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DNA repair systems

Guardians of the genome

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Abstract

The 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded jointly to Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar to honour their accomplishments in the field of DNA repair. Ever since the discovery of DNA structure and their importance in the storage of genetic information, questions about their stability became pertinent. A molecule which is crucial for the development and propagation of an organism must be closely monitored so that the genetic information is not corrupted. Thanks to the pioneering research work of Lindahl, Sancar, Modrich and their colleagues, we now have an holistic awareness of how DNA damage occurs and how the damage is rectified in bacteria as well as in higher organisms including human beings. A comprehensive understanding of DNA repair has proven crucial in the fight against cancer and other debilitating diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560 012, India

    D. N. Rao & Yedu Prasad

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  1. D. N. Rao
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  2. Yedu Prasad
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Correspondence to Yedu Prasad.

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D N Rao is a professor at the Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. His research work primarily focuses on DNA interacting proteins in prokaryotes. This includes restriction-modification systems, DNA repair proteins from pathogenic bacteria and and proteins involved in horizontal gene transfer and DNA recombination. Yedu Prasad is a graduate student working on his PhD under the guidance of D N Rao. His thesis work looks into the kinetic mechanism of a novel, phase-variable adenine methyltransferase from H. pylori. He is also working on unraveling the possible roles of this adenine methyltransferase in the physiology and pathogenesis of H. pylori.

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Rao, D.N., Prasad, Y. DNA repair systems. Reson 21, 925–936 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-016-0401-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-016-0401-x

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