By using next-generation sequencing, we were able to determine what is happening as the repair machinery interacts with the chromatin and, specifically, the DNA strand. Many of the molecular processes that occur in human cells also occur in yeast because they have been conserved through evolution, and it’s much simpler to get definitive answers using a simple organism as a model. She conducted whole-genome analysis in the single-celled yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Double-strand DNA breaks occur at a very high frequency in meiosis.īack to top What strategy did your lab use to solve this puzzle?Ī postdoctoral fellow in my lab, Eleni Mimitou, developed a novel method to clarify what occurs during this repair process. One of the best ways to understand recombination is by studying it in meiosis, the process by which cells divide to create reproductive cells such as eggs and sperm. How does a cell go about repairing something as delicate as DNA strands?Ĭells have several methods for double-strand break repair, but homologous recombination is one that is particularly faithful at repairing breaks accurately. Keeney and two members of his laboratory report exciting findings that shed light on an essential early step in this repair process. Memorial Sloan Kettering molecular biologist Scott Keeney is investigating how cells identify and fix these breaks through a process called homologous recombination, which ensures the DNA segment is restored to its previous state. Repairing these DNA breaks is essential for any organism, including humans, to function normally.Īn especially severe type of DNA damage is called a double-strand break, in which the two strands of the DNA double helix break in the same place. This can cause genetic mutations that accumulate and lead to diseases such as cancer. When cells make copies of themselves, their DNA is sometimes damaged.
It clarifies how broken DNA ends are prepared for rejoining, an essential biological mechanism. Cells must repair DNA damage to function normally.Ī new study sheds light on an early stage of DNA repair.
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