How do cells generally repair mutations?

Cells generally repair mutations by correcting nucleotides in the DNA sequence. This process is crucial for maintaining genetic integrity and involves various mechanisms, including DNA repair pathways such as mismatch repair, nucleotide excision repair, and base excision repair. These pathways help identify and correct specific types of DNA damage or errors that may occur during DNA replication or due to environmental factors.

When a mutation is detected—such as an incorrect base pair—the repair machinery can recognize the error and replace the erroneous nucleotide with the correct one. This targeted repair is vital, as it ensures that genetic information is accurately maintained and passed on during cell division.

The other choices focus on alternative processes that do not directly address the repair of mutations: synthesizing new proteins involves translation rather than repair; replicating damaged DNA could propagate errors rather than correct them; and undergoing apoptosis is a programmed cell death mechanism that cells may initiate in response to severe damage, rather than repairing the damage itself. This highlights the specific and active role of DNA repair mechanisms in mutation repair.