Chromatin modification and NBS1: their relationship in DNA double-strand break repair.

The importance of chromatin modification, including histone modification and chromatin remodeling, for DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, as well as transcription and replication, has been elucidated. Phosphorylation of H2AX to γ-H2AX is one of the first responses following DSB detection, and this histone modification is important for the DSB damage response by triggering several events, including the accumulation of DNA damage response-related proteins and subsequent homologous recombination (HR) repair. The roles of other histone modifications such as acetylation, methylation and ubiquitination have also been recently clarified, particularly in the context of HR repair. NBS1 is a multifunctional protein that is involved in various DNA damage responses. Its recently identified binding partner RNF20 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that facilitates the monoubiquitination of histone H2B, a process that is crucial for recruitment of the chromatin remodeler SNF2h to DSB damage sites. Evidence suggests that SNF2h functions in HR repair, probably through regulation of end-resection. Moreover, several recent reports have indicated that SNF2h can function in HR repair pathways as a histone remodeler and that other known histone remodelers can also participate in DSB damage responses. On the other hand, information about the roles of such chromatin modifications and NBS1 in non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair of DSBs and stalled fork-related damage responses is very limited; therefore, these aspects and processes need to be further studied to advance our understanding of the mechanisms and molecular players involved.