Recombinational DNA Repair in Cancer and Normal Cells: The Challenge of Functional Analysis

[摘要] A major goal of current cancer research is to understand thefunctional consequences of mutations in recombinational DNArepair genes. The introduction of artificial recombinationsubstrates into living cells has evolved into a powerful tool toperform functional analysis of DNA double strand break (DSB)repair. Here, we review the principles and practice of currentplasmid assays with regard to the two major DSB repair pathways,homologous recombination and nonhomologous end-joining. Aspectrum of assay types is available to assess repair in a widevariety of cell lines. However, several technical challengesstill need to be overcome. Understanding the alterations of DSBrepair in cancers will ultimately provide a rational basis fordrug design that may selectively sensitize tumor cells toionizing radiation and chemotherapy, thereby achievingtherapeutic gain.

[学科分类] 基础医学