Role of RecQ Helicases in Nuclear DNA Repair

Abstract Survival of an organism is reliant on preservation of genomic integrity. The RecQ helicase family of proteins plays crucial roles in maintaining genomic stability. DNA repair processes are very important for restoring the damaged DNA, and increasing lines of evidence suggest that RecQ helicases are involved in these processes. Telomeres are situated at the end of linear chromosomes, where they play key roles in the preservation of genome stability. Telomerase and telomere protein complexes play key roles in telomere length regulation. The latter, referred as the shelterin complex, also acts on telomere-specific structures and telomere capping. Other telomere-associated proteins are involved in the proper processing of telomere length, structure and capping. RecQ helicases, especially WRN, are also believed to be involved in the maintenance of telomeres. They are implicated in replication, recombination and proper repair of telomeric DNA