Homeostasis of DNA integrity

Abstract

Homeostasis comprises the tendency of an organism or cell to regulate their chemical processes that take place internally so as to maintain health, vital functions and stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus tending to disturb its normal condition or function. But how do cells work in order to preserve DNA homeostasis? The diverse stimuli that affect DNA integrity and stability, such as changes in the genome and in gene expression can disrupt the stable state of the cell with repercussions in pathways that regulate apoptosis, senescence, and cancer. In this chapter, we review the principal mechanisms involved in DNA homeostasis, pointing our interest in the role that telomere structure and its regulation play in this field.