BRCA1-CtIP interaction in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks.

DNA termini at double-strand breaks are often chemically heterogeneous and require processing before initiation of repair. In a recent report, we demonstrated that CtIP and the MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) nuclease complex cooperate with BRCA1 to specifically repair topoisomerase II-DNA adducted breaks. In contrast, BRCA1 is dispensable for repair of restriction endonuclease-generated double-strand breaks.