title: Contributions of the specialised DNA polymerases to replication of structured DNA.
abstract: It is becoming increasingly clear that processive DNA replication is threatened not only by DNA damage but also by secondary structures that can form in the DNA template. Failure to resolve these structures promptly leads to both genetic instability, for instance DNA breaks and rearrangements, and to epigenetic instability, in which inaccurate propagation of the parental chromatin state leads to unscheduled changes in gene expression. Multiple overlapping mechanisms are needed to deal with the wide range of potential DNA structural challenges to replication. This review focuses on the emerging mechanisms by which specialised DNA polymerases, best known for their role in the replication of damaged DNA, contribute to the replication of undamaged but structured DNA, particularly G quadruplexes.
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
authors.forename: Caroline M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Wickramasinghe
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
authors.forename: Hayat
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arzouk
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frey
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maiter
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK. Electronic address: jes@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Julian E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Sale
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D004261:DNA Replication; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism*; D054856:G-Quadruplexes
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase
keywords: DNA polymerases; DNA secondary structures; G quadruplex; Replication; Translesion synthesis