Scientists have discovered how DNA maintenance is regulated, opening the door to interventions that may enhance the body’s natural preservation of genetic information, says Robert Bambara, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Bambara and colleagues report that a process called acetylation, which regulates the maintenance of our DNA, determines the degree of fidelity of both DNA replication and repair.

Only a small portion of our DNA takes an elite route to eliminate the large majority of damage and errors from our DNA. Acetylation directs which proteins take which route, favoring the protection of the DNA that creates proteins by shuttling them down the elite, more accurate course.

For DNA that travels down the standard route, the first 20 percent of each separate DNA segment is tagged, cut off and removed. This empty space is then backfilled with the latter part — which is the more accurate section — of the adjoining piece of DNA as the two segments come together to form a full strand.

In contrast, DNA that travels down the elite route gets special treatment: the first 30 to 40 percent of each separate DNA segment is tagged, removed and backfilled, meaning more mistakes and errors are eliminated before the segments are joined. The end result is a more accurate copy of DNA.

The new findings may help researchers delay the onset of aging and aging-related diseases by curbing the loss or damage to our genetic makeup that makes us more susceptible to cancers and neurodegenerative diseases, says Bambara.  He points out that keeping our DNA intact longer into our later years could help eliminate the sickness and suffering that often goes hand-in-hand with old age.

Their work appears in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.