Mutagenesis: The outcome of faulty replication of DNA

Abstract

Many diseases in humans are the result of specific genetic mutations. In the etiology of cancer, mutagenesis plays a critical and complex role. DNA damage by chemicals or radiation usually increases the rate of polymerase errors, but the types and frequencies of mutations depend on the structure and conformation of the DNA lesion, the cells in which it is replicated, and the DNA sequence context. A survey of the research in this area is presented here. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011.