Answering the Call: Coping with DNA Damage at the Most Inopportune Time
DNA damage incurred during the process of chromosomal replication has a particularly high possibility of resulting in mutagenesis or lethality for the cell. The SOS response of Escherichia coli appears to be well adapted for this particular situation and involves the coordinated up-regulation of gen...
Main Authors: | , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Hindawi Limited
2002-01-01
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Series: | Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/S1110724302202016 |
Summary: | DNA damage incurred during the process of
chromosomal replication has a particularly high possibility of
resulting in mutagenesis or lethality for the cell. The SOS
response of Escherichia coli appears to be well adapted
for this particular situation and involves the coordinated
up-regulation of genes whose products center upon the tasks of
maintaining the integrity of the replication fork when it
encounters DNA damage, delaying the replication process (a DNA
damage checkpoint), repairing the DNA lesions or allowing
replication to occur over these DNA lesions, and then restoring
processive replication before the SOS response itself is
turned off. Recent advances in the fields of genomics and
biochemistry has given a much more comprehensive picture of the
timing and coordination of events which allow cells to deal with
potentially lethal or mutagenic DNA lesions at the time of
chromosomal replication. |
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ISSN: | 1110-7243 1110-7251 |