DNA repair Flashcards
Why is DNA repaired?
DNA is the only macromolecule that is repaired. A diploid cell has only two copies of each genomic DNA but hundreds to thousands of copies of each RNA and protein molecules. Damaged proteins and RNAs can be quickly disposed and replaced using the information encoded in the DNA, but DNA molecules themselves are irreplaceable. Maintaining the integrity of the information in DNA is a cellular imperative, supported by elaborate DNA repair systems, with over 100 genes required for DNA repair in very small genomes, and many more in humans.
Mutations
Changes in DNA molecules can cause mutations. After replication, these changes result in a permanent alteration of the base sequences in the daughter DNA. Cancer and many human diseases are the consequence of mutation due to DNA damage and inadequate DNA repair. Mutations can also be advantageous, as they are responsible for evolution and allelic variation or polymorphisms in a population that makes us each unique. If mutations occur in the germline, they can be inherited by the offspring.
Change-causing mutations include:
1)Uncorrected errors made during DNA replication and 2) Damage that occurs to replicating or nonreplicating DNA, such as oxidative damage caused by products of normal metabolic activity of the cell, cleavage of a DNA strand caused by radiation and chemicals, chemical alterations to the base (e.g. alkylation), loss of a base (depurination / depyrimidination), loss of an amine group of the base (deamination), sunlight induced thymine-dimers.
what is the product of the deamination of C ?
yields a U, if the U is not replaced with a C via DNA repair, then during DNA replication an A will be incorporated opposite the U, and the U will then be replaced with a T. The end result is mutating a CG base pair permanently to a TA base pair.
How do mutations lead to cancer?
A key example of the profound importance of DNA repair is seen in cancer. If DNA damage is not properly repaired, the result is mutations. If mutations occur in genes encoding components of the DNA repair machineries or DNA damage sensing and signaling pathways the result is more mutations and genomic instability - accumulation of changes to the DNA. If there are mutations in these pathways such that the cell cannot kill itself or stop dividing however, the result is increased risk of developing cancer. Clearly DNA damage and repair is essential for keeping cancer in check. clinicians will also use DNA damage, via radiation therapy and chemotherapy, to treat cancer patients - by killing the cancer cells.
point mutations
substitution of one base for another
insertions mutations
addition of one or more nucleotides within a DNA sequence
deletions mutations
removal of one or more nucleotides from a DNA sequence
Spontaneous base loss
includes depurination and depyrimidination
Spontaneous deamination of cytosine
the hydrolysis reaction of cytosine into uracil (a point mutation), releasing ammonia in the process. This is corrected for by the removal of uracil base excision repair
Spontaneous deamination of 5-methylcytosine
results in thymine and ammonia. This is corrected for by the removal of thymine base excision repair
Deamination of guanine
results in the formation of xanthine. Xanthine, in a manner analogous to the enol tautomer of guanine, selectively base pairs with thymine instead of cytosine. This results in a post-replicative transition mutation, where the original G-C base pair transforms into an A-T base pair. Correction of this mutation involves the use of base excision repair
thymidine dimers
A pair of abnormally chemically bonded adjacent thymine bases in DNA, resulting from damage by ultra-violet irradiation. dimers interfere with base pairing during DNA replication, leading to mutations. Can be repaired with direct reversal, nucleotide excision repair,
Base alkylation
the addition of alkyl (methyl, ethyl, occasionally propyl) groups to the bases or backbone of DNA. Alkylation can occur through reaction of compounds such as S-adenosyl methionine with DNA. Alkylated bases may be subject to spontaneous breakdown or mispairing (a point mutation). Repaired with direct reversal, base excision repair, and mismatch repair
Base oxidation
Oxidative damages to bases are caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are generated during cell metabolism. the process of oxidative damage on Deoxyribonucleic Acid. It occurs most readily at guanine residues due to the high oxidation potential of this base relative to cytosine, thymine, and adenine (e.g. guanine-> 8oxoG). It is widely believed to be linked to certain disease and cancers. It blocks DNA replication and is bypassed by regular polymerase and mispairs with A. Repaired with base excision repair and mismatch repair
8-Oxo-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG)
an oxidized derivative of deoxyguanosine. 8-oxo-dG is one of the major products of DNA oxidation. Concentrations of 8-oxo-dG within a cell are a measurement of oxidative stress.
What can cause bulges in DNA?
insertion/ deletion of nucleotides, bulky chemical adducts, replication errors (mismatch), intra/ inter-strand crossslinks, they interfere with replication and transcription
insertion/deletion of nucleotides
a molecular biology term for the insertion or the deletion of bases in the DNA of an organism. Repaired by nucleotide excision repair
bulky chemical adducts
When a chemical binds to DNA, the DNA becomes damaged, and proper and complete replication cannot occur to make the normal intended cell. This could be the start of a mutation, or mutagenesis, and, without proper DNA repair (DNA repair happens naturally under normal circumstances), this can lead to carcinogenesis, the beginnings of cancer. Can be repaired by nucleotide excision repair
replication errors (mismatch)
repaired with mismatch repair
intra/ inter- strand crosslinks
crosslinking of DNA occurs when various exogenous or endogenous agents react with two different positions in the DNA. This can either occur in the same strand (intrastrand crosslink) or in the opposite strands of the DNA (interstrand crosslink). Crosslinks also occur between DNA and protein. DNA replication is blocked by crosslinks, which causes replication arrest and cell death if the crosslink is not repaired. Repaired with nucleotide excision repair, and single strand base repair
DNA strand breaks
both strands in the double helix are severed, are particularly hazardous to the cell because they can lead to genome rearrangements. Repaired with direct reversal, single and double strand break repair
Stalled DNA replication fork
Some chemicals can cause RF-stalling DNA damage that leads to diseases such as cancer. Can be repaired with double strand break repair
Benzo(a)pyrene
found in coal tar with the formula C20H12. Its metabolites are mutagenic and highly carcinogenic (BPDE) BPDE adduct causes insertion of A opposite of G by DNA polymerase. This disrupts the normal process of copying DNA and induces mutations, which explains the occurrence of cancer after exposure. Changes GC to TA
O6-meG
produced with base alkylation of G causing mismatch with T which is then matched with A causing a point mutation
Direct reversal of the damage
Reversal of a specific type of single-stranded DNA break by DNA ligase. Reversal of UV-caused base damage (T-T T-C dimers) by photolyase. Reversal of base alkylation by O6-meG methyltransferase (MGMT).
O6-alkylguanine DNA alkyltransferase (MGMT)
It repairs the naturally occurring mutagenic DNA lesion O6-methylguanine back to guanine and prevents mismatch and errors during DNA replication and transcription by removing the methyl group from O6-methylguanine . loss of MGMT increases the carcinogenic risk in mice after exposure to alkylating agents. It is evolutionarily conserved
and a classical example of “direct reversal” type of DNA repair. Tumor-associated mutations in MGMT reduces its DNA repair activity. MGMT is silenced via promoter methylation in ~45% of human glioblastomas.