RAD29 and RAD31--new genes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts, participating in control of DNA repair. Isolation and genetic study of mutants

Base excision repair (BER) and nucleotide excision repair (NER) are two main cellular responses to DNA damage induced by various physical and chemical factors. After exposure of the strain that carries the NER-blocking rad2 mutation to UV light, several mutants hypersensitive to the UV light lethal action and simultaneously sensitive to methylmethanesulphonate (MMS) were isolated. Two of these mutants (Uvs64 and Uvs212) were examined in detail. The mutants were found to carry recessive, monogenically inherited lesions that had pleiotropic, though different, phenotypes: both mutants were also sensitive to nitrous acid (HNO2), whereas Uvs212 was sensitive to hydrogen peroxide as well. Moreover, the homozygote for the uvs212 mutation, but not for uvs64, blocks the sporulation. Since the mutations examined were not allelic to any of the known rad mutations that cause MMS sensitivity or to each other, it is concluded that two new genes involved in the control of yeast DNA repair were detected. Furthermore, these genes were mapped to different regions of the right arm of chromosome 2 where repair genes were not found. Thus, two new genes, designated RAD29(UVS64) and RAD31(UVS212) and probably involved in base excision repair, were identified.