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Identification of a DNA nonhomologous end-joining complex in bacteria.

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 23:18 authored by Geoffery R Weller, Boris Kysela, Rajat Roy, Louise M Tonkin, Elizabeth Scanlan, Marina Della, Susanne Krogh Devine, Jonathan P Day, Adam Wilkinson, Fabrizio d'Adda di Fagagna, Kevin M Devine, Richard P Bowater, Penny Jeggo, Stephen P Jackson, Aidan DohertyAidan Doherty
In eukaryotic cells, double-strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA are generally repaired by the pathway of homologous recombination or by DNA nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ). Both pathways have been highly conserved throughout eukaryotic evolution, but no equivalent NHEJ system has been identified in prokaryotes. The NHEJ pathway requires a DNA end-binding component called Ku. We have identified bacterial Ku homologs and show that these proteins retain the biochemical characteristics of the eukaryotic Ku heterodimer. Furthermore, we show that bacterial Ku specifically recruits DNA ligase to DNA ends and stimulates DNA ligation. Loss of these proteins leads to hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation in Bacillus subtilis. These data provide evidence that many bacteria possess a DNA DSB repair apparatus that shares many features with the NHEJ system of eukarya and suggest that this DNA repair pathway arose before the prokaryotic and eukaryotic lineages diverged.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Science

ISSN

0036-8075

Volume

297

Page range

1686-1689

Pages

4.0

Department affiliated with

  • Sussex Centre for Genome Damage Stability Publications

Notes

AD directed the research and was the corresponding author. This paper reports the discovery of a new repair pathway in bacteria that was assumed to be only present in the eukarya.

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

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