IISER MOHALI

Abstract: DNA polymerases are enzymes responsible for synthesizing new DNA by using the existing DNA as a template. These enzymes are fundamental to the process of replication or genome duplication, which is essential for propagation of life. All DNA polymerases studied to date use the same catalytic mechanism and yet, most replication systems require multiple DNA polymerases for faithful and efficient genome duplication. The different polymerases typically perform specific roles and synthesize DNA at different points of the replication process. We are interested in answering the following question: despite having the same chemical mechanism, how do DNA polymerases diversify to perform specialised functions? Using two examples from our ongoing work I will show how conformational dynamics and amino acid residues away from the active site can influence DNA polymerase activity and enable these enzymes to adapt to their specific role within the replication machinery.