How do cells repair their damaged DNA—and what happens when that process is hindered and cancer arises? Sarah Moser has taken a closer look during her PhD, uncovering surprising insights that could he...

Upon DNA breakage, a genomic locus undergoes alterations in three-dimensional chromatin architecture to facilitate signaling and repair. Although cells possess mechanisms to repair damaged DNA, it is ...

Analysis of the longest-lived mammal, the bowhead whale, reveals an improved ability to repair DNA breaks, mediated by high levels of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein.  &nbs...

Major Finding: PARP inhibition induces eviction of histones, and the chaperone NASP is required to recycle these histones to prevent DNA damage and promote resistance. Concept: Histone recycling repre...

PARP inhibitor treatment triggers histone release from the chromatin in cancer cells; consequently, targeting the histone chaperone NASP renders cells vulnerable to PARP inhibition.

Marin et al. report the role of lamin proteins and the lamin B receptor (LBR) in chromatin positioning at the nuclear periphery. Knockout of all lamins and LBR in mouse embryonic stem cells leads to h...

PARP inhibitor treatment triggers histone release from the chromatin in cancer cells; consequently, targeting the histone chaperone NASP renders cells vulnerable to PARP inhibition.

Nature Reviews Genetics, Published online: 16 June 2025; doi:10.1038/s41576-025-00866-7Hakhamanesh Mostafavi recalls a landmark paper by Boyle et al. on the omnigenic model, which proposed that complex traits are influenced by thousands of genes across the genome, including many that are only indirectly related to a trait through regulatory networks.

G-quadruplexes (G4s) are prevalent DNA structures that regulate transcription but also threaten genome stability. How G4 dynamics are controlled remains poorly understood. Here, we report that RNA tra...

Acquired therapeutic resistance is a key contributor to cancer treatment failure, requiring new approaches to address its complex mechanisms. In this Roadmap, Soragni, Knudsen and colleagues discuss the mechanisms of acquired resistance and the models to better study it. Finally, they promote integration of biomarker-driven strategies and cutting-edge technologies to advance predictive and proactive prevention in cancer therapy.

Abstract. Thirty years ago, the cloning of the first breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA1, marked a milestone in our understanding of hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. This discovery initiate...

Understanding the early steps of cancer development is crucial for cancer prevention. In this Review, the authors summarize the advantages and limitations of clinical samples, autochthonous mouse models and organoid models, alongside advanced techniques such as direct imaging, lineage tracing...