To examine determinants of fidelity in DNA end joining, a substrate containing a model of a staggered free radical-mediated double-strand break, with cohesive phosphoglycolate-terminated 3'-overhangs and a one-base gap in each strand, was constructed. In extracts of Xenopus eggs, human lymphoblastoid cells, hamster CHO-K1 cells, and a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) derivative lacking the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs), the predominant end joining product was that corresponding to accurate restoration of the original sequence. In extracts of the Ku-deficient CHO derivative xrs6, a shorter product, consistent with 3' --> 5' resection before ligation, was formed. Similar results were seen for a substrate with 5'-overhangs and recessed 3'-phosphoglycolate ends. Supplementation of the xrs6 extracts with purified Ku restored accurate end joining. In Xenopus and human extracts, but not in hamster extracts, gap filling and ligation were blocked by wortmannin, consistent with a requirement for DNA-PKcs activity. The results suggest a Ku-dependent pathway, regulated by DNA-PKcs, that can accurately restore the original DNA sequence at sites of free radical-mediated double-strand breaks, by protecting DNA termini from degradation and maintaining the alignment of short partial complementarities during gap filling and ligation.