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"A specific loop in human DNA polymerase mu allows switching between creative and DNA-instructed synthesis."

Juarez R, Ruiz JF, Nick McElhinny SA, Ramsden D, Blanco L



Published Jan. 1, 2006 in Nucleic Acids Res volume 34 .

Pubmed ID: 16963491

Abstract:
Human DNA polymerase mu (Polmu) is a family X member that has terminal transferase activity but, in spite of a non-orthodox selection of the template information, displays its maximal catalytic efficiency in DNA-templated reactions. As terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), Polmu has a specific loop (loop1) that could provide this enzyme with its terminal transferase activity. When loop1 was deleted, human Polmu lacked TdT activity but improved DNA-binding and DNA template-dependent polymerization. Interestingly, when loop1 from TdT was inserted in Polmu (substituting its cognate loop1), the resulting chimaera displayed TdT activity, preferentially inserting dGTP residues, but had a strongly reduced template-dependent polymerization activity. Therefore, a specialized loop in Polmu, that could adopt alternative conformations, appears to provide this enzyme with a dual capacity: (i) template independency to create new DNA information, in which loop1 would have an active role by acting as a 'pseudotemplate'; (ii) template-dependent polymerization, in which loop1 must allow binding of the template strand. Recent in vivo and in vitro data suggest that such a dual capacity could be advantageous to resolve microhomology-mediated end-joining reactions.


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Last modification of this entry: Oct. 6, 2010

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