Mechanism of gene repair open for discussion

During the last decade, chimeric RNA-DNA oligonucleotides (RDOs) and single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides have been used to make permanent and specific sequence changes in the genome, with the ultimate goal of curing human genetic disorders caused by mutations. There have been large variations observed in the rate of gene repair in these studies. This has been due, at least in part, to the lack of standardized assay conditions and the paucity of mechanistic studies in the early developmental stages. Previously, it was proposed that strand pairing is the rate-limiting step and mismatch DNA repair is involved in the gene repair process. We propose an alternative model, in which an oligormcleotide is assimilated to the target DNA during active transcription, leading to formation of a transient D-loop. The trafficking of RNA polymerase is interrupted by the D-loop, and the stalled RNA polymerase complex may signal for recruitment of DNA repair proteins, including transcription-coupled DNA repair and nucleotide-excision repair. Thus, oligonucleotides can be considered as a class of DNA-damaging agents that cause a transient but major structural change in DNA. Understanding of the recognition and repair pathways to process this unusual DNA structure may have relevance in physiologic processes, transcription, and DNA replication.