@article {382,
	title = {Mitochondrial DNA polymerase POLIB is essential for minicircle DNA replication in African trypanosomes.},
	journal = {Mol Microbiol},
	volume = {75},
	year = {2010},
	month = {2010 Mar},
	pages = {1414-25},
	abstract = {The unique mitochondrial DNA of trypanosomes is a catenated network of minicircles and maxicircles called kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). The network is essential for survival, and requires an elaborate topoisomerase-mediated release and reattachment mechanism for minicircle theta structure replication. At least seven DNA polymerases (pols) are involved in kDNA transactions, including three essential proteins related to bacterial DNA pol I (POLIB, POLIC and POLID). How Trypanosoma brucei utilizes multiple DNA pols to complete the topologically complex task of kDNA replication is unknown. To fill this gap in knowledge we investigated the cellular role of POLIB using RNA interference (RNAi). POLIB silencing resulted in growth inhibition and progressive loss of kDNA networks. Additionally, unreplicated covalently closed precursors become the most abundant minicircle replication intermediate as minicircle copy number declines. Leading and lagging strand minicircle progeny similarly declined during POLIB silencing, indicating POLIB had no apparent strand preference. Interestingly, POLIB RNAi led to the accumulation of a novel population of free minicircles that is composed mainly of covalently closed minicircle dimers. Based on these data, we propose that POLIB performs an essential role at the core of the minicircle replication machinery.},
	keywords = {DNA Polymerase beta, DNA Replication, DNA, Kinetoplast, Gene Silencing, Protozoan Proteins, Trypanosoma brucei brucei},
	issn = {1365-2958},
	doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07061.x},
	author = {Bruhn, David F and Mozeleski, Brian and Falkin, Laurie and Klingbeil, Michele M}
}
@article {386,
	title = {Trypanosoma brucei has two distinct mitochondrial DNA polymerase beta enzymes.},
	journal = {J Biol Chem},
	volume = {278},
	year = {2003},
	month = {2003 Dec 5},
	pages = {49095-101},
	abstract = {In higher eukaryotes, DNA polymerase (pol) beta resides in the nucleus and participates primarily in DNA repair. The DNA polymerase beta from the trypanosomatid Crithidia fasciculata, however, was the first mitochondrial enzyme of this type described. Upon searching the nearly completed genome data base of the related parasite Trypanosoma brucei, we discovered genes for two pol beta-like proteins. One is approximately 70\% identical to the C. fasciculata pol beta and is likely the homolog of this enzyme. The other, although approximately 30\% identical within the polymerase region, has unusual structural features including a short C-terminal tail and a long N-terminal extension rich in prolines, alanines, and lysines. Both proteins, when expressed recombinantly, are active as DNA polymerases and deoxyribose phosphate lyases, but their polymerase activity optima differ with respect to pH and KCl and MgCl2 concentrations. Remarkably, green fluorescent protein fusion proteins and immunofluorescence demonstrate that both are mitochondrial, but their locations with respect to the mitochondrial DNA (kinetoplast DNA network) in this organism are strikingly different.},
	keywords = {Animals, Base Sequence, Cell Line, DNA Polymerase beta, DNA Primers, Isoenzymes, Mitochondria, Recombinant Proteins, Trypanosoma brucei brucei},
	issn = {0021-9258},
	doi = {10.1074/jbc.M308565200},
	author = {Saxowsky, Tina T and Choudhary, Gunjan and Klingbeil, Michele M and Englund, Paul T}
}
