The role of SMC proteins in the responses to DNA damage

The SMC proteins form the cores of three protein complexes in eukaryotes, cohesin, condensin and the Smc5-6 complex. Cohesin holds sister chromatids together after DNA replication and is involved in both the repair of double-strand breaks by homologous recombination and the intra-S-phase checkpoint. Condensin assists in the condensation of chromosomes at mitosis and also has a role in checkpoint control pathways. The Smc5-6 complex is involved in a variety of DNA repair and damage response pathways by as yet unknown mechanisms, but is also associated with repair by homologous recombination. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.