Thermo Fisher Scientific POLQ Polyclonal Antibody

Applications and Tested Dilutions

Product Specifications

Product Specific Information

This antibody detects endogenous levels of total DNA Polymerase theta.

Target Information

DNA polymerase that promotes microhomology-mediated end-joining (MMEJ), an alternative non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) mechanism triggered in response to double-strand breaks in DNA. MMEJ is an error-prone repair pathway that can lead to deletions and genomic rearrangements such as telomere fusions, potentially resulting in cellular transformation. POLQ acts as an inhibitor of the homology-recombination repair (HR) pathway by limiting RAD51 accumulation at resected ends. POLQ-mediated MMEJ supports cell survival when HR repair is compromised, preventing genomic instability by resolving unrepaired lesions.

The polymerase binds directly to the two ends of resected double-strand breaks, enabling microhomologous sequences to form base pairs and extending each strand from the paired region using the opposing overhang as a template. Requires partially resected DNA with 2–6 base pairs of microhomology to perform MMEJ. POLQ exhibits highly promiscuous polymerase activity, facilitating extension of ssDNA and partial ssDNA substrates. It also shows low-fidelity DNA synthesis, translesion synthesis, and lyase activity, and is involved in interstrand-cross-link repair, base excision repair, and DNA end-joining. Additionally, POLQ participates in somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes by introducing mutations at both A/T and C/G base pairs. [UniProt]

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. Not for resale without express authorization.