Eukaryotic DNA Polymerases

Abstract

Biochemical processes are often studied in prokaryotic systems due to a lower degree of complexity in the organization of structural and enzymatic components in these simple organisms. In prokaryotic cells biochemical processes and the components associated with these processes are often compartmentalized in cell organelles such as the nucleus, mitochrondria, microsomes and etc. In eukaryotic cells, cellular DNA and DNA synthesis are localized in the nucleus. Although one might assume that all enzymes involved in DNA synthesis and maintenance are localized in the nucleus, experimental findings contradict this assumption. The number of DNA polymerases and their intracellular locations in an eukaryotic cells are probably related to their in vivo functions, and to the complex control mechanisms in the replication and maintenance of DNA.