DNA Repair: Mechanisms and Measurements

Abstract

The early findings that significant amounts of modifications are induced to the cellular DNA both spontaneously and as a consequence of metabolism and environmental exposures have led to the discovery of the existence of multiple highly efficient repair mechanisms to maintain the integrity of DNA.

There is increasing evidence of considerable variation between individuals with regard to activity of DNA repair mechanisms and there are examples of diseases that have deficiencies in DNA repair as a risk factor. It is anticipated that detailed understanding of the DNA repair mechanisms will lead to insights for prevention of diseases, for diagnosis, into resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, and for development of therapeutic tools. DNA repair is also considered to be an important factor in aging.

This chapter briefly summarizes the known DNA repair pathways and reviews the approaches for clarifying and measuring DNA repair in vivo and in vitro.