8. DNA repair

Photoreactivation (PR)

A DNA repair pathway that uses photolyase to bind to DNA containing a pyrimidine dimer and splits the dimer using light energy.

Proof-reading

The process by which DNA polymerase checks for errors during DNA replication and removes mismatched nucleotides.

Mismatch repair (MMR)

A cellular process that corrects errors in DNA replication by recognizing and replacing mismatched nucleotides.

Base excision repair (BER)

A DNA repair mechanism that corrects small, non-bulky DNA lesions by removing damaged bases and replacing them with the correct nucleotide sequence.

Nucleotide excision repair (NER)

A DNA repair mechanism that removes and replaces damaged nucleotides in the DNA strand, repairing a wide range of DNA lesions.

Homologous recombination (HR)

A DNA repair process that occurs between similar or identical DNA molecules, involving the exchange of genetic material and the formation of new combinations of genes.

Single strand annealing (SSA)

A DNA repair mechanism that recombines two DNA sequences with similar but not identical sequences by aligning and annealing the single-stranded regions.

Nonhomologous DNA end joining (NHEJ)

A DNA repair mechanism that directly joins the broken ends of double-strand breaks in DNA, without requiring a homologous template.

Alternative End Joining (Alt-EJ)

A DNA repair mechanism that occurs when double-strand breaks are repaired by joining non-homologous DNA ends, leading to the loss or gain of genetic material.