Single molecule measurement of the "speed limit" of DNA polymerase.

ABSTRACT: Although DNA replication is often imagined as a regular and continuous process, the DNA polymerase enzyme is a complicated machine and can pause upon encountering physical and chemical barriers. We used single molecule measurements to make a detailed characterization of this behavior as a function of the template's secondary structure and the sequence context. Strand displacement replication through a DNA hairpin by single DNA polymerase molecules was measured in real time with near single base resolution and physiological concentrations of nucleotides. These data enabled the measurement of the intrinsic "speed limit" of DNA polymerase by separating the burst synthesis rate from pausing events. The strand displacement burst synthesis rate for Escherichia coli DNA Polymerase I (KF) was foun

SUBMITTER: Schwartz JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2787106 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature