zeta DNA polymerase complex

GO:0016035 · Other · Multiprotein complex · Proposed

An error-prone eukaryotic DNA polymerase complex that carries out translesion DNA synthesis and damage-tolerance mutagenesis; in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, DNA polymerase zeta contains Rev3, Rev7, and the Pol31 and Pol32 accessory subunits shared with DNA polymerase delta. [GO:0016035]

UniProt location names: UniProt Consortium, CC BY 4.0. Reference label and route sources.

Components

Component	Type	Part of / acts on	Grounding	Genes	Essential	Role
Rev3 catalytic subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	REV3	UNKNOWN	Catalytic Rev3 constituent of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase zeta complex. `GO:0016035` GO:0016035 defines the zeta DNA polymerase complex as first characterized in Saccharomyces with Rev3 and Rev7 subunits. `PMID:8658138` Nelson et al. showed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rev3 and Rev7 form a complex with DNA polymerase activity. `PMID:23066099` Makarova et al. purified a four-subunit Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pol zeta complex containing Rev3, Rev7, Pol31, and Pol32.
Rev7 subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	REV7	UNKNOWN	Rev7 constituent of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase zeta core. `GO:0016035` GO:0016035 defines the zeta DNA polymerase complex as first characterized in Saccharomyces with Rev3 and Rev7 subunits. `PMID:8658138` Nelson et al. showed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rev3 and Rev7 form a complex with DNA polymerase activity. `PMID:23066099` Makarova et al. purified a four-subunit Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pol zeta complex containing Rev3, Rev7, Pol31, and Pol32.
Pol31 subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	POL31	UNKNOWN	Pol31 accessory constituent of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase zeta complex. `PMID:22465957` Baranovskiy et al. found that DNA polymerase zeta shares accessory subunits with DNA polymerase delta. `PMID:22711820` Johnson et al. identified Pol31 and Pol32 as essential subunits of yeast DNA polymerase zeta. `PMID:23066099` Makarova et al. purified a four-subunit Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pol zeta complex containing Rev3, Rev7, Pol31, and Pol32.
Pol32 subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	POL32	UNKNOWN	Pol32 accessory constituent of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase zeta complex. `PMID:22465957` Baranovskiy et al. found that DNA polymerase zeta shares accessory subunits with DNA polymerase delta. `PMID:22711820` Johnson et al. identified Pol31 and Pol32 as essential subunits of yeast DNA polymerase zeta. `PMID:23066099` Makarova et al. purified a four-subunit Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pol zeta complex containing Rev3, Rev7, Pol31, and Pol32.

Taxonomic distribution

NCBITaxon:4932 Saccharomyces cerevisiae — COMMON: Budding yeast has a DNA polymerase zeta complex containing Rev3, Rev7, Pol31, and Pol32. [PMID:23066099]

Canonical examples

NCBITaxon:4932 Saccharomyces cerevisiae — Reference yeast system in which the Rev3/Rev7 Pol zeta core was discovered and the later four-subunit assembly with Pol31 and Pol32 was biochemically resolved. [PMID:23066099]

Functions

Translesion synthesis GO:0019985 — The zeta DNA polymerase complex carries out error-prone DNA synthesis across damaged template DNA.
- GO:0016035 GO:0016035 defines the zeta DNA polymerase complex as catalyzing error-prone DNA synthesis in translesion-synthesis contexts.
- GO:0019985 GO:0019985 is the Gene Ontology biological-process term for translesion synthesis.
- PMID:8658138 Nelson et al. showed that the yeast Rev3/Rev7 DNA polymerase zeta complex can bypass a thymine-thymine cyclobutane dimer.

Mechanism graphs

DNA polymerase zeta supports translesion synthesis (FUNCTION)

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rev3, Rev7, Pol31, and Pol32 form the zeta DNA polymerase complex that supports translesion synthesis.

Subject	Predicate	Object	Evidence
Rev3 catalytic subunit	contributes to	zeta DNA polymerase complex	`GO:0016035` GO:0016035 defines the zeta DNA polymerase complex as first characterized in Saccharomyces with Rev3 and Rev7 subunits. `PMID:8658138` Nelson et al. showed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rev3 and Rev7 form a complex with DNA polymerase activity. `PMID:23066099` Makarova et al. purified a four-subunit Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pol zeta complex containing Rev3, Rev7, Pol31, and Pol32.
Rev7 subunit	contributes to	zeta DNA polymerase complex	`GO:0016035` GO:0016035 defines the zeta DNA polymerase complex as first characterized in Saccharomyces with Rev3 and Rev7 subunits. `PMID:8658138` Nelson et al. showed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rev3 and Rev7 form a complex with DNA polymerase activity. `PMID:23066099` Makarova et al. purified a four-subunit Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pol zeta complex containing Rev3, Rev7, Pol31, and Pol32.
Pol31 subunit	contributes to	zeta DNA polymerase complex	`PMID:22465957` Baranovskiy et al. found that DNA polymerase zeta shares accessory subunits with DNA polymerase delta. `PMID:22711820` Johnson et al. identified Pol31 and Pol32 as essential subunits of yeast DNA polymerase zeta. `PMID:23066099` Makarova et al. purified a four-subunit Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pol zeta complex containing Rev3, Rev7, Pol31, and Pol32.
Pol32 subunit	contributes to	zeta DNA polymerase complex	`PMID:22465957` Baranovskiy et al. found that DNA polymerase zeta shares accessory subunits with DNA polymerase delta. `PMID:22711820` Johnson et al. identified Pol31 and Pol32 as essential subunits of yeast DNA polymerase zeta. `PMID:23066099` Makarova et al. purified a four-subunit Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pol zeta complex containing Rev3, Rev7, Pol31, and Pol32.
zeta DNA polymerase complex	supports	Translesion synthesis	`GO:0016035` GO:0016035 defines the complex as catalyzing error-prone DNA synthesis in translesion-synthesis contexts. `GO:0019985` GO:0019985 defines translesion synthesis.

Discussions

CURATION_TODO (OPEN): Resolve exact source-neutral family groundings for the Rev3, Rev7, Pol31, and Pol32 subunit classes. GO:0016035 exactly identifies the zeta DNA polymerase complex and primary Saccharomyces evidence directly supports the four curated subunits, but exact source-neutral InterPro, Pfam, NCBIfam or UniProtKB family CURIEs were not curated in this pass.
INTERPRETATION (RESOLVED): Represent Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase zeta as a four-subunit Rev3/Rev7/Pol31/Pol32 complex. GO:0016035 describes the historical Rev3/Rev7 Pol zeta dimer and notes that Rev1 is often associated with it. Later primary evidence identified Pol31 and Pol32 as additional Pol zeta subunits and purified a four-subunit Rev3/Rev7/Pol31/Pol32 assembly, while Rev1 remained an assembly or recruitment factor rather than a stable constituent of the Pol zeta complex.

Evidence

GO:0016035 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for the zeta DNA polymerase complex.
GO:0042575 Gene Ontology cellular-component parent term for DNA polymerase complexes.
GO:0019985 Gene Ontology biological-process term for translesion synthesis.
PMID:8658138 PubMed record for Nelson et al. 1996, the Science paper that first characterized yeast DNA polymerase zeta as a Rev3/Rev7 complex.
PMID:22465957 PubMed record for Baranovskiy et al. 2012, the JBC paper describing shared DNA polymerase delta/zeta accessory subunits.
PMID:22711820 PubMed record for Johnson et al. 2012, the PNAS paper identifying Pol31 and Pol32 as yeast DNA polymerase zeta subunits.
PMID:23066099 PubMed record for Makarova et al. 2012, the NAR paper that purified a four-subunit Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase zeta complex.
PMID:25737057 PubMed record for Makarova and Burgers 2015, a review summarizing the four-subunit Pol zeta assembly and its Rev1 and PCNA interactions.

Curation history

2026-09-27T19:47:11Z codex · CREATED_RECORD — Scaffolded by scripts/new_record.py
2026-09-27T19:48:24Z codex · EXPANDED_RECORD — Added DNA-polymerase-complex parentage, four reviewed-label-only Saccharomyces Pol zeta constituent rows, budding-yeast scope and canonical example, translesion-synthesis function evidence, GO/PubMed evidence, a nonmechanistic function graph, a subunit-grounding TODO, and a resolved discussion for using the four-subunit Pol zeta assembly while leaving Rev1 outside the stable complex boundary.

Source: data/structures/other/zeta_dna_polymerase_complex.yaml