A needle in
a haystack: how does a broken DNA molecule get repaired?
(May 3, 2012) Scientists
from the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at Delft University of Technology have
discovered a key element
in the mechanism of DNA repair. When the DNA double helix breaks, the broken
end goes searching for the similar sequence and uses that as a template for
repair. Using a smart new dual-molecule technique, the Delft group has now
found out how the DNA molecule is able to perform this search and recognition
process in such an efficient way. This week, the researchers report their
findings in Molecular Cell.
A
staggering problem Sometimes,
the DNA double helix gets broken: both strands are accidentally cut. This
presents a vital problem because cells cannot cope with such damaged DNA.
Genomic DNA instabilities such as these, are a known cause of cancer. The good
news is that an intricate DNA repair system exists which is impressively
error-proof and efficient. How does this work?