Cells employ two primary mechanisms to repair DSBs: Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ) and Homologous Recombination (HR). NHEJ is a quicker but more error-prone process, directly ligating the broken DNA ends together, which can lead to mutations if the ends are not perfectly aligned. HR, on the other hand, is a slower but more accurate method that uses a sister chromatid as a template for repair. The balance and choice between these pathways are crucial for maintaining genomic stability.
