title: The complex choreography of transcription-coupled repair.
abstract: A quarter of a century has elapsed since the discovery of transcription-coupled repair (TCR), and yet our fascination with this process has not diminished. Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a versatile pathway that removes helix-distorting DNA lesions from the genomes of organisms across the evolutionary scale, from bacteria to humans. TCR, defined as a subpathway of NER, is dedicated to the repair of lesions that, by virtue of their location on the transcribed strands of active genes, encumber elongation by RNA polymerases. In this review, we will report on newly identified proteins, protein modifications, and protein complexes that participate in TCR in Escherichia coli and in human cells. We will discuss general models for the biochemical pathways and how and when cells might choose to utilize TCR or other pathways for repair or bypass of transcription-blocking DNA alterations.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Stanford University, 385 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, USA. Electronic address: gspivak@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Graciela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spivak
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Stanford University, 385 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, USA. Electronic address: anngan@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Ann K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ganesan
mesh_terms: D004249:DNA Damage / Q000235:genetics*; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000235:genetics*; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli; D006801:Humans; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases
keywords: DNA damage; DNA repair; Nucleotide excision repair; Transcription-coupled repair