Strategies of N-Glycosidic Bond Cleavage by DNA Repair Enzymes

Abstract

DNA glycosylases are enzymes that hydrolyze the N-glycosidic bond of damaged nucleotides, initiating the process of base excision DNA repair. There are at least eight structural classes of these enzymes, differing in both their substrate specificity and the mechanism of catalysis. The review examines the mechanisms of human and bacterial DNA glycosylases that protect the genome from the major types of DNA damage.