83 Scopus citations

Abstract

This chapter discusses the DNA polymerases α and δ from mammalian cells and their accessory factors, and on the analogous DNA polymerases from Drosophila melanogaster and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. DNA-polymerizing activity in eukaryotic tissues was discovered not long after Kornberg's discovery of DNA polymerase I from Escherichia coli. The gene for human DNA polymerase α has been isolated and characterized, and new high-fidelity forms of the enzyme have been purified, using rapid isolation techniques. DNA polymerase δ has gained considerable attention because of its interaction with a cell-cycle-regulated protein. This protein, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), or cyclin, is also required for in vitro DNA replication of simian-virus-40 (SV40) DNA replication. The major differentiating characteristics of the four mammalian DNA polymerases are summarized in the chapter through a table. DNA polymerases have been isolated from a variety of unicellular eukaryotes. A comparison of the polymerases from these organisms with the prototypical mammalian DNA polymerases is problematic for several reasons that are described in the chapter.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)235-280
Number of pages46
JournalProgress in Nucleic Acid Research and Molecular Biology
Volume37
Issue numberC
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 1989

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