Can our own DNA be 'damaged'

Can our own DNA be 'damaged'

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Discussion

rich83

Original Poster:

14,192 posts

137 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
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As above.

Thanks

Flibble

6,470 posts

180 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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DNA is damaged all the time, mostly it is repaired (or the damaged cell is destroyed), when that doesn't work you get cancer.

Simpo Two

85,148 posts

264 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Wot they said.

rich83

Original Poster:

14,192 posts

137 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Thanks... that answers my question i think. :-)

Rich

Simpo Two

85,148 posts

264 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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How much did you win?

rich83

Original Poster:

14,192 posts

137 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
hahah :-)

thatdude

2,654 posts

126 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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It can be, quite easily. If you wanted to induce mutations, a methylating agent (dimethyl sulfate, methyl triflate) is a usual sure-fire way to getting at DNA. I'm quite cautious about handling such reagents.

Curious...why did you want to know?

hidetheelephants

23,758 posts

192 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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Paradox alert; one of the most damaging substances is oxygen, without which we wouldn't exist.

thatdude

2,654 posts

126 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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hidetheelephants said:
Paradox alert; one of the most damaging substances is oxygen, without which we wouldn't exist.
Further info; It's a diradical!

8Ace

2,681 posts

197 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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thatdude said:
It can be, quite easily. If you wanted to induce mutations, a methylating agent (dimethyl sulfate, methyl triflate) is a usual sure-fire way to getting at DNA. I'm quite cautious about handling such reagents.

Curious...why did you want to know?
yes When I did lab work I wasn't worried about toxic stuff, but was nervous as hell using MeI

Simpo Two

85,148 posts

264 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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hidetheelephants said:
Paradox alert; one of the most damaging substances is oxygen, without which we wouldn't exist.
As O (free radical), yes, but not as O2 (molecule). We can do the table salt example too.

Going back to DNA, nicotine is a classic mutagen.

evenflow

8,784 posts

281 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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^What he said.

Nicotine is not a mutagen.

It is highly poisonous though!

Flibble

6,470 posts

180 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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Simpo Two said:
As O (free radical), yes, but not as O2 (molecule). We can do the table salt example too.

Going back to DNA, nicotine is a classic mutagen.
O2 is plenty damaging, when in radical form: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superoxide

GeorgeK

19 posts

200 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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Simpo Two said:
hidetheelephants said:
Paradox alert; one of the most damaging substances is oxygen, without which we wouldn't exist.
As O (free radical), yes, but not as O2 (molecule). We can do the table salt example too.

Going back to DNA, nicotine is a classic mutagen.
The problem is that not all the oxygen used by the body is completely reduced to water. Various oxygen radicals and reactive oxygen species are formed in the process.
Nicoten is not a direct mutagen but some cellular studies have found it can induce DNA damage.

Simpo Two

85,148 posts

264 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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GeorgeK said:
Nicoten is not a direct mutagen but some cellular studies have found it can induce DNA damage.
We used it (nicotine) as a mutagen in microbial genetics - but I agree that's not the same as someone smoking.

BevR

676 posts

142 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2015
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rich83 said:
As above.

Thanks
Yup, its happening on a surprisingly large scale all the time in every cell in your body. However your cells have a vast array of specialized components that either repair the damage or remove it and replace it with undamaged DNA.
When these fail you can end up accumulating mutations, this can be described as genomic instability and is regarded as an enabling factor in cancer. This is one reason why certain foods can be considered more dangerous than others with regard to cancer.

There are also a number of other clinical phenotypes associated with loss of some repair elements such as neurodegeneration, developmental issues and bone marrow failure.

If you want any more detailed information just give me shout.

EDIT: some numbers if anyone is curious (DSB= Double Strand Break, where the DNA is broken in two). This table is from a very good overview of the subject but is probably a lot more than you wanted and assumes at least a graduate level understanding of molecular biology. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC298887...

Edited by BevR on Tuesday 3rd February 16:27

Blackpuddin

16,409 posts

204 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2015
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What I want to know is, what advantage does this 'three-parent baby' thing bring? Surely only one egg and one sperm will be involved, as ever?

BevR

676 posts

142 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2015
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Blackpuddin said:
What I want to know is, what advantage does this 'three-parent baby' thing bring? Surely only one egg and one sperm will be involved, as ever?
Probably the quickest explanation is this video (excuse the cuteness):

http://www.thelilyfoundation.org.uk/animation/


The fertilized nucleus is transplanted into a donor cell that contains the mitochondria from a healthy volunteer. Mitochondria are passed down the maternal line so this gets round the problem, these mitochondria also have their own DNA and replicate independently of what you would normally consider 'your' DNA.

Its actually quite profound as it means that from that point on if the child is female her lineage will always trace 3 people instead of 2 as she will pass on the volunteers mitochondrial DNA.

There will probably be people who know more than me so I am happy to be corrected.

Simpo Two

85,148 posts

264 months

Wednesday 4th February 2015
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That's about it.

What surprises me is how easily/quickly it was passed - without hordes of hairy-arsed hippy idiots waving banners and burning down scientist's houses.

I believe some bloke from the church was wheeled out and wheeled back in again.