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A safe fix for alcohol-derived DNA damage

A by-product of alcohol metabolism can damage the genome by crosslinking opposing DNA strands. The discovery of a safe mechanism that reverses such damage might open up avenues of research for drug discovery.
  1. Irene Gallina

    1. Irene Gallina is in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.

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  2. Julien P. Duxin

    1. Julien P. Duxin is in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Aldehydes are highly reactive molecules that can enter the body from the environment, and can be produced by cellular metabolic processes. One aldehyde relevant to human health is acetaldehyde, which is produced when cells process ingested alcohol. If acetaldehyde accumulates in cells, it reacts with DNA and can link two strands together, generating an extremely harmful form of damage known as a DNA interstrand crosslink1 (ICL). ICLs are also produced by many anticancer drugs, to kill tumour cells. Writing in Nature, Hodskinson et al.2 report the discovery of a mechanism for repairing acetaldehyde-induced ICLs that is safer than the commonly used route.

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Nature 579, 499-500 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00462-1

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