scholarly journals A New Perspective on the Origin of DNA Double-Strand Breaks and Its Implications for Ageing

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Bhabesh Kumar Tripathy ◽  
Kavita Pal ◽  
Snehal Shabrish ◽  
Indraneel Mittra
Keyword(s):  
Recent Observation ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Genomic Integration ◽  
Degenerative Disorders ◽  
New Perspective

It is estimated that 10–50 DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) occur in a nucleated human cell per cell cycle. We reviewed the present state of knowledge and hypothesized that the currently accepted mechanisms cannot explain such high frequency of DSBs occurring daily under normal physiological conditions. We propose an alternative model that implicates illegitimate genomic integration into healthy cells of cell-free chromatin (cfCh) particles released from the billions of cells that die in the body every day. Repeated genomic integration of cfCh may have catastrophic consequences for the cell, such as DSBs, their faulty repair by nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) followed by apoptosis with release of more cfCh which would integrate into genomes of surrounding cells. This can creates a vicious cycle of cfCh integration, DSBs, NHEJ, and more apoptosis, thereby providing a potential explanation as to why so many billions of cells die in the body on a daily basis. We also recount the recent observation that cfCh integration and the resulting DSBs activate inflammatory cytokines. This leads us to propose that concurrent DSBs and induction of inflammation occurring throughout life may be the underlying cause of ageing, degenerative disorders, and cancer. Finally, we discuss the prospect that agents that can inactivate/degrade cfCh may hold the key to making healthy ageing a realizable goal.

scholarly journals The Maize Transposable Element Ac Induces Recombination Between the Donor Site and an Homologous Ectopic Sequence

Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 146 (3) ◽  
pp. 1143-1151
Author(s):  
Gil Shalev ◽  
Avraham A Levy
Keyword(s):  
Transposable Element ◽  
Donor Site ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Plant Genome ◽  
Blue Staining ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Ectopic Recombination

The prominent repair mechanism of DNA double-strand breaks formed upon excision of the maize Ac transposable element is via nonhomologous end joining. In this work we have studied the role of homologous recombination as an additional repair pathway. To this end, we developed an assay whereby β-Glucuronidase (GUS) activity is restored upon recombination between two homologous ectopic (nonallelic) sequences in transgenic tobacco plants. One of the recombination partners carried a deletion at the 5′ end of GUS and an Ac or a Ds element inserted at the deletion site. The other partner carried an intact 5′ end of the GUS open reading frame and had a deletion at the 3′ end of the gene. Based on GUS reactivation data, we found that the excision of Ac induced recombination between ectopic sequences by at least two orders of magnitude. Recombination events, visualized by blue staining, were detected in seedlings, in pollen and in protoplasts. DNA fragments corresponding to recombination events were recovered exclusively in crosses with Ac-carrying plants, providing physical evidence for Ac-induced ectopic recombination. The occurrence of ectopic recombination following double-strand breaks is a potentially important factor in plant genome evolution.

Role for Artemis nuclease in the repair of radiation-induced DNA double strand breaks by alternative end joining

DNA Repair ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 29-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Moscariello ◽  
Radi Wieloch ◽  
Aya Kurosawa ◽  
Fanghua Li ◽  
Noritaka Adachi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Alternative End Joining ◽  
Radiation Induced

Involvement of Ku80 in microhomology-mediated end joining for DNA double-strand breaks in vivo

DNA Repair ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 639-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukitaka Katsura ◽  
Shigeru Sasaki ◽  
Masanori Sato ◽  
Kiyoshi Yamaoka ◽  
Kazumi Suzukawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Strand Breaks

scholarly journals Autophosphorylation of DNA-PKCS regulates its dynamics at DNA double-strand breaks

2007 ◽  
Vol 177 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoya Uematsu ◽  
Eric Weterings ◽  
Ken-ichi Yano ◽  
Keiko Morotomi-Yano ◽  
Burkhard Jakob ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Kinase Activity ◽  
Laser System ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Dsb Repair ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Ends

The DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKCS) plays an important role during the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). It is recruited to DNA ends in the early stages of the nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) process, which mediates DSB repair. To study DNA-PKCS recruitment in vivo, we used a laser system to introduce DSBs in a specified region of the cell nucleus. We show that DNA-PKCS accumulates at DSB sites in a Ku80-dependent manner, and that neither the kinase activity nor the phosphorylation status of DNA-PKCS influences its initial accumulation. However, impairment of both of these functions results in deficient DSB repair and the maintained presence of DNA-PKCS at unrepaired DSBs. The use of photobleaching techniques allowed us to determine that the kinase activity and phosphorylation status of DNA-PKCS influence the stability of its binding to DNA ends. We suggest a model in which DNA-PKCS phosphorylation/autophosphorylation facilitates NHEJ by destabilizing the interaction of DNA-PKCS with the DNA ends.

scholarly journals Genetic dissection of vertebrate 53BP1: A major role in non-homologous end joining of DNA double strand breaks

DNA Repair ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 741-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoko Nakamura ◽  
Wataru Sakai ◽  
Takuo Kawamoto ◽  
Ronan T. Bree ◽  
Noel F. Lowndes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Genetic Dissection ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Non Homologous End Joining

scholarly journals Rejoining of DNA Double-Strand Breaks as a Function of Overhang Length

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 896-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. Daley ◽  
Thomas E. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Gc Content ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Nonhomologous End Joining ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Single Strand Annealing ◽  
Primary Determinant ◽  
Overhang Length ◽  
Strand Annealing

ABSTRACT The ends of spontaneously occurring double-strand breaks (DSBs) may contain various lengths of single-stranded DNA, blocking lesions, and gaps and flaps generated by end annealing. To investigate the processing of such structures, we developed an assay in which annealed oligonucleotides are ligated onto the ends of a linearized plasmid which is then transformed into Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Reconstitution of a marker occurs only when the oligonucleotides are incorporated and repair is in frame, permitting rapid analysis of complex DSB ends. Here, we created DSBs with compatible overhangs of various lengths and asked which pathways are required for their precise repair. Three mechanisms of rejoining were observed, regardless of overhang polarity: nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), a Rad52-dependent single-strand annealing-like pathway, and a third mechanism independent of the first two mechanisms. DSBs with overhangs of less than 4 bases were mainly repaired by NHEJ. Repair became less dependent on NHEJ when the overhangs were longer or had a higher GC content. Repair of overhangs greater than 8 nucleotides was as much as 150-fold more efficient, impaired 10-fold by rad52 mutation, and highly accurate. Reducing the microhomology extent between long overhangs reduced their repair dramatically, to less than NHEJ of comparable short overhangs. These data support a model in which annealing energy is a primary determinant of the rejoining efficiency and mechanism.

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