ADDUCT FORMATION, MUTAGENESIS AND NUCLEOTIDE EXCISION-REPAIR OF DNA-DAMAGE PRODUCED BY REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES AND LIPID-PEROXIDATION PRODUCT

Reactive oxygen species are formed constantly in living organisms, as products of the normal metabolism, or as a result of many different en vironmental influences. Here we review the knowledge of formation of D NA damage, the mutations caused by reactive oxygen species and the rol e of the excision repair processes, that protect the organism from oxi dative DNA damage. In particular, we have focused on recent studies th at demonstrate the important role of nucleotide excision repair. We pr opose two major roles of nucleotide excision repair as 1) a backup whe n base excision repair of small oxidative lesions becomes saturated, a nd as 2) a primary repair pathway for DNA damage produced by lipid per oxidation products. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved .