DNA damage can occur from mistakes in DNA replication, chemical reactions, physical bumping of molecules due to thermal collisions, and UV radiation from sunlight. One type of DNA damage known as DNA mismatch, however, is virtually a result of a
Mismatch repair proteins can detect the DNA mismatch, remove the incorrectly paired nucleotide, and insert the correct nucleotide in its place, using the as a template.
A mistake in detecting which of the two strands contains the incorrect nucleotide can result in amino acid substitutions that may impact key cellular processes. In bacteria, parent strands are , allowing the mismatch repair proteins to detect this difference and then make the change on the unmodified strand.