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Recombinational DNA repair in a cellular context: a search for the homology search

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 7, pages 748–755 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) are the most detrimental lesion that can be sustained by the genetic complement, and their inaccurate mending can be just as damaging. According to the consensual view, precise DSB repair relies on homologous recombination. Here, we review studies on DNA repair, chromatin diffusion and chromosome confinement, which collectively imply that a genome-wide search for a homologous template, generally thought to be a pivotal stage in all homologous DSB repair pathways, is improbable. The implications of this assertion for the scope and constraints of DSB repair pathways and for the ability of diverse organisms to cope with DNA damage are discussed.

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Figure 1: Homologous repair and homology searching.
Figure 2: Double-strand break repair in a cellular context.
Figure 3: Phylogenetic distribution of the non-homologous end-joining Ku protein in bacteria.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to S. Rosenberg, A. J. Doherty, M. Cox, F. Boccard, A. Levy and T. Misteli for suggestions, comments and encouragement.

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  1. Nathan Zauberman and Abraham Minsky are at the Department of Organic Chemistry, Allon Weiner, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.,

    Allon Weiner, Nathan Zauberman & Abraham Minsky

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  1. Allon Weiner
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  2. Nathan Zauberman
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  3. Abraham Minsky
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Correspondence to Abraham Minsky.

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DATABASES

Entrez Genome Project

Bacillus subtilis

Caulobacter crescentus

Deinococcus radiodurans

Escherichia coli

Gemmata obscuriglobus

Kineococcus radiotolerans

Mycobacterium smegmatis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Sinorhizobium meliloti

Streptomyces coelicolor

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Weiner, A., Zauberman, N. & Minsky, A. Recombinational DNA repair in a cellular context: a search for the homology search. Nat Rev Microbiol 7, 748–755 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2206

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