RecA Protein Omits The DNA Repair Process’ “Unwinding” Phase
Tokyo Metropolitan University researchers have been investigating homologous recombination, a process in which double-stranded DNA breaks are repaired by the RecA protein by reassembling a broken strand into an intact double strand and patching the break according to the intact sequence. Researchers found that RecA knows just where to insert the single strand into the double helix without ever twisting it. Their discoveries offer fresh approaches to the study of cancer. A pervasive biochemical process that all living organisms, including plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria, engage in is called homologous recombination (HR). Our DNA is exposed to a variety of external and internal stresses throughout our daily lives, some of which have the potential to split the double helix’s two strands. This can be extremely harmful and result in impending cell death. Fortunately, procedures like HR are always undoing this harm. RecA Protein Omits The DNA Repair Process Resection occurs ...