Reporting their finding in Cell, the researchers describe a new process in DNA repair in which cells remove harmful DNA-protein lesions from a cell’s nucleus, ensuring the stability of their genetic material and promoting cell survival. The team calls this new process nucleophagy.
Nucleophagy is a natural cellular cleaning mechanism known as autophagy that is essential for repairing DNA and ensuring cell survival. It involves a commonly expressed protein called TEX264.
In a patient receiving chemotherapy for colorectal cancer, the drugs cause DNA lesions to form. In response, the body expresses TEX264, which activates the nucleophagy process, guiding the lesions to the cell’s waste disposal system, where they are broken down and destroyed.
The research team used advanced techniques, including biochemical, cell biological and bioinformatics tools, zebrafish animal model and colorectal cancer patient materials, to confirm that nucleophagy is crucial for repairing damaged DNA.
Read the full story on the University of Oxford website.