DNA Damage and Repair

This lecture covers the different types of DNA damage, including replication errors, reactive oxygen species, ionizing radiation, and chemotherapeutics. It explains repair mechanisms such as mismatch repair, base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair, non-homologous end joining, and homology-directed repair. The importance of proofreading by DNA polymerase and the high-fidelity DNA synthesis process are also discussed. Additionally, the lecture delves into the impact of UV-induced DNA damage, survival curves, and the nucleotide excision repair process. It highlights the consequences of NER deficiency in humans, particularly in skin cancer. The role of tumor suppressor genes, apoptosis, and the prevention of cancer through DNA repair mechanisms are also explored.