Insight into mechanisms of 3'-5' exonuclease activity and removal of bulky 8,5'-cyclopurine adducts by apurinic/apyrimidinic endonucleases.

8,5'-cyclo-2'-deoxyadenosine (cdA) and 8,5'-cyclo-2'-deoxyguanosine generated in DNA by both endogenous oxidative stress and ionizing radiation are helix-distorting lesions and strong blocks for DNA replication and transcription. In duplex DNA, these lesions are repaired in the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway. However, lesions at DNA strand breaks are most likely poor substrates for NER.