RAD51 strand exchange activity mediates RAD1-RAD10 recruitment to synthesis-dependent strand annealing sites

DNA double-strand breaks (DSB), a cytotoxic form of DNA damage, occur in response to numerous exogenous and endogenous agents. To maintain genomic stability and ensure cell survival in the face of these threats, organisms have evolved multiple pathways to repair double-strand breaks. In metazoans, repair of DSB also plays a key role in tumorigenesis and cancer. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has proven useful as a model system for studying repair of DSB because pathways are evolutionarily conserved and because (compared to mammalian cells) genetic manipulation is relatively straightforward. (See more in text.