생화학분자생물학회

	Sunbok Jang ( sunbok.jang@ewha.ac.kr )
	2022-present	Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy, Ewha Womans University. South Korea
	2020-2022	Senior Scientist, Hansoh Bio Pharmatech, Rockville, USA
	2016-2020	Staff Research Scientist, Hilman Cancer Center, UPMC, Pittsburgh, USA
	2015-2016	Research Associate, Dept of Structural Biology, Univ. of Pittsburgh, USA
	2012-2015	Postdoc Visiting fellow, NIDDK, NIH, Bethesda, USA
	2009-2012	Postdoc Researcher, Seoul National University, South Korea
	2003-2009	PhD, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, South Korea
	1999-2003	BS, Chemistry, Yonsei University, South Korea

DNA repair and disease: insights from the human DNA glycosylase NEIL family

The base excision repair pathway protects DNA from base damage via oxidation, deamination, alkylation and methylation. DNA glycosylases are key enzymes that recognize damaged bases in a lesion-specific manner and initiate the base excision repair process. Among these, the endonuclease VIII-like 1–3 (NEIL1–3) family, which is found in mammalian genomes, is a homolog of bacterial DNA glycosylases known as Fpg/Nei. NEIL enzymes have similar structures and substrates but with slight differences. When repair proteins are impaired, the accumulation of damaged bases can lead to increased genomic instability, which is implicated in various pathologies, including cancer and neurodegeneration. Notably, mutations in these proteins also influence a range of other diseases and inflammation. This review focuses on the influence of the NEIL family on human health across different organ systems. Investigating the relationship between NEIL mutations and diseases can improve our understanding of how these enzymes affect the human body. This information is crucial for understanding the basic mechanisms of DNA repair and enabling the development of novel inhibitors or gene therapies that target only these enzymes. Understanding the role of the NEIL family provides insights into novel therapies and improves our ability to combat genetic diseases.

Exp Mol Med. 2025 Mar;57(3):524-532. https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-025-01417-0
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40033009/