Drugs and Genetics
Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 3:57 pm
What makes a drug interact and change DNA? Do all drugs interact and change DNA? Are some changes bigger than others?
Hi,
Not all drugs change the DNA. Some drugs target proteins or other molecules within the body.
Some drugs that damage DNA do it by binding to the DNA. Some drugs bind DNA so tightly, it won't come off, so then the DNA cannot be used for transcribing RNA (making those genes useless to the cell, which can have big consequences) or replicating more DNA (so now the cell cannot divide, either). Another type of DNA damage is the drug binding to, and actually breaking the DNA. Once broken, cell machinary MAY be able to fix it, but if it cannot, the cell suffers lack of replication and trasncription, too.
Search Google for "DNA-damaging drugs" and you should be able to find different classes of drugs and more details on how the different one work on the DNA.
Good luck on your project!
Tonya