Surprising new insights into the repair strategies of DNA

PA 193/09 A microscopic single-celled organism, adapted to survive in some of the harshest environments on earth, could help scientists gain a better understanding of how cancer cells behave. Experts at The University of Nottingham were astonished to discover that the archaeon Haloferax volcanii was better at repairing DNA damage if enzymes, that are widely considered to be critically important in coordinating the repair of DNA, were mutated. Dr Thorsten Allers, from the Institute of Genetics, said: "These results surprised us. It is the first time, as far as we know, that anybody has found such resistance to DNA damage in mutant cells. Normally, cells that are missing enzymes for DNA repair become more sensitive to DNA damage." Like cancer cells, archaea are polyploid — which means they contain more than two sets of chromosomes. Although similar in structure and appearance to bacteria, archaea share a common ancestor with eukaryotes, which include plant and animals. This kinship is at its closest in the way archaea process DNA.