Developmental modulation of nonhomologous end joining in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: Homologous recombination and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) are important DNA double-strand break repair pathways in many organisms. C. elegans strains harboring mutations in the cku-70, cku-80, or lig-4 NHEJ genes displayed multiple developmental abnormalities in response to radiation-induced DNA damage in noncycling somatic cells. These phenotypes did not result from S-phase, DNA damage, or mitotic checkpoints, apoptosis, or stress response pathways that regulate dauer formation. However, an additional defect in him-10, a kinetochore component, synergized with NHEJ mutations for the radiation-induced developmental phenotypes, suggesting that they may be triggered by mis-segregation of chromosome fragments. Although NHEJ was an important DNA repair pathway for noncycling somatic cells i

SUBMITTER: Clejan I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1526663 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature