CDK-mediated Yku80 Phosphorylation Regulates the Balance Between Non-homologous End Joining (NHEJ) and Homologous Directed Recombination (HDR)

•Cells coordinate DNA double strand break repair strategy with cell cycle phase.•The CDK Pho85 regulates the choice of the repair system by phosphorylating Yku80.•Pho85 inhibits non homologous end joining (NHEJ) during the G2 phase of the cell cycle.•The inhibition of NHEJ enhances homologous recombination during G2 phase.•This mechanism is conserved in mammalian cells.