A genome-wide screening uncovers the role of CCAR2 as an antagonist of DNA end resection.

López-Saavedra A, Gómez-Cabello D, Domínguez-Sánchez MS, Mejías-Navarro F, Fernández-Ávila MJ, Dinant C, Martínez-Macías MI, Bartek J, Huertas P

Nat Commun 7 (-) 12364 [2016-08-09; online 2016-08-09]

There are two major and alternative pathways to repair DNA double-strand breaks: non-homologous end-joining and homologous recombination. Here we identify and characterize novel factors involved in choosing between these pathways; in this study we took advantage of the SeeSaw Reporter, in which the repair of double-strand breaks by homology-independent or -dependent mechanisms is distinguished by the accumulation of green or red fluorescence, respectively. Using a genome-wide human esiRNA (endoribonuclease-prepared siRNA) library, we isolate genes that control the recombination/end-joining ratio. Here we report that two distinct sets of genes are involved in the control of the balance between NHEJ and HR: those that are required to facilitate recombination and those that favour NHEJ. This last category includes CCAR2/DBC1, which we show inhibits recombination by limiting the initiation and the extent of DNA end resection, thereby acting as an antagonist of CtIP.

Affiliated researcher

PubMed 27503537

DOI 10.1038/ncomms12364

Crossref 10.1038/ncomms12364

pii: ncomms12364
pmc: PMC4980490


Publications 9.5.0