Metal-Induced Infidelity of DNA Synthesis

In this paper, we consider the effects of metal ions on the accuracy of catalysis by DNA polymerases. Certain activating and nonactivating metal ions have been shown to diminish the fidelity of DNA synthesis in vitro with a variety of DNA polymerases. There is a significant correlation between the metals that decrease fidelity and those that have been reported to be mutagenic and carcinogenic. Thus, metal carcinogens are no exception to the general postulate that carcinogens can be identified by their interactions with DNA.