본문 바로가기

포항공과대학교 생명과학과

ENG

정보

리서치 하이라이트

Structure of Bacillus subtilis Ku-mediated DNA synaptic complex

2025-10-22 330
Author
Min-Sung Kim
Journal
Nucleic Acids Research
Date of Publication
2025-10
Original link

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.

Image

첨부파일