Clubbing together on clamps: The key to translesion synthesis.

Translesion synthesis is an important mechanism by which cells replicate past DNA damage. The sliding clamp DNA polymerase processivity factors play a central role in this process. The clamps are dimeric in bacteria and trimeric in eukaryotes and archaea, raising the question of whether more than one polymerase can interact with the clamp simultaneously. Recently published data suggest that this is indeed the case.