Function of a strand-separation pin element in the PriA DNA replication restart helicase.

ABSTRACT: DNA helicases are motor proteins that couple the chemical energy of nucleoside triphosphate hydrolysis to the mechanical functions required for DNA unwinding. Studies of several helicases have identified strand-separating "pin" structures that are positioned to intercept incoming dsDNA and promote strand separation during helicase translocation. However, pin structures vary among helicases and it remains unclear whether they confer a conserved unwinding mechanism. Here, we tested the biochemical and cellular roles of a putative pin element within the Escherichia coli PriA DNA helicase. PriA orchestrates replication restart in bacteria by unwinding the lagging-strand arm of abandoned DNA replication forks and reloading the replicative helicase with the help of protein partners that c

SUBMITTER: Windgassen TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6393597 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature