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Updated: Sep 30, 2025

Studying Age-dependent Genomic Instability using the S. cerevisiae Chronological Lifespan Model
Published on: September 29, 2011
Global genomic instability caused by reduced expression of DNA polymerase ε in yeast
Ke Zhang1, Yang Sui2,3, Wu-Long Li2
1Institute of Microbiology, College of Life Science, Zhejiang University, 310058 Hangzhou, China.
Abstract:
SignificanceAlthough most studies of the genetic regulation of genome stability involve an analysis of mutations within the coding sequences of genes required for DNA replication or DNA repair, recent studies in yeast show that reduced levels of wild-type enzymes can also produce a mutator phenotype. By whole-genome sequencing and other methods, we find that reduced levels of the wild-type DNA polymerase ε in yeast greatly increase the rates of mitotic recombination, aneuploidy, and single-base mutations. The observed pattern of genome instability is different from those observed in yeast strains with reduced levels of the other replicative DNA polymerases, Pol α and Pol δ. These observations are relevant to our understanding of cancer and other diseases associated with genetic instability.
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