RecQ and recombination-based DNA repair
Dharmendra Kumar Singh and colleagues wrote an article in the Biogerontology journal presenting the various roles of human RecQ helicases in recombination-based DNA repair. The physiological consequences of RecQ defects in the development of cancer and premature aging were also highlighted.
Fig. 4 RecQ helicases are involved in multiple steps of major recombination pathways. The members of the RecQ helicase family interacts with various proteins involved in different steps of the major recombination pathways i.e., error free homologous recombination (HR) pathway and error prone non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway.
Singh DK, Ahn B, Bohr VA. 2008. Roles of RECQ helicases in recombination based DNA repair, genomic stability and aging. Biogerontology. Dec 15. [Epub ahead of print]
Here’s one part about the WRN exonuclease:
“… it has been shown that WRN physically and functionally interacts with the major NHEJ factor XRCC4-DNA ligase IV complex (X4L4) which stimulates WRN exonuclease activity but not WRN helicase activity. Further, X4L4 is able to ligate a substrate processed by WRN exonuclease, suggesting the functional importance of this interaction (Kusumoto et al. 2008).”
Kusumoto R, Dawut L, Marchetti C, Wan Lee J, Vindigni A, Ramsden D, Bohr VA. 2008. Werner protein cooperates with the XRCC4-DNA ligase IV complex in end-processing. Biochemistry 47:7548–7556. doi:10.1021/bi702325t
