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New class of enzymes acting on damaged DNA

Abstract

ONE of the major pathways of DNA repair consists of the removal and replacement of damaged nucleotides in non-replicating DNA. In the classical excision repair model1,2, the first enzymatic step in this process is the introduction of a single-strand break in the DNA adjacent to a defective nucleotide residue. Endonucleases that specifically attack DNA containing pyrimidine dinners2 or apurinic sites3–5 have subsequently been isolated from many types of cells, and enzymes of these two types have been shown to be active in DNA repair in Escherichia coli by the isolation of repair-deficient mutant strains with defective endo-nucleases6,7.

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LINDAHL, T. New class of enzymes acting on damaged DNA. Nature 259, 64–66 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/259064a0

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