What are the three major types of damage that occur to DNA?
DNA bases can be damaged by: (1) oxidative processes, (2) alkylation of bases, (3) base loss caused by the hydrolysis of bases, (4) bulky adduct formation, (5) DNA crosslinking, and (6) DNA strand breaks, including single and double stranded breaks. An overview of these types of damage are described below.
What causes DNA damage in humans?
The chemical events that lead to DNA damage include hydrolysis, exposure to reactive oxygen substances (ROS) and other reactive metabolites. These reactions are triggered by exposure to exogenous chemicals or they can result from metabolic, endogenous processes.
What repairs DNA when it is damaged?
At least five major DNA repair pathways—base excision repair (BER), nucleotide excision repair (NER), mismatch repair (MMR), homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ)—are active throughout different stages of the cell cycle, allowing the cells to repair the DNA damage.
What is the most common DNA damage?
Single-strand breaks (SSBs) result from disruption of the phosphodiester bond between two adjacent deoxyribose residues in the backbone of DNA. SSBs are among the most common instances of DNA damage. Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are less common in living cells, and their presence is generally not tolerated.
How is DNA altered?
An insertion changes the DNA sequence by adding one or more nucleotides to the gene. As a result, the protein made from the gene may not function properly. A deletion changes the DNA sequence by removing at least one nucleotide in a gene.
How can I heal my DNA?
Regular physical exercise increases antioxidant capacity, protects DNA and reduces the effects of age-related declines in DNA repair. In one study, 16 weeks of physical exercise dramatically increased antioxidant activity, decreased DNA strand breaks and promoted DNA repair.
How can you prevent DNA damage?
Does alcohol cause DNA damage?
When alcohol is metabolized, acetaldehyde is formed. Acetaldehyde, a highly reactive, DNA-damaging metabolite, causes interstrand crosslinking (ICL) in DNA—a dangerous kind of DNA damage. As a result, it obstructs cell division and protein production.
What foods help repair DNA?
One food shown to repair DNA is carrots. They are rich in carotenoids, which are powerhouses of antioxidant activity. A study that had participants eating 2.5 cups of carrots per day for three weeks found, at the end, the subjects’ blood showed an increase in DNA repair activity.
How can you detect DNA damage?
Breaks in DNA reduce the molecular weight of a single DNA strand, and this may be caused by physical, chemical or enzymatic reagents (6). DNA breaks and lesions may be detected by PCR or using agarose gel electrophoresis (7). PCR is one of the most frequently used techniques for detecting DNA damage (7).
What chemicals can alter your DNA?
In-vitro, animal, and human investigations have identified several classes of environmental chemicals that modify epigenetic marks, including metals (cadmium, arsenic, nickel, chromium, methylmercury), peroxisome proliferators (trichloroethylene, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid), air pollutants (particulate …
How can I repair my DNA?
Most damage to DNA is repaired by removal of the damaged bases followed by resynthesis of the excised region. Some lesions in DNA, however, can be repaired by direct reversal of the damage, which may be a more efficient way of dealing with specific types of DNA damage that occur frequently.
