A DNA double-strand break can be efficiently repaired in Escherichia coli if an oligodeoxyribonucleotide is provided to direct the repair. The oligonucleotide must be at least 20 residues long and have a sequence identical to sequences flanking the break. The phenomenon can be used to introduce defined mutations into DNA in the area of a double-strand break. To obtain mutants, the oligonucleoti...

Homologous recombination provides a mechanism of DNA double-strand break repair (DSBR) that requires an intact, homologous template for DNA synthesis. When DNA synthesis associated with DSBR is convergent, the broken DNA strands are replaced and repair is accurate. However, if divergent DNA synthesis is established, over-replication of flanking DNA may occur with deleterious consequences. The R...

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) can be repaired by homologous recombination (HR), which can involve Holliday junction (HJ) intermediates that are ultimately resolved by nucleolytic enzymes. An N-terminal fragment of human GEN1 has recently been shown to act as a Holliday junction resolvase, but little is known about the role of GEN-1 in vivo. Holliday junction resolution signifies the completio...

Single-strand break repair and genetic disease. DNA single-strand break repair SSBR is critical for the survival and. The association of human genetic disorders with defects in the DNA.encounter DNA single-strand breaks or other types of lesion. An inability to respond properly to, or to repair, DNA damage leads to genetic instability. Developmental disorders, Werner syndrome WS and Bloom syndr...

Defective responses to DNA single- or double-strand breaks can result in neurological disease, underscoring the critical importance of DNA repair for neural homeostasis. Human DNA repair-deficient syndromes are generally congenital, in which brain pathology reflects the consequences of developmentally incurred DNA damage. Although, it is unclear to what degree DNA strand-break repair defects in...