Regulating Polθ in Breast Cancer.

Abstract

DNA polymerase θ, a protein encoded by the <i>POLQ</i> gene, is the defining factor for the DNA double-strand break repair pathway known as theta-mediated end-joining (TMEJ). Some cancers depend on TMEJ for survival and tumor growth. TMEJ might be useful as a biomarker to guide patient treatment and is now an active target for drug development, making it critical to understand how it is regulated in cells. In a recent article, Prodhomme and colleagues provide the first identification of a transcription regulator of <i>POLQ</i> expression and TMEJ activity: the transcription factor, ZEB1.<i>See related article by Prodhomme et al., p. 1595</i>.