DNA repair cannot be done without breaking the phosphodiester backbone of DNA.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

DNA repair mechanisms, such as base excision repair and nucleotide excision repair, involve the removal of damaged bases or nucleotides and the filling in of the resulting gap by DNA polymerase. This process does require breaking the phosphodiester bonds to remove the damaged section, but not all DNA repair mechanisms require breaking these bonds. For example, direct reversal mechanisms, such as photoreactivation, directly reverse the damage without breaking the phosphodiester backbone.

DNA Repair Cannot Be Done Without Breaking the Phosphodiester Backbone