Reference: Pastwa E and Błasiak J (2003) Non-homologous DNA end joining. Acta Biochim Pol 50(4):891-908

Reference Help

Abstract


DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are a serious threat for the cell and when not repaired or misrepaired can result in mutations or chromosome rearrangements and eventually in cell death. Therefore, cells have evolved a number of pathways to deal with DSB including homologous recombination (HR), single-strand annealing (SSA) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). In mammals DSBs are primarily repaired by NHEJ and HR, while HR repair dominates in yeast, but this depends also on the phase of the cell cycle. NHEJ functions in all kinds of cells, from bacteria to man, and depends on the structure of DSB termini. In this process two DNA ends are joined directly, usually with no sequence homology, although in the case of same polarity of the single stranded overhangs in DSBs, regions of microhomology are utilized. The usage of microhomology is common in DNA end-joining of physiological DSBs, such as at the coding ends in V(D)J (variable(diversity) joining) recombination. The main components of the NHEJ system in eukaryotes are the catalytic subunit of DNA protein kinase (DNA-PK(cs)), which is recruited by DNA Ku protein, a heterodimer of Ku70 and Ku80, as well as XRCC4 protein and DNA ligase IV. A complex of Rad50/Mre11/Xrs2, a family of Sir proteins and probably other yet unidentified proteins can be also involved in this process. NHEJ and HR may play overlapping roles in the repair of DSBs produced in the S phase of the cell cycle or at replication forks. Aside from DNA repair, NHEJ may play a role in many different processes, including the maintenance of telomeres and integration of HIV-1 genome into a host genome, as well as the insertion of pseudogenes and repetitive sequences into the genome of mammalian cells. Inhibition of NHEJ can be exploited in cancer therapy in radio-sensitizing cancer cells. Identification of all key players and fundamental mechanisms underlying NHEJ still requires further research.

Reference Type
Journal Article | Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't | Review
Authors
Pastwa E, Błasiak J
Primary Lit For
Additional Lit For
Review For

Gene Ontology Annotations


Increase the total number of rows showing on this page using the pull-down located below the table, or use the page scroll at the table's top right to browse through the table's pages; use the arrows to the right of a column header to sort by that column; filter the table using the "Filter" box at the top of the table.

Gene/Complex Qualifier Gene Ontology Term Aspect Annotation Extension Evidence Method Source Assigned On Reference

Phenotype Annotations


Increase the total number of rows showing on this page using the pull-down located below the table, or use the page scroll at the table's top right to browse through the table's pages; use the arrows to the right of a column header to sort by that column; filter the table using the "Filter" box at the top of the table; click on the small "i" buttons located within a cell for an annotation to view further details.

Gene Phenotype Experiment Type Mutant Information Strain Background Chemical Details Reference

Disease Annotations


Increase the total number of rows showing on this page using the pull-down located below the table, or use the page scroll at the table's top right to browse through the table's pages; use the arrows to the right of a column header to sort by that column; filter the table using the "Filter" box at the top of the table.

Gene Disease Ontology Term Qualifier Evidence Method Source Assigned On Reference

Regulation Annotations


Increase the total number of rows displayed on this page using the pull-down located below the table, or use the page scroll at the table's top right to browse through the table's pages; use the arrows to the right of a column header to sort by that column; to filter the table by a specific experiment type, type a keyword into the Filter box (for example, “microarray”); download this table as a .txt file using the Download button or click Analyze to further view and analyze the list of target genes using GO Term Finder, GO Slim Mapper, SPELL, or YeastMine.

Regulator Target Direction Regulation Of Happens During Method Evidence

Post-translational Modifications


Increase the total number of rows showing on this page by using the pull-down located below the table, or use the page scroll at the table's top right to browse through its pages; use the arrows to the right of a column header to sort by that column; filter the table using the "Filter" box at the top of the table.

Site Modification Modifier Reference

Interaction Annotations


Genetic Interactions

Increase the total number of rows showing on this page by using the pull-down located below the table, or use the page scroll at the table's top right to browse through the table's pages; use the arrows to the right of a column header to sort by that column; filter the table using the "Filter" box at the top of the table; click on the small "i" buttons located within a cell for an annotation to view further details about experiment type and any other genes involved in the interaction.

Interactor Interactor Allele Assay Annotation Action Phenotype SGA score P-value Source Reference

Physical Interactions

Increase the total number of rows showing on this page by using the pull-down located below the table, or use the page scroll at the table's top right to browse through the table's pages; use the arrows to the right of a column header to sort by that column; filter the table using the "Filter" box at the top of the table; click on the small "i" buttons located within a cell for an annotation to view further details about experiment type and any other genes involved in the interaction.

Interactor Interactor Assay Annotation Action Modification Source Reference

Functional Complementation Annotations


Increase the total number of rows showing on this page by using the pull-down located below the table, or use the page scroll at the table's top right to browse through its pages; use the arrows to the right of a column header to sort by that column; filter the table using the "Filter" box at the top of the table.

Gene Species Gene ID Strain background Direction Details Source Reference