STRUCTURAL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE DNA DAMAGE RESPONSE

DNA is continuously exposed to insults from endogenous and exogenous sources, and, therefore, maintenance of genome integrity is essential to all organisms. There are multiple pathways that ensure that the information contained in DNA is not damaged or lost. When these errors skip the control mechanisms or when other DNA damage type is present, multiple macromolecular complexes detect it and start the signalling cascades that lead to repair by different pathways depending on the lesion. All these pathways are safeguarding our genome and when they are de-regulated or they can’t work efficiently, damage to DNA is accumulated. This, together with the instability of the genome, can promote the development of cancer and other diseases. This meeting will bring together research leaders in the field with a focus on the structural basis and molecular mechanisms.