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MDC1: The art of keeping things in focus

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Abstract

The chromatin structure is important for recognition and repair of DNA damage. Many DNA damage response proteins accumulate in large chromatin domains flanking sites of DNA double-strand breaks. The assembly of these structures—usually termed DNA damage foci—is primarily regulated by MDC1, a large nuclear mediator/adaptor protein that is composed of several distinct structural and functional domains. Here, we are summarizing the latest discoveries about the mechanisms by which MDC1 mediates DNA damage foci formation, and we are reviewing the considerable efforts taken to understand the functional implication of these structures.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Flurina Hari for critical reading of the manuscript. Research in the Stucki laboratory is supported by the Swiss National Foundation and by the Kanton of Zürich.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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  1. Institute of Veterinary Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland

    Stephanie Jungmichel & Manuel Stucki

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  1. Stephanie Jungmichel
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  2. Manuel Stucki
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Correspondence to Manuel Stucki.

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Communicated by E. Nigg

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Jungmichel, S., Stucki, M. MDC1: The art of keeping things in focus. Chromosoma 119, 337–349 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00412-010-0266-9

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