Key tool in DNA repair kit found

Key tool in DNA repair kit found
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Breaks in DNA can cause chromosome rearrangements, abnormalities linked to cancer. Now Yale scientists have identified how the molecule DNA2 helps begin the complex process of repairing these breaks.

Biochemical analysis by James Daley, Adam Miller, and colleagues in the lab of Patrick Sung, professor of and biochemistry and of therapeutic radiology, identifies a novel role for this enzyme.

It shows that DNA2 travels down a single-stranded DNA tail, and then cuts the damaged DNA when it reaches a double-stranded region, an important early step in repair.

Daley notes that DNA2 is a potential target for cancer therapeutics because it is overexpressed in many tumors and promotes their proliferation.

More information: Adam S. Miller et al. A novel role of the Dna2 translocase function in DNA break resection, Genes & Development (2017). DOI: 10.1101/gad.295659.116

Journal information: Genes & Development
Provided by Yale University
Citation: Key tool in DNA repair kit found (2017, March 24) retrieved 28 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-03-key-tool-dna-kit.html
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