Mismatch repair

Mismatch repair (pronounced: mis-match re-pair) is a system for recognizing and repairing erroneous insertion, deletion, and mis-incorporation of bases that can arise during DNA replication and recombination, as well as repairing some forms of DNA damage.

Etymology

The term "Mismatch repair" is derived from the English words "mismatch" meaning something that does not match or is unsuitable, and "repair" meaning to fix or mend. It was first used in the context of DNA repair in the 1960s.

Mechanism

Mismatch repair is a highly conserved biological pathway that plays a key role in maintaining the integrity of an organism's genome. During DNA replication, the mismatch repair system corrects errors (mismatches) that escape the proofreading activity of DNA polymerases. This system is also involved in the process of recombination, where it corrects mismatches that may occur between the two recombining DNA molecules.

Role in disease

Defects in mismatch repair genes can lead to microsatellite instability and various forms of cancer, most notably Lynch syndrome, a type of hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer.

Related terms

• DNA replication
• Recombination
• DNA damage
• Lynch syndrome
• Microsatellite instability

See also

• Base excision repair
• Nucleotide excision repair
• DNA repair

This WikiMD.org article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.