Molecular and Cellular Biology – Mammalian Ino80 Mediates Double Strand Break Repair through Its Role in DNA End Strand Resection

DNA molecule within each human cell is constantly exposed to an array of damaging agents from environmental sources and recent molecular studies have identified sophisticated mechanisms by which cells efficiently repair DNA breaks. Researchers of IARC’s Epigenetics Group discovered how the repair machinery gains access to broken DNA in highly compacted chromatin. An epigenetic modifier (known as the chromatin-remodelling factor gene INO80) was found to play a critical role in DNA repair of double strand breaks in human cells and that INO80-mediated DNA repair is evolutionary conserved. Because proficient DNA repair is essential for genomic stability, deregulation of this mechanism may result in induction of mutations, leading to an aberrant inactivation of tumour suppressor genes and promotion of tumorigenesis.

A Gospodinov, T Vaissiere, DB Krastev, G Legube, B Anachkova, and Z Herceg.
Mammalian Ino80 Mediates Double Strand Break Repair through Its Role in DNA End Strand Resection
Mol. Cell. Biol., doi: doi:10.1128/MCB.06182-11
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