Question

Which pathway is affected by an inherited mutation in the atm gene?

Answer 1

The question is incomplete as it does not have the options which are:

photoreactivation

reactivation repair pathway

nucleotide excision repair pathway

UV repair pathway

p53 repair pathway

Answer:

p53 repair pathway

Explanation:

ATM gene or ataxia telangiectasia-mutated is a gene which codes for the protein kinase involved in the DNA double-stranded break.

The DNA double-stranded break is repaired easily as the protein kinase is recruited to the site of the break where it allows the DNA repair machinery to repair the DNA.

The gene also controls the cell growth therefore this gene is important to study cancer.  Since the p53 protein is a suppressor protein which if mutated is repaired by the ATM gene and if the gene becomes mutated then the p53 repair pathway is affected.

Thus, p53 repair pathway is the correct answer.