DNA-(apurinic or apyrimidinic site) endonuclease 2 (APEX2)

DNA-(apurinic or apyrimidinic site) endonuclease 2 (APEX2) is an enzyme involved in the base excision repair (BER) pathway, a critical mechanism for repairing DNA lesions such as apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites. APEX2 functions as a weak AP endodeoxyribonuclease, catalyzing the hydrolytic incision of the phosphodiester backbone at AP sites and initiating the repair process. While less active than the related enzyme APEX1, APEX2 contributes to genomic stability by processing DNA damage, particularly in response to oxidative stress. It is primarily localized intracellularly and interacts with proteins involved in DNA repair, including proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and has a role in the regulation of repair complex recruitment and DNA repair synthesis. Impairment of APEX2 activity has been linked to increased sensitivity to DNA damage, and deficiencies may contribute to the pathology of cancer and other diseases related to defective DNA repair[1][3][4][5][6].

Other names

DNA-(apurinic or apyrimidinic site) endonuclease 2APEX2APE2APEXL2XTH2AP endonuclease 2AP endonuclease XTH2ZGRF2APEX nuclease 2APEX nuclease-like 2Apurinic-apyrimidinic endonuclease 2zinc finger, GRF-type containing 2