DNA damage response: the players, the network and the role in tumor suppression

One of the most common features of cancer is genetic instability. In response to numerous DNA-damaging insults, normal cells have evolved a complex mechanism to monitor and repair DNA damage lesions to maintain genomic integrity. The defects in DNA damage response, indeed, have been shown to associate closely with tumorigenesis. This review provides an overview on the molecular events in DNA damage signaling pathway, including cell cycle checkpoint and DNA repair. The recent research discoveries on how dysfunction in DNA damage response contributes to genomic instability and cancer development are also discussed.