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perspective: Kohta Takahashi and Mitsuhiro Yanagida CELL CYCLE: Replication Meets Cohesion Science 2000; 289: 735-736 [Summary] [Full text]

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Too Many Pol Kappa Enzymes

Errol C. Friedberg   (7 September 2000)

Too Many Pol Kappa Enzymes 7 September 2000
Errol C. Friedberg, professor University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Respond to this E-Letter: Re: Too Many Pol Kappa Enzymes	Scientific nomenclature is often difficult to standardize in the literature, especially in rapidly breaking fields. However, a failure to be conscientious about this can result in considerable confusion, especially for investigators peripheral to the field in question. Over a year ago Aravind and Koonin (1) pointed out that the translated nucleotide sequence of TRF4 places it in a new family of eukaryotic chromatin-associated nucleotidyltransferases, which are members of the DNA polymerase b-like nucleotidyltransferase superfamily. In their report in this same issue of Science (4 Aug., p. 774), Wang et al. describe a novel DNA polymerase encoded by the TRF4 gene that is required for sister chromatid cohesion in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. They have designated this enzyme as pol kappa. Another recently identified superfamily of nucleotidyltransferases (2) includes the DinB, UmuC/D, REV3, and RAD30 subfamilies. Several members of this superfamily, including the product of the human DINB1 gene, have now been purified and shown to be low fidelity, low processivity DNA polymerases (3). The enzyme encoded by the DINB1 gene has recently been designated pol kappa by several laboratories (3). Readers of the novel DNA polymerase literature should be aware that there are now two distinct eukaryotic enzymes called pol kappa. E. C. Friedberg, V. L. Gerlach, and W. J. Feaver. References 1. L. Aravind and E. V. Koonin, Nucleic Acids Res. 27, 1609, (1999). 2. V. L. Gerlach et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 96, 11922, (1999). 3. E. C. Friedberg et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97, 5681, (2000).