Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Atomic Force Microscopy Investigations of DNA Lesion Recognition in Nucleotide Excision Repair
Published on: May 24, 2017
[Structure of ADP-ribosylating enzyme and DNA repair]
1Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba.
Abstract:
ADP-ribosylation is a post-translational modification of protein using a respiratory coenzyme, NAD+, as a substrate. Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation reaction in the nuclei has been thought to be involved in DNA repair. Cloning of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase cDNA and gene has opened the way for analyzing the structure and functions of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase at the molecular level. Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase is a zinc-finger protein and binds to nicks of DNA. This enzyme is activated by binding to DNA and poly(ADP-ribosyl)ates nuclear proteins and poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase itself. Structural analysis of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase from different classes has shown conserved motifs in the domain structures. In this review, recent advances in this field, including mono-ADP-ribosylation and cyclic ADP-ribose, are described.
Related Concept Videos
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Base Excision Repair
The first step of...
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Translesion DNA Polymerases
TLS polymerases are found in all three domains of life - archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes. Of the different classes of TLS polymerases, members of the Y family are fitted with specialized structures that...
Homologous Recombination
Nucleotide Excision Repair
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...

