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Related Concept Videos

Long-patch Base Excision Repair01:02

Long-patch Base Excision Repair

Since the discovery of the two BER pathways, there has been a debate about how a cell chooses one pathway over the other and the factors determining this selection. Numerous in vitro experiments have pointed out multiple determinants for the sub-pathway selection. These are:
DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle02:36

DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle

In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle02:36

DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle

In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
Restarting Stalled Replication Forks02:37

Restarting Stalled Replication Forks

DNA replication is initiated at sites containing predefined DNA sequences known as origins of replication. DNA is unwound at these sites by the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) helicase and other factors such as Cdc45 and the associated GINS complex.The unwound single strands are protected by replication protein A (RPA) until DNA polymerase starts synthesizing DNA at the 5’ end of the strand in the same direction as the replication fork. To prevent the replication fork from falling apart, a...
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...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Assessment of Global DNA Double-Strand End Resection using BrdU-DNA Labeling coupled with Cell Cycle Discrimination Imaging
06:44

Assessment of Global DNA Double-Strand End Resection using BrdU-DNA Labeling coupled with Cell Cycle Discrimination Imaging

Published on: April 28, 2021

Choosing the right path: does DNA-PK help make the decision?

Jessica A Neal1, Katheryn Meek

  • 1College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States.

Mutation Research
|March 8, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

DNA double-strand breaks are dangerous but repairable. This review details three repair pathways in mammalian cells, focusing on DNA-dependent protein kinase's role in pathway selection.

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are critical DNA lesions.
  • Unrepaired DSBs can cause genomic instability and cell death.
  • Mammalian cells possess multiple DSB repair pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the three main DNA double-strand break repair pathways.
  • To emphasize the role of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) in pathway choice.
  • To provide insight into the regulation of DNA repair.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of DNA repair mechanisms.
  • Analysis of the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway.
  • Discussion of homologous recombination (HR) and alternative NHEJ (A-NHEJ).

Main Results:

  • Detailed description of NHEJ, HR, and A-NHEJ pathways.
  • Identification of DNA-PK as a key regulator in DSB repair pathway selection.
  • Explanation of how DNA-PK influences the choice between repair mechanisms.

Conclusions:

  • Mammalian cells employ distinct pathways to repair DNA double-strand breaks.
  • DNA-PK plays a pivotal role in directing DSB repair.
  • Understanding these pathways is crucial for comprehending genome stability.