DNA, mutations and aging

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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Studying Age-dependent Genomic Instability using the S. cerevisiae Chronological Lifespan Model
08:46

Studying Age-dependent Genomic Instability using the S. cerevisiae Chronological Lifespan Model

Published on: September 29, 2011

T B Kirkwood1

  • 1Laboratory of Mathematical Biology, National Institute for Medical Research, London, U.K.

Mutation Research
|September 1, 1988
PubMed

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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.
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