Beyond xeroderma pigmentosum: DNA damage and repair in an ecological context. A tribute to James E. Cleaver.

The ability to repair DNA is a ubiquitous characteristic of life on Earth and all organisms possess similar mechanisms for dealing with DNA damage, an indication of a very early evolutionary origin for repair processes. James E. Cleaver's career (initiated in the early 1960s) has been devoted to the study of mammalian ultraviolet radiation (UVR) photobiology, specifically the molecular genetics of xeroderma pigmentosum and other human diseases caused by defects in DNA damage recognition and repair. This work by Jim and others has influenced the study of DNA damage and repair in a variety of taxa. Today, the field of DNA repair is enhancing our understanding of not only how to treat and prevent human disease, but is providing insights on the evolutionary history of life on Earth and how natural populations are coping with UVR-induced DNA damage from anthropogenic changes in the environment such as ozone depletion.