Final answer:
The topic concerns DNA repair mechanisms, focusing on base excision repair (BER) and nucleotide excision repair (NER) as methods to maintain DNA integrity. BER repairs single nucleotide damage, while NER repairs larger lesions like thymine dimers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER)
The resolution of Holliday intermediates mentioned in the question refers to a process that occurs during DNA repair and recombination. Specifically, the correct answer is c) Double-strand break repair, which may involve Holliday junction resolution. However, the question details seem to focus on DNA repair mechanisms, particularly base excision repair (BER) and nucleotide excision repair (NER).
BER repairs damage to a single nucleotide caused by various factors such as oxidation or deamination. After a damaged base is removed by glycosylase, the gap is filled and sealed by DNA polymerase and DNA ligase respectively. In contrast, NER repairs larger lesions such as thymine dimers caused by UV exposure. Enzymes make cuts around the damage, a segment of DNA is removed, and the gap is filled and sealed similarly to BER, maintaining the integrity of the phosphate backbone and phosphodiester linkage.