How are base excision DNA repair pathways deployed in vivo? [version 1; referees: 4 approved]

• Main Authors: Upasna Thapar, Bruce Demple
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: F1000 Research Ltd 2017-03-01
• Series: F1000Research
• Subjects: Chemical Biology of the Cell; Control of Gene Expression; Experimental Biophysical Methods; Nuclear Structure & Function; Structure: Replication & Repair
• Online Access: https://f1000research.com/articles/6-279/v1
• ISSN: 2046-1402

Since the discovery of the base excision repair (BER) system for DNA more than 40 years ago, new branches of the pathway have been revealed at the biochemical level by in vitro studies. Largely for technical reasons, however, the confirmation of these subpathways in vivo has been elusive. We review methods that have been used to explore BER in mammalian cells, indicate where there are important knowledge gaps to fill, and suggest a way to address them.