Regulation of translesion DNA synthesis by post-translational modifications

人DNA聚合酶eta（Polη）是着色性干皮病变异体（一种癌症易感遗传性疾病）的负责基因产物，并且通过催化精确的跨损伤DNA合成（TLS）来保护细胞免于细胞死亡或致癌。在这个项目中，我们发现Polη具有取决于DNA损伤和情况的致突变特性。我们还鉴定了新的蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用和Polη及相关蛋白质的翻译后修饰，这对调节人类细胞中的TLS可能很重要。

Human DNA polymerase eta (Polη) is the responsible gene product of xeroderma pigmentosum variant, a cancer-prone genetic disorder, and protects cells from cell death or carcinogenesis by catalyzing accurate translesion DNA synthesis (TLS). During this project, we showed that Polη has mutagenic properties depending on DNA damages and situations. We have also identified novel protein-protein interactions and post-translational modifications of Polη and related proteins which could be important for regulating TLS in human cells.