The evolution of life bears witness to the pliability of DNA. This molecule has changed and diversified not simply by base changes but also by duplication and expansion of coding and non-coding sequences, reshuffling of elemental units of function and interaction of segments by processes that involve DNA repair functions. Furthermore, as the genomes increased in complexity and, redundancy, in the form of di-or poly-ploidy, became the rule, the transmission of genetic information from one generation to the next had to rely on regular processes of matching, reassorting and segregation (i.e. meiosis and sexual reproduction), which also require DNA repair. Such repair, therefore, is an essential part of life in its widest possible sense. Commonly, however, DNA repair is seen as a process that ensures correct DNA copying and forms a last line of defence by reversing or removing damage that the cell has failed to prevent.
DNA repair functions...
