The major human abasic endonuclease: formation, consequences and repair of abasic lesions in DNA

• Published in: Mutation research Vol. 485; no. 4; pp. 283 - 307
• Main Authors: Wilson, David M, Barsky, Daniel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 10.05.2001; Elsevier
• Subjects: Abasic DNA; abasic endonuclease; Animals; AP endonuclease; APE1; APE1 protein; Apurinic/apyrimidinic site; Base excision repair; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon-Oxygen Lyases - biosynthesis; Carbon-Oxygen Lyases - chemistry; Carbon-Oxygen Lyases - metabolism; Deoxyribonuclease IV (Phage T4-Induced); DNA Damage; DNA Repair; DNA-(Apurinic or Apyrimidinic Site) Lyase; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Mutagenesis. Repair; Protein Conformation; REF-1; REF-1 protein; Apurinic/apyrimidinic site; Abasic DNA; AP endonuclease; REF-1; APE1; Base excision repair; Excision; Enzyme; DNA-(apurinic or apyrimidinic site) lyase; DNA; Restriction endonuclease; Lyases; Molecular complex; Review; Lesion; Repair; Carbon-oxygen lyases
• ISSN: 0921-8777; 0027-5107; 1386-1476
• DOI: 10.1016/S0921-8777(01)00063-5

DNA continuously suffers the loss of its constituent bases, and thereby, a loss of potentially vital genetic information. Sites of missing bases — termed abasic or apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites — form spontaneously, through damage-induced hydrolytic base release, or by enzyme-catalyzed removal of modified or mismatched bases during base excision repair (BER). In this review, we discuss the structural and biological consequences of abasic lesions in DNA, as well as the multiple repair pathways for such damage, while emphasizing the mechanistic operation of the multi-functional human abasic endonuclease APE1 (or REF-1) and its potential relationship to disease.