Enzymatic repair of oxidative DNA damage.

Oxidative DNA damage, including both mutagenic and cytotoxic lesions, is implicated in aging and cancer. Studies of the processes which correct such damage in mammalian cells are, however, still in their early stages. Here we have summarized our recent work which demonstrates new features of mammalian oxidative DNA damage repair, such as (a) a functional role for poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in the rejoining of DNA strand breaks and (b) the defective repair of oxidative DNA damage in xeroderma pigmentosum cells.