DNA polymerase II, the probable homolog of mammalian DNA polymerase epsilon, replicates chromosomal DNA in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

• Published in: The EMBO journal 1992-02, Vol.11 (2), p.733-740
• Main Authors: Araki, H, Ropp, P.A, Johnson, A.L, Johnston, L.H, Morrison, A, Sugino, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Northern; cell cycle; cell division; chromosomes; Chromosomes, Fungal; DNA Polymerase II - genetics; DNA Polymerase II - isolation & purification; DNA Polymerase II - metabolism; DNA Polymerase III; DNA Replication; DNA-directed DNA polymerase; DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase - genetics; DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase - metabolism; enzyme activity; Enzymes and enzyme inhibitors; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gene expression; Genes, Fungal; Kinetics; Mammals; messenger RNA; Molecular Sequence Data; Mutagenesis; mutants; Plasmids; pol2 gene; RNA, Fungal - genetics; RNA, Fungal - isolation & purification; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - enzymology; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; structural genes; Temperature; Transcription, Genetic; Transferases
• ISSN: 0261-4189; 1460-2075
• DOI: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1992.tb05106.x

Two temperature-sensitive DNA polymerase II mutants (pol2-9 and pol2-18) of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were isolated by the plasmid shuffling method. DNA polymerase II activity partially purified from both mutants was thermolabile, while DNA polymerase I and III activities remained thermotolerant. At the restrictive temperature, the pol2 mutants were defective in chromosomal DNA replication and exhibited the dumbbell terminal morphology typical of DNA replication mutants. The POL2 transcript accumulated periodically during the cell cycle, peaking at the G1/S boundary in the same manner as the transcripts of more than 10 other DNA replication genes. These results indicate that DNA polymerase II participates in nuclear DNA replication. The similarities in structure and activities between the DNA polymerases of yeast and mammals make it likely that mammalian DNA polymerase epsilon too is required for chromosomal DNA replication.