Analysis of genetic interactions of DNA repair pathways

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During each cell cycle replication forks inevitably stall at damaged DNA. The ability to overcome DNA lesions is an essential feature of the replication machinery. A large variety of specialized polymerases have recently been discovered that enable cells to replicate past various forms of damage. Alternatively homologous recombination can be used to restart DNA replication across the lesion. Genetic studies have shed light on the impact of these two post replication repair pathways in bacteria and yeast. In vertebrates, however, a genetic approach to study post replication repair has been compromised because most of the genes involved appear to be essential for embryonic development. We have taken advantage of the chicken cell line DT40 to perform a genetic analysis of translesion synthesis and homologous recombination and to characterize genetic interactions between these two pathways in vertebrates. In this article we aim to summarize our current understanding of post replication repair in DT40 in the perspective of results from other model systems.