From fluorescent foci to sequence: Illuminating DNA double strand break repair by high-throughput sequencing technologies

Abstract

Technologies to study DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair have traditionally mostly relied on fluorescence read-outs, either by microscopy or flow cytometry. The advent of high throughput sequencing (HTS) has created fundamentally new opportunities to study the mechanisms underlying DSB repair. Here, we review the suite of HTS-based assays that are used to study three different aspects of DNA repair: detection of broken ends, protein recruitment and pathway usage. We highlight new opportunities that HTS technology offers towards a better understanding of the DSB repair process.