Detection of Impaired DNA Replication and Repair in Micronuclei as Indicators of Genomic Instability and Chromothripsis.

The physical isolation of chromosomes within micronuclei offers an attractive mechanistic explanation for the local DNA fragmentation and clustered genome rearrangements that characterize chromothripsis. Localized shattering of the chromatin confined in micronuclei can be a consequence of defects in micronuclei basic general functions, such as DNA replication and repair. The detection of DNA repair and replication defects in micronuclei is described here, as well as the analysis of chromosome breakage and inaccurate reassembly of broken segments in the daughter cells, as indirect methods to detect chromothripsis.