Speculations on the Roles of ADP-ribosyl Transferase Based on Analogies Between RecA and Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase

A model for eukaryotic DNA damage repair is proposed in which poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase(NAD+ ADP-ribosyl transferase, EC 2,4,2,30) plays an important role. In this model, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase regulates transcription of genes that are induced by DNA-damaging agents. This transcriptional regulation results from poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation and inactivation of DNA sequence-specific regulatory proteins such as silencer element-binding proteins, thereby inducing transcription of DNA polymerase β, which is a DNA repair enzyme in higher eukaryotes. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase has a number of similarities to RecA in Escherichia coli. Therefore, the genes related to DNA damage repair in higher eukaryotes are proposed to form a "poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase regulatory network" similar to the "SOS regulatory network" in E. coli.