Single-molecule fluorescence imaging techniques reveal molecular mechanisms underlying deoxyribonucleic acid damage repair

Yujin Kang; Soyeong An; Duyoung Min; Ja Yil Lee

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2022.973314

Single-molecule fluorescence imaging techniques reveal molecular mechanisms underlying deoxyribonucleic acid damage repair

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2022 Sep 15:10:973314. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.973314. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yujin Kang¹, Soyeong An¹, Duyoung Min², Ja Yil Lee^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biological Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, South Korea.
² Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, South Korea.
³ Center for Genomic Integrity, Institute of Basic Sciences, Ulsan, South Korea.

Abstract

Advances in single-molecule techniques have uncovered numerous biological secrets that cannot be disclosed by traditional methods. Among a variety of single-molecule methods, single-molecule fluorescence imaging techniques enable real-time visualization of biomolecular interactions and have allowed the accumulation of convincing evidence. These techniques have been broadly utilized for studying DNA metabolic events such as replication, transcription, and DNA repair, which are fundamental biological reactions. In particular, DNA repair has received much attention because it maintains genomic integrity and is associated with diverse human diseases. In this review, we introduce representative single-molecule fluorescence imaging techniques and survey how each technique has been employed for investigating the detailed mechanisms underlying DNA repair pathways. In addition, we briefly show how live-cell imaging at the single-molecule level contributes to understanding DNA repair processes inside cells.

Keywords: DNA damage; DNA repair mechanism; fluorescence imaging; real-time visualization; single-molecule technique.

Publication types

Review