Optical tweezers have become the method of choice in single-molecule manipulation
studies. In this Primer, we first review the physical principles of optical tweezers and the …

Homologous recombination enables the cell to access and copy intact DNA sequence
information in trans, particularly to repair DNA damage affecting both strands of the double …

Optical tweezers are tools made of light that enable contactless pushing, trapping, and
manipulation of objects, ranging from atoms to space light sails. Since the pioneering work …

DNA double-strand breaks arise accidentally upon exposure of DNA to radiation and
chemicals or result from faulty DNA metabolic processes. DNA breaks can also be …

Recombinational DNA repair is a universal aspect of DNA metabolism and is essential for
genomic integrity. It is a template-directed process that uses a second chromosomal copy …

Breast cancer suppressor BRCA2 is critical for maintenance of genomic integrity and
resistance to agents that damage DNA or collapse replication forks, presumably through …

Homologous recombination (HR) is a pathway to faithfully repair DNA double-strand breaks
(DSBs). At the core of this pathway is a DNA recombinase, which, as a nucleoprotein …

Optical tweezers have become one of the primary weapons in the arsenal of biophysicists,
and have revolutionized the new field of single-molecule biophysics. Today's techniques …

RAD51C is an enigmatic predisposition gene for breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer.
Currently, missing structural and related functional understanding limits patient mutation …

Thymus-derived lymphocytes protect mammalian hosts against virus-or cancer-related
cellular alterations through immune surveillance, eliminating diseased cells. In this process …