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Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 16, 102 - 104 (2009)
doi:10.1038/nsmb0209-102

Wedging out DNA damage

Orlando D Schärer1 & Arthur J Campbell2

  1. Orlando D. Schärer is in the Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Chemistry Building Room 619, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, USA. e-mail: orlando@pharm.stonybrook.edu
  2. Arthur J. Campbell is in the Department of Chemistry, Graduate Chemistry Building Room 619, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, USA.


The DNA-repair machinery is faced with the significant challenge of differentiating DNA lesions from unmodified DNA. Two recent publications, one in this issue of Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, uncover a new way of recognizing minimally distorting DNA lesions: insertion of a 3- or 4-amino-acid wedge into DNA to extrude the lesion into a shallow binding pocket that can accommodate various damaged bases.

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