Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Visualization of DNA Repair Proteins Interaction by Immunofluorescence
07:55

Visualization of DNA Repair Proteins Interaction by Immunofluorescence

Published on: June 26, 2020

DNA repair has a new FAN1 club

Lara O'Donnell1, Daniel Durocher

  • 1Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1X5, Canada.

Molecular Cell
|July 31, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Researchers identified FAN1 as a crucial nuclease in DNA repair. This enzyme is recruited to DNA interstrand crosslinks by ubiquitylated FANCD2, completing a key pathway for DNA damage response.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) are severe DNA lesions that stall replication forks.
  • The Fanconi anemia pathway is critical for repairing ICLs, but key nucleases remained elusive.

Discussion:

  • Smogorzewska et al., MacKay et al., Kratz et al., and Liu et al. identify FAN1 as a DNA repair nuclease.
  • FAN1 is recruited to ICL sites by ubiquitylated FANCD2, a key component of the Fanconi anemia pathway.

Key Insights:

  • FAN1 acts as a nuclease, cleaving DNA at ICLs.
  • This discovery identifies a missing link in the ICL DNA repair mechanism.
  • FAN1's recruitment by ubiquitylated FANCD2 highlights its specific role in this pathway.

Outlook:

  • Further characterization of FAN1's enzymatic activity and its regulation is warranted.
  • Understanding FAN1's role may lead to novel therapeutic strategies for diseases involving DNA repair defects.
  • Investigating FAN1 in other DNA repair contexts could reveal broader functions.

More Related Videos

Using Next Generation Sequencing to Identify Mutations Associated with Repair of a CAS9-induced Double Strand Break Near the CD4 Promoter06:59

Using Next Generation Sequencing to Identify Mutations Associated with Repair of a CAS9-induced Double Strand Break Near the CD4 Promoter

Published on: March 31, 2022

Characterizing DNA Repair Processes at Transient and Long-lasting Double-strand DNA Breaks by Immunofluorescence Microscopy08:31

Characterizing DNA Repair Processes at Transient and Long-lasting Double-strand DNA Breaks by Immunofluorescence Microscopy

Published on: June 8, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Overview of DNA Repair02:25

Overview of DNA Repair

In order to be passed through generations, genomic DNA must be undamaged and error-free. However, every day, DNA in a cell undergoes several thousand to a million damaging events by natural causes and external factors. Ionizing radiation such as UV rays, free radicals produced during cellular respiration, and hydrolytic damage from metabolic reactions can alter the structure of DNA. Damages caused include single-base alteration, base dimerization, chain breaks, and cross-linkage.
Chemically...
Overview of DNA Repair02:25

Overview of DNA Repair

In order to be passed through generations, genomic DNA must be undamaged and error-free. However, every day, DNA in a cell undergoes several thousand to a million damaging events by natural causes and external factors. Ionizing radiation such as UV rays, free radicals produced during cellular respiration, and hydrolytic damage from metabolic reactions can alter the structure of DNA. Damages caused include single-base alteration, base dimerization, chain breaks, and cross-linkage.
Chemically...
Nucleotide Excision Repair01:08

Nucleotide Excision Repair

Overview
Nucleotide Excision Repair01:08

Nucleotide Excision Repair

Overview
Nucleotide Excision Repair01:38

Nucleotide Excision Repair

DNA Distortion and Damage
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...
Base-pairing and DNA Repair02:27

Base-pairing and DNA Repair

Erwin Chargaff’s rules on DNA equivalence paved the way for the discovery of base pairing in DNA. Chargaff’s rules state that in a double-stranded DNA molecule,