DNA repair fidelity in stem cell maintenance, health, and disease

Highlights

• Stem cells are specialized cells with the potential to develop into many different types of cells in the body.

• Increased lifespan and repeated replication makes stem cells susceptible to increased DNA damage.

• DNA repair mechanisms are highly active in stem cells compared to the other normal cells.

• DNA repair deficiencies in stem cells lead to various disease progression and pathogenesis.

Abstract

Stem cells are a sub population of cell types that form the foundation of our body, and have the potential to replicate, replenish and repair limitlessly to maintain the tissue and organ homeostasis. Increased lifetime and frequent replication set them vulnerable for both exogenous and endogenous agents-induced DNA damage compared to normal cells. To counter these damages and preserve genetic information, stem cells have evolved with various DNA damage response and repair mechanisms. Furthermore, upon experiencing irreparable DNA damage, stem cells mostly prefer early senescence or apoptosis to avoid the accumulation of damages. However, the failure of these mechanisms leads to various diseases, including cancer. Especially, given the importance of stem cells in early development, DNA repair deficiency in stem cells leads to various disabilities like developmental delay, premature aging, sensitivity to DNA damaging agents, degenerative diseases, etc. In this review, we have summarized the recent update about how DNA repair mechanisms are regulated in stem cells and their association with disease progression and pathogenesis.