Homologous recombination defects and how they affect replication fork maintenance.

Mi Young Son1, Paul Hasty1,2,3

  • 1Department of Molecular Medicine and Institute of Biotechnology, UT Health San Antonio, 15355 Lambda Drive, San Antonio, USA.

AIMS Genetics
|August 23, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Homologous recombination is a key process for repairing DNA damage and maintaining replication forks. The recombinase RAD51 plays a central role in this process by forming a filament on single-stranded DNA. However, if this process is not properly regulated, it can lead to chromosomal rearrangements and genomic instability. The study reviews the mechanisms that regulate RAD51 activity to prevent these harmful outcomes. When these regulatory mechanisms fail, it can result in diseases like cancer. Understanding how these mechanisms work is important for developing strategies to prevent and treat genomic instability-related diseases.

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