title: Repair of DNA Double-Strand Breaks in Heterochromatin.
abstract: DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are among the most damaging lesions in DNA, since, if not identified and repaired, they can lead to insertions, deletions or chromosomal rearrangements. DSBs can be in the form of simple or complex breaks, and may be repaired by one of a number of processes, the nature of which depends on the complexity of the break or the position of the break within the chromatin. In eukaryotic cells, nuclear DNA is maintained as either euchromatin (EC) which is loosely packed, or in a denser form, much of which is heterochromatin (HC). Due to the less accessible nature of the DNA in HC as compared to that in EC, repair of damage in HC is not as straightforward as repair in EC. Here we review the literature on how cells deal with DSBs in HC.
authors.affiliation: Genome Damage and Stability Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RR , UK. f.z.watts@sussex.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Felicity Z
authors.initials: FZ
authors.lastname: Watts
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D053903:DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; D059766:DNA End-Joining Repair; D004260:DNA Repair; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000235:genetics*; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D006570:Heterochromatin
keywords: 53BP1; BRCA1; HP1; alt-NHEJ; c-NHEJ; homologous recombination; γH2AX