Cohesin puts a break on distal homology hunt

During the repair of DNA breaks by homologous recombination, damaged DNA seeks out intact, similar in sequence segments to use as a template. In this issue, Piazza, Bordelet and colleagues describe three-dimensional chromosome architecture remodelling during homologous recombination and show that cohesin restricts homology search in cis, independently of sister chromatid cohesion.

Automated summary

During DNA repair by homologous recombination, damaged DNA utilizes intact, similar sequences as templates. The study by Piazza, Bordelet and colleagues reveals that cohesin plays a role in restricting homology search during recombination, independent of sister chromatid cohesion.