The consequences of DNA damage have been the subject of numerous studies in the last few decades. Replication of damaged DNA may result in an increased rate of mutations in the progeny, which may impart deleterious consequence on the organism. Various types of cancers have been linked to DNA damages and it is believed that the initiation of carcinogenesis may result from misreplication of the damaged DNA. DNA repair systems maintain the integrity of the genome by removing the damaged base, sugar, or phosphate from the DNA. In humans, specific DNA repair deficiencies have been associated with elevated risks of diseases, notably cancer, which underscores the importance of DNA repair. DNA damage is also known to induce lesion bypass polymerases which are error-prone on undamaged DNA and may bypass lesions in error-free or error-prone manners. The recent discovery of this new Y-family of DNA polymerases, their interactions with the lesions as determined by structural studies, and advances in the area of DNA repair have provided new insights on replicative and repair processes and their ultimate impact on mutagenesis. We believe that the time is ripe in this area of nucleic acids research to evaluate the current state of this field and to explore new research directions.

We invite authors to present original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to define the connections between research in relevant areas and human diseases. We are particularly interested in manuscripts that report mechanisms of mutation or repair processes, kinetics, mechanisms, and structures of dNTP incorporation opposite a lesion by DNA polymerases, as well as binding and removal of a defined lesion by purified repair proteins.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

• Endogenous DNA damages
• DNA adducts or lesions formed by chemicals, radiation, or drugs
• Development of probes to evaluate damage to nucleic acids
• Biomarkers of human exposure
• Base or nucleotide excision repair
• X-, B-, or Y-Family DNA polymerases and their interaction with DNA lesions
• Structure-function relationship in miscoding
• Kinetic analysis of translesion synthesis

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