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LIFE01200604005 Shri Somnath Ghosh - Homi Bhabha National ...

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CHAPTER 1<br />

INTRODUCTION<br />

activation of p21. However, p21 protein levels are not increased when WISp39 is<br />

downmodulated with siRNA or Hsp90 is inhibited with the drug geldanamycin following<br />

DNA damage. This exciting observation suggests that p21 levels are increased<br />

transcriptionally by p53 and at the level of protein stability by WISp39 and Hsp90<br />

suggesting that two events are required to stabilize p21. Counterintuitive to the role of<br />

p21 in cell cycle arrest, p21 has also been implicated as a positive regulator of cell<br />

survival. For example, loss of p21 sensitizes cells to undergo uncoordinated DNA<br />

replication and death induced by anticancer drugs [120].<br />

1.3.3 DNA Repair<br />

Following cell cycle arrest and triggering of the alarm sensors, many DNA repair<br />

pathways are activated to repair the damaged DNA. The five major DNA repair pathways<br />

are homologous recombination repair (HRR); non-homologous end joining (NHEJ);<br />

nucleotide excision repair (NER); base excision repair (BER); and mismatch repair<br />

(MMR)[121].<br />

1.3.3.1 DNA double strand break repair<br />

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are a common form of DNA damage and DSB<br />

rejoining is a fundamental mechanism of genome protection. Breaks arise through direct<br />

action of ionizing radiation or some chemicals, and indirectly as a product of blocked<br />

replication forks. The ability to repair DSBs and to ensure that repair is performed with<br />

appropriate fidelity is a fundamental part of genome protection. The three known DSB<br />

repair pathways are outlined in Fig. 1.3B. The pathways are conserved between<br />

Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mammalian cells although the relative importance in each<br />

differs considerably. The prevailing view has been that homologous recombination is the<br />

52

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