abstract
- Cellular DNA repair activities can be expected to control the rate of the ageing process by keeping the steady-state levels of DNA damage, which is continuously induced by endogenous and exogenous damaging agents, at low levels. Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is one of the immediate biochemical reactions of eukaryotic cells to DNA damage and is functionally associated with DNA base-excision repair and strand break repair. Here we review the current state of the art concerning the relationship between DNA strand break repair, poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation, maintenance of genomic stability and mammalian life span.