6.3 DNA Damage from the Environment Flashcards
What are mutagens?
agents that have the potential to damage DNA and induce mutations
What are some mutagens?
UV light
cosmic rays
fungal toxins
pollution
chemicals
How do chemicals normally damage DNA?
reversibly integrating themselves into the nucleotide chain
What are base analogs?
mutagenic chemicals that can substitute themselves into the growing nucleotide chain in place of normal purines or pyramidines
What are alkylating agents?
chemicals that induce mismatched base pairings
What is an example of an alkylating agents?
mustard gas
How do alkylating agents work?
donate an alkyl group to the amino or keto groups in nucleotides
What are intercalating agents?
chemicals that can wedge themselves in between base pairs in DNA
What do intercalating agents cause?
cause the DNA to distort and unwind affecting replication and translation and causing large deletions and insertions
What is a common examples of an intercalating agents?
ethidium bromide
What is ethidium bromide used for?
used in the lab to visualize DNA during gel electrophoresis
What is one of the most dangerous chemicals in the lab?
ethidium bromide
What intercalating agents are used as chemotherapies?
doxyrubicin
dactinomycin
What are adduct forming agents?
chemicals that covalently bind to DNA to prevent DNA replication and repair
What is an example of an adduct forming agents?
acetaldehyde
