Nucleotide Excision Repair in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Hannes Lans,Wim Vermeulen

doi:10.4061/2011/542795

Abstract

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) plays an essential role in many organisms across life domains to preserve and faithfully transmit DNA to the next generation. In humans, NER is essential to prevent DNA damage-induced mutation accumulation and cell death leading to cancer and aging. NER is a versatile DNA repair pathway that repairs many types of DNA damage which distort the DNA helix, such as those induced by solar UV light. A detailed molecular model of the NER pathway has emerged from in vitro and live cell experiments, particularly using model systems such as bacteria, yeast, and mammalian cell cultures. In recent years, the versatility of the nematode C. elegans to study DNA damage response (DDR) mechanisms including NER has become increasingly clear. In particular, C. elegans seems to be a convenient tool to study NER during the UV response in vivo, to analyze this process in the context of a developing and multicellular organism, and to perform genetic screening. Here, we will discuss current knowledge gained from the use of C. elegans to study NER and the response to UV-induced DNA damage.

Highlights

To preserve and faithfully transmit DNA to the generation, cells are equipped with a variety of DNA repair pathways and associated DNA damage responses, collectively referred to as the DNA damage response (DDR)
This paper focuses on the function of nucleotide excision repair (NER) in C. elegans and on the central role of this pathway in the cellular response to UV-induced DNA damage
These results indicate that NER is fully operational and represents the major and only repair pathway which removes UV-induced DNA damage in C. elegans, just as in mammals

Summary

DNA Damage Response Mechanisms

To preserve and faithfully transmit DNA to the generation, cells are equipped with a variety of DNA repair pathways and associated DNA damage responses, collectively referred to as the DNA damage response (DDR). A wealth of information on the molecular mechanism of different repair pathways has been gathered from detailed in vitro and live cell studies. This acquired knowledge is being used to develop therapeutic strategies to treat patients suffering from the consequences of unrepaired DNA damage, such as cancer and aging [1]. Several repair factors display multiple functions in DNA metabolism such as replication and transcription These features show that the different repair pathways and other cellular responses to DNA damage form an interwoven intricate network. This paper focuses on the function of NER in C. elegans and on the central role of this pathway in the cellular response to UV-induced DNA damage

Nucleotide Excision Repair

UV Response of Germ Cells and Embryos

Larval Development and Aging