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RecQ Helicases: Conserved Guardians of Genomic Integrity

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DNA Helicases and DNA Motor Proteins

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 767))

Abstract

The RecQ family of DNA helicases is highly conserved throughout ­evolution, and is important for the maintenance of genome stability. In humans, five RecQ family members have been identified: BLM, WRN, RECQ4, RECQ1 and RECQ5. Defects in three of these give rise to Bloom’s syndrome (BLM), Werner’s syndrome (WRN) and Rothmund–Thomson/RAPADILINO/Baller–Gerold (RECQ4) syndromes. These syndromes are characterised by cancer predisposition and/or premature ageing. In this review, we focus on the roles of BLM and its S. cerevisiae homologue, Sgs1, in genome maintenance. BLM/Sgs1 has been shown to play a critical role in homologous recombination at multiple steps, including end-resection, displacement loop formation, branch migration and double Holliday junction dissolution. In addition, recent evidence has revealed a role for BLM/Sgs1 in the stabilisation and repair of replication forks damaged during a perturbed S-phase. Finally BLM also plays a role in the suppression and/or resolution of ultra-fine anaphase DNA bridges that form between sister-chromatids during mitosis.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr Hocine Mankouri for helpful comments on this article. Work in the authors’ laboratory is supported by the Nordea Foundation, The Danish Cancer Society, the Danish Medical Research Council (FSS), The Association for International Cancer Research (AICR) and The Novo Nordisk Foundation.

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  1. Nordea Center for Healthy Ageing, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, 2200N, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Nicolai Balle Larsen & Ian D. Hickson

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  1. Nicolai Balle Larsen
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  2. Ian D. Hickson
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Correspondence to Ian D. Hickson .

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  1. , Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa Carver College of Med, Newton Rd. 51, Iowa City, 52242, Iowa, USA

    Maria Spies

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Larsen, N.B., Hickson, I.D. (2013). RecQ Helicases: Conserved Guardians of Genomic Integrity. In: Spies, M. (eds) DNA Helicases and DNA Motor Proteins. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 767. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5037-5_8

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