CRY1 and cancer: The elevated CRY1 protein is subsequently stabilized following DNA damage, enabling it to regulate transcriptional programs critical for cell cycle progression, including the G2/M transition, while also coordinating homologous recombination (HR) by directly binding to and activating key HR repair factors such as ATM and RAD51 in a sequential manner, thereby ensuring efficient DNA repair and supporting cancer cell survival beside its canonical circadian function [152].