Lesion bypass by S. cerevisiae Pol ζ alone

► Pol ζ participates in translesion synthesis (TLS) of DNA adducts that stall replication fork progression. ► We quantified bypass of abasic sites, cis-syn cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and (6-4) photoproducts. ► In reactions containing high dNTP concentrations, L979F Pol ζ bypasses all three lesions. ► Wild-type Pol ζ also bypasses these lesions, with lower efficiencies. ► Our data supports the hypothesis that Pol ζ has the potential to be the sole DNA polymerase involved in TLS.