The biological
information that makes us unique is encoded in our DNA. DNA damage is a natural
biological occurrence that happens every time cells divide and multiply.
External factors such as overexposure to sunlight can also damage DNA.
Michael
Feig, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Michigan State
University, studies the proteins MutS and MSH2-MSH6, which recognize defective
DNA and initiate DNA repair. Natural DNA repair occurs when proteins like MutS
(the primary protein responsible for recognizing a variety of DNA mismatches)
scan the DNA, identify a defect, and recruit other enzymes to carry out the
actual repair.
“The key
here is to understand how these defects are recognized,” Feig explained. “DNA
damage occurs frequently and if you couldn’t repair your DNA, then you won’t
live for very long.” This is because damaged DNA, if left unrepaired, can
compromise cells and lead to diseases such as cancer.
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jp403127a
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