What do you think the possibility is of a mismatch occurring during the mismatch repair process? What are other functions of DNA polymerase delta?
Question
Paper instructions Please answer the question. There is a 300-word cap on this part( must bee 300 or less words); references and question do not count toward this word limit. Posts that demonstrate quality, clarity, depth, ; focus will be more positively evaluated than posts that are shy on these key elements.please also add pic after your explanation and make sure to add the pic source in APA format in reference section.at the end ask question about what you have wrote so another student could answer it.
One form of DNA damage or aberrant activity is DNA mismatching, which is some form of incorrect nucleotide base pairing. This is something that can occur naturally in processes like DNA replication, without the presence of a pathogenic factor. While the polymerases that facilitate base pairing are typically reliable, there is a level of inherent error that will happen and so the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system is in place to correct these events. If the cell does not correct these events, gene mutations can occur.
I’ve grabbed a figure depicting the MMR process from Pećina-Šlaus et al. (2020) and pasted it below. The main proteins that are responsible for detecting the mismatch are the MutS alpha and beta proteins. Each version of the MutS protein will detect different types of mismatches. The MutS protein will scan the DNA until it reaches a mismatch represented here by a kink, which is a result of the maligned conformation of the wrong base pairing. It will then recruit MutL alpha to form a complex by the mismatch. PCNA and RCF will also be recruited, and once this entire complex is formed, the endonuclease activity of MutL alpha will activate to create a strand break by the mismatch. This strand break is recognized by Exonuclease1 (EXO1), which will target and degrade the mismatch and region around it. DNA polymerase delta will then be recruited to restart proper replication of the DNA segment. Ligase 1 will then join the remaining gap in the formed DNA sequence to complete the repair.
Retrieved from Pećina-Šlaus et al. (2020)
Questions: What do you think the possibility is of a mismatch occurring during the mismatch repair process? What are other functions of DNA polymerase delta?
Source:
Pećina-Šlaus, N., Kafka, A., Salamon, I., & Bukovac, A. (2020). Mismatch Repair Pathway, Genome Stability and Cancer. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2020.00122
please make sure the writer has knowledge in cell biology
Solution
What do you think the possibility is of a mismatch occurring during the mismatch repair process? What are other functions of the DNA polymerase delta?
It’s estimated that the MMR system functions with about 80% efficiency in correcting mismatches. While this is a pretty high number, it still leaves room for mutations to occur if DNA mismatches are not caught and repaired. Additionally, it’s been shown that the MMR system isn’t perfect and can actually introduce mutations itself, though this is thought to be rare (Pećina-Šlaus, Kafka, Salamon, & Bukovac, 2020).
Aside from its role in the MMR system, DNA polymerase delta has a few other important functions in the cell (Bebenek & Kunkel, 2004). For example, it’s responsible for proofreading during DNA replication to ensure that the new sequence is accurate, and it also plays a part in recombination events. Additionally, DNA polymerase delta is involved in repairing double-strand DNA breaks.
The possibility of a mismatch occurring during the MMR process is relatively high, given that the system itself is not perfect. However, the chances of a mutation occurring due to a mismatched repair are relatively low. This is because DNA polymerase delta plays an essential role in many cellular processes, including DNA replication, recombination, and repair (Pursell & Kunkel, 2008).
Also, DNA polymerase is like a machine that helps copy the DNA. So, if there is a mistake in the DNA, the DNA polymerase can help fix it. For example, if there is a mismatched base pair, the DNA polymerase can help to remove it and then put in the correct base pair.
So overall, there is a possibility that mismatches can still occur during the MMR process, though it is relatively efficient. Additionally, DNA polymerase delta has several other essential functions in the cell beyond its role in the MMR system.
References
Bebenek, K., & Kunkel, T. A. (2004). Functions of DNA polymerases. Advances in protein chemistry, 69, 137-165.
Pećina-Šlaus, N., Kafka, A., Salamon, I., & Bukovac, A. (2020). Mismatch Repair Pathway, Genome Stability and Cancer. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2020.00122
Pursell, Z. F., & Kunkel, T. A. (2008). DNA polymerase ε: a polymerase of unusual size (and complexity). Progress in nucleic acid research and molecular biology, 82, 101-145.
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