REV3L
Encyclopedia
Protein reversionless 3-like (REV3L) also known as DNA polymerase zeta catalytic subunit (POLZ) is an enzyme
that in humans is encoded by the REV3L gene
.
The Rev3 subunit interacts with Rev7 to form Pol ζ, a B family polymerase. Pol ζ lacks 3' to 5' exonuclease
activity and is a moderate fidelity
polymerase. It cannot add nucleotides across from DNA lesions, yet it can extend from primers with terminal mismatches. This makes Pol ζ very important in translesion synthesis (TLS), because it can act in concert with other TLS polymerases that can add across the lesion to complete the bypass of the lesion. Most polymerases have difficulty extending mismatches because they cannot bind properly to the mismatched DNA. So rather than the cell dying, it can survive albeit with a mutation that may or may not be deleterious, so it is believed that Pol ζ is a driving force of evolution.
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
that in humans is encoded by the REV3L gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
.
The Rev3 subunit interacts with Rev7 to form Pol ζ, a B family polymerase. Pol ζ lacks 3' to 5' exonuclease
Exonuclease
Exonucleases are enzymes that work by cleaving nucleotides one at a time from the end of a polynucleotide chain. A hydrolyzing reaction that breaks phosphodiester bonds at either the 3’ or the 5’ end occurs. Its close relative is the endonuclease, which cleaves phosphodiester bonds in the middle ...
activity and is a moderate fidelity
Fidelity
"Fidelity" is the quality of being faithful or loyal. Its original meaning regarded duty to a lord or a king, in a broader sense than the related concept of fealty. Both derive from the Latin word fidēlis, meaning "faithful or loyal"....
polymerase. It cannot add nucleotides across from DNA lesions, yet it can extend from primers with terminal mismatches. This makes Pol ζ very important in translesion synthesis (TLS), because it can act in concert with other TLS polymerases that can add across the lesion to complete the bypass of the lesion. Most polymerases have difficulty extending mismatches because they cannot bind properly to the mismatched DNA. So rather than the cell dying, it can survive albeit with a mutation that may or may not be deleterious, so it is believed that Pol ζ is a driving force of evolution.