DNA end resection: from basic mechanisms to genome editing. The project aims to understand processes underlying genome editing, a bioengineering process that introduces specific mutations into genomic DNA. Homologous recombination and nonhomologous end-joining pathways play a crucial role in repairing broken DNA strands, which are a toxic form of DNA damage. The proteins that function in the repair process have been recently identified, but it remains unclear how they function on a mechanistic l ....DNA end resection: from basic mechanisms to genome editing. The project aims to understand processes underlying genome editing, a bioengineering process that introduces specific mutations into genomic DNA. Homologous recombination and nonhomologous end-joining pathways play a crucial role in repairing broken DNA strands, which are a toxic form of DNA damage. The proteins that function in the repair process have been recently identified, but it remains unclear how they function on a mechanistic level and how either of the two main pathways is selected. The project aims to define how the activity of a key control protein, Sae2 (Sporulation in the Absence of Spo Eleven), is regulated by posttranslational modifications, and how this activates homologous recombination. The project plans to first use Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast as a model and then to extend research into the human system in an attempt to improve the efficiency of genome editing. Read moreRead less