DNA repair

DNA repair is a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. In human cells, both normal metabolic activities and environmental factors such as UV light and radiation can cause DNA damage, resulting in as many as 1 million individual molecular lesions per cell per day. Many of these lesions cause structural damage to the DNA molecule and can alter or eliminate the cell's ability to transcribe the gene that the affected DNA encodes. Other lesions induce potentially harmful mutations in the cell's genome, which affect the survival of its daughter cells after it undergoes mitosis. As a consequence, the DNA repair process is constantly active as it responds to damage in the DNA structure. When normal repair processes fail, and when cellular apoptosis does not occur, irreparable DNA damage may occur, including double-strand breaks and DNA crosslinkages (interstrand crosslinks or ICLs).

The rate of DNA repair is dependent on many factors, including the cell type, the age of the cell, and the extracellular environment. A cell that has accumulated a large amount of DNA damage, or one that no longer effectively repairs damage incurred to its DNA, can enter one of three possible states:

DNA Repair (journal)

DNA Repair is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers cellular responses to DNA damage. Published monthly since January 2002 by Elsevier, with Errol Friedberg as editor in chief, the journal publishes original research papers, short reviews, and book reviews concerning DNA repair, cell cycle regulation, cell death, and other biological responses to genetic damage.

According to the Journal Citation Reports, its 2014 impact factor is 3.111, ranking it 26th out of 87 journals in the category Toxicology and 62nd out of 167 journals in the category Genetics & Heredity.

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