double strand breaks

MRC Radiation and Genome Stability Unit: "DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are potentially lethal, recombinogenic lesions which can result from exposure to DNA damaging agents such as ionising radiation or endogenous events such as collapsed replication forks. Failure to correctly repair a DSB can result in cell death or tumorigenesis. Indeed many cancer genes have been found to function in DSB metabolism. Eukaryotic cells mount a coordinated response to DSBs which includes cell cycle arrest, DNA repair and transcriptional stress responses. These responses are controlled by the DNA integrity checkpoint, DNA repair and stress-activated MAP kinase pathways, respectively. "