1q57
The Crystal Structure of the Bifunctional Primase-Helicase of Bacteriophage T7The Crystal Structure of the Bifunctional Primase-Helicase of Bacteriophage T7
Structural highlights
Function[PRIM_BPT7] Synthesizes short RNA primers for DNA replication. Unwinds the DNA at the replication forks and generates single-stranded DNA for both leading and lagging strand synthesis. The primase synthesizes short RNA primers on the lagging strand that the polymerase elongates using dNTPs.[1] [2] [3] Evolutionary ConservationCheck, as determined by ConSurfDB. You may read the explanation of the method and the full data available from ConSurf. Publication Abstract from PubMedWithin minutes after infecting Escherichia coli, bacteriophage T7 synthesizes many copies of its genomic DNA. The lynchpin of the T7 replication system is a bifunctional primase-helicase that unwinds duplex DNA at the replication fork while initiating the synthesis of Okazaki fragments on the lagging strand. We have determined a 3.45 A crystal structure of the T7 primase-helicase that shows an articulated arrangement of the primase and helicase sites. The crystallized primase-helicase is a heptamer with a crown-like shape, reflecting an intimate packing of helicase domains into a ring that is topped with loosely arrayed primase domains. This heptameric isoform can accommodate double-stranded DNA in its central channel, which nicely explains its recently described DNA remodeling activity. The double-jointed structure of the primase-helicase permits a free range of motion for the primase and helicase domains that suggests how the continuous unwinding of DNA at the replication fork can be periodically coupled to Okazaki fragment synthesis. The crystal structure of the bifunctional primase-helicase of bacteriophage T7.,Toth EA, Li Y, Sawaya MR, Cheng Y, Ellenberger T Mol Cell. 2003 Nov;12(5):1113-23. PMID:14636571[4] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. See AlsoReferences
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