In eukaryotic cells, homologous recombination (HR), and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) are to repair double-strand breaks. The pathway choice is crucial. HR may be activated even if a homologous DNA is not available. In this case, the HR pathway has to be inactivated, and NHEJ need to be activated. Explain this pathway switch mechanism in detail.
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Double-strand breaks (DSBs) occur in the DNA, which can be caused by various factors such as ionizing radiation, replication errors, or chemical agents. Show more…
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Three cellular mechanisms are used to repair double stranded breaks in DNA, Non Homologous End Joining, Homology Dependent Repair, Homologous Recombination. Describe how each of these works and the effect of the outcome of these repairs on the DNA sequence.
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Consider the two processes involved in repairing double-strand DNA breaks. Which process, homologous recombination or NHEJ, is more likely to restore the original gene sequence and why? Match the words in the left column to the appropriate blanks in the sentences on the right. Homologous recombination requires exact sequence homology between recombining partners and can occur only in the presence of a homologous undamaged chromosome. NHEJ joins any two damaged chromosome ends, with no testing for sequence homology between the rejoining partners. Therefore, only homologous recombination has a finite chance of restoring the original gene sequence.
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