Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Single-Molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Methods for Real-Time Investigation of the Holliday Junction Resolution by GEN1
Published on: September 18, 2019
Overlapping roles for Yen1 and Mus81 in cellular Holliday junction processing
1Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom.
Yen1 and Mus81 proteins work together to resolve DNA structures during replication fork repair in yeast. This redundancy is crucial for repairing DNA damage, but not for double-strand breaks from radiation.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Eukaryotic Holliday junction (HJ) resolvases are critical for DNA repair.
- At least three proteins cleave model HJs in vitro, but their in vivo targets remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a system for monitoring in vivo HJ resolution in budding yeast.
- To investigate the in vivo roles of Yen1, Mus81, and Slx1 in HJ resolution.
Main Methods:
- Developed a quantitative system to monitor in vivo HJ resolution in budding yeast.
- Assessed the functional redundancy between Yen1, Mus81, and Slx1.
- Investigated roles in replication fork progression and double-strand break repair.
Main Results:
- Yen1 acts redundantly with Mus81, but not Slx1, in resolving model HJs in vivo.
- This functional overlap is specific to repairing lesions impeding replication fork progression.
- No overlap was observed in repairing double-strand breaks induced by ionizing radiation.
Conclusions:
- Yen1 plays a direct role in the DNA damage response.
- Overlapping HJ resolution functions of Yen1 and Mus81 are implicated in replication fork repair.
- This study clarifies the in vivo roles of specific HJ resolvases.
Related Concept Videos
Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Cells are regularly exposed to mutagens—factors in the environment that can damage DNA and generate mutations. UV radiation is one of the most common mutagens and is estimated to introduce a significant number of changes in DNA. These include bends or kinks in the structure, which can block DNA replication or transcription. If these errors are not fixed, the damage can cause mutations, which in turn can result in cancer or disease depending on which sequences are...
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Yeast Signaling
Nuclear Protein Sorting
Proteins targeted to the nucleus carry nuclear localization signals or NLS recognized by import receptors in the cytosol. Similarly, proteins with nuclear export signals are recognized by export receptors. Import and export receptors are...

