Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Dr Tom Richardson, Professor Bernard Connolly
Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.
Three evolutionarily distinct families of replicative DNA polymerases, designated Pol B, Pol C and Pol D, have been identified. Members of the Pol B family are present in all three Domains of life whereas Pol C exists only in Bacteria and Pol D only in Archaea. Pol B enzymes replicate eukaryotic chromosomal DNA, and as members of the Pol B family are present in all Archaea, it has been assumed that Pol B enzymes also replicate archaeal genomes. Here we report the construction of Thermococcus kodakarensis strains with mutations that delete or inactivate key functions of Pol B. T. kodakarensis strains lacking Pol B had no detectable loss in viability, no growth defects nor changes in spontaneous mutation frequency, but have increased sensitivity to UV irradiation. In contrast, we were unable to introduce mutations that inactivated either of the genes encoding the two subunits of Pol D. The results reported establish that Pol D is sufficient for viability and genome replication in T. kodakarensis and argue that Pol D rather than Pol B is likely the replicative DNA polymerase in this Archaeon. The majority of Archaea contain Pol D and, as discussed, if Pol D is the predominant replicative polymerase in Archaea, this profoundly impacts hypotheses for the origin(s), evolution and distribution of the different DNA replication enzymes and systems now employed in the three Domains of life.
Author(s): Cubonova L, Richardson T, Burkhart BW, Kelma Z, Connolly BA, Reeve JN, Santangelo TJ
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Bacteriology
Year: 2013
Volume: 195
Issue: 10
Pages: 2322-2328
Print publication date: 01/05/2013
Online publication date: 15/03/2013
Acceptance date: 04/03/2013
ISSN (print): 0021-9193
ISSN (electronic): 1098-5530
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JB.02037-12
DOI: 10.1128/JB.02037-12
PubMed id: 23504010
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
