Abstract 1378 Establishing the activities of archaeal DNA Polymerases B and D in vivo

Each Domain encodes for a unique family of DNA polymerase that serves as the main replicative polymerase; Eukarya use Pol B enzymes, Bacteria use Pol C enzymes, and most Archaea utilize Pol D enzymes. The retention of a dispensable Pol B DNA polymerase in most archaeal clades argues that Pol D and Pol B have specialized roles in vivo. While Pol B and Pol D have been characterized in vitro, the roles for each in vivo remain enigmatic. Here we describe on-going efforts to define the in vivo function(s) of archaeal DNA polymerases using the model species Thermococcus kodakaerensis.