AUTHOR=Bohall Peter B. , Bell Stephen D. 

TITLE=Phenotypic Characterization of Sulfolobus islandicus Strains Lacking the B-Family DNA Polymerases PolB2 and PolB3 Individually and in Combination

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.666974

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2021.666974

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Across the three domains of life, B-family DNA polymerases play a variety of roles in both DNA repair and DNA replication processes. We examine the phenotypic consequences of loss of the putative repair polymerases PolB2 and/or PolB3 in the crenarchaeon <italic>Sulfolobus islandicus</italic>. We detect a modest growth advantage when cells lacking the polymerase are grown in unperturbed conditions. Further, we observe a striking insensitivity of the mutant lines to acute treatment with the oxidizing agent, hydrogen peroxide. In addition, cells lacking PolB3 show enhanced sensitivity to the DNA damaging agent 4-NQO. Our data therefore suggest that these non-essential DNA polymerases may influence DNA repair pathway choice in these hyperthermophilic aerobes.</p>