Resolution of complex ends by Nonhomologous end joining - better to be lucky than good?

Abstract

The Nonhomologous end joining pathway is essential for efficient repair of chromosome double strand breaks. This pathway consequently plays a key role in cellular resistance to break-inducing exogenous agents, as well as in the developmentally-programmed recombinations that are required for adaptive immunity. Chromosome breaks often have complex or "dirty" end structures that can interfere with the critical ligation step in this pathway; we review here how Nonhomologous end joining resolves such breaks.

• Authors: Natasha Tiffany Strande, Crystal Ann Waters, Dale A Ramsden
• Journal: Genome integrity (Genome Integr) Vol. 3 Issue 1 Pg. 10 (Dec 31 2012) ISSN: 2041-9414 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 23276302 (Publication Type: Journal Article)