Mouse Study Finds That Mutant Enzyme is Able to Help Protect DNA From Damage
Research has shown that when DNA damage occurs, a key enzyme — called ataxia telangiectasia mutated protein, or ATM — becomes activated. A new study in mice shows that this enzyme continues to be activated and function normally, even without a chemical modification previously thought to be necessary. This study, which was conducted by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), both parts of the National Institutes of Health, appears online August 13, 2006, in the journal Nature*.