The process of restoring DNA after damage. Genomes are subject to damage by chemical and physical agents in the environment (e.g. UV and ionizing radiations, chemical mutagens, fungal and bacterial toxins, etc.) and by free radicals or alkylating agents endogenously generated in metabolism. DNA is also damaged because of errors during its replication. A variety of different DNA repair pathways have been reported that include direct reversal, base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair, photoreactivation, bypass, double-strand break repair pathway, and mismatch repair pathway.

Any process that results in a change in state or activity of a cell (in terms of movement, secretion, enzyme production, gene expression, etc.) as a result of a stimulus indicating damage to its DNA from environmental insults or errors during metabolism.

An error-prone process for repairing damaged microbial DNA.

The replication of damaged DNA by synthesis across a lesion in the template strand; a specialized DNA polymerase or replication complex inserts a defined nucleotide across from the lesion which allows DNA synthesis to continue beyond the lesion. This process can be mutagenic depending on the damaged nucleotide and the inserted nucleotide.

A DNA polymerase complex that contains two UmuD' and one UmuC subunits, and acts in translesion DNA synthesis.