This is an interactive graphic. Click on the name to go to the presentation. In order to avoid increasing numbers of mutations in DNA, and thereby preserving the genetic integrity, it is important that the organisms be capable of repairing their damaged DNA . One kind of damage involves damage to the bases .
Organisms have many different systems for repairing DNA lesions.
Some DNA damage, such as hydrolytic attacks on bases, occur at a higher rate when the temperature increases. One type of hydrolytic damage with serious consequences is the depurination of adenines and guanines. Another one is the deamination of cytosine and adenine. These can both occur at a high rate. It seems logical, then, that hyperthermophiles should have very efficient mechanisms for repairing hydrolytic damage, or even mechanisms for avoiding this kind of damage.