Multi-Faceted Roles of ERCC1-XPF Nuclease in Processing Non-B DNA Structures

Genetic instability can result from increases in DNA damage and/or alterations in DNA repair proteins and can contribute to disease development. Both exogenous and endogenous sources of DNA damage and/or alterations in DNA structure (e.g., non-B DNA) can impact genome stability. Multiple repair mechanisms exist to counteract DNA damage. One key DNA repair protein complex is ERCC1-XPF, a structure-specific endonuclease that participates in a variety of DNA repair processes. ERCC1-XPF is involved in nucleotide excision repair (NER), repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs), and DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair via homologous recombination. In addition, ERCC1-XPF contributes to the processing of various alternative (i.e., non-B) DNA structures. This review will focus on the processing of alternative DNA structures by ERCC1-XPF.