Final answer:
DNA polymerase IV, encoded by the dinB gene, is an enzyme involved in the SOS repair mechanism in bacteria which allows for DNA replication to continue past damaged sites like thymine dimers.
Step-by-step explanation:
DNA polymerase IV (pol IV), which is encoded by the dinB gene, plays a significant role in the SOS repair of damaged DNA. SOS repair is a bacterial response to DNA damage that includes a variety of mechanisms. One important SOS repair enzyme is DNA polymerase IV, which is involved in translesion synthesis, allowing DNA replication to occur over a site of damage. Other DNA repair pathways include nucleotide excision repair (NER), where enzyme complexes like UvrABC endonuclease recognize distortions such as thymine dimers and initiate repair by removing the damaged section of the DNA strand.