Dec. 28, 2011 Oxidative stress damages DNA. Researchers in the
Vetsuisse Faculty have now decoded the mechanism that repairs
DNA damaged in this way. This repair mechanism could lead to
less invasive approaches in cancer therapy and contribute to the
development of new tests for the early diagnosis of cancer.
Oxidative stress is the cause of many serious diseases such as
cancer, Alzheimer's, arteriosclerosis and diabetes. It occurs
when the body is exposed to excessive amounts of electrically
charged, aggressive oxygen compounds. These are normally
produced during breathing and other metabolic processes, but
also in the case of ongoing stress, exposure to UV light or
X-rays. If the oxidative stress is too high, it overwhelms the
body's natural defences. The aggressive oxygen compounds destroy
genetic material, resulting in what are referred to as harmful
8-oxo-guanine base mutations in the DNA. DNA repair mechanism
decoded Together with the University of Oxford, Enni Markkanen,
a veterinarian in the working g