A role for PCNA2 in translesion synthesis by Arabidopsis thaliana DNA polymerase eta.

Eukaryotic DNA polymerase eta (Poleta) confers ultraviolet (UV) resistance by catalyzing translesion synthesis (TLS) past UV photoproducts. Poleta has been studied extensively in budding yeast and mammalian cells, where its interaction with monoubiquitylated proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is necessary for its biological activity. Recently, in collaboration with other investigators, our laboratory demonstrated that Arabidopsis thaliana Poleta is required for UV resistance in plants. Furthermore, the purified enzyme can perform TLS opposite a cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer and interacts with PCNA. Intriguingly, the biological activity of Poleta in a heterologous yeast assay depends on co-expression with Arabidopsis PCNA2 and Poleta sequences implicated in binding PCNA or ubiquitin. We suggest that interaction of Arabidopsis Poleta with ubiquitylated PCNA2 is required for TLS past UV photoproducts by Poleta.