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Table 1 DNA and RNA polymerases involved in replication and transcription in cells and viruses

From: The replication machinery of LUCA: common origin of DNA replication and transcription

Polymerase family

Core catalytic domain

Organisms

Functions

DNA-RNA switches

DNA-directed DNAPs

 PolA

Derived RRM-Palm

Bacteria, some phages, mitochondria

Repair in bacteria, replication in some phages, plant and fungal mitochondria, and mitochondrial plasmids

From DNAP to single-subunit RNAP in phages

 PolB

RRM-Palm

Archaea, eukaryotes, some bacteria, many large DNA viruses

Replication in Crenarchaeota, eukaryotes, viruses; repair in other archaea, bacteria

To DNA template and product at origin(?)

 PolC

Polβ-like nucleotidyl-transferase

Bacteria, a few phages

Replication

PolyA polymerase in eukaryotes

 PolD

2xDPBB in a single protein

Archaea except for crenarchaea and some thaumarchaea

Replication

To DNA template and product at origin(?)

 AEP

RRM-Palm

Archaea, eukaryotes, some bacteria, diverse mobile elements, many large DNA viruses

RNA priming of replication in archaea, eukaryotes, and dsDNA viruses; replication of plasmids and phages

From RNA synthesis during priming to DNA synthesis during plasmid replication

DNA-directed RNAPs

 Two-DPBB RNAP, two subunits

2xDPBB, one in each subunit

Bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes, many large DNA viruses

Transcription

To DNA template at origin(?)

Viroid replication: to RNA template

 Two-DPBB RNAP, single subunit

2xDPBB in a single protein

Many phages and linear cytoplasmic plasmids of fungi

Transcription

Eukaryotic RNAi: to RNA template

 Single-subunit RNAPs

Derived RRM-Palm

Some phages, mitochondria

Transcription

None

RdRP-RT

 RdRP

RRM-Palm

RNA viruses

Replication

To DNA synthesis in RT(?)

 RT

RRM-Palm

Retroelements, reverse-transcribing viruses

Replication in viruses and retroelements; telomere synthesis in eukaryotes

Using both RNA and DNA templates

 RNAi eRdRP

2xDPBB in a single protein

Eukaryotes

Small RNA amplification

None

  1. AEP archaeal-eukaryotic primase, DNAP DNA polymerase, DPBB double-psi beta-barrel, RNAP RNA polymerase, RdRP RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, RRM RNA recognition motif, RT reverse transcriptase