Where Broken DNA Is Repaired

A cell nucleus is shown after irradiation by high-energy particles like those in cosmic rays. At top, the white arrow tracks one particle through regions of high-density DNA (blue) and low-density DNA.

Green signals are RIF, "radiation-induced foci," accumulations of proteins associated with radiation damage. Middle and bottom panels model DNA density topographically the higher the peak, the denser the DNA showing that RIF prefer low-density regions and tend to locate themselves at the interface between high and low density.

*"NASA has long been interested in the radiation hazards in space," says LSD's Sylvain Costes, who led the study. "On a trip to Mars, astronauts will be exposed to cosmic rays for as long as three years, so NASA has been trying to come up with a mechanistic model of DNA repair to estimate the increased risk of cancer. We are helping to develop such a model."

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