with lower values in average coordination distance geometry in the catalytic metal A-site. Crystal structures of R96G revealed the loss of three H-bonds of residues Gly-96 and Tyr-93 with an incoming dNTP, due to the lack of an arginine, as well as a destabilized Tyr-93 side chain secondary to the loss of a cationinteraction between both side chains. These results provide a mechanistic basis for alteration in pol catalytic function with coordinating metals and genetic variation.Genomic DNA is continuously attacked by a variety of endogenous and exogenous agents in cells, and the persistent unrepaired lesions can lead to genomic mutations and related diseases such as cancer. DNA polymerases (pols), 2 as well as DNA repair enzymes, are key enzymes for maintaining or altering genomic integrity against DNA lesions during various DNA transactions in organisms. The DNA replicative mechanisms linked to DNA damage and repair are believed to contribute to producing various mutational signatures in human cancer genomes (1). At least 17 different human DNA polymerases have been identified to date, which differ in their functions in DNA replication, repair, recombination, and damage tolerance (2, 3).Y-family DNA polymerases, including pols , , , and REV1, are specialized in replicating through DNA lesions, so-called translesion DNA synthesis (TLS). These polymerases have low fidelity with undamaged DNA templates but have spacious and solvent-accessible active sites to allow the accommodation and replicative bypass of bulky and distorted DNA lesions (4). Individual Y-family polymerases play error-free or error-prone roles in TLS, depending on DNA lesion types in cells (5). At bulky carcinogen-derived N 2 -G DNA lesions (e.g. benzo[a]pyrene-diol epoxide-G), both pol and REV1 catalyze error-free TLS, but both pols and catalyze error-prone TLS (6 -14). By contrast, at UV-induced cyclobutane thymine dimers (T-T), only pol (but not the other Y-family pols) can catalyze errorfree TLS (15,16). Therefore, the overall balance toward errorfree TLS with all working polymerases at various DNA lesions might be crucial in preventing mutations from numerous genotoxic agents. Recently, we reported that catalytic (either hypoactive or hyperactive) alterations are found in a considerable number of human germline non-synonymous variants of Y-family pols , , and REV1 (17-19), which might potentially influence on the overall TLS capacity in the affected individuals.pol is exceptionally error-prone in DNA synthesis among polymerases, particularly opposite template bases G and T, due to its uniquely restricted active-site and related non-WatsonCrick base pairing (20 -22). pol is able to catalyze nucleotide insertion opposite a variety of DNA lesions, including N 2 -and O 6 -alkyl and aralkyl G adducts, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroG (8-oxoG),