Homologous DNA repair: Safeguarding genome territories from knives

Abstract

DNA damage agents constantly target the genome integrity causing lethal damages. Homologous DNA repair as universal error-free repair pathway constitutively acts to remove double strand breaks. Tumour suppressor genes are the major candidates and mediators of this pathway. In this context, we review the emerging role of BRCA1/PALB2/BRCA2/RAD51 complex and show how BRCA1 interact with different protein partners to be the first-line mediator of homologous DNA repair pathway at the site of DNA damage. A defect anywhere in this BRCA1/PALB2/BRCA2/RAD51 assembly halts formation and stabilization of nuclear foci of BRCA2 at DNA damage sites compromising HDR repair progression.