{
  "abstract": "Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is a major pathway of DNA double strand break (DSB) repair, capable of directly joining both damaged strands of DNA through the coordinated activities of repair factors that detect the termini, physically bridge them together, and perform the chemistry necessary to complete repair. NHEJ is capable of repairing a variety of damaged DNA, employing various accessory end-processing factors to resolve chemically blocked ends, trim overhangs, and fill gaps in order to achieve directly ligatable DNA ends. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying end-processing, we determine the cryo-EM structure of the NHEJ specific polymerase Pol λ bound to the short-range synaptic complex, detailing the mode of its recruitment to the complex as well as a putative model for its activity. Furthermore, the coordinated end-processing activities of the short-range (SR) synaptic complex simultaneously bound by both Pol λ and PNKP, another accessory factor, demonstrates the ability of NHEJ to form large, multifunctional repair complexes capable of processing a variety of different DNA end structures to effect repair.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.",
    "Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.",
    "Genome Integrity and Structural Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC, USA.",
    "Epigenetics and RNA Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC, USA.",
    "Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.",
    "Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.",
    "University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.",
    "Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Robson DNA Science Centre, Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.",
    "Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. yuanhe@jhu.edu.",
    "Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. yuanhe@jhu.edu."
  ],
  "article_type": "research support, n.i.h., intramural",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Alex Vogt"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Andrea M Kaminski",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6263-4186"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Jason G Williams"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Tasmin Naila"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Danny Laurent",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3041-1620"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Alan E Tomkinson",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2671-1711"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Susan P Lees-Miller",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5809-2516"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Lars C Pedersen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4488-4077"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Thomas A Kunkel",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9900-1788"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8,
        9
      ],
      "name": "Yuan He",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1455-3963"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/de3wq603cc7b5.bib",
  "cited_by": 3,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-77503-2",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13649775",
  "id": "de3wq603cc7b5",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42850230",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|DNA Repair Mechanisms"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W4410786991",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13649775?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13649775",
  "pmid": "42850230",
  "published": "2026-09-09",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/de3wq603cc7b5.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:10Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42850230",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42850230"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|DNA Repair Mechanisms",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "End processing in NHEJ by Polymerase λ and PNKP is coordinated during short-range synapsis.",
  "title_text": "End processing in NHEJ by Polymerase λ and PNKP is coordinated during short-range synapsis.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:10Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/de3wq603cc7b5",
  "venue": "Nature communications",
  "versions": []
}