Chromosomal location of the human gene for DNA polymerase beta

Inhibition studies indicate that DNA polymerase beta has a synthetic role in DNA repair after exposure of mammalian cells to some types of DNA-damaging agents. The primary structure of the enzyme is highly conserved in vertebrates, and nearly full-length cDNAs for the enzyme were recently cloned from mammalian cDNA libraries. Southern blot analysis of DNA from a panel of human-rodent somatic cell hybrids, using portions of the cDNA as probe, indicates that the gene for human DNA polymerase beta is single copy and located on the short arm or proximal long arm of chromosome 8 (8pter-8q22). A restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was detected in normal individuals by using a probe from the 5' end of the cDNA, and this RFLP probably is due to an insertion or duplication of DNA in 20-25% of the population. This restriction site can be used as one marker for chromosome 8 genetic linkage studies and for family studies of traits potentially involving this DNA repair gene.