An official website of the United States government.

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

NAL Agricultural Thesaurus
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Concept Breadcrumbs

Fields of Study > genetics > molecular genetics > DNA damage
Preferred Term:

DNA damage

Definition:
Injuries to DNA that introduce deviations from its normal, intact structure and which may, if left unrepaired, result in a mutation or a block of DNA replication. These deviations may be caused by physical or chemical agents and occur by natural or unnatural, introduced circumstances. They include the introduction of illegitimate bases during replication or by deamination or other modification of bases; the loss of a base from the DNA backbone leaving an abasic site; single-strand breaks; double strand breaks; and intrastrand (pyrimidine dimers) or interstrand crosslinking. Damage can often be repaired. If the damage is extensive, it can induce apoptosis.
Concept Schemes:
NALT Core
Broader Concept:
molecular genetics
Related Concepts:
Entry Terms:
  • DNA injury
URI:
https://lod.nal.usda.gov/nalt/34181
Download this Concept:
RDF/XMLCreated 2006-01-19, last modified 2018-10-11
Exactly Matching Concepts: