Conservation and Divergence in Nucleotide Excision Repair Lesion Recognition

Prokaryotic nucleotide excision repair.

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) has allowed bacteria to flourish in many different niches around the globe that inflict harsh environmental damage to their genetic material. NER is remarkable because of its diverse substrate repertoire, which differs greatly in chemical composition and structure. Recent advances in structural biology and single-molecule studies have given great insight into th...

SnapShot: Nucleotide Excision Repair

Nucleotide Excision Repair and Cancer

Cancer ranks as one of the most frequent causes of death worldwide and in Western society it is competing with cardiovascular disease as the number one killer. This high frequency in Western countries can be attributed to lifestyle and environmental factors, only 5-10% of all cancers are directly due to heredity. Common environmental factors leading to cancer include: tobacco (25-30%), diet and...

DNA Damage Recognition for Mammalian Global Genome Nucleotide Excision Repair

As a blueprint for genetic information, the structural and functional integrity of DNA must be maintained during cell division and gamete formation. However, this fundamental principle is threatened continuously by the vulnerability of DNA itself and/or by assaults from endogenously produced agents, such as reactive oxygen species and other metabolites, as well as various environmental agents i...

Base excision and nucleotide excision repair pathways in mycobacteria.

About a third of the human population is estimated to be infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacterium displays an excellent adaptability to survive within the host macrophages. As the reactive environment of macrophages is capable of inducing DNA damage, the ability of the pathogen to safeguard its DNA against the damage is of paramount significance for its survival within the host. ...