Homologous recombination is initiated by the so-called DNA end resection, the 5'-3' nucleolytic degradation of a single strand of the DNA at each side of the break. The presence of resected DNA is an obligatory step for homologous recombination. Moreover, the amount of resected DNA modulates the prevalence of different recombination pathways. In different model organisms, there are several published ways to visualize and measure with more or less detail the amount of DNA resected. In human cells, however, technical constraints hampered the study of resection at high resolution. Some information might be gathered from the study of endonuclease-created DSBs, in which the resection of breaks at known sites can be followed by PCR or ChIP. In this chapter, we describe in detail a novel assay to study DNA end resection in breaks located on unknown positions. Here, we use ionizing radiation to induce double-strand breaks, but the same approach can be used to monitor resection induced by different DNA damaging agents. By modifying the DNA-combing technique, used for high-resolution replication analyses, we can measure resection progression at the level of individual DNA fibers. Thus, we named the method Single Molecule Analysis of Resection Tracks (SMART). We use human cells in culture as a model system, but in principle the same approach would be feasible to any model organism adjusting accordingly the DNA isolation part of the protocol.
Keywords: DNA combing; DNA resection; Fiber assay; High-resolution resection assay; SMART.