4. •
The damage in the DNA is one
of the main causes of many
pathologies such as cancer
and xeroderma pigmentosum,
it is for this reason, that
Molecular Biology, and other
fields
of
Medicine,
have
focused on the study of the
mechanisms of reparation that
the DNA has, such as:
1. Nucleotide excision.
2. Nitrougenous
basis
excision.
3. Recombination repair.
4. Repair of mismatches
5. •
The RNA polymerase that it
´s attached to the faulty
DNA strand, can be pulled
backwards by an enzyme
in E. Colli, named Uvrd (the
human analog it´s called
XPB).
•
Scienteifics from Ney York
University, have found that
this
interaction,
may
benefit
the
excision
reparation of the DNA.
6. •
The recoil of the RNA
polymerase,
exposes
damaged DNA, that was
covered by the enzyme;
this
movement
makes
more accesible the faulty
section of the strand to the
excision repair enzymes.
7. •
The team from NYU, with
some help from a Russian
team, used biochemical
and genetic experiments,
to prove that UvrD, it´s
somehow linked to RNA
polymerase, and that this
interaction, is essential in
DNA reparation.
•
They also pointed that a
elongation factor NusA
works and cooperates with
UvrD.
8. •
The authors, believed that if
this mechanisms could be
done in a more smooth
process, then, there would
be less aging, cancer, and
many other pathologies.
•
The study also proposed that
the main role of the RNA
polymerase
is not the
transcription of the DNA,
because it would be a waste
of energy to carry out such a
complex and long process to
synthesize such a small
molecule (RNA), they think
that the major role of RNA
polymerase it´s to protect the
DNA from any kind of
damage.
9. •
I belive that the RNA polymerase plays an
essential role in the preservation of the
structure of the DNA molecule, and that we
must study this enzyme more, because it could
lead to a better understanding of DNA
damage, and maybe it would help us find
new ways to repair it.
10. •
DNA can be damaged by
a number of factors, such
as radiation, carbonized
material, ultraviolet sunlight
among others.
•
The cell performs a series of
complicated processes to
repair the damages on the
DNA molecule, this
processes involves a repair
protein, called ATM.
11. •
•
A defective ATM, leads
to higher risk of cancer.
A protein called TCTP
(Translationally
controlled
tumor
protein), regulates the
function of ATM, a KAIST
research team found
the mechanism of this
regulation, proving that
TCTP can cambine with
ATM and increases it´s
catalytic activity.
12. •
In
the
study,
the
research team used a
widely used organism in
Molecular Biology and
genetics around the
world,
called,
Drosophilia
melanogaster, to prove
the role of ATM and
TCTP on the reparation
process of the DNA.
13. •
The study concluded,
that ATM, plays a major
role in the reparation on
portions of the DNA that
have been damaged by
radiation, they proved
that when the gene
expressions of TCTP and
ATM are low, an eye
exposed to radiation
would develop large
defects.
14. •
Radiation is one of the major
problems that right now our
planet faces, and reducing
the radiation levels in our
atmosphere
it´s
almost
imposible, so we need to
focus on how we are going to
protect our genetic material
from this type of energy, the
first step, i think, is to identify
the mutations that might
happen to our genome that
may
affect
our
repair
mechanisms against radiation
(for example ATM protein).
15. •
If we could find a way to
interact with
the XPB
protein, and making it
more effective, as well as
interact
with
RNA
polymerase
and
understand it´s role in DNA
reparation,
we
could
reduce
the
levels
of
mutation and damage to
the DNA, accordingly we
could
reduce
the
incidence level of diseases
like for example cancer.
16. •
Thats why i think, we should study the
RNA polymerase with more attention,
because we might be missing
something in the role that this enzyme
plays in the reparation of the DNA.
17. •
As doctors we cannot
make a major change in
how our world manages
the current radiation levels,
what we can do is study
mechanisms to reapir the
damage that this rays
make to our genetic
material,
for
example,
using genetic therapy to
increase the expression of
the gene that encodes the
ATM protein to improve the
reparation
process
of
damages
caused
by
radiation.
18. That´s not the only
application that this
study has, another
thing that can be
done,
it´s
finding
ways to diagnose a
mutation on the gene
that encodes either
ATM o TCTP protein,
to be able work on
the risk. that people
might
have,
to
develop a series of
diseases.
19. •
New York University´s Langone Medical Center. (2014,
January 9). Enzyme reverses transcription machinery to
aid DNA repair. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology
news (GEN). Retrieved January 24, 2014 from
http://www.genengnews.com/gen-newshighlights/enzyme-reverses-stalled-transcriptionmachinery-to-aid-dna-repair/81249345/
•
KAIST Department of Biological Science´s. (2014,
January 7). Mechanism of damaged DNA mutation
identified. MedicalXpress. Retrieves January 24, 2014
from http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-01mechanism-dna-mutation.html
