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Mutations

Mutations

Mutations are changes in the sequence of DNA. These changes can occur spontaneously or they can be induced by exposure to environmental factors. Mutations can be characterized in a number of different ways: whether and how they alter the amino acid sequence of the protein, whether they occur over a small or large area of DNA, and whether they occur in somatic cells or germline cells.
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...

Mutations

Mutations

Nucleotide Excision Repair

Nucleotide Excision Repair

DNA Distortion and Damage
Cells are regularly exposed to mutagens—factors in the environment that can damage DNA and generate mutations. UV radiation is one of the most common mutagens and is estimated to introduce a significant number of changes in DNA. These include bends or kinks in the structure, which can block DNA replication or transcription. If these errors are not fixed, the damage can cause mutations, which in turn can result in cancer or disease depending on which sequences are...

Nucleotide Excision Repair

Nucleotide Excision Repair

Nucleotide Excision Repair

Nucleotide Excision Repair

Overview of DNA Repair

Overview of DNA Repair

In order to be passed through generations, genomic DNA must be undamaged and error-free. However, every day, DNA in a cell undergoes several thousand to a million damaging events by natural causes and external factors. Ionizing radiation such as UV rays, free radicals produced during cellular respiration, and hydrolytic damage from metabolic reactions can alter the structure of DNA. Damages caused include single-base alteration, base dimerization, chain breaks, and cross-linkage.
Chemically...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Measuring DNA Damage and Repair in Mouse Splenocytes After Chronic In Vivo Exposure to Very Low Doses of Beta- and Gamma-Radiation

Measuring DNA Damage and Repair in Mouse Splenocytes After Chronic In Vivo Exposure to Very Low Doses of Beta- and Gamma-Radiation

Published on: July 3, 2015

DNA damage by low-energy ions.

C Adam Hunniford¹, Robert W McCullough, R Jeremy H Davies

¹School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, University Road, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.

Biochemical Society Transactions

|July 21, 2009

Summary

Low-energy ion beams, used in cancer therapy, can damage DNA by causing strand breaks. Understanding this damage is crucial as these secondary ions are produced during radiotherapy.

Area of Science:

Biophysics
Radiation Oncology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Ion-beam irradiation is a promising cancer treatment due to targeted energy deposition (Bragg peak).
Low-energy electrons (<1 keV x Da(-1)) can damage DNA bases and backbones.
Secondary low-energy ions are produced in tissues during radiotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the DNA damaging potential of low-energy ion beams (<1 keV x Da(-1)).
Determine the effects of ion number, kinetic energy, and charge state on DNA damage.

Main Methods:

Irradiation of dried double-stranded DNA with low-energy ions in a vacuum.
Analysis of induced DNA strand breaks (single- and double-strand breaks).

Main Results:

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Last Updated: Jun 21, 2026

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Low-energy ions induce a mixture of single- and double-strand breaks in DNA.
DNA damage is dependent on ion dose, kinetic energy, and charge state.

Conclusions:

Low-energy ions can cause significant DNA damage, relevant to radiotherapy.
Current radiotherapy treatment planning neglects the effects of these secondary low-energy ions.
Further research is needed to quantify and understand low-energy ion-induced DNA damage for improved treatment strategies.