Molecular basis of nick ligation in the nucleosome by DNA Ligase IIIα
Daniel J Boesch, Nadia I Martin, Chantal A Kontor, Ashlee G Nguyen, Alan E Tomkinson, Bennett Van Houten, Natacha Gillet, Emmanuelle Bignon, Amy M Whitaker, Tyler M Weaver · 2026
Read Molecular basis of nick ligation in the nucleosome by DNA Ligase IIIα by Daniel J Boesch, Nadia I Martin, Chantal A Kontor, Ashlee G Nguyen, Alan E Tomkinson, Bennett Van Houten, Natacha Gillet, Emmanuelle Bignon, Amy M Whitaker, Tyler M Weaver (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13635136.txt.
Description
Daniel Boesch and co-authors explain how an enzyme seals DNA breaks inside the nucleosome in a 2026 study. DNA is wound around protein spools into nucleosomes, and breaks occur constantly from oxidation and repair work. Ligase IIIα performs the final sealing step for many single-strand breaks.
How it works on DNA wrapped in chromatin was unknown. The team combined biochemical assays, molecular simulations, and cryo-electron microscopy to watch the enzyme engage a nick in a nucleosome. Their picture reveals how the enzyme reaches and closes a break despite the tight packaging. The mechanism anchors understanding of the last step of a major repair pathway.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Daniel J Boesch, Nadia I Martin, Chantal A Kontor, Ashlee G Nguyen, Alan E Tomkinson, Bennett Van Houten, Natacha Gillet, Emmanuelle Bignon, Amy M Whitaker, Tyler M Weaver |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 71 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |