INTRODUCTION TO DNA DAMAGING AGENTS AND REPAIR PATHWAYS

DNA damage is induced by a variety of agents. Exogenous agents such as sunlight,1 tobacco smoke,2 γ-radiolysis,3 and tumor antibiotics4 inflict harm on DNA. Endogenous agents such as oxygen and even water are also responsible for DNA damage.2 The types of DNA damage are as numerous as the agents that cause them. For example, single-strand breaks are often a result of attac