When a thymine dimer is encountered on the DNA template strand, what mechanism is responsible for correcting it on the newly synthesized strand?
A) Mismatch repair
B) Base-excision repair
C) Translesion DNA repair
D) Transcription-coupled repair

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Translesion DNA repair is responsible for correcting thymine dimers on the newly synthesized strand. This mechanism involves specialized polymerases that can bypass the thymine dimer and insert the correct nucleotides. This process is error-prone and can lead to mutations, but it allows the cell to continue DNA replication even in the presence of DNA damage. Mismatch repair corrects errors that occur during DNA replication and Base-excision repair corrects damaged or abnormal bases. Transcription-coupled repair is responsible for correcting DNA damage in actively transcribed genes.

When a Thymine Dimer Is Encountered on the DNA Template