ABSTRACT
Although DNA is thought of as the most stable known biological molecule for storage and
retrieval of phenotypic information required for the production and functional integration
of mammalian tissue cells, it is still quite mutable on the timescale of mammalian life-
spans. It is estimated that one of every 1500 of the 3 billion base pairs of DNA in a
human cell undergoes either a chemical conversion or a replicative mismatch each day
(1-3). Highly efficient DNA repair mechanisms revert most of these changes, but those
that escape are the engines of creation in the DNA code. On the evolutionary timescale,
the mutable nature of DNA is thought beneficial to species by giving rise to variants
that are more fit for survival. However, for individuals, the same mutability leads to
chronic diseases such as cancer, adversely affects offspring, and may contribute to
tissue aging.
