title: DNA damage and repair: from molecular mechanisms to health implications.
abstract: DNA is subjected to several modifications, resulting from endogenous and exogenous sources. The cell has developed a network of complementary DNA-repair mechanisms, and in the human genome, >130 genes have been found to be involved. Knowledge about the basic mechanisms for DNA repair has revealed an unexpected complexity, with overlapping specificity within the same pathway, as well as extensive functional interactions between proteins involved in repair pathways. Unrepaired or improperly repaired DNA lesions have serious potential consequences for the cell, leading to genomic instability and deregulation of cellular functions. A number of disorders or syndromes, including several cancer predispositions and accelerated aging, are linked to an inherited defect in one of the DNA-repair pathways. Genomic instability, a characteristic of most human malignancies, can also arise from acquired defects in DNA repair, and the specific pathway affected is predictive of types of mutations, tumor drug sensitivity, and treatment outcome. Although DNA repair has received little attention as a determinant of drug sensitivity, emerging knowledge of mutations and polymorphisms in key human DNA-repair genes may provide a rational basis for improved strategies for therapeutic interventions on a number of tumors and degenerative disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Sciences, A. Rossi Fanelli, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. fabio.altieri@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Altieri
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grillo
authors.forename: Manola
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maceroni
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chichiarelli
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D020137:Base Pair Mismatch; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D049914:DNA Repair-Deficiency Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015394:Molecular Structure
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D005609:Free Radicals; D004247:DNA; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes