Location of DNA damage by charge exchanging repair enzymes: effects of cooperativity on location time.

ABSTRACT:

Background

How DNA repair enzymes find the relatively rare sites of damage is not known in great detail. Recent experiments and molecular data suggest that individual repair enzymes do not work independently of each other, but interact with each other through charges exchanged along the DNA. A damaged site in the DNA hinders this exchange. The hypothesis is that the charge exchange quickly liberates the repair enzymes from error-free stretches of DNA. In this way, the sites of damage are located more quickly; but how much more quickly is not known, nor is it known whether the charge exchange mechanism has other observable consequences.

Results

Here the size of the speed-up gained from this charge exchange mechanism is calculated and the characteristic length and time scales

SUBMITTER: Eriksen KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1142343 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature