Biological complexity: contingency planning DNA repair (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, May 05, 2021, 22:12 (1298 days ago) @ David Turell

Several described methods:

https://evolutionnews.org/2021/05/contingency-planning-in-the-cell-affirms-design/

"The chart shows five repair systems that protect DNA from damage. These are contingency planning systems that are ready and waiting to step in, like EMTs, when things go wrong during cell division or transcription. There are five systems they discussed:

"Mismatch repair fixes mutations that insert the wrong base

"Nucleotide excision repair comes to aid when DNA structural damage occurs

"Base excision repair fixes bases that become separated from the strand

"Double-stranded break repair solves the complex situation when both DNA strands become separated

"Interstrand crosslinks repair helps when drugs block replication and transcription

"When these systems work properly, they can prevent cancer and drug resistance. Many life-threatening diseases are prevented by these five pathways. When the pathways themselves fail, though, it can be bad news for the organism. The Chinese team felt that systematizing our knowledge about these pathways and the specific consequences of “pathway damage” can help oncologists know which avenues provide the best therapies for specific cancers."

Comment: When DNA formed these protections had to be designed in place.