DNA repair refers to a collection of processes by which a
cell identifies and corrects damage to the
DNA molecules that encode its
genome. In human cells, both normal
metabolic activities and environmental factors such as
UV light can cause DNA damage, resulting in as many as 1 million individual
molecular lesions per cell per day. Many of these lesions cause structural damage to the DNA molecule and can alter or eliminate the cell's ability to
transcribe the
gene that the affected DNA encodes. Other lesions induce potentially harmful
mutations in the cell's genome, which affect the survival of its daughter cells after it undergoes
mitosis. Consequently, the DNA repair process must be constantly active so it can respond rapidly to any damage in the DNA structure.
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The cell has a series of special enzymes to repair mutations (changes) in the DNA and restore the DNA to its original state.
Restoration of the correct nucleotide sequence of a DNA molecule that has acquired a mutation or modification. It includes proofreading by DNA polymerase (see helicase).
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