Chromatin coils unravel mystery behind the repair of ‘hidden’ DNA

A study proposing a novel mechanism of DNA damage repair has recently been carried out by researchers at Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia). The research indicates that the formation of intranucleosomal DNA loops may play an important role in the detection and repair of damaged DNA ‘hidden’ through its association with histone proteins. The results, which appear in the July issue of Science Advances, could have major implications for our understanding of the development of many diseases caused by mutation accumulation and cell death, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. The study focused in particular on single-strand breaks (SSBs) that...