Base Excision Repair

Base Excision Repair (BER) is a vital cellular process that fixes damaged DNA. DNA can suffer minor injuries due to environmental factors or normal cell activities, such as incorrect base pairing. In BER, enzymes detect and remove the faulty base, creating a gap. Another enzyme then adds the correct base, and finally, DNA ligase seals the gap, restoring the DNA's integrity. This repair mechanism is crucial for maintaining genetic stability and preventing mutations that could lead to diseases, including cancer. Essentially, it’s like a quality control system for our genetic material.