DNA polymerase θ-mediated repair of high LET radiation-induced complex DNA double-strand breaks.

DNA polymerase θ (POLQ) is a unique DNA polymerase that is able to perform microhomology-mediated end-joining as well as translesion synthesis (TLS) across an abasic (AP) site and thymine glycol (Tg). However, the biological significance of the TLS activity is currently unknown. Herein we provide evidence that the TLS activity of POLQ plays a critical role in repairing complex DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induced by high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. Radiotherapy with high LET radiation such as carbon ions leads to more deleterious biological effects than corresponding doses of low LET radiation such as X-rays. High LET-induced DSBs are considered to be complex, carrying additional DNA damage such as AP site and Tg in close proximity to the DSB sites. However, it is not clearly understood how complex DSBs are processed in mammalian cells. We demonstrated that genetic disruption of POLQ results in an increase of chromatid breaks and enhanced cellular sensitivity following treatment with high LET radiation. At the biochemical level, POLQ was able to bypass an AP site and Tg during end-joining and was able to anneal two single-stranded DNA tails when DNA lesions were located outside the microhomology. This study offers evidence that POLQ is directly involved in the repair of complex DSBs.

MSH2-MSH3 promotes DNA end resection during homologous recombination and blocks polymerase theta-mediated end-joining through interaction with SMARCAD1 and EXO1.

DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair via homologous recombination is initiated by end resection. The extent of DNA end resection determines the choice of the DSB repair pathway. Nucleases for end resection have been extensively studied. However, it is still unclear how the potential DNA structures generated by the initial short resection by MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 are recognized and recruit proteins, such as EXO1, to DSB sites to facilitate long-range resection. We found that the MSH2-MSH3 mismatch repair complex is recruited to DSB sites through interaction with the chromatin remodeling protein SMARCAD1. MSH2-MSH3 facilitates the recruitment of EXO1 for long-range resection and enhances its enzymatic activity. MSH2-MSH3 also inhibits access of POLθ, which promotes polymerase theta-mediated end-joining (TMEJ). Collectively, we present a direct role of MSH2-MSH3 in the initial stages of DSB repair by promoting end resection and influencing the DSB repair pathway by favoring homologous recombination over TMEJ.

FAM35A associates with REV7 and modulates DNA damage responses of normal and BRCA1-defective cells.

To exploit vulnerabilities of tumors, it is urgent to identify associated defects in genome maintenance. One unsolved problem is the mechanism of regulation of DNA double-strand break repair by REV7 in complex with 53BP1 and RIF1, and its influence on repair pathway choice between homologous recombination and non-homologous end-joining. We searched for REV7-associated factors in human cells and found FAM35A, a previously unstudied protein with an unstructured N-terminal region and a C-terminal region harboring three OB-fold domains similar to single-stranded DNA-binding protein RPA, as novel interactor of REV7/RIF1/53BP1. FAM35A re-localized in damaged cell nuclei, and its knockdown caused sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. In a BRCA1-mutant cell line, however, depletion of FAM35A increased resistance to camptothecin, suggesting that FAM35A participates in processing of DNA ends to allow more efficient DNA repair. We found FAM35A absent in one widely used BRCA1-mutant cancer cell line (HCC1937) with anomalous resistance to PARP inhibitors. A survey of FAM35A alterations revealed that the gene is altered at the highest frequency in prostate cancers (up to 13%) and significantly less expressed in metastatic cases, revealing promise for FAM35A as a therapeutically relevant cancer marker.

Analysis of DNA polymerase ν function in meiotic recombination, immunoglobulin class-switching, and DNA damage tolerance.

DNA polymerase ν (pol ν), encoded by the POLN gene, is an A-family DNA polymerase in vertebrates and some other animal lineages. Here we report an in-depth analysis of pol ν-defective mice and human cells. POLN is very weakly expressed in most tissues, with the highest relative expression in testis. We constructed multiple mouse models for Poln disruption and detected no anatomic abnormalities, alterations in lifespan, or changed causes of mortality. Mice with inactive Poln are fertile and have normal testis morphology. However, pol ν-disrupted mice have a modestly reduced crossover frequency at a meiotic recombination hot spot harboring insertion/deletion polymorphisms. These polymorphisms are suggested to generate a looped-out primer and a hairpin structure during recombination, substrates on which pol ν can operate. Pol ν-defective mice had no alteration in DNA end-joining during immunoglobulin class-switching, in contrast to animals defective in the related DNA polymerase θ (pol θ). We examined the response to DNA crosslinking agents, as purified pol ν has some ability to bypass major groove peptide adducts and residues of DNA crosslink repair. Inactivation of Poln in mouse embryonic fibroblasts did not alter cellular sensitivity to mitomycin C, cisplatin, or aldehydes. Depletion of POLN from human cells with shRNA or siRNA did not change cellular sensitivity to mitomycin C or alter the frequency of mitomycin C-induced radial chromosomes. Our results suggest a function of pol ν in meiotic homologous recombination in processing specific substrates. The restricted and more recent evolutionary appearance of pol ν (in comparison to pol θ) supports such a specialized role.

REV7 is essential for DNA damage tolerance via two REV3L binding sites in mammalian DNA polymerase ζ.

DNA polymerase zeta (pol ζ) is exceptionally important for controlling mutagenesis and genetic instability. REV3L comprises the catalytic subunit, while REV7 (MAD2L2) is considered an accessory subunit. However, it has not been established that the role of REV7 in DNA damage tolerance is necessarily connected with mammalian pol ζ, and there is accumulating evidence that REV7 and REV3L have independent functions. Analysis of pol ζ has been hampered by difficulties in expression of REV3L in mammalian cells, and lack of a functional complementation system. Here, we report that REV7 interacts with full-length REV3L in vivo and we identify a new conserved REV7 interaction site in human REV3L (residues 1993-2003), distinct from the known binding site (residues 1877-1887). Mutation of both REV7-binding sites eliminates the REV3L-REV7 interaction. In vivo complementation shows that both REV7-binding sites in REV3L are necessary for preventing spontaneous chromosome breaks and conferring resistance to UV radiation and cisplatin. This demonstrates a damage-specific function of REV7 in pol ζ, in contrast to the distinct roles of REV3L and REV7 in primary cell viability and embryogenesis.

Mechanism of suppression of chromosomal instability by DNA polymerase POLQ.

Although a defect in the DNA polymerase POLQ leads to ionizing radiation sensitivity in mammalian cells, the relevant enzymatic pathway has not been identified. Here we define the specific mechanism by which POLQ restricts harmful DNA instability. Our experiments show that Polq-null murine cells are selectively hypersensitive to DNA strand breaking agents, and that damage resistance requires the DNA polymerase activity of POLQ. Using a DNA break end joining assay in cells, we monitored repair of DNA ends with long 3' single-stranded overhangs. End joining events retaining much of the overhang were dependent on POLQ, and independent of Ku70. To analyze the repair function in more detail, we examined immunoglobulin class switch joining between DNA segments in antibody genes. POLQ participates in end joining of a DNA break during immunoglobulin class-switching, producing insertions of base pairs at the joins with homology to IgH switch-region sequences. Biochemical experiments with purified human POLQ protein revealed the mechanism generating the insertions during DNA end joining, relying on the unique ability of POLQ to extend DNA from minimally paired primers. DNA breaks at the IgH locus can sometimes join with breaks in Myc, creating a chromosome translocation. We found a marked increase in Myc/IgH translocations in Polq-defective mice, showing that POLQ suppresses genomic instability and genome rearrangements originating at DNA double-strand breaks. This work clearly defines a role and mechanism for mammalian POLQ in an alternative end joining pathway that suppresses the formation of chromosomal translocations. Our findings depart from the prevailing view that alternative end joining processes are generically translocation-prone.

Conserved overlapping gene arrangement, restricted expression, and biochemical activities of DNA polymerase ν (POLN).

DNA polymerase ν (POLN) is one of 16 DNA polymerases encoded in vertebrate genomes. It is important to determine its gene expression patterns, biological roles, and biochemical activities. By quantitative analysis of mRNA expression, we found that POLN from the zebrafish Danio rerio is expressed predominantly in testis. POLN is not detectably expressed in zebrafish embryos or in mouse embryonic stem cells. Consistent with this, injection of POLN-specific morpholino antisense oligonucleotides did not interfere with zebrafish embryonic development. Analysis of transcripts revealed that vertebrate POLN has an unusual gene expression arrangement, sharing a first exon with HAUS3, the gene encoding augmin-like complex subunit 3. HAUS3 is broadly expressed in embryonic and adult tissues, in contrast to POLN. Differential expression of POLN and HAUS3 appears to arise by alternate splicing of transcripts in mammalian cells and zebrafish. When POLN was ectopically overexpressed in human cells, it specifically coimmunoprecipitated with the homologous recombination factors BRCA1 and FANCJ, but not with previously suggested interaction partners (HELQ and members of the Fanconi anemia core complex). Purified zebrafish POLN protein is capable of thymine glycol bypass and strand displacement, with activity dependent on a basic amino acid residue known to stabilize the primer-template. These properties are conserved with the human enzyme. Although the physiological function of pol ν remains to be clarified, this study uncovers distinctive aspects of its expression control and evolutionarily conserved properties of this DNA polymerase.

Bypass specialists operate together.

New experiments show that different combinations of translesion DNA polymerases act to bypass lesions in mammalian cells, depending on the type of DNA damage. Bypass of most lesions tested was dependent on REV3L (pol zeta) and at least one additional DNA polymerase. The data fit a model whereby DNA polymerases work sequentially to bypass adducts in DNA.

Replication of the 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-N(5)-(methyl)-formamidopyrimidine (MeFapy-dGuo) adduct by eukaryotic DNA polymerases.

N(6)-(2-Deoxy-d-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-2,6-diamino-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-5-N-methylformamidopyrimidine (MeFapy-dGuo) has been identified as a stable DNA adduct that arises from the reaction of DNA with a variety of methylating agents. Since this lesion persists in DNA and may contribute to the overall mutagenesis from electrophilic methylating agents, the MeFapy-dGuo lesion was incorporated into oligonucleotides, and its replication bypass was examined in vitro with a panel of eukaryotic high fidelity (hPols α, ß, and δ/PCNA) and translesion (hPols η, κ, ι, Rev1, ν, and yPol ζ) polymerases to address its miscoding potential. The MeFapy-dGuo was found to be a strong block to the high fidelity polymerases at either the insertion or the extension step. Efficient translesion synthesis was observed for hPols η and κ, and the combined activities of hRev1 and yPol ζ. The nucleotide sequences of the extension products were determined by mass spectrometry. The error-free extension product was the most abundant product observed for each polymerase. Misreplication products, which included misinsertion of Thy, Gua, and Ade opposite the MeFapy-dGuo lesion, as well as an interesting one-nucleotide deletion product, were observed when hPols η and κ were employed; these events accounted for 8-29% of the total extension products observed. The distribution and abundance of the misreplication products were dependent on the polymerases and local sequence context of the lesion. Collectively, these data suggest that although MeFapy-dGuo adducts represent a relatively minor proportion of the total alkylated lesions, their miscoding potentials could significantly contribute to genomic instability.

Evolutionary conservation of residues in vertebrate DNA polymerase N conferring low fidelity and bypass activity.

POLN is a nuclear A-family DNA polymerase encoded in vertebrate genomes. POLN has unusual fidelity and DNA lesion bypass properties, including strong strand displacement activity, low fidelity favoring incorporation of T for template G and accurate translesion synthesis past a 5S-thymine glycol (5S-Tg). We searched for conserved features of the polymerase domain that distinguish it from prokaryotic pol I-type DNA polymerases. A Lys residue (679 in human POLN) of particular interest was identified in the conserved 'O-helix' of motif 4 in the fingers sub-domain. The corresponding residue is one of the most important for controlling fidelity of prokaryotic pol I and is a nonpolar Ala or Thr in those enzymes. Kinetic measurements show that K679A or K679T POLN mutant DNA polymerases have full activity on nondamaged templates, but poorly incorporate T opposite template G and do not bypass 5S-Tg efficiently. We also found that a conserved Tyr residue in the same motif not only affects sensitivity to dideoxynucleotides, but also greatly influences enzyme activity, fidelity and bypass. Protein sequence alignment reveals that POLN has three specific insertions in the DNA polymerase domain. The results demonstrate that residues have been strictly retained during evolution that confer unique bypass and fidelity properties on POLN.

Novel enzymatic function of DNA polymerase nu in translesion DNA synthesis past major groove DNA-peptide and DNA-DNA cross-links.

DNA polymerase nu (POLN or pol nu) is a newly discovered A family polymerase that generates a high error rate when incorporating nucleotides opposite dG; its translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) capability has only been demonstrated for high fidelity replication bypass of thymine glycol lesions. In the current investigation, we describe a novel TLS substrate specificity of pol nu, demonstrating that it is able to bypass exceptionally large DNA lesions whose linkages are through the DNA major groove. Specifically, pol nu catalyzed efficient and high fidelity TLS past peptides linked to N(6)-dA via a reduced Schiff base linkage with a gamma-hydroxypropano-dA. Additionally, pol nu could bypass DNA interstrand cross-links with linkage between N(6)-dAs in complementary DNA strands. However, the chemically identical DNA--peptide and DNA interstrand cross-links completely blocked pol nu when they were located in the minor groove via a N(2)-dG linkage. Furthermore, we showed that pol nu incorporated a nucleotide opposite the 1,N(6)-etheno-dA (epsilondA) in an error-free manner and (+)-trans-anti-benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol 9,10-epoxide-dA [(+)-BPDE-dA] in an error-prone manner, albeit with a greatly reduced capability. Collectively, these data suggest that although pol nu bypass capacity cannot be generalized to all major groove DNA adducts, this polymerase could be involved in TLS when genomic replication is blocked by extremely large major groove DNA lesions. In view of the recent observation that pol nu may have a role in cellular tolerance to DNA cross-linking agents, our findings provide biochemical evidence for the potential functioning of this polymerase in the bypass of some DNA-protein and DNA-DNA cross-links.

Defining the mutation signatures of DNA polymerase θ in cancer genomes.

DNA polymerase theta (POLQ)-mediated end joining (TMEJ) is a distinct pathway for mediating DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. TMEJ is required for the viability of BRCA-mutated cancer cells. It is crucial to identify tumors that rely on POLQ activity for DSB repair, because such tumors are defective in other DSB repair pathways and have predicted sensitivity to POLQ inhibition and to cancer therapies that produce DSBs. We define here the POLQ-associated mutation signatures in human cancers, characterized by short insertions and deletions in a specific range of microhomologies. By analyzing 82 COSMIC (Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer) signatures, we found that BRCA-mutated cancers with a higher level of POLQ expression have a greatly enhanced representation of the small insertion and deletion signature 6, as well as single base substitution signature 3. Using human cancer cells with disruptions of POLQ, we further show that TMEJ dominates end joining of two separated DSBs (distal EJ). Templated insertions with microhomology are enriched in POLQ-dependent distal EJ. The use of this signature analysis will aid in identifying tumors relying on POLQ activity.

CNDAC-Induced DNA Double-Strand Breaks Cause Aberrant Mitosis Prior to Cell Death.

Incorporation of the clinically active deoxycytidine analogue 2'-C-cyano-2'-deoxy-1-ß-D-arabino-pentofuranosyl-cytosine (CNDAC) into DNA generates single-strand breaks that are subsequently converted to double-strand breaks (DSB). Here, we investigated the cellular manifestations of these breaks that link these mechanisms to cell death, and we further tested the relevance of DNA repair pathways in protection of cells against CNDAC damage. The present investigations demonstrate that following exposure to CNDAC and a wash into drug-free medium, chromosomal aberrations, DNA strand breaks, and multinucleate cells arose. These portended loss of viability and were dependent upon exposure time, CNDAC concentration, and passage through mitosis. Following a pulse incubation with CNDAC, live cell imaging using GFP-tagged histone H2B as a marker demonstrated a normal rate of progression to mitosis, but a concentration-dependent delay in passage to a second mitosis. Progression through mitosis was also delayed and accompanied by formation of multinucleate cells. CNDAC-treated cells lacking XPF-ERCC1 nuclease function showed a 16-fold increase in chromosome aberrations. Chromosomal damage in Rad51D-mutant cells (homologous recombination repair deficient) were even more severely affected with extensive aberrations. Rodent or human Polq (POLQ) mutant cells, defective in Pol θ-mediated alternative end joining, did not show enhanced cellular sensitivity to CNDAC. These findings are consistent with formation of DSBs in the second S-phase following exposure, resulting in chromosome aberrations, aberrant mitoses, and subsequent apoptosis.

A unique error signature for human DNA polymerase nu.

Human DNA polymerase nu (pol nu) is one of three A family polymerases conserved in vertebrates. Although its biological functions are unknown, pol nu has been implicated in DNA repair and in translesion DNA synthesis (TLS). Pol nu lacks intrinsic exonucleolytic proofreading activity and discriminates poorly against misinsertion of dNTP opposite template thymine or guanine, implying that it should copy DNA with low base substitution fidelity. To test this prediction and to comprehensively examine pol nu DNA synthesis fidelity as a clue to its function, here we describe human pol nu error rates for all 12 single base-base mismatches and for insertion and deletion errors during synthesis to copy the lacZ alpha-complementation sequence in M13mp2 DNA. Pol nu copies this DNA with average single-base insertion and deletion error rates of 7 x 10(-5) and 17 x 10(-5), respectively. This accuracy is comparable to that of replicative polymerases in the B family, lower than that of its A family homolog, human pol gamma, and much higher than that of Y family TLS polymerases. In contrast, the average single-base substitution error rate of human pol nu is 3.5 x 10(-3), which is inaccurate compared to the replicative polymerases and comparable to Y family polymerases. Interestingly, the vast majority of errors made by pol nu reflect stable misincorporation of dTMP opposite template G, at average rates that are much higher than for homologous A family members. This pol nu error is especially prevalent in sequence contexts wherein the template G is preceded by a C-G or G-C base pair, where error rates can exceed 10%. Amino acid sequence alignments based on the structures of more accurate A family polymerases suggest substantial differences in the O-helix of pol nu that could contribute to this unique error signature.

Podophyllotoxin directly binds a hinge domain in E2 of HPV and inhibits an E2/E7 interaction in vitro.

Podophyllotoxin (PT), a strong cytotoxic agent from berberidaceae, has been known to inhibit tubulin polymerization. Although PT has been used for developing anticancer drugs as one of seed compounds, clinical treatment by itself has been unsuccessful because of the side effects, except one example in the treatments of warts. In this study, we screened peptides binding to PT with T7 phage display clonings in order to obtain more information about molecular mechanism of the action. A selected phage clone has a specific amino acid sequence to be SVPSRRRPDGRTHRSSRG. A homology search by protein database BLAST showed that this sequence had a similarity to a hinge domain (HD) of E2 protein in human papillomavirus (HPV) type 1a which is known to cause plantar warts. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis showed that PT bound to a recombinant HPV 1a E2 protein giving a K(D)=24.1microM which has compared with those of other domains of E2 protein. Also we demonstrated whether PT inhibited HD interaction or not. E7 protein of HPV has been known to be an oncoprotein and was reported to interact with HD of E2 protein. We demonstrated that an E2/E7 interaction was inhibited by the addition of PT in this report. And we showed the bindings of PT to other types of HPV. Our results suggest that PT is potential as a tool for clarifying the molecular mechanism of HPV.

DmGEN shows a flap endonuclease activity, cleaving the blocked-flap structure and model replication fork.

Drosophila melanogaster XPG-like endonuclease (DmGEN) is a new category of nuclease belonging to the RAD2/XPG family. The DmGEN protein has two nuclease domains (N and I domains) similar to XPG/class I nucleases; however, unlike class I nucleases, in DmGEN these two nuclease domains are positioned close to each other as in FEN-1/class II and EXO-1/class III nucleases. To confirm the properties of DmGEN, we characterized the active-site mutant protein (E143A E145A) and found that DmGEN had flap endonuclease activity. DmGEN possessed weak nick-dependent 5'-3' exonuclease activity. Unlike XPG, DmGEN could not incise the bubble structure. Interestingly, based on characterization of flap endonuclease activity, DmGEN preferred the blocked-flap structure as a substrate. This feature is distinctly different from FEN-1. Furthermore, DmGEN cleaved the lagging strand of the model replication fork. Immunostaining revealed that DmGEN was present in the nucleus of actively proliferating Drosophila embryos. Thus, our studies revealed that DmGEN belongs to a new class (class IV) of the RAD2/XPG nuclease family. The biochemical properties of DmGEN and its possible role are also discussed.

Characterization of a second proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA2) from Drosophila melanogaster.

The eukaryotic DNA polymerase processivity factor, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, is an essential component in the DNA replication and repair machinery. In Drosophila melanogaster, we cloned a second PCNA cDNA that differs from that encoded by the gene mus209 (for convenience called DmPCNA1 in this article). The second PCNA cDNA (DmPCNA2) encoded a 255 amino acid protein with 51.7% identity to DmPCNA1, and was ubiquitously expressed during Drosophila development. DmPCNA2 was localized in nuclei as a homotrimeric complex and associated with Drosophila DNA polymerase delta and epsilonin vivo. Treatment of cells with methyl methanesulfonate or hydrogen peroxide increased the amount of both DmPCNA2 and DmPCNA1 associating with chromatin, whereas exposure to UV light increased the level of association of only DmPCNA1. Our observations suggest that DmPCNA2 may function as an independent sliding clamp of DmPCNA1 when DNA repair occurs.

Drosophila damaged DNA binding protein 1 contributes to genome stability in somatic cells.

The damaged DNA-binding protein (DDB) complex consists of a heterodimer of p127 (DDB1) and p48 (DDB2) subunits and is believed to have a role in nucleotide excision repair (NER). We used the GAL4-UAS targeted expression system to knock down DDB1 in wing imaginal discs of Drosophila. The knock-down was achieved in transgenic flies using over-expression of inverted repeat RNA of the D-DDB1 gene [UAS-D-DDB1(650)-dsRNA]. As a consequence of RNA interference (RNAi), the fly had a shrunken wing phenotype. The wing spot test showed induced genome instability in transgenic flies with RNAi knock-down of D-DDB1 in wing imaginal discs. When Drosophila larvae with RNAi knock-down of D-DDB1 in wing imaginal discs were treated with the chemical mutagen methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), the frequency of flies with a severely shrunken wing phenotype increased compared to non-treated transgenic flies. These results suggested that DDB1 plays a role in the response to DNA damaged with MMS and in genome stability in Drosophila somatic cells.

Drosophila damage-specific DNA-binding protein 1 (D-DDB1) is controlled by the DRE/DREF system.

We succeeded in cloning the gene, termed d-ddb1, for a Drosophila homolog of the p127 subunit of the human damage-specific DNA-binding protein, thought to recognize (6-4) photoproducts and related structures. In Drosophila, the gene product (D-DDB1) also appeared to play a role as a repair factor, d-ddb1 knockout Kc cells generated with a RNAi method being sensitive to UV. In addition, UV or methyl methanesulfonate treatment increased d-ddb1 transcripts. However, we found that the gene is controlled by the DRE/DREF system, which is generally responsible for activating the promoters of proliferation-related genes. Moreover, during Drosophila development, the transcription of d-ddb1 changed greatly, with the highest levels in unfertilized eggs, indicating that external injury to DNA is not essential to D-DDB1 function. Interestingly, as with UV irradiation-induced transfer of D-DDB1 to the nucleus from the cytoplasm, during spermatogenesis the protein transiently shifted from one cell compartment to the other. The results indicate that D-DDB1 not only contributes to the DNA repair system, but also has a role in cell proliferation and development.

DmGEN, a novel RAD2 family endo-exonuclease from Drosophila melanogaster.

A novel endo-exonuclease, DmGEN (Drosophila Melanogaster XPG-like endonuclease), was identified in D.melanogaster. DmGEN is composed of five exons and four introns, and the open reading frame encodes a predicted product of 726 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 82.5 kDa and a pI of 5.36. The gene locus on Drosophila polytene chromosomes was detected at 64C9 on the left arm of chromosome 3 as a single site. The encoded protein showed a relatively high degree of sequence homology with the RAD2 nucleases, especially XPG. Although the XPG-N- and XPG-I-domains are highly conserved in sequence, locations of the domains are similar to those of FEN-1 and EXO-1, and the molecular weight of the protein is close to that of EXO-1. In vitro, DmGEN showed endonuclease and 3'-5' exonuclease activities with both single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), but the endonuclease action with dsDNA was quite specific: 5'-3' exonuclease activity was found to occur with nicked DNA, while dsDNA was endonucleolytically cut at 3-4 bp from the 5' end. Homologs are widely found in mammals and higher plants. The data suggest that DmGEN belongs to a new class of RAD2 nuclease.