Abstract

DNA polymerase δ (Pol δ) and DNA polymerase ε (Pol ε) are both required for efficient replication of the nuclear genome, yet the division of labor between these enzymes has remained unclear for many years. Here we investigate the contribution of Pol δ to replication of the leading and lagging strand templates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a mutant Pol δ allele (pol3-L612M) whose error rate is higher for one mismatch (e.g., T•dGTP) than for its complement (A•dCTP). We find that strand-specific mutation rates strongly depend on the orientation of a reporter gene relative to an adjacent replication origin, in a manner implying that >90% of Pol δ replication is performed using the lagging strand template. When combined with recent evidence implicating Pol ε in leading strand replication, these data support a model of the replication fork wherein the leading and lagging strand templates are primarily copied by Pol ε and Pol δ, respectively.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)137-144
Number of pages8
JournalMolecular cell
Volume30
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 25 2008

Keywords

  • CELLCYCLE
  • DNA

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