Mutagenesis, Genetic Disorders and Diseases

The human genome is made up of the DNA molecule that encodes the genetic makeup of the cell. Often this DNA is subjected to several extrinsic and intrinsic insults and renders incorporation of faulty base pairing among the nucleotides. The faulty base pairing can change the coding sequence of genome and can disrupt the entire machinery of the cell, which results in deadly consequences ranging from neurodegenerative disorders to carcinomas and developmental anomalies in the individual. Here, in this chapter, we would be highlighting the various mutagens, the changes that they introduce to the DNA base pairing, their repairing machinery pathway, and diseases that are caused by faulty repair machinery.