The essential DNA polymerases delta and epsilon are involved in repair of UV-damaged DNA in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
We have studied the ability of yeast DNA polymerases to carry out repair of lesions caused by UV irradiation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. By the analysis of postirradiation relative molecular mass changes in cellular DNA of different DNA polymerases mutant strains, it was established that mutations in DNA polymerases delta and epsilon showed accumulation of single-strand breaks indicating defective repair. Mutations in other DNA polymerase genes exhibited no defects in DNA repair. Thus, the data obtained suggest that DNA polymerases delta and epsilon are both necessary for DNA replication and for repair of lesions caused by UV irradiation. The results are discussed in the light of current concepts concerning the specificity of DNA polymerases in DNA repair.