Cellular responses to DNA damage: One signal, multiple choices

Abstract

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) produce a number of cellular responses, some mutually exclusive. Depending on where on the chromosome it occurs, a DSB may become preserved inside a telomere or eliminated by repair. A cell may arrest division via checkpoint activation to fix DSBs or commit suicide by apoptosis. What determines the outcome: to bury, fix, or succumb to DNA DSBs? With this question in mind, we review recent data on cellular responses to DSBs. Copyright © 2006 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.