Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Publication Date
11-30-2022
Journal
Annual Reviews of Genetics
Abstract
DNA polymerase θ (Pol θ) is a DNA repair enzyme widely conserved in animals and plants. Pol θ uses short DNA sequence homologies to initiate repair of double-strand breaks by theta-mediated end joining. The DNA polymerase domain of Pol θ is at the C terminus and is connected to an N-terminal DNA helicase-like domain by a central linker. Pol θ is crucial for maintenance of damaged genomes during development, protects DNA against extensive deletions, and limits loss of heterozygosity. The cost of using Pol θ for genome protection is that a few nucleotides are usually deleted or added at the repair site. Inactivation of Pol θ often enhances the sensitivity of cells to DNA strand-breaking chemicals and radiation. Since some homologous recombination-defective cancers depend on Pol θ for growth, inhibitors of Pol θ may be useful in treating such tumors.
Keywords
Animals, DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase, DNA End-Joining Repair, DNA, DNA Damage, Neoplasms, DNA Polymerase theta, DNA polymerases, mutations, DNA double-strand breaks, DNA helicase, translesion DNA synthesis, DNA repair
Included in
Bioinformatics Commons, Biomedical Informatics Commons, Medical Genetics Commons, Oncology Commons
Comments
PMID: 36028228