-strand breaks (DSBs) are formed by Spo11 in conjunction with at least nine other proteins whose roles are not well understood. We find that two of these proteins, Rec102 and Rec104, interact physically, are mutually dependent for proper subcellular localization, and share a requirement for Spo11 and Ski8 for their recruitment to meiotic chromosomes, suggesting that they work toge...

Src family kinases (SFKs) have been implicated in resistance to both radiation and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibition. Therefore, we investigated whether inhibition of SFK through dasatinib (DSB) can enhance the effect of radiotherapy in two in vivo human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) models. Response to DSB and/or radiotherapy was assessed with tumor growth dela...

The telecommunication world is experiencing the 5th generation (5G) networks deployment including use of millimeter wave (mmW) frequency bands to satisfy capacity demands. This leads extensive optical communications, especially fiber connectivity at last mile access and edge networks. In this paper we outline free space optics (FSO) technologies for as part 5G fronthaul network. We investigate ...

The DNA damage checkpoint pathway is activated in response to DNA lesions and replication stress to preserve genome integrity. However, hyper-activation of this surveillance system is detrimental to the cell, because it might prevent cell cycle re-start after repair, which may also lead to senescence. Here we show that the scaffold proteins Slx4 and Rtt107 limit checkpoint signalling at a persi...

DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) occur constantly in eukaryotes. These potentially lethal DNA lesions are repaired efficiently by two major DSB repair pathways: homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). We investigated NHEJ in Arabidopsis thaliana and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) by introducing DNA double-strand breaks through inducible expression of I-SceI, followed by ampl...

Meiotic recombination involves the repair of double-strand break (DSB) precursors as crossovers (COs) or noncrossovers (NCOs). The proper number and distribution of COs is critical for successful chromosome segregation and formation of viable gametes. In budding yeast the majority of COs occurs through a pathway dependent on the ZMM proteins (Zip2-Zip3-Zip4-Spo16, Msh4-Msh5, Mer3), which form f...

Human listeners can perceive speech signals in a voicemodulated ultrasonic carrier from a bone-conduction stimulator even for sensorineural hearing loss patients. Considering this fact, we have developed a bone-conducted ultrasonic hearing aid (BCUHA). However, there remains considerable scope for improvement, particularly in terms of sound quality. Voice-modulated BCU is accompanied by a stron...