of Work: Genetic defects as well as potentially unstable at-risk DNA motifs (ARMs) can cause genome instability and the combination can lead to synergistic increases in instability and disease in humans. Yeast provides an in vivo test tube for functional analysis of human DNA metabolic genes and ARMs. The 5' DNA flap endonuclease hFEN1, which is important for human replication and repair, could fully complement a yeast null RAD27 mutant. The several genetic effects of a nuclease-deficient allele led to the isolation of novel genotoxic hFEN1 mutants. A mutant RAD27/FEN1 that lacks interaction with PCNA appears to have little effect on genome stability; however, it exhibited synergy with double-strand break (DSB) repair mutants. We discovered (through an IRA collaboration with the Kunkel lab) strong negative interactions between a subtle allele of RAD27/FEN1 and defects in the DNA polymerase delta 3'->5' exonuclease. We described a novel role of the 3'-->5' Exo of Pol delta as a supplement or backup for the Rad27/Fen1 5'-flap endonuclease. A yeast rad27 null allele was lethal in combination with Pol delta mutations in Exo I, Exo II, and Exo III motifs that inactivate its exonuclease, but it was viable with mutations in other parts of Pol delta. The rad27-p allele, which has little phenotypic effect by itself, was also lethal in combination with mutations in the Pol delta Exo I and Exo II motifs. However, rad27-p Pol delta Exo III double mutants were viable. They exhibited strong synergistic increases in CAN1 duplication mutations, intrachromosomal and interchromosomal recombination, and required the wild-type double-strand break repair genes RAD50, RAD51, and RAD52 for viability. Observed effects were similar to those of the rad27-null mutant deficient in the removal of 5' flaps in the lagging strand. These results suggest that the 3'-->5' Exo activity of Pol delta is redundant with Rad27/Fen1 for creating ligatable nicks between adjacent Okazaki fragments,possibly by reducing the amount of strand-displacement in the lagging strand.
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