A novel hypomorphic Apex1 mouse model implicates apurinic-apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 in oxidative DNA damage repair in gastric epithelial cells

While best known for its role in oxidative DNA damage repair, apurinic-apyrimidinic endonuclease-1 (APE1) is a multifunctional protein that regulates multiple host responses during oxidative stress including the reductive activation of transcription factors. As knockout of the APE1-encoding gene, Apex1, is embryonically lethal, we sought to create a viable model with generalized inhibition of APE1 expression.