Three prime repair exonuclease 2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the TREX2 gene.[5][6]
Quick facts Available structures, PDB ...
Close
This gene encodes a protein with 3' exonuclease activity. Enzymes with this activity are involved in DNA replication, repair, and recombination. Similarity to an E. coli protein suggests that this enzyme may be a subunit of DNA polymerase III, which does not have intrinsic exonuclease activity.[6]
Newer research has determined that TREX2 is also involved in flap endonuclease activity, as detected in the context of inhibiting gene-editing nickases that generate an extension flap such as prime editors that do not usually create a double-stranded break. This function was first demonstrated in a thesis by Lung in 2021,[7] and replicated by Koeppel et al. in 2023.[8] Subsequently, TREX2 has become incorporated into fusion enzymes for genetic engineering by multiple research groups for the purposes of reducing off-target edits which include chromosomal translocations and mismatched insertions.[9][10]
Mutations in this gene may lead to Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome.
