DNA Damage Lecture 8 - Cancer Biology

A collection of vocabulary flashcards focused on key concepts related to DNA damage and its implications in cancer biology.

Agent

An entity that causes DNA damage.

Lesion

A generic term for DNA damage.

Adduct

A type of lesion, an addition to the DNA.

Mutation

A change in the DNA sequence.

Spontaneous DNA damage

DNA damage that occurs naturally without external agents.

Deamination

A process where an NH2 group is lost from DNA, leading to potential mutations.

Depurination

The hydrolysis of the glycosylic bond resulting in an abasic site.

Oxidative damage

DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species.

DS breaks

Double-strand breaks in DNA that can be caused by radiation or other factors.

Alkylation

Chemical modification of DNA that can lead to mutations.

Oxidative damage from radiation

Damage caused by ionizing radiation, producing free radicals that affect DNA.

Bulky adducts

Large DNA modifications that can hinder DNA replication and repair.

Cyclobutane dimer

A type of UV light-induced DNA damage where two adjacent thymine bases bond incorrectly.

Law of Radiosensitivity

A principle stating that the radiosensitivity of tissue is proportional to mitotic activity and inversely proportional to differentiation.

Point mutation

A mutation resulting from a single base change in the DNA.

Transition mutation

A change from one purine to another purine or one pyrimidine to another pyrimidine.

Transversion mutation

A mutation resulting from a purine changing to a pyrimidine or vice versa.

Missense mutation

A mutation that results in a change in an amino acid sequence.

Nonsense mutation

A mutation that introduces a premature stop codon in the protein sequence.

Frameshift mutation

Changes in the coding sequence caused by insertion or deletion of bases.

Proofreading mechanisms

Errors in DNA replication are minimized by intrinsic error-checking processes.

8-oxo-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG)

An oxidized form of guanine that results from oxidative stress and can lead to mutations.

Abasic site

A location in DNA that has lost a base, often due to depurination or oxidative damage.