title: Sibling rivalry: competition between Pol X family members in V(D)J recombination and general double strand break repair.
abstract: The nonhomologous end-joining pathway is a major means for repairing double-strand breaks (DSBs) in all mitotic cell types. This repair pathway is also the only efficient means for resolving DSB intermediates in V(D)J recombination, a lymphocyte-specific genome rearrangement required for assembly of antigen receptors. A role for polymerases in end-joining has been well established. They are a major factor in determining the character of repair junctions but, in contrast to 'core' end-joining factors, typically appear to have a subtle impact on the efficiency of end-joining. Recent work implicates several members of the Pol X family in end-joining and suggests surprising complexity in the control of how these different polymerases are employed in this pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Nick McElhinny
authors.forename: Dale A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Ramsden
mesh_terms: D004253:DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D004256:DNA Polymerase I / Q000378:metabolism; D019951:DNA Polymerase beta / Q000378:metabolism; D004260:DNA Repair; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism*; D015322:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte / Q000502:physiology*; D015329:Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: C109534:DNA polymerase X; C415367:DNA polymerase beta2; C407743:DNA polymerase mu; D004253:DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase; D004256:DNA Polymerase I; D019951:DNA Polymerase beta; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase