DNA Mismatch Repair in Replication

DNA mismatch repair fixes copying errors that happen during DNA replication. When DNA polymerase makes a mistake, the cell can detect a wrong base pair, such as A with G or T with C, and replace it with the correct nucleotide. This repair system works in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes and depends on several proteins.

Following proofreading, errors in DNA replication like pairing adenine with cytosine can persist and maybe fixed through a mechanism called mismatch repair.

In this process, mispaired bases are identified due to their abnormal structure by a mismatch repair protein, such as MutS. Other mismatch repair proteins like MutL then identify the...