Double‐strand breakage in the extrachromosomal double minutes triggers their aggregation in the nucleus, micronucleation, and morphological transformation

Gene amplification plays a pivotal role in malignant transformation. Amplified genes often reside on extrachromosomal double minutes (DMs). Low‐dose hydroxyurea induces DM aggregation in the nucleus which, in turn, generates micronuclei composed of DMs. Low‐dose hydroxyurea also induces random double‐strand breakage throughout the nucleus. In the present study, we found that double‐strand breakage in DMs is sufficient for induction of DM...