Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41118517›Full record

ArticleNucleic acids research2026

Structure of Bacillus subtilis Ku-mediated DNA synaptic complex.

Whan-Jong Kim, Jieun Kim, Mingyu Jo, Youngjin Kim, Min-Sung Kim

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nucleic acids research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Whan-Jong KimDepartment of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 37673, Republic of Korea.
Jieun KimDepartment of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 37673, Republic of Korea.
Mingyu JoDepartment of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 37673, Republic of Korea.
Youngjin KimDepartment of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 37673, Republic of Korea.
Min-Sung KimDepartment of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 37673, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0002-2369-9956

Funding

MSIT RS-2024-00344154National Research FoundationNational Research Foundation RS-2024-00440289
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) pose a severe threat to genomic integrity, and cells rely on two major pathways for repair: homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). While eukaryotic NHEJ requires a multi-component assembly including the Ku70/80 heterodimer, bacterial NHEJ operates with a simpler toolkit comprising a Ku homodimer and the multifunctional LigD. Despite this simplicity, the mechanism by which broken DNA ends are bridged together has remained unclear in bacterial NHEJ. Here, we present a cryo-electron microscopy structure of the Bacillus subtilis Ku (bsKu)-DNA complex at 2.74 Å resolution, capturing two blunt DNA ends bridged by a Ku protein alone. Supported by further biochemical assays, we propose an integrated model in which oligomeric arrays of Ku homodimers bridge and stabilize two DNA ends, facilitating efficient DSB repair in Bacillus subtilis. This work reveals a bsKu-mediated DNA bridging mechanism distinct from the eukaryotic system and provides critical structural insight into prokaryotic DNA repair.

Indexed as

Bacillus subtilisBacterial ProteinsDNADNA, BacterialDNA End-Joining RepairKu AutoantigenCryoelectron MicroscopyDNA Breaks, Double-StrandedModels, MolecularBacterial ProteinsDNADNA, BacterialKu Autoantigen

Identifiers

PMID41118517
PMCPMC12784961

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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.