But Storici's team found that RNA can also help cells repair a severe form of DNA damage called a double-strand break, or DSB. A DSB means both strands of the DNA helix have been severed.

Of the many types of DNA damage that exist within the cell, probably the most dangerous is the DSB. These result from exogenous agents such as ionizing radiation (IR) and certain chemotherapeutic ...

In a study published in Nature, researchers report the successful in vitro reconstitution of meiotic DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) formation. Meiosis, a specialized form of cell division in most ...

If two homologous regions flank the DSB, they can anneal after being exposed by DNA resection (single-strand annealing; SSA), which causes the deletion of the intervening region. An additional ...

PLoS Biology, 2007) but is higher resolution. Lower: Agreement of the Spo11-oligo map with direct DSB detection in sae2∆ genomic DNA (spo11yf = DSB deficient mutant; P=parental re-striction frag.; ...