DNA Binding and Strand Annealing Properties of the Human BRCA2 DNA Binding Domain
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| Year of publication | 2006 |
| Type | R&D Presentation |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Mutations in the BRCA2 (breast cancer susceptibility gene 2) gene give rise to a significant portion of familial breast cancers. BRCA2 associates with Rad51, a key member of the RAD52 group, through a series of conserved modules called BRC repeats. Rad51 has a recombinase activity that mediates the formation of DNA joints between the injured chromosome and an intact homologue during HR. In mediating HR reactions, Rad51 nucleates onto single-stranded (ss) DNA derived from lesion processing to form a highly ordered nucleoprotein filament structure, often referred to as the presynaptic filament. After locating a DNA homologue, the presynaptic filament catalyzes pairing with the homologue to form a nascent DNA joint called a D-loop, the length of which is extended by DNA strand exchange. Concurrently, DNA synthesis commences to replace the genetic information lost during the lesion processing step. Subsequent steps include resolution of recombination intermediates and ligation to complete the recombination/repair reaction. |
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