Single-Strand Annealing

Single-strand annealing (SSA) repairs DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by annealing tandem repeat sequences flanking the DSB, thereby deleting one of the repeats and the intervening sequence. The precise steps of SSA are not fully defined yet, but the basic framework and genetic requirements are described in budding yeast. Here, I will summarize the genetics and molecular mechanisms of SSA in yeast and higher eukaryotes.