Lesion bypass in yeast cells: Pol η participates in a multi-DNA polymerase process

Replication through (6–4)TT and G-AAF lesions was compared in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains proficient and deficient for the RAD30-encoded DNA polymerase η (Pol η). In the RAD30 strain, the (6–4)TT lesion is replicated both inaccurately and accurately 60 and 40% of the time, respectively. Surprisingly, in a rad30Δ strain, the level of mutagenic bypass is essentially suppressed, while error-free bypass remains unchanged. Therefore, Pol η is responsible for mutagenic replication through the (6–4)TT photoproduct, while another polymerase mediates its error-free bypass. Deletion of the RAD30 gene also reduces the levels of both accurate and inaccurate bypass of AAF lesions within two different sequence contexts up to 8-fold. These data show that, in contrast to the accurate bypass by Pol η of TT cyclobutane dimers, it is responsible for the mutagenic bypass of other lesions. In conclusion, this paper shows that, in yeast, translesion synthesis involves the combined action of several polymerases.