Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27264557›Full record

ReviewDNA repair2016

DNA polymerase θ (POLQ), double-strand break repair, and cancer.

Richard D Wood, Sylvie Doublié

Open access · greenAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in DNA repair, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 144 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
144citing papers in PubMed
10.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

144 citing papers in PubMed, 207 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Beyond Short Microhomologies: Mismatch-Compatible Pol θ-Mediated DNA Damage Repair.BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology · 2026
    Review
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Plant tolerance mechanisms to DNA-damaging UV stress.Journal of experimental botany · 2025
    Review
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Evolutionary Transcriptomics of Cancer Development.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Article
  20. Article

84 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Richard D WoodDepartment of Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 389, Smithville, TX 78957, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, USA. Electronic address: rwood@mdanderson.org.
Sylvie DoubliéDepartment of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont, 89 Beaumont Ave, Burlington, VT 05405, USA. Electronic address: Sylvie.Doublie@uvm.edu.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center · USUniversity of Vermont · US

Funding

Recognition and processing of complex lesions by components from multiple DNAP01CA097175 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI WOOD, RICHARD D · 2004 to 2014
$15.3M
Processing of Radiation Damage by Translesion DNA SynthesisR01CA052040 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT &ST AGRIC COLLEGE · PI DOUBLIE, SYLVIE · 1991 to 2017
$4.5M
NCI NIH HHS P01 CA097175NCI NIH HHS R01 CA052040
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

DNA polymerase theta (pol θ) is encoded in the genomes of many eukaryotes, though not in fungi. Pol θ is encoded by the POLQ gene in mammalian cells. The C-terminal third of the protein is a family A DNA polymerase with additional insertion elements relative to prokaryotic homologs. The N-terminal third is a helicase-like domain with DNA-dependent ATPase activity. Pol θ is important in the repair of genomic double-strand breaks (DSBs) from many sources. These include breaks formed by ionizing radiation and topoisomerase inhibitors, breaks arising at stalled DNA replication forks, breaks introduced during diversification steps of the mammalian immune system, and DSB induced by CRISPR-Cas9. Pol θ participates in a route of DSB repair termed "alternative end-joining" (altEJ). AltEJ is independent of the DNA binding Ku protein complex and requires DNA end resection. Pol θ is able to mediate joining of two resected 3' ends harboring DNA sequence microhomology. "Signatures" of Pol θ action during altEJ are the frequent utilization of longer microhomologies, and the insertion of additional sequences at joining sites. The mechanism of end-joining employs the ability of Pol θ to tightly grasp a 3' terminus through unique contacts in the active site, allowing extension from minimally paired primers. Pol θ is involved in controlling the frequency of chromosome translocations and preserves genome integrity by limiting large deletions. It may also play a backup role in DNA base excision repair. POLQ is a member of a cluster of similarly upregulated genes that are strongly correlated with poor clinical outcome for breast cancer, ovarian cancer and other cancer types. Inhibition of pol θ is a compelling approach for combination therapy of radiosensitization.

Indexed as

DNA End-Joining RepairRecombinational DNA RepairAnimalsAntineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsBase Pair MismatchCatalytic DomainDNADNA Breaks, Double-StrandedDNA-Directed DNA PolymeraseDNA Mismatch RepairDNA, NeoplasmDNA Polymerase thetaEnzyme InhibitorsGamma RaysHumansModels, MolecularDNADNA-Directed DNA PolymeraseDNA, NeoplasmDNA Polymerase thetaEnzyme InhibitorsAlternative end-joiningDNA double strand breaksDNA polymeraseDNA synthesisMMEJSynthetic lethality

Identifiers

PMID27264557
PMCPMC5114520
OpenAlexW2391227084

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.