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Mammalian DNA Polymerase Kappa Activity and Specificity

Hannah R Stern1, Jana Sefcikova1, Victoria E Chaparro1

  • 1Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 4, 2019
PubMed

Insights

DNA polymerase kappa bypasses DNA damage, including minor groove adducts and structured DNA, but struggles with major groove lesions. Its role in genomic integrity and altered expression in cancer make it a research target.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • DNA polymerase kappa (pol kappa) is a Y-family translesion polymerase found across all life domains.
  • Pol kappa specializes in replicating DNA with minor groove adducts and extending damaged primer termini.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the DNA lesion bypass capabilities of pol kappa.
  • To discuss the role of pol kappa in cellular mutagenesis and genomic integrity.
  • To highlight the relevance of pol kappa in cancer biology and therapeutic targeting.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on DNA polymerase kappa function.
  • Analysis of pol kappa's substrate specificity for various DNA lesions and structures.
  • Examination of pol kappa's involvement in DNA repair and mutagenesis pathways.

Main Results:

  • Pol kappa efficiently bypasses minor groove DNA adducts (e.g., N2-dG) and structured DNA (microsatellites, G-quadruplexes).
  • Pol kappa exhibits limited ability to copy major groove adducts and UV photoproducts.
  • Altered pol kappa expression and POLK gene polymorphisms are linked to cancer development and patient outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • Pol kappa plays a dual role in maintaining and compromising genomic stability.
  • Understanding pol kappa's lesion bypass mechanisms is crucial for cancer research.
  • Inhibitors targeting pol kappa are actively being investigated for cancer therapy.
Keywords:
DNA damageDNA replicationY-familychemotherapy resistanceprimer extensiontranslesion DNA synthesis

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