You got me (un)hooked: Repair of DNA crosslinks in bacteria

DNA crosslinks are cytotoxic lesions caused by a variety of DNA reacting compounds. Some bacterial competitors and environmental organisms evolved the ability to synthesize and secrete alkylating molecules that bind to DNA, impairing replication and transcription and ultimately resulting in death of the target cells. Notwithstanding, environmental exposure, spontaneous chemical reactions and byproducts of the physiological metabolism can interfere with DNA, leading to toxic crosslinking damage. Hence, bacteria evolved repair systems capable of removing lesions and allowing cells to thrive even in harsh conditions. Base Excision Repair, Nucleotide Excision Repair, Homologous Recombination and Translesion Synthesis all combine to solve DNA monoadducts, Intrastrand, Interstrand, and DNA-Peptide Crosslinks. In this review, we address major stressors to which bacteria are exposed, their DNA-damaging capacities and how the prokaryotic cell responds.