Dna Damage Repair
Dna Damage Repair - Related Videos
10:28
Imaging Mismatch Repair and Cellular Responses to DNA Damage in Bacillus subtilis
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Cited by 8 •
2010
A detailed protocol is described for imaging the real time formation of DNA repair complexes in Bacillus subtilis cells.
02:25
Overview of DNA Repair
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2020
In order to be passed through generations, genomic DNA must be undamaged and error-free. However, every day, DNA in a cell undergoes several thousand to a million damaging events by natural causes and external factors. Ionizing radiation such as UV rays, free radicals produced during cellular respiration, and hydrolytic damage from metabolic reactions can alter the structure of DNA. Damages caused include single-base alteration, base dimerization, chain breaks, and cross-linkage. Chemically...
11:24
Measuring DNA Damage and Repair in Mouse Splenocytes After Chronic In Vivo Exposure to Very Low Doses of Beta- and Gamma-Radiation
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Cited by 3 •
2015
A protocol to evaluate changes in DNA damage levels and DNA repair capacity that may be induced by chronic in vivo low dose irradiation in mouse spleen lymphocytes, by measuring phosphorylated histone H2AX, a marker of DNA double-strand breaks, using flow cytometry is presented.
10:00
Assaying DNA Damage in Hippocampal Neurons Using the Comet Assay
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Cited by 21 •
2012
The comet assay is an efficient way of detecting single- and double-strand breaks, including alkali-labile sites and DNA-DNA/DNA-protein cross-links on the DNA in all cells including hippocampal neurons. The method takes advantage of the differential migration of DNA in an electric field due to differences in amount of DNA damage.
04:09
Assessing DNA Damage Foci: To Identify Radiation-Induced DNA Damage Foci in Cancer Cell Line Using Immunofluorescence Staining
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2023
This video describes a protocol to detect radiation-induced DNA repair foci in the colon cancer cell lines using immunofluorescence staining. DNA repair proteins get activated at the DNA damage site; therefore, we can detect them using specific antibodies and visualize them under a fluorescence microscope.
FAQs
Pathway selection depends on the structural nature of the DNA alteration. Base excision repair addresses damaged individual bases, whereas nucleotide excision repair removes lesions that create bulky distortions in the DNA structure. Mismatch repair focuses on errors introduced during replication. This lesion-specific organization allows cells to correct chemically and structurally distinct problems rather than relying on one general repair reaction.
A double-strand break disrupts both DNA strands, so repair must reconnect the broken molecule or restore the missing information. Nonhomologous end joining reassembles the broken ends, while homologous recombination can provide a more accurate restoration. The choice between these strategies affects how faithfully genetic information is recovered and therefore has consequences for genome stability.
Environmental stress can increase alterations in DNA, challenging the accuracy and continuity of genetic information. Repair pathways detect these changes and remove or restore affected regions before damage contributes to harmful mutations. Their activity helps cells survive stressful conditions while preserving genome stability, linking molecular repair events with the broader biological maintenance of viable, genetically consistent cells.
A study generally distinguishes the lesion or replication problem, identifies the pathway expected to address it, and examines whether the altered DNA is removed, corrected, rejoined, or accurately restored. Researchers can then relate the repair outcome to genome stability, cell survival, or mutation risk. This framework organizes investigations across base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair, mismatch repair, and double-strand-break repair.
Researchers investigate these pathways because defective DNA maintenance can allow harmful mutations to accumulate and contribute to cancer development. Studying repair failures helps connect a tumor’s biological behavior with its ability to preserve genetic information. Repair mechanisms also provide therapeutic research opportunities, particularly when strategies are designed to target tumor cells that already have defective DNA maintenance.
Inherited defects in repair pathways can reveal which mechanisms are necessary for maintaining genome stability in living cells. Biology research uses these disorders to connect a particular repair failure with cellular vulnerability, mutation risk, or impaired survival under stress. Comparing affected and functional pathways also clarifies how cells preserve genetic information during replication and after DNA damage.