Fig. 3.

Consequences of MN formation. Micronuclei are formed at the binucleated cell stage as a result of (A) mis-repair of DNA breaks leading to nucleoplasmic bridge and acentric chromosome fragment, (B) mal-segregation of a whole chromosome, (C) lagging acentric chromosome fragment as a result of unrepaired DNA breaks. (D) Mononuclear cell with a micronucleus after completion of cytokinesis. (E) Shattering of chromosome trapped in micronucleus and disruption of nuclear envelope of micronucleus. (F) leakage of DNA from micronucleus leading to activation of cGAS-STING and induction of inflammatory cytokines. (G) Integration of pulverised chromosome within main nucleus and error-prone repair by non-homologous end joining resulting in a greatly rearranged mutant chromosome. Figure was reproduced from Genes (Basel). 2020;11(10):1203. doi: 10.3390/genes11101203, which was published by one of the authors (M. Fenech) who retains copyright under an open access Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license with permission from MDPI.