Several core proteins play significant roles in the NHEJ pathway. Ku70/Ku80 heterodimer initially recognizes and binds to DNA ends. DNA-PKcs (DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit) is then recruited to form the DNA-PK complex, which processes the DNA ends. Artemis acts as an endonuclease to trim the DNA ends if necessary. Finally, XRCC4, Ligase IV, and XLF (XRCC4-like factor) work together to ligate the DNA ends, completing the repair process.
