Structure and function of the UVDE repair protein

Abstract

UVDE is a repair enzyme discovered for the first time in the fission yeast Schizaromyces pombe. The initial biochemical characterization of this enzyme showed that its substrate specificity includes not only UV lesions, but also abasic sites and some nucleotide mismatches. The mechanism, however, of UVDE damage recognition and DNA cleavage was not clarified. S. pombe UVDE was seen to require Mn2+ and Mg2+ for its function, but the utilization of divalent metals in its cleavage reaction was empirical and without a clear vision of the nature, the number and the exact role of the metal cofactors. UVDE homologues were found in many fungal species and in a number of bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis and Thermus thermophilus. Although the S. pombe UVDE was partially characterized, no information was available for the substrate specificity or the cofactor requirements its bacterial homologues