Fidelity and processivity of DNA synthesis by DNA polymerase κ, the product of the human DINB1 gene

Mammalian DNA polymerase κ (pol κ), a member of the UmuC/DinB nucleotidyl transferase superfamily, has been implicated in spontaneous mutagenesis. Here we show that human pol κ copies undamaged DNA with average single-base substitution and deletion error rates of 7 × 10^-3 and 2 × 10^-3, respectively. These error rates are high when compared to those of most other DNA polymerases, pol κ also has unusual error specificity, producing a high proportion of T·CMP mispairs and deleting and adding non-reiterated nucleotides at extraordinary rates. Unlike other members of the UmuC/ DinB family, pol κ can processively synthesize chains of 25 or more nucleotides. This moderate processivity may reflect a contribution of C-terminal residues, which include two zinc clusters. The very low fidelity and moderate processivity of pol κ is novel in comparison to any previously studied DNA polymerase, and is consistent with a role in spontaneous mutagenesis.