ArticleNature communications2025
Structural basis for Polθ-helicase DNA binding and microhomology-mediated end-joining.
Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- DNA polymerase theta (Polθ): a novel candidate for targeted cancer therapy.Cancer biology & therapy · 2026Review
- HELQ & Hel308: ancient enzymes of DNA repair and recombination.Biochemical Society transactions · 2026Review
- Optimizing microhomology-based genome editing by engineering DNA polymerase θ for improved efficiency and reduced on-target indels.Cell reports methods · 2026Article
- Article
- Beyond Short Microhomologies: Mismatch-Compatible Pol θ-Mediated DNA Damage Repair.BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology · 2026Review
- Dynamic Assemblies in Genome Maintenance.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026Review
- Review
- Coordinated transfer of DNA between Pol θ and Pol δ resets microhomology choice during double-strand break repair.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Making 3' ends meet.Nature structural & molecular biology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
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Abstract
DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) present a critical threat to genomic integrity, often precipitating genomic instability and oncogenesis. Repair of DSBs predominantly occurs through homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). In HR-deficient cells, DNA polymerase theta (Polθ) becomes critical for DSB repair via microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ), also termed theta-mediated end joining (TMEJ). Thus, Polθ is synthetically lethal with BRCA1/2 and other HR factors, underscoring its potential as a therapeutic target in HR-deficient cancers. However, the molecular mechanisms governing Polθ-mediated MMEJ remain poorly understood. Here we present a series of cryo-electron microscopy structures of the Polθ helicase domain (Polθ-hel) in complex with DNA containing different 3'-ssDNA overhangs. The structures reveal the sequential conformations adopted by Polθ-hel during the critical phases of DNA binding, microhomology searching, and microhomology annealing. The stepwise conformational changes within the Polθ-hel subdomains and its functional dimeric state are pivotal for aligning the 3'-ssDNA overhangs, facilitating the microhomology search and subsequent annealing necessary for DSB repair via MMEJ. Our findings illustrate the essential molecular switches within Polθ-hel that orchestrate the MMEJ process in DSB repair, laying the groundwork for the development of targeted therapies against the Polθ-hel.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.