Abstract
Synthesis of the genetic material of the cell is achieved by a large number of DNA polymerases. Besides replicating the genome, they are involved in DNA-repair processes. Recent studies have indicated that certain DNA-polymerase-X-family members can synthesize unusual DNA structures, and we propose that these DNA structures might serve as 'flag wavers' for the induction of DNA-repair and/or DNA-damage-checkpoint pathways.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank G. Villani and H.-P. Nägeli for their critical comments on the manuscript and U. Hübscher for her help with the figures. The work carried out in the authors' laboratory is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, by the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) 'im Auftrage eines Kunden', by the Wolfermann-Nägeli Stiftung and by the University of Zürich.
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Ramadan, K., Shevelev, I. & Hübscher, U. The DNA-polymerase-X family: controllers of DNA quality?. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 5, 1038–1043 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm1530
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm1530
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