What are strand breaks?

Some articles on strands, strand breaks, break:

Comet Assay - Background
... The individual strands of DNA lose their compact structure and relax, expanding out of the cavity into the agarose ... Undamaged DNA strands are too large and do not leave the cavity, whereas the smaller the fragments, the farther they are free to move in a given period of time ... The damage usually detected are single strand breaks and double strand breaks ...
DNA Damage Theory Of Aging - Age-associated Accumulation of DNA Damage and Decline in Gene Expression - Brain
... (2007) showed that single-strand breaks accumulate in the mouse brain with age ... of DNA damages in aging rat brain, including single-strand breaks, double-strand breaks and modified bases (8-OHdG and uracil) ...
DNA Ligase
... (EC 6.5.1.1) that facilitates the joining of DNA strands together by catalyzing the formation of a phosphodiester bond ... It plays a role in repairing single-strand breaks in duplex DNA in living organisms, but some forms (such as DNA ligase IV) may specifically repair double-strand breaks (i.e ... a break in both complementary strands of DNA) ...

Famous quotes containing the words breaks and/or strand:

    “Again and again, faith in a possible satisfaction of the human race breaks through at the very moments of most zealous discord because humankind will never be able to live and work without this consoling delusion of its ascent into morality, without this dream of final and ultimate accord.”
    —Stefan Zweig (18811942)

    “Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
    There is no happiness like mine.
    I have been eating poetry.”
    —Mark Strand (b. 1934)