Italian researchers have found a DNA replication booster that fights free radicals and could pave the way for better cancer treatment.
The substance is part of a group called polymerase enzymes, which help parent DNA cells pass on genetic information to their children.
The new enzyme, DNA polymerase lambda, is special.
A National Research Council (CNR) team in Pavia near Milan say it exerts a wide range of beneficial effects on DNA replication, fighting off the free radicals that are notorious for accelerating cell and tissue decay.
"DNA polymerase lambda has a higher gear," said Giovanni Maga of the Pavia CNR's Molecular Genetics Institute.
"It's the only one that manages to detect a typical error produced by free radicals and therefore succeeds in correctly copying the information, bypassing the error," Maga said.
"That's not all. It also highlights the error so that other enzymes can see it and get rid of it".
The CNR discovery, published in the prestigious journal Nature, could hold out hope for better cancer treatment, the researchers say.
