Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Visualizing Single-Stranded DNA Foci in the G1 Phase of the Cell Cycle
Published on: December 22, 2023
Replication of damaged DNA by translesion synthesis in human cells
1Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RQ, UK. a.r.lehmann@sussex.ac.uk
Abstract:
Most types of DNA damage block the passage of the replication machinery. In order to bypass these blocks, cells employ special translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases, which have lower stringency than replicative polymerases. DNA polymerase eta is the major polymerase responsible for bypassing UV lesions in DNA and its absence results in the variant form of the genetic disorder, xeroderma pigmentosum. Other TLS polymerases have specificities for different types of damage, but their precise roles inside the cell have not yet been established. These polymerases are located in replication factories during DNA replication and the polymerase sliding clamp PCNA plays an important role in mediating switching between different polymerases.
Related Concept Videos
Translesion DNA Polymerases
TLS polymerases are found in all three domains of life - archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes. Of the different classes of TLS polymerases, members of the Y family are fitted with specialized structures that...
Homologous Recombination
Genome Copying Errors
Fixing Double-strand Breaks
Fixing Double-strand Breaks
Overview of DNA Repair
Chemically...
