Final answer:
When you alkylate DNA, it can cause miscoding and damage to the DNA structure. Alkylating agents add methyl or alkyl groups to the DNA molecules, which can lead to mutation-caused cancers. Repair mechanisms exist to fix naturally occurring mutations.
Step-by-step explanation:
When you alkylate DNA, it involves reactions with guanine in the DNA. Alkylating agents such as industrial chemicals, environmental chemicals, or chemical mutagens add methyl or other alkyl groups to the DNA molecules in places where they don't belong. This can inhibit their correct utilization by base pairing and cause a miscoding of DNA. For example, the formation of 7-methylguanine, 1-methyladenine, or 6-methylguanine are examples of alkylation of bases in DNA. Alkylation of DNA can have various consequences, including damage to the DNA structure and potential mutation-caused cancers. For instance, alkylation can lead to breakage of the phosphodiester backbone, alteration of base-pairing rules, or introduce frameshift or point mutations during DNA replication or transcription. Repair mechanisms exist in cells to fix naturally occurring mutations, such as proofreading activity of DNA polymerase or nucleotide excision repair.