DNA Repair Discovery Could Improve Biotechnology

June 12, 2023

Kathy Meek, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and collaborators at Cambridge University and the National Institutes of Health have uncovered a  previously unknown aspect of how DNA double-stranded breaks are repaired.

In their new report, two distinct DNAPK protein complexes are characterized, each of which has a specific role in DNA repair that cannot be assumed by the other. “It still gives me chills,” says Meek. “I don’t think anyone would have predicted this.”

Meek’s team and their collaborators previously published studies that revealed two different protein complexes, called dimers. Many have wondered why two dimers would exist, instead of just one. Now we know: one complex recruits enzymes that fill in lost information, while the other activates cutting enzymes that remove damaged, or “dirty,” ends.

The discovery could have implications for cancer diagnostics and therapies, as well as other advancements in biotechnology.