DNA damage checkpoints articles from across Nature Portfolio

The TRAIP E3 ubiquitin ligase is essential for genome integrity, mutations lead to primordial dwarfism in patients. Here, the authors show that TRAIP degradation in S-phase, results in cell arrest due to DNA damage caused by replication-transcription conflicts.

Cryo-EM structures of the yeast 9-1-1 checkpoint clamp in complex with the Rad24-RFC clamp loader and a DNA substrate explain how 9-1-1 is recruited to DNA junctions with recessed 5′ ends and reveal the mechanism of sliding clamp loading.

This Review discusses our current understanding of cell cycle regulation, the functions of cell cycle checkpoints and how disruption of these finely tuned mechanisms is associated with cancer. Insights into these regulatory mechanisms are creating new opportunities for the treatment of cancer.

SAMHD1 promotes the degradation of nascent DNA strands to protect against aberrant activation of the pro-inflammatory cGAS–STING pathway by self DNA.

The optimization and diversification of methods for manipulating the genome will enable new therapeutic solutions.

The expression of two DNA repair factors improves the recombination of single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides with Cas9-induced double-strand breaks, facilitating precise and efficient gene editing.

DNA damage-induced histone degradation results in decreased nucleosome occupancy, which promotes homologous recombination by enhancing the dynamicity of chromatin.

DNA supercoiling and the formation of loops suppresses the ATR checkpoint and is required for proper replication of centromeric DNA.