Molecular Biology Sci Aug 4, 00
Pol : A DNA Polymerase Required for Sister Chromatid Cohesion
Zhenghe Wang, Irene B. Castaño,* Alejandro De Las Peñas,* Carrie Adams, Michael
F. Christman
Establishment of cohesion between sister chromatids is coupled to replication
fork passage through an unknown mechanism. Here we report that TRF4, an
evolutionarily conserved gene necessary for chromosome segregation, encodes a
DNA polymerase with -polymerase-like properties. A double mutant in the
redundant homologs, TRF4 and TRF5, is unable to complete S phase, whereas a
trf4 single mutant completes a presumably defective S phase that results in a
failure of cohesion between the replicated sister chromatids. This suggests
that TRFs are a key link in the coordination between DNA replication and sister
chromatid cohesion. Trf4 and Trf5 represent the fourth class of essential
nuclear DNA polymerases (designated DNA polymerase kappa) in Saccharomyces
cerevisiae and probably in all eukaryotes.
Department of Microbiology, University of Virginia, Box 441, Jordan Hall,
1300 Jefferson Park Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
* Present address: Johns Hopkins University, Department of Molecular Biology
and Genetics, 725 North Wolfe Street, 504 PCTB, Baltimore, MD 21205-2185, USA.
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mfc3f at virginia.edu
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