Nature Communications (Jun 2018)

The mitochondrial DNA polymerase gamma degrades linear DNA fragments precluding the formation of deletions

  • Nadee Nissanka,
  • Sandra R. Bacman,
  • Melanie J. Plastini,
  • Carlos T. Moraes

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04895-1
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Mitochondrial DNA fragments are rapidly degraded when double strand breaks occur. Here the authors reveal that the exonuclease activity of polymerase gamma is important for efficient degradation of these fragments and to avoid formation of large deletions.