Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

In this invited review for Trends in Genetics, Marketa Tomkova and Benjamin Schuster-Böckler explore how epigenetic modification of DNA influences mutagenesis. Some modifications such as methylation of DNA on cytosine bases are well known to increase the rate of mutation through a spontaneous chemical change to thymine. DNA modifications also affect the likelihood of DNA mutagenesis by both external factors e.g. UV light or smoking and cell-intrinsic processes e.g. DNA replication. This review discusses what is known to date and some of the outstanding questions in the field.