Repairing broken DNA

The mechanisms by which DNA damage occurs and how cells repair DNA damage are of fundamental importance for cancer biology, with wide implications in other fields. Scientists have studied the structure of the proteins involved in the process of repairing DNA double-strand breaks, a potentially lethal form of cellular damage.

Crystal structure of a polymerase-mediated DNA synaptic complex (Image credit: A. Doherty, copyright 2007 A. Doherty).

 Further information:

• Snapshot of a synaptic complex formed during DNA double-strand break repair

• Ref.: N.C. Brissett et al., Science 318, 456 (2007).