The DNA damage response: putting checkpoints in perspective

Zhou, Bin-Bing S.
Elledge, Stephen J.

* Department of Oncology Research, SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406, USA
† Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, Texas 77030, USA

Correspondence should be addressed to S. J. E. (e-mail: [email protected]).

Nature 408(6811):p 433-439, November 23, 2000.

The inability to repair DNA damage properly in mammals leads to various disorders and enhanced rates of tumour development. Organisms respond to chromosomal insults by activating a complex damage response pathway. This pathway regulates known responses such as cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis (programmed cell death), and has recently been shown to control additional processes including direct activation of DNA repair networks.