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Chapter 14: Problem 27

Suppose you are studying a DNA repair system, such as the nucleotide excision repair in vitro. By mistake, you add DNA ligase from a tube that has already expired. What would be the result?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: Using expired DNA ligase in a nucleotide excision repair system in vitro could lead to incomplete or erroneous ligation of the repaired DNA segment. This may result in further DNA damage, interference with normal cellular processes like replication or transcription, and potentially harmful consequences for the cell.

Step by step solution

01

Understand nucleotide excision repair

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a DNA repair system that identifies and repairs damaged DNA by removing the damaged piece of DNA and then synthesizing a new, correct piece of DNA that replaces it. The process consists of several steps, including damage recognition, strand opening, damaged strand removal, DNA synthesis, and ligation.
02

Understand the role of DNA ligase

DNA ligase is an enzyme that plays a crucial role in the ligation step of the NER process, where it facilitates the joining of DNA strands (in this case, the repair patch) by forming a phosphodiester bond between the 3’-hydroxyl end of one nucleotide and the 5’-phosphate end of another nucleotide. Thus, DNA ligase ensures the continuity and stability of the newly synthesized DNA.
03

Analyze the effect of using expired DNA ligase

If the DNA ligase used in the nucleotide excision repair system in vitro is expired, it might lose its enzymatic activity or functions due to denaturation or degradation. This could potentially lead to incomplete or erroneous ligation of the repaired DNA strand.
04

Determine the consequences of incomplete or erroneous ligation

The consequences of an incomplete or erroneous ligation of the repaired DNA segment may lead to the DNA strand remaining broken or having errors in the repaired region. This might result in further DNA damage, which could propagate as mutations or interfere with normal cellular processes like replication or transcription, ultimately causing the repaired DNA sequence to be nonfunctional or potentially harmful to the cell.
05

Conclusion

In conclusion, adding expired DNA ligase in the nucleotide excision repair in vitro system would likely lead to incomplete or erroneous ligation of the repaired DNA segment. This can cause further DNA damage, affect normal cellular processes, and potentially have harmful consequences for the cell.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

DNA damage brought on by a variety of natural and artificial agents elicits a wide variety of cellular responses. In addition to the activation of DNA repair mechanisms, there can be activation of pathways leading to apoptosis (programmed cell death) and cell-cycle arrest. Why would apoptosis and cell- eycle arrest often be part of a cellular response to DNA damage?

Some mutations that lead to diseases such as Huntington disease are caused by the insertion of trinucleotide repeats. Describe how the process of DNA replication could lead to expansions of trinucleotide repeat regions.

A number of different types of mutations in the HBB gene can cause human \(\beta\) -thalassemla, a disease characterized by various levels of anemia. Many of these mutations occur within introns or in upstream noncoding sequences. Explain why mutations in these regions often lead to severe disease, although they may not directly alter the coding regions of the gene.

In which phases of the cell cycle would you expect double-strand break repair and nonhomologous end joining to occur and why?

Distinguish between proofreading and mismatch repair.
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