There are many biological contexts in which DNA damage generates "dirty" breaks with 3′-PO 4 (or cyclic-PO 4 ) and 5′-OH ends that cannot be sealed by DNA ligases. Here we show that the Escherichia coli RNA ligase RtcB can splice these dirty DNA ends via a unique chemical mechanism. RtcB transfers GMP from a covalent RtcB-GMP intermediate to a DNA 3′-PO 4 to form a "capped" 3′ end structure, DNA 3′ pp 5′ G. When a suitable DNA 5′-OH end is available, RtcB catalyzes attack of the 5′-OH on DNA 3′ pp 5′ G to form a 3′-5′ phosphodiester splice junction. Our findings unveil an enzymatic capacity for DNA 3′ capping and the sealing of DNA breaks with 3′-PO 4 and 5′-OH termini, with implications for DNA repair and DNA rearrangements.T he Escherichia coli RtcB is a founding member of a recently discovered family of RNA repair/splicing enzymes that join RNA 2′,3′-cyclic-PO 4 or 3′-PO 4 ends to RNA 5′-OH ends (1-4). RtcB executes a four-step pathway that requires GTP as an energy source and Mn 2+ as a cofactor (5-7). RtcB first reacts with GTP to form a covalent RtcB-(histidinyl 337 -N)-GMP intermediate. It then hydrolyzes the RNA 2′,3′-cyclic-PO 4 end to a 3′-PO 4 and transfers guanylate from His337 to the RNA 3′-PO 4 to form an RNA 3′ pp 5′ G intermediate. Finally, RtcB catalyzes the attack of an RNA 5′-OH on the RNA 3′ pp 5′ G end to form the 3′-5′ phosphodiester splice junction and liberate GMP.The unique chemical mechanism of RtcB overturned a longstanding tenet of nucleic acid enzymology, which held that synthesis of polynucleotide 3′-5′ phosphodiesters proceeds via the attack of a 3′-OH on a high-energy 5′-phosphoanhydride: either a nucleoside 5′-triphosphate in the case of RNA/DNA polymerases or an adenylylated intermediate A 5′ pp 5′ N, in the case of classic RNA/DNA ligases. In light of the wide distribution of RtcB proteins in bacteria, archaea, and metazoa, we raised the prospect of an alternative enzymology based on covalently activated 3′-PO 4 ends (6).In principle, the chemistry of RNA 3′-PO 4 /5′-OH end joining by RtcB might be portable to DNA transactions and pertinent to DNA repair. A variety of hydrolytic nucleases incise the DNA phosphodiester backbone to yield 3′-PO 4 and 5′-OH termini that cannot be joined by DNA ligases. Nonligatable 3′-PO 4 ends are also generated during base excision repair catalyzed by DNA glycosylase/lyase enzymes, during the repair of trapped covalent topoisomerase IB-DNA adducts by tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1, and during DNA damage inflicted by ionizing radiation. One way nature solves this "dirty end" problem is by deploying a variety of "end healing" enzymes (8-14). These include 3′-phosphoesterases that convert a 3′-PO 4 to a 3′-OH and 5′-kinases that transform a 5′-OH to a 5′-PO 4 , thereby enabling break sealing by the classic ligase pathway. Given what we now know about RtcB, would it not make sense for nature to also endow a pathway for direct joining of DNA 3′-PO 4 and 5′-OH ends, be it via RtcB or another ligase yet to be discovered?We can extend this thought to DN...