New research finds the surprising result that two different pathways that repair double-stranded DNA breaks (where both strands of the DNA double helix are broken) are not independent as thought, but are linked. A double-stranded break is the most severe case of DNA damage, and a crucial repair job.The researchers found that key proteins from the two pathways were both required to repair the double-stranded break they studied. Furthermore, one of the proteins was instrumental in attracting the other protein to the repair site. It is yet another layer in the complexity of DNA repair.
