The Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1/Xrs2 protein complex plays a pivotal role in the detection and repair of DNA double strand breaks. Through traditional and emerging structural biology techniques, various functional structural states of this complex have been visualized; however, relatively little is known about the transitions between these states. Indeed, it is these structural transitions that are important for Mre11-Rad50-mediated DNA unwinding at a break and the activation of downstream repair signaling events. Here, we present a brief overview of the current understanding of the structure of the core Mre11-Rad50 complex. We then highlight our recent studies emphasizing the contributions of solution state NMR spectroscopy and other biophysical techniques in providing insight into the structures and dynamics associated with Mre11-Rad50 functions.

Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1/Xrs2 蛋白复合物在 DNA 双链断裂的检测和修复中起关键作用。通过传统和新兴的结构生物学技术，这种复合物的各种功能结构状态已被可视化；然而，对这些状态之间的转换知之甚少。事实上，正是这些结构转变对于 Mre11-Rad50 介导的 DNA 在断裂时解旋和下游修复信号事件的激活很重要。在这里，我们简要概述了当前对核心 Mre11-Rad50 复合物结构的理解。然后，我们强调我们最近的研究，强调溶液状态 NMR 光谱和其他生物物理技术在深入了解与 Mre11-Rad50 功能相关的结构和动力学方面的贡献。