RecQ helicase translocates along single-stranded DNA with a moderate processivity and tight mechanochemical coupling.

ABSTRACT: Maintenance of genome integrity is the major biological role of RecQ-family helicases via their participation in homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DNA repair processes. RecQ helicases exert their functions by using the free energy of ATP hydrolysis for mechanical movement along DNA tracks (translocation). In addition to the importance of translocation per se in recombination processes, knowledge of its mechanism is necessary for the understanding of more complex translocation-based activities, including nucleoprotein displacement, strand separation (unwinding), and branch migration. Here, we report the key properties of the ssDNA translocation mechanism of Escherichia coli RecQ helicase, the prototype of the RecQ family. We monitored the pre-steady-state kinetics of ATP hydrolysis by

SUBMITTER: Sarlos K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3382518 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature