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Review Article
* These authors contributed equally
DNA damage repair efficiency assays can be broadly categorized into three groups: cell-based functional assays, in vitro biochemical assays, and molecular marker assays. These approaches enable qualitative or quantitative evaluation of repair efficiency across multiple DNA damage repair pathways.
Cellular genomic DNA is continuously exposed to endogenous and exogenous factors that induce various forms of DNA damage. In mammalian cells, the daily burden of DNA damage may reach 104–105 lesions per cell. DNA damage that persists into the S phase can lead to mutations. When such mutations occur in oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, or genes involved in cell proliferation, they may promote cellular transformation and carcinogenesis. Therefore, DNA damage repair plays a critical role in maintaining genomic stability and preventing cancer development. Assessment of DNA repair capacity is best achieved by measuring the functional activity of DNA repair systems. DNA damage repair pathways and their repair efficiencies are highly relevant to chemotherapeutic drug development, gene function validation, and cancer therapy. Accordingly, investigation of the repair efficiency of individual DNA damage repair pathways has important theoretical and practical significance. This review summarizes the major DNA damage repair pathways, methods used to assess repair efficiency, and the advantages and limitations of these approaches.
The DNA damage repair system is a critical cellular defense mechanism that maintains genomic stability by reducing mutation frequency and suppressing carcinogenesis1. Different types of DNA damage are repaired through distinct but interconnected repair pathways2. For example, base mismatches generated during DNA replication are corrected through mismatch repair (MMR), whereas chemically modified bases, such as alkylated bases, are primarily repaired through base excision repair (BER)3. Ultraviolet (UV)-induced 6-4 photoproducts and bulky nucleotide adducts generated by certain chemical agents are ....
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1. Direct repair (DR)
Direct repair (DR) is the simplest form of DNA repair and refers to the direct restoration of damaged DNA without removal of bases or nucleotides7. DR primarily repairs two major types of DNA lesions. The first is cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) damage induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In many organisms, photolyase recognizes and binds pyrimidine dimers. Upon exposure to visible light, photolyase becomes activated, directly reverses DNA damage, and then dissociates from the DNA molecule. This photoreactivation mechanism is particularly important in plants and lower organis....
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Accurate detection and quantitative analysis of DNA damage repair processes are essential for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying DNA repair, evaluating the biological effects of environmental exposures, and assessing therapeutic responses78. Therefore, in-depth investigation of DNA damage repair pathways and repair efficiency has substantial significance in both basic research and clinical applications79.
Numerous studies have demo.......
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The authors declare no competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this study.
This work was supported by the Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Development and Translation of Key Technologies for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control; the Jiangsu Higher Education Institution Innovative Research Team for Science and Technology (2021); the Program of Jiangsu Vocational College Engineering Technology Research Center (2023); the Natural Science Key Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China (Grant No. 24KJA310008); the Key Program of Suzhou Vocational Health College (Grant No. szwzy202406); and the State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Soochow University (Grant No. GZK1202506).
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