A newly published paper investigates the plausibility of diffusion as the transport mechanism of DNA repair signaling protein MRE11 and NBS1.
The DNA repair mechanism is crucial for a cell to avoid apoptosis, and is a complicated process involving many different repair proteins. The mean of transportation of these repair proteins is largely unknown as their transportation mechanisms need clarification.
We have focused on the transportation of some of the first proteins to arrive to the damaged DNA from the cytoplasm, namely the MRE11 and NBS1. Our hypothesis of diffusion as the transportation mechanism of MRE11 and NBS1 is tested against a theoretical model as well as simulation data and experiments, revealing a possibility for diffusion to be the method of recruiting MRE11 and NBS1 to the DNA break.