mismatch repair
Quick Summary
Mismatch repair is a crucial DNA repair mechanism that maintains the integrity of the genetic code. Cells use this process to correct errors that occur during DNA replication or due to damage. Without effective mismatch repair, mutations can accumulate rapidly, increasing the risk of diseases like cancer.123
The process involves detecting and removing incorrect base pairs. In bacteria like E. coli, this system is guided by methyl groups on the DNA template strand. While eukaryotes lack this methylation marking, they have comparable mismatch repair systems. Defects in these human mismatch repair genes, such as MSH2 and MLH1, are linked to hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (Lynch syndrome).234
Biochemist Paul Modrich was a key figure in discovering mismatch repair and its role in inherited colorectal cancer, earning him a share of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.4
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Paul Modrich…an American biochemist who discovered mismatch repair, a mechanism by which cells detect and correct errors that are introduced into DNA during DNA replication and cell division. Modrich was among the first to show that a common form of inherited colorectal cancer is due to defective mismatch repair. For his…
Read More…an American biochemist who discovered mismatch repair, a mechanism by which cells detect and correct errors that are introduced into DNA during DNA replication and cell division. Modrich was among the first to show that a common form of inherited colorectal cancer is due to defective mismatch repair. For his…
Read More- Bert Vogelstein
…class of cancer-causing genes, called mismatch repair (MMR) genes, whose normal function is to identify and repair defective DNA segments. Vogelstein’s research made it clear that tumours develop as a result of the sequential accumulation of mutations in proto-oncogenes, tumour-suppressor genes, and mismatch repair genes. On a practical level, his…
Read More…class of cancer-causing genes, called mismatch repair (MMR) genes, whose normal function is to identify and repair defective DNA segments. Vogelstein’s research made it clear that tumours develop as a result of the sequential accumulation of mutations in proto-oncogenes, tumour-suppressor genes, and mismatch repair genes. On a practical level, his…
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