title: Recombination at double-strand breaks and DNA ends: conserved mechanisms from phage to humans.
abstract: The recombination mechanisms that deal with double-strand breaks in organisms as diverse as phage, bacteria, yeast, and humans are remarkably conserved. We discuss conservation in the biochemical pathways required to recombine DNA ends and in the structure of the DNA products. In addition, we highlight that two fundamentally distinct broken DNA substrates exist and describe how they are repaired differently by recombination. Finally, we discuss the need to coordinate recombinational repair with cell division through DNA damage response pathways.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Cromie
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Connelly
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Leach
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017122:Bacteriophage T4 / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000235:genetics*; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000235:genetics*; D004261:DNA Replication; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D008957:Models, Genetic; D011995:Recombination, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D004247:DNA