Our bodies are continuously attacked by chemical agents, which can lead to the formation of DNA lesions.  The integrity of our DNA is vital for human survival; without it, we risk mutations that could lead to cancer. DNA lesions present severe blocks to normal replication machinery. However, the recently discovered class of DNA polymerases, termed the Y-family polymerase, can accommodate the lesion and perform translesion synthesis. Each of these polymerases has unique structural components that account for their bypass specificity.  The N-Clasp region of DNA polymerase ? has been previously described to be essential for this polymerase's ability to extend mismatched DNA.  To further elucidate the importance of the N-Clasp of Pol ?, we plan to mutate specific residues between the N-Clasp and finger domains and examine the role of these residues on the ability of Pol ? to extend DNA mismatches in vitro.

Structural and functional studies of the Y-family DNA polymerase Pol κ

243rd National Meeting (2012)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.