Error-free replicative bypass of (6-4) photoproducts by DNA polymerase ζ in mouse and human cells

The ultraviolet (UV)-induced (6-4) pyrimidine-pyrimidone photoproduct [(6-4) PP] confers a large structural distortion in DNA. Here we examine in human cells the roles of translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases (Pols) in promoting replication through a (6-4) TT photoproduct carried on a duplex plasmid where bidirectional replication initiates from an origin of replication. We show that TLS contributes to a large fraction of lesion bypass and that it is mostly error-free. We find that, whereas Pol eta and Pol iota provide alternate pathways for mutagenic TLS, surprisingly, Pol zeta functions independently of these Pols and in a predominantly error-free manner. We verify and extend these observations in mouse cells and conclude that, in human cells, TLS during replication can be markedly error-free even opposite a highly distorting DNA lesion.