JERUSALEM, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- A new Israeli-led study has uncovered how the structure and chemical changes in the DNA influence the risk of developing lung cancer from smoking, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said Wednesday.

The study, published in Nucleic Acids Research, focused on benzo(a)pyrene, a toxic chemical in cigarette smoke, which binds to DNA when processed by the body, and disrupts its normal function and causes damage to cells, the university said in a statement.

The study found that the way DNA is organized and chemically altered can affect how smoking damages it, how well the body cells repair the damage, and how many mutations result from it, the university said.

It discovered that certain regions of DNA, particularly those that are more open and active, are more vulnerable to damage but also better at repairing themselves, and tend to have fewer mutations over time, whereas regions less efficiently repaired may accumulate mutations, increasing the risk of cancer.

The study also found that proteins regulating gene activity can sometimes protect DNA from harm, but in other cases, they can make it more vulnerable to damage, the university said.

The body's ability to repair DNA damage plays a more significant role in determining whether mutations occur, rather than just the amount of damage itself, it said.

The study offers new insights into how smoking leads to lung cancer by damaging DNA and causing mutation, and could help shape future strategies for cancer prevention and treatment, it noted. Enditem

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