Cryo-EM structures of NHEJ assemblies with nucleosomes.

ABSTRACT: DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are highly deleterious lesions that can trigger cell death or carcinogenesis if unrepaired or misrepaired. In mammals, most DSBs are repaired by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), which begins when Ku70/80 binds DNA ends and recruits DNA-PKcs to form the DNA-PK holoenzyme. Although recent cryo-EM studies have resolved several NHEJ assemblies, how these factors access DSBs within nucleosomes remains unclear. Here, we present cryo-EM structures of human Ku70/80 and DNA-PK bound to nucleosomes. Ku70/80 binds the DNA end and bends it away from the nucleosome core, while the Ku70 C-terminal SAP domain makes an additional, specific DNA contact. Our DNA-PK-nucleosome structure further reveals the opening of the Ku80 vWA domain, and we show that non-hydrolysable ATP

SUBMITTER: Hall C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12816671 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature